10 Wks After Hernia Repair and "Tightening" Things Up from Diastasis, Still Have Swelling, Normal?

Thank you for the question.

As always, it is best to be seen in person ( by your plastic surgeon) for precise diagnosis and treatment.

Abdominal wall "swelling" after tummy tuck may be related to:
1. Swelling in the soft tissues.  This may take several months to resolve and may worsen with increased activity  or at the end of the day.   Patience  is required to allow for resolution of the swelling. The swelling occurs because of the interruption of venous and lymphatic channels that occurs during the tummy tuck operation.
2. Fluid accumulation in the space between the skin and the abdominal wall muscle.  this may consist of blood ( hematoma)  or serum (seroma).  This fluid accumulation can generally be diagnosed by physical examination ( occasionally ultrasound  may be helpful).  Treatment consists of aspiration;  several episodes of aspiration may be necessary. 
3. Separation of the abdominal wall muscle repair may lead to a swelling/bulge appearance. This may be diagnosed on physical examination  with your surgeon examining you in different bodily positions. One of the steps of a tummy tuck procedure involves reapproximation (plication)  of the rectus muscles.  These muscles have spread apart during pregnancy and/or weight gain. Bringing them together again in the midline helps to “tighten” the abdominal wall as well as to narrow the waistline.
4. Residual adipose tissue may be confused for swelling. Again this is most easily diagnosed by physical examination. Additional liposuction surgery maybe necessary to improve the results of surgery.
Generally, it takes many months for swelling to resolve after tummy tuck surgery and it may take up to one year  (or greater)  a complete skin redraping  to occur.
I hope this helps.

Thank you for your question.  Swelling after tummy tuck - or, in your case, abdominal wall reconstruction - is commonplace and can be persistent to some degree for several months.  With that in mind, localized areas of swelling may represent seroma that may warrant drainage.  I would recommend consulting directly with your plastic surgeon for the most appropriate care.

The wound healing process following abdominoplasty lasts for
over a year. Most of the swelling resolves in six to eight weeks, but small
amounts of swelling may persist for up to a year. The procedure tends to disrupt abdominal
lymphatic drainage and this causes swelling in the post-operative period.Although
soft tissue edema is the most likely cause of your findings, further studies
are indicated. The asymmetric nature of your swelling suggests possible fluid
collections. These abnormal bulges may represent seromas or possibly hematomas.
They should be investigated with ultrasound studies and possibly CT scans. When
these studies are positive, drainage should be undertaken.It’s
important that you consult your surgeon. Your surgeon should be able to evaluate
your situation and formulate an appropriate treatment plan.