Wanted my pe-baby body back, ended up with years of pain

PirateMom's provider

Marcel Daniels, MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

I was healing well, and happy with my results, until about 6 weeks in when I had a sudden terrible sharp pain in my abdomen. I remember being curled up in fetal position while talking to Dr D through his emergency weekend answering service. He was at a social event and very annoyed that I had called about this pain. He told me that it was the nerves reattaching and that I should just relax, live my life, and give it time. For the next two years I lived with sharp pain in my abdomen, which was akin to being stabbed repeatedly by a bunch of needles. I went from specialist to specialist to try to pinpoint the pain, since Dr. D was adamant that it had nothing to do with him, and implied it was in my head or gastro related. Only after I had exhausted all other venues (and conveniently two days past the statute of limitations in CA for cosmetic surgery) Dr D called me and told me he may have pinched a nerve in the sutures. That there was a 50/50 chance of being able to repair it (at my cost). It took me two years to even get him to admit there was something wrong. I spent a year on nerve blockers, just to be able to function. The nerve blockers had a lovely side affect of unexplained weight gain which left me at almost 200lbs. The attitude I received from Dr D and his staff was, in retrospect, inconceivable. I was treated as though I was crazy and that it was all in my head. They were annoyed by my pain. Dr D just kept telling me that he’s never heard of such a thing, so it’s not a problem because the results “look great”. Fast forward 5yrs, I found a different doctor who fixed the issue in just one surgery. He was educated on this very common problem of nerves getting trapped in scar tissue or permanent sutures and often all it requires is a suture to be moved, or scar tissue to be removed. I’ve never felt pain in my abdomen again. I will only say one thing about choosing a doctor that is right for you; find a doc who “listens” to you when you’re saying something they don’t want to hear. Dr. Azar in Thousand Oaks turned my life around. I am back at my prebaby weight of 135lbs and I have a six pack. Boom baby!