Still Waiting on Desired Results!!!! - Memphis, TN

I'm the mother of 5 children 4 girls all grown & 1 son 15. I decided to do something for myself after giving my all to my family & anyone else who needed me. I didn't tell a lot of people because I'm a pretty private & controlling person... FYI "I learned how controlling I am in the past 2 months." I really didn't want to here people say you don't need to do that. My husband agreed & that was all I needed to move ahead. I choose my doctor for three reasons: 1. He was listed on the plastic surgeons list of surgeons my children's pediatrician ( this was my pediatrician as a child so I totaled trusted them) 2. His experience as a surgeon he's been doing plastic surgeon for 30+ years 3. He perform plastic surgeon on a younger cousin years ago and a daughters friends a month ago prior to my surgery. My PS tells you all the good & minimizes the bad. He told me he could make me look 18 again & I felt comfortable with him and decided 4 weeks after my initial consultation to go ahead with a TT & muscle repair 2 weeks later.
I did tons or research on what to expect & the things I would need. I made my list & checked it twice & got everything on my list down to the grabber to help me reach things that I couldn't reach.
The day of surgery.... My surgery started about 2 hours late, my PS said he had a surgery that took longer than expected. Any hoot all went well! I went home around 7:30pm that same day.
I had a rough week first week. I was in pain, I was incoherent, I couldn't remember anything, I didn't want to see anyone & really didn't have an appetite. I followed all my PS instruction but I could not get myself together. I walked around, set on my sofa drank plenty of protein shakes, took supplements & got plenty of rest.
Week 1 PO my PS said everything looked good & I was doing well. I called him 2 days later because my scar started opening& I was loosing lots of blood. I went in again the same week & he said everything was fine & it was normal. The next day my family rushed me to the hospital because blood was just pouring out my left side. I was afraid to tell my family because I thought I had done something wrong & my PS said it was normal to loose some blood it was drainage & not all blood. My PS does not use drains. My hematocrit was a 20 & my BP was 90/68...... I was checking out!!! My PS did not believe my blood results & had the hospital to repeat the test because it was 38 the week of surgery. The nurses said the test were correct but they had to redo the test, I also had a CAT scan, which I found out later was not good but that information didn't come from my PS which I saw the morning after I was admitted. My primary care physician was on my records & the attending ER called her for a consult because my PS was in denial about my bleeding. My regular doctor told me I had 2 pools of blood that had collected in my front abdomen & one on my left side were the blood was coming out from. She said she had never seen that before. When I asked my PS about he said that was normal & again everything was fine. I stayed in the hospital for 6 days to get my blood count up & my vitals in check. Long story short I thought I was dying & in so much pain they had me on morphine & Dilaudid ( can we say crazy meds that made me crazy). I had panic attacks & I thought I was loosing my mind. I told them I didn't want any more pain meds. I had a long talk with my PS & we agreed that he would do what I thought was best for me. I asked for another CAT scan & demanded wound care. He agreed to both. I really like my PS I just think that he should have been a little more forth coming about what was going on & I still believe that he should do more in the office to insure your vitals & blood count is normal. A wound care nurse came to see me once in the hospital. My PS had put Silveron on my wound to help it heal & the wound care nurse threw it away ( he was pissed & I guess he asked her not to come back).
I started wound care the Monday after I was released from the hospital. I was going 4 times a week for cleaning with pulse lavage, dressing change & cleaning of my Silveron. I was seeing my PS once a week for silverlon change & checking my progess.
I ended up back in the hospital with a staph infection, my PS proscribed antibiotics & sent me home. My husband insisted that i stop by my PCD (primary care doctor) who made me go to the hospital as a direct admit because she checked my vitals & my BP was low & I had a low grade fever. Which I told my wound care therapist about the week before & she called my PS while I was there because I had a low grade fever & the chills then as well & she wanted to do a wound culture but could not without his ok. He did call back & approve the culture but that pushed the results to the following week instead of the end of that week because I had already left wound care that day. My hospital stay was 2 & 1/2 days long enough to do another CAT scan & draw some of the fluids out of one of those pockets of blood to see if it was infected with staph & make sure I didn't need drains at 7 weeks & get 6 rounds of IV antibiotics. It was old blood that was infected with staph but no drains needed.
I'm still healing my left side open but never as wide as my right. It's healed & the right is slowly healing. I go to wound care 2 times this week & to see my PS once a week, which is my new schedule.
I have 2 hospital bills over a thousand each, 10% of whatever wound care is, I spent around 260.00 preparing for surgery, another 200 on meds & vitamins since surgery & 10% of my primary care doctors bill. I see her every other week. I have had at least one doctors appointment sometimes 2 in one day every week since my 1st hospital stay. I couldn't drive until last Friday so I have been totally dependent in others....No cooking cleaning, exercising or anything until I'm healed. This has been mentally & physically challenging to say the least!!!!!! But I'm so grateful to be a Live!!!! I'm blessed beyond measure & I know God has more for me to do!!!!! It was difficult to tell my story but maybe