Valley Mom

I Had Surgery a Week and A Half Ago

Hey! I had a huge hernia. It was wierd. There was a hole and it poked out like a huge ball in my stomach if I leaned back. Before my tummy tuck, I had it repaired through my HMO thinking that everything would straighten itself out once it was repaired. No such luck. My surgeon, Dr. Moelleken, had to completely redo it cause teh hernia came back and it still looked a mess. It's awesome now. I'm just 4 months out of surgery. The surgery experience and recovery was a hundred, million, times better than my HMO. I didn't have to pay extra for the hernia repair part though. It's really all connected, isn't it. The doc has to sew everything back in a corset anyway, that would include the hole. So I'm not sure why that would be more. All that to say, I probably had the worst hernia on the planet. Actually, it was so bad that I was featured on a TV show about hernia's after babies (I had two back to back and was 128lbs before) and the before and after, and how a tummy tuck can repair it. It was embarassing to be on national TV like that but I thought it was worth it if it could help other women know there's something that can be done about it. I hope it helps you too. Good Luck. Nat

Hey! My surgery was on 1/23 and I had stinging pains if I reached for something quickly or sat the wrong way. I'm still a bit numb in the middle of my tummy but have noticed that as the feeling is returning, I sometimes get a bit of a sting here or there. My surgeon said it was normal. The same sort of stinging happened to me a few years ago when I accidentally cut my hand and the nerves in my pinky finger. As the feeling came back, I had sudden twinges of pain like stinging but it went away. Now at 5 weeks, I haven't experienced it again. Fingers crossed. Good Luck.

Wow, that's horrible. I was feeling great at about day 5 except the occassional pulling if I sat or reached wrong. My sister-in-law had problems similar to yours. She said she couldn't stand straight for 6 weeks. Yikes! And had drains for 14 days. Double yikes! So when I met with the surgeon I ultimately chose, I made sure to bring this up with him. He said that when a surgeon is over-agressive (takes too much skin) you get that result of not being able to stand for weeks. He explained that there were ways to avoid it. His technique was right on because I was standing straight within a few days--still protective of the area (hunched when I wanted to be) but comfortable straight. Also, I stayed at an After-Care Spa, recommended by my surgeon, the first two nights after surgery, so I was waited on hand and foot--smoothies, changing dressings, administering medications. THe first 2 days are what I consider the most difficult recovery days. I'm 4 weeks out now and my tummy looks great, totally flat. Some swelling is still there though. I've started a scar fade cream as well. I totally agree about my tummy feeling wierd. Mine's still numb in the middle. My doctor encouraged me to touch it after 5 days to get to know my abs again but it's still a bit wierd. I think that all surgeons aren't made equal and one with great bedside manner, experience and technique make all the difference. Good Luck with your healing.