POSTED UNDER Body Lift REVIEWS
Some Issues, but So Far, Glad I've Done It - LBL After Weight Loss - Foster City, CA
ORIGINAL POST
From my heaviest weight of 278, I lost 110 lbs...
chanceletDecember 24, 2015
WORTH IT$15,480
From my heaviest weight of 278, I lost 110 lbs after gastric sleeve back in 2013. On 12/2/15, I had a lower body lift, with liposuction on what I called "the family bump", a roll of fatty tissue at the top of my buttocks. A total of 11.4 pounds was removed.
The procedure went well. I began having lots of pain on my back side when sleeping on my back, which I mentioned to my doctor. He seemed more concerned I wasn't keeping it clean, which I was. About a week afterward, he noticed an open wound that wasn't healing right where the pain was, and later said I could start sleeping on my side. He prescribed Collagenase Santyl ointment 2x a day. Hopefully it'll work. It's not the easiest location to put gauze on.
The other issue is the abdominal wall swell, which I hadn't expected and worried me a lot. It started about 2 and a half weeks after the surgery, and happens after sitting for any period of time. When I told him about the extreme tightness in my abdomen, he seemed concerned about fluid retention. I learned about swelling causing this through online research.
I see him again this Monday, after Christmas, and I'll ask him about the swelling and what I can possibly do to sooth it.
I don't have pictures yet. :(
The procedure went well. I began having lots of pain on my back side when sleeping on my back, which I mentioned to my doctor. He seemed more concerned I wasn't keeping it clean, which I was. About a week afterward, he noticed an open wound that wasn't healing right where the pain was, and later said I could start sleeping on my side. He prescribed Collagenase Santyl ointment 2x a day. Hopefully it'll work. It's not the easiest location to put gauze on.
The other issue is the abdominal wall swell, which I hadn't expected and worried me a lot. It started about 2 and a half weeks after the surgery, and happens after sitting for any period of time. When I told him about the extreme tightness in my abdomen, he seemed concerned about fluid retention. I learned about swelling causing this through online research.
I see him again this Monday, after Christmas, and I'll ask him about the swelling and what I can possibly do to sooth it.
I don't have pictures yet. :(
chancelet's provider
How did your appointment go? What did you learn about the swelling?
Here's some information about swelling that might help:
https://www.realself.com/question/month-post-body-...
Please keep us updated.
The swelling/tightness is still there, no improvement. He did an aspiration (I think that's what it's called) to see if fluid was present, but there wasn't. He says that if things don't get worse, I just need more time to heal. I've had to take more time off work, because I can't sit, stand or walk for too long. The tightness causes nerve and other pains, which causes me to use the pain meds at least once a day. I see him again Tuesday and will see.
Hope you have/had a great NYD celebration, Gina.
Thanks for the update and please let us know how things go after your Tuesday appointment. Let's hope you start off 2016 with good news.
Take care!
My pleasure. I hope you find some relief soon but let us know if you need anything else. We're all here for you.
The thing is, I needed pain killers longer than I should have because of the open wound on my tailbone and needing to continue sleeping on my back because of the stomach tightness got much worse sleeping in any other position.
Unfortunately, it was the oxy which caused the tightening of my stomach to where I couldn't eat, sit, stand or walk much without suffering intense pressure to where I could feel the internal sutures pressing, and pinched nerves. Then I'd take the oxy to ease that. A horrible cycle.
Thinking the tightness was tissue inflammation, Friday and Saturday I took ibuprofen, being that it's been nearly 5 weeks since the surgery. It got a bit better, but by late afternoon on Saturday, the tightness started again, though not as bad. Last night, my wound was hurting after lying on my back so much, so I took the oxy to ease the pain and get some sleep. Boy, did the tightness come back! So I researched abdominal pain from oxycodone.... and that's when I learned about abdominal distention from it's use, and that it can be fatal.
What I think saved me are prunes, which kept me regular (thanks to my sister's suggestion), protonix - which I have to take since the gastric sleeve, and the relatively low dose of oxy I took. I can't wait until Tuesday to tell my doctor!
No need to say, I'll never take oxycodone again! Thank God. Now, I just have to wait for the symptoms to totally go away. :)
Oh my goodness, what a time you've had! I'm glad you're doing better. Here's to continued healing. Keep us updated after your appointment and take care of yourself.