Very Disappointed! - Omaha, NE

After a few visits with the Dr., feeling very comfortable with him and seeing all the before and after pics, I was so excited about having the tummy tuck done. I was a few days from turning 52. After having 3 kids and many, many scope surgeries due to health problems, I looked terrible. I didn't want to dress or undress in front of my husband who I had been married to at the time for almost 35 yrs. My surgery was March 15, 2011. I was informed that lipo would cost extra so we decided not to have that done. The day of surgery went great. After the first day I was draining the tubes myself and looking to see what I could without removing any gauze, just being curious. But I had noticed that where the tubes were inserted it was really, really puffy which is just below the insision. Not a big deal It would go away after time, was my thought. The Dr. had said he took 5#s of fat off me. To start with I weighed myself for 2 weeks prior to surgery, same weight everyday. The Drs scale the day of surgery was 5 # less than mine. Same digital scale. For the first 6 months I was happy with the results. Then, I started putting weight on again. Same weight that I had weighed before surgery is what I still weigh over a year later. I have been told it could be because of fat building up around my stomache area that was coming from around my other organs. And after surgery I have been told that lipo had been done which wasnt suppopse to be done because I didnt want to pay the extra. I am a hard working woman and support myself and my husband because he is disabilied. I don't have alot of money to dish out for a surgery like this that doesn't work and that I'm not happy with. My tummy has flab all over again and below the scar is so puffy and I can't see any of my female parts below because the skin has sagged so very much. From looking long and hard at the before and after photos of other women that have had this surgery and being so excityed about this, I am so very disappointed in what has become of my tummy. I trusted this Dr. and is very well known in this area. He was referred to me my other women who have had breast reduction and breast implants, some of them family members. I am dealing with the Dr. to have this redone at no charge to me. I paid for it once and do not intend to pay again for something that I wasn't expecting to happen or told could happen. My stomach below my naval and above my insision is hard and still numb and tingly, and sometimes painful. Please think long and hard before you have this tummy tuck done and make sure you get feed back from others that your Dr has prefomed this surgery on. Don't just take the Drs. word on it. I don't have photos to share with all of you, because I haven't been given them yet and it has been 15+ months since I had my surgery. I have tried to talk to the Dr. about all that has happened and him and the nurse try to make it that it is my fault. I still don't like to get dressed or undressed in front of my husband and it has now been 36 yrs that we have been married.