“Starting to feel nervous about results...”
Tummy tuck: NOT worth it
Pain: Uncomfortable
I had abdominoplasty, breast lift, and breast augmentation surgery about two months ago, and although I'm basically happy with the lift/augmentation, I am getting more nervous and upset as each day passes when it comes to the tummy tuck. First of all, my surgeon completely downplayed the recovery - you will be basically unable to move for 3 or 4 days afterwards because your abs will be in such pain. Getting up from bed and getting into bed are excrutiating! Next, the drains are icky (for lack of a better word), uncomfortable, and very difficult to dress around. I had to go and buy a whole elastic-waist skirt wardrobe because the tubes didn't fit into any of my clothing without tugging on their entry points. Lastly, I was told I could shower right away, and I'm convinced that this is why my incision became infected at about the 4-week point. The center of my incision, where the infection was, is now a large circle of scar tissue about the size of a quarter. Okay, so all of that is a nuisance, but my real terror is that I'm going to need a revision. The doctor didn't have to construct a new belly button for me because my belly button was, apparently, 'high' to begin with. Now everything below my bellybutton is taut, and the area above my belly button is even looser and crepier than it was pre-op. I can no longer wear a bikini because it's so obvious. When I spoke to the doctor's staff, they told me it was too soon to tell and that it was probably just swelling, to which I replied that I would think that swelling would tighten the skin, not make it looser. Now the doctor says he is going to do laser tightening on the loose area, but not for at least 2 more months. I'm not convinced that this will remedy the problem. I've basically had to force myself to stop thinking about it, because it only makes me more and more upset. Another question I have is, who pays for any revision needed? I will be incredibly pi**ed off if I have to outlay any more cash, since I've already paid over $15,000 for my breasts and my tummy. Does anyone know the answer to this? Thanks for listening to my story, I know it's a little long!
Updated on Dec 22, 2008:
(It pains me to do it because I so hate how I look, but I am posting my 'after' picture here so that anyone who is interested can see exactly what I'm talking about!)
Okay - I am now 6 months out from my tummy tuck surgery, and because the sagging and crepiness on my upper abdomen has not resolved (surprise, surprise), my plastic surgeon is performing laser tightening on that area. I had my first laser treatment last week and have not noticed any difference as of yet. Apparently I will have at least 3 treatments, spaced a month apart. I am quite unhappy with my results, and as I said in my original review, I feel that the doctor unilaterally decided at the last minute to give me a 'mini' tummy tuck so that a new belly button would not have to be constructed. He avers that he did, in fact, stitch my abdominals, thereby making it a 'full' tummy tuck, but I'm not sure I even believe him at this point! I don't know what to believe. All I know is that I am not overweight, I work out regularly, and I have done abdominal exercises nearly my entire adult life, and after undergoing this tummy tuck, my stomach is still slightly distended and my skin is loose and saggy. At what point do I take off my gloves and let the surgeon know that I'm not just marginally unhappy with the results, I'm EXTREMELY unhappy with the results?
Also, my incision had a 'dog ear' on one side that the doctor removed in his office. Is the dog ear to be expected, or is that, too, the sign of a poor job?
Any comments would be much appreciated!
Jul 27, 2008Comments and replies (10)
5 posts
22 Dec 2008
Wow,I am sorry that you have had a bad experience with your tummy tuck. Based on my prior research dog ears seem to be a common side effect. Your scar looks really low similar to a mini tummy tuck but it looks really good. Did you get liposuction on your stomach too? Also did you wear a compression garment? I think you should let the doctor know that you are very unhappy with the results, after all this is your body and your money. Goodluck.
12 posts
22 Dec 2008
Shesh girl, I feel you got jipped. It's obvious you needed a TT that involved a new Belly button. Even if yours was high enough, it's hidden under the upper ab skin. I don't think lipo of any kind is going to shrink the skin. It needs to be pulled. I am SO sorry. I think he should pay for the revisions too. It is obvious (to me) that this was the fault of the surgeon.
7 posts
28 Dec 2008
Hi, Libraldy and aphreal - thanks so much for your comments and support! Libraldy, no I did not get lipo on my stomach, and yes, I wore a compression garment even beyond the timeframe my PS recommended. More and more, I believe that my PS gave me a mini-tummytuck (for unknown reasons), but charged me for a full tummytuck. He continues to maintain that I had a full tummytuck. My next step will be to ask for copies of my operative notes, but I know that the minute I do that, his hackles will be up. I must admit, the prospect of fighting with him over this is a daunting one. Thanks again for your kind words!
unregistered guest
28 Dec 2008
I hate that you spent so much money and got so little reward. I would like to know why you didn't list the doctor's name so no one else gets screwed. I think you should be very BOLD when confronting him, let him know that everyone agrees with you about the belly button position and mini tummy tuck appearance. It seems as if you could have the same results from lipo w/o the tummy tuck. When you confront him let him know what your "realistic" expectations were and how he disappointed you. Be as firm as your desired abs.
