Tummy Tuck: Q&A

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Tore my TT Stitches 1 Month Post Op?

I has an abdominoplasty One month later, I noticed a bulge under my rib cage. Bulge became more prominent , PS said I had tore my stitches and he said he will need to redo the whole ab wall after 4-5 months. I can only think of a few times I felt pain, but I had a lot of vomiting after the surgery. Am I prone to tear again & Will it take longer to scar over & heal? I'm 59, so does healing slow down? I wore spanx with the binder-now I don't think it was enough..or too much on the lower.

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3 Doctor Answers | Asked by dmanc53

Doctor Answers (3)
Community Comments (2)

Tore my TT Stitches 1 Month Post Op?

Severe vomitting may well have been the cause. Healing after a redo operation should not take any longer. Doing all that is possible to minimize nausea makes sense. Discuss pre and post op meds with your surgeon and/or anesthesiologist. Narcotic pain meds are a major cause of nausea, so using a pain pump or Exparel will provide 3 days of local anesthesia to the abdomen, and cut down on pain med needs. A good support garment will also be helpful. All the best.

Tearing plication sutures

It is possible for you to have torn your plication sutures from excessive heaving from vomiting or over exertion during the early post-op period.

Steven Wallach, MD

13 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Re-do tummy tuck

Any time you are having something done for the second time, it will take longer to heal. At 59, you will definitely heal slower than your 20 something year old friends. If you follow your doctor's instructions exactly you should heal well the second time around but you definitely are at higher risk for a problem than someone who has never had a tummy tuck. Good luck.

Comments (2)

PittsburghMaMa
5 months ago

When did you ask this question? I'm very interested in the answer as well. I have soft bulges in my ab area and I was also very sick for the first two Post op days (vomiting etc). I worried I had done damage. My PS assures me it is just swelling but that's the answer for everything I ask. I'm also 4 weeks tomorrow. Please inbox me if you get any answers!

dmanc53
5 months ago

My TT was 12 weeks ago, so most of the swelling is down and mending well-besides for this bulge. I had concerns after I was OK'd to not wear my binder at 6 weeks-return to work and this hard mass did not shrink like my lower ab was doing. I have an active job that includes lifting and stretching. At that visit it was agreed that I would need a revision....he thinks I did it after that visit- but I was so careful. He wasn't there when I was vomiting-each heave brought on another heave from the pain. It doesn't matter now. I feel like I totaled a new car-if only I had worn the binder longer, if only I hadn't gotten sick. I have a better picture of what is done during this process..I would think an ultrasound or some testing be good before returning one to work to see if things are mending as they should.

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