I'm Back... over 6 Months Later Update - Kennewick, WA

I just wanted to add a few more pictures of what has been going on for the past6 months or so... I managed to have my camera with me while I did my routine of the hibiclens scrubs as you see on the photo's recently uploaded. The photo's I am uploading today is what my abdomen looks like after going outside and trying to rake up leaves and lifting the bags into the garbage cans for Waste management. The incision cracks, splits and bleeds.. Sometimes alot more than other times. Todays bleeding and oozing was alot and I did get somewhat lightheaded. I know this is taking a toll on my CBC as I am cold most all the time, my hands and face to me stand out like a snowman and to top it all off, Cold or not... I put away or eat at least 10 lbs of ice a day. I literally crave it.. I prefer the Ice more than I do food. It is miserable to be so cold that your lips are the same color as your skin yet you have to eat ice to keep the craving at bay. I need some guidance and help and am relying on the RealSelf Community to please help me. I can be reached through RealSelf to my personal email. I apologize ahead of time if I am going about asking for help via a public forum the wrong way.. It's the only way I know how to convey my urgency to solve my problem is by just stating it openly and by showing you my latest pictures. Yes they are graphic but I am living with this daily and it's pretty scarey for me also... I hope to hear from some of you. For those of you who are new to my 2 year journey to here, I am not a total laymen to this... I am a retired Registered Nurse so I do understand most all of what is going on with me and my body, so I am taking in all the info that is given to me. Thank you again to the Staff at RealSelf for your site and help... Sunkissedcute 02/26/11

Hello to everyone..

I am sorry for not keeping everyone up to date with what is going on with me.. I guess the best way to put it is.. I still am alive and breathing but with a hideous scar and the very front of my abdomen is open. It bleeds, it oozes. Naturally after all this time I have just hibernated in my home. I went to the wound clinic. I did what they asked and they debrided me.. Weekly and then bi weekly but I didn't make a whole lot of progress. The poor Doctor that had me kept asking me when I was going to go consult with a surgeon as he didn't see anyway this would heal on its on. He also put his neck on the line for me as Medicare and Tri-care denied to pay them for my care saying it wasn't necessary. The wound Doctor appealed but he continued to see me and treat me while the appeal was going on.. I did not know of any of this until I got the whole story via Medicare and my Tricare Medical Reports they issued in November of 2010.
This is where my frustration comes in.
I did seek out professional opinion and consult within 3 months of this being done to me. The Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon was brand new to the area and I liked his creditials. This Doctor put me at ease regarding that it was not my fault what happened to me and showed me pictures from his album and wanted me to heal more and see if I could get my money back if not then seek legal advice. Ok, I did what he asked and I came back later in the spring, hoping that he would correct this hideous looking abdomen of mine. They weighed me and he told me he would do the procedure on me when I reach 145lbs. I already feel and look like a fat cow but as I tried to tell him. I went into that Doctors Office on Nov 11th 2008 and weighed in at 151 lbs. I hobbled out 5 and 1/2 hours later with an incision 23 long and ungodly painful haze. Only drugs given were orally and they were Valium, which I hate, Visteril,and Dilauded all by mouth. I was told to go home and take it easy and I could shower in the AM and then come in so they could check me. I did and the pictures I first posted on Self, were taken on my first Post-Op day. I knew I was in trouble when the Doctor asked me what was going on because I had huge blisters all along my incision, black blisters and he broke them as he checked the incision, thus came the black belt that adhered to my body. I also weighed in at a whopping 185 lbs. I was told not to panic that it was just fluid and would go down over the next few weeks.
That is what I was trying to get across to the Plastic Surgeon that Pre-Op I was 151 lbs when they did this too me and left me with this hard leadbelly and a weight gain of 34 lbs on Post Op Day 1. I have worked like hell to get to my former self or close to it. The closest I got was last fall. I was wearing all the clothes I wore Pre surgery as long as they did not come up to the waist line.
I don't know what to do anymore. I know that any good Office Manager would have the right codes to have me approved for my body to be fixed now.. I have had repeated high fevers. The last one was just 10 days ago. I woke up with a fever of 104. When I realized I had a fever I took Tylenol but only could get my fever down to 101.9... I live by myself. I am a military widow and my husband was an Officer in the military for 25 years. I have good medical coverage this I know.. I have never had to pay out of pocket other than my yearly deductible. There has got to be someone that can help me.. I just don't know who to turn to.. I am not in a town where we have Plastic Surgeons on call or like in the big cities.. You see ER doctors with a discharge instructions to follow up with your primary doctor. Everyone is so damn afraid of getting sued. I have never sued anyone in my life. The person who fixes me will be my Hero for life! I don't bend in the middle, the extra weight of the abdomen makes my back hurt terrible when I am up. The Pelvis gets congested thus the Mons gets hard so the whole apex of that part of my body is one huge backed up congestion. I told my sister the other day, my biggest fear is not of dying but dying alone and no one finding me for days. I truely believe that my insides are burnt up from the laser and all these layer and layers of sking that crack and bleed are just from the dead and dying underneath the skin.
So there you have the latest on me. I continue to stay at home I have to do my own lawn work etc so it creates more stress and injury to me.
I want me back, The Julieanne that smiled at everything and was bubbly and optimistic, and loved herself even my 151 lbs of me. So if there is anyone out there who reads this and can help me please let me know... My family is even willing to pay for my plane ticket to fly to a specialist who can fix me. I didn't even celebrate Christmas this year, no tree nothing. Sorry for going on, I don't mean to sound like Woe is me, that is exactly why I haven't posted, I am an upbeat person. So there you have it from the source. I also have updated pictures if anyone wants to see them. I don't know how to update my photo's on here... God Bless to all of you for wishing me well and wanting to know how I am doing.. Big hugs from the Pacific NW... Julieanne

Hello to everyone..

I am sorry for not keeping everyone up to date with what is going on with me.. I guess the best way to put it is.. I still am alive and breathing but with a hideous scar and the very front of my abdomen is open. It bleeds, it oozes. Naturally after all this time I have just hibernated in my home. I went to the wound clinic. I did what they asked and they debrided me.. Weekly and then bi weekly but I didn't make a whole lot of progress. The poor Doctor that had me kept asking me when I was going to go consult with a surgeon as he didn't see anyway this would heal on its on. He also put his neck on the line for me as Medicare and Tri-care denied to pay them for my care saying it wasn't necessary. The wound Doctor appealed but he continued to see me and treat me while the appeal was going on.. I did not know of any of this until I got the whole story via Medicare and my Tricare Medical Reports they issued in November of 2010.
This is where my frustration comes in.
I did seek out professional opinion and consult within 3 months of this being done to me. The Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon was brand new to the area and I liked his creditials. This Doctor put me at ease regarding that it was not my fault what happened to me and showed me pictures from his album and wanted me to heal more and see if I could get my money back if not then seek legal advice. Ok, I did what he asked and I came back later in the spring, hoping that he would correct this hideous looking abdomen of mine. They weighed me and he told me he would do the procedure on me when I reach 145lbs. I already feel and look like a fat cow but as I tried to tell him. I went into that Doctors Office on Nov 11th 2008 and weighed in at 151 lbs. I hobbled out 5 and 1/2 hours later with an incision 23 long and ungodly painful haze. Only drugs given were orally and they were Valium, which I hate, Visteril,and Dilauded all by mouth. I was told to go home and take it easy and I could shower in the AM and then come in so they could check me. I did and the pictures I first posted on Self, were taken on my first Post-Op day. I knew I was in trouble when the Doctor asked me what was going on because I had huge blisters all along my incision, black blisters and he broke them as he checked the incision, thus came the black belt that adhered to my body. I also weighed in at a whopping 185 lbs. I was told not to panic that it was just fluid and would go down over the next few weeks.
That is what I was trying to get across to the Plastic Surgeon that Pre-Op I was 151 lbs when they did this too me and left me with this hard leadbelly and a weight gain of 34 lbs on Post Op Day 1. I have worked like hell to get to my former self or close to it. The closest I got was last fall. I was wearing all the clothes I wore Pre surgery as long as they did not come up to the waist line.
I don't know what to do anymore. I know that any good Office Manager would have the right codes to have me approved for my body to be fixed now.. I have had repeated high fevers. The last one was just 10 days ago. I woke up with a fever of 104. When I realized I had a fever I took Tylenol but only could get my fever down to 101.9... I live by myself. I am a military widow and my husband was an Officer in the military for 25 years. I have good medical coverage this I know.. I have never had to pay out of pocket other than my yearly deductible. There has got to be someone that can help me.. I just don't know who to turn to.. I am not in a town where we have Plastic Surgeons on call or like in the big cities.. You see ER doctors with a discharge instructions to follow up with your primary doctor. Everyone is so damn afraid of getting sued. I have never sued anyone in my life. The person who fixes me will be my Hero for life! I don't bend in the middle, the extra weight of the abdomen makes my back hurt terrible when I am up. The Pelvis gets congested thus the Mons gets hard so the whole apex of that part of my body is one huge backed up congestion. I told my sister the other day, my biggest fear is not of dying but dying alone and no one finding me for days. I truely believe that my insides are burnt up from the laser and all these layer and layers of sking that crack and bleed are just from the dead and dying underneath the skin.
So there you have the latest on me. I continue to stay at home I have to do my own lawn work etc so it creates more stress and injury to me.
I want me back, The Julieanne that smiled at everything and was bubbly and optimistic, and loved herself even my 151 lbs of me. So if there is anyone out there who reads this and can help me please let me know... My family is even willing to pay for my plane ticket to fly to a specialist who can fix me. I didn't even celebrate Christmas this year, no tree nothing. Sorry for going on, I don't mean to sound like Woe is me, that is exactly why I haven't posted, I am an upbeat person. So there you have it from the source. I also have updated pictures if anyone wants to see them. I don't know how to update my photo's on here... God Bless to all of you for wishing me well and wanting to know how I am doing.. Big hugs from the Pacific NW... Julieanne