173 posts
30 Dec 2008
From your pictures, it appears that you have had a mini-tummy tuck only. Unless your surgeon performed a procedure where the belly button gets "floated" down without cutting around it, you only had the lower part of your abdomen tightened. Good luck with the laser skin tightening as it probably won't be that successful. If I were you, I would get a second opinion after six months. Several questions I have are: 1. Are you a smoker? and 2. Were you trying to avoid the full tummy tuck procedure after going over your surgical options with your doctor? Manish H. Shah, M.D. Denver, Colorado
7 posts
30 Dec 2008
Hello again! Mother of 5 - I love your 'be as firm as your desired abs' advice! Thanks for your comments. Dr. Shah - I believe my PS DID 'float' my belly button down without cutting around it. He was able to do that because according to him, it 'sat high' to begin with. I'm curious why he would do that if it wouldn't ultimately produce an attractive result? Also, I am not a smoker and I was not trying to avoid the full TT procedure. I was fully aware of the likely results of the TT, including the extent of the scarring. It seems that now I have both a nasty scar (replete with dog ear) AND a saggy abdomen! As it stands now, money is an issue, and I'm afraid that involving a second opinion would end up costing me thousands of dollars more. I also understand that having the surgeon that did a poor job initially now perform any revisions is a big risk, as well. This is my conundrum! I definitely feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place. My second laser tightening session is on Monday, January 5th - any suggestions on how I should handle voicing my displeasure with my PS? I'm loathe to make him defensive! Again, thank you all for your insights.
173 posts
31 Dec 2008
Thanks for your response. If you paid for a full tummy tuck then you should ask him to give it to you or you should demand your money back! I would ask for your OR records to determine how long it took him to do the operation (his cut time to close time). In my hands, a mini tummy tuck is performed in around an hour, including muscle repair below the belly button. With a surgical assistant I can do a full tummy tuck with full muscle repair above and below the belly button (not floating) in around 2h:15m. In my honest opinion, your belly button does not look like it was floated down. Frankly when surgeons are doing full tummy tucks they don't routinely float the belly button. They usually make the scar around the belly button. For some women who have high riding belly buttons, cutting around the belly button leaves a scar around the belly button and a second vertical scar in the midline somewhere below the belly button but above the tummy tuck incision. Floating the high riding belly button is one way to avoid this, but it is not common. Also, looking at how short your incision is, I really question whether you can tighten enough vertically with such a short incision. In my hands your incision would have ridden up along the angle of your groin to your hip bone area, even if I was using the high lateral tension operation. Any surgeon worth their good name would provide you with at least one attempt at revision. In my practice, I revise without recharging a surgeon's fee (within one year), but the patient pays for OR and anesthesia use. Just maintain a good level of communication with your surgeon and his staff.
unregistered guest
25 Jan 2009
Based on your photo it appears to me he only did a mini tuck. I had a full tummy tuck and my scar is hip bone to hip bone. I would research options such as legal...Good luck!
2 posts
18 Mar 2009
There is very little doubt by your photo that you had a mini. I had a mini about 2 yrs ago and the scar was short like yours. I recently had a full tt because of the skin right above my belly button. I am not really happy with my results I'm 6 1/2 weeks post op and my upper abs are sticking out and there is still loose skin. I dread confronting my ps too. It's a lot of money for a poor result. Good Luck and plz post how it goes....
7 posts
18 Mar 2009
Thank you all so much for your various comments - your insights have been invaluable to me. I ultimately went for both a second opinion and a legal consultation. My PS maintains that he tightened my abdominal muscles all the way up to my breastbone, so in his eyes he performed a 'full' tummy tuck. It is patently obvious that I didn't receive a full TT, but I stand nothing to gain by accusing my PS of lying. The second opinion I received (which cost $150) was that my original surgeon didn't perform a full tummy tuck, so that wasn't particularly helpful. My subsequent meeting with an attorney was an eye opener - he basically said that malpractice insurers don't settle until they've forced you into court, eaten up years of your life, ridiculed you for your vanity, and cost you thousands and thousands of dollars on expert opinions, etc. That's not what I want at all. As it stands now, my PS is performing revision surgery on me on March 31st. I will not have to pay his fees, but I do have to pay for all of the hospital fees, which total approximately $3,000. This absolutely infuriates me, but I don't feel that I have a choice. He holds all of the cards in this situation, unfortunately. Why my surgeon would want a client out there who is extremely unhappy (i.e., me) just to save himself $3,000 is a mystery to me, because I will have nothing complimentary to say about him when all is said and done, and we all know how quickly word spreads. Very short-sighted of him, in my opinion. If this were a matter of him tweaking something that I was marginally unhappy with, okay, I would get that. Sadly for me, this is not a matter of tweaking, my stomach is unsightly and botched by anyone's standards. For me to have to undergo a SECOND surgery, with all of the attendant risks and downtime, AND pay for it - well, let's just say that I am beyond pissed. My surgeon could have almost completely ameliorated my upset by paying for the hospital fees out of the over-$15,000 I paid him last June. In any case, please, all of you, think good and healing thoughts for me on the 31st! I want nothing more than to simply move on (with a nice, flat abdomen, preferably)when this is finally over! Thanks again!