Could I Have Tore my Internal Sutures 8 Days After my Tummy Tuck?

It would be very rare to break the internal sutures that most surgeons use to repair the abdominal wall and use as deeper sutures to bring the incision together.  When patients report a tearing sensation, it is often the tissues themselves that have stretched or torn slightly internally.  This generally heals fine, but can be painful ( as you found out) and can cause some bleeding.  When a suture breaks, it is not a subtle thing.  Most patients hear and feel an actual pop when the suture breaks.

Dear Luvinmy3kids,

 

I am sorry that you had to go through this awful experience at the ER.

 

Deep Tummy tuck sutures are normally strong enough to withstand tension and so their rupture is not common. Could it happen? Yes.

 

According to what you have described, it seems that the sutures cut through the tissue causing bleeding, hence the dark blood drained from your abdomen.

 

Consequently, pain will result from the tearing that may have taken place as well as the fact that your skin (at 8 days post surgery) did not establish the necessary laxity to withstand the stretch that you may have had when you had to lay flat on your back for the imaging as instructed by the radiologist.

 

Therefore, I encourage you to keep your surgeon in the loop of your progressive healing and to keep an eye on any abdominal bulging if it is to occur.

 

Best of luck to you and thank you for your inquiry.
Dr. Sajjadian

I'm sorry to hear that you have had such a difficult time after your surgery. It is possible to have popped your sutures from your description. Unfortunately even if you did, there is nothing you can really do about it now. Follow your surgeon's instructions and hopefully you will do fine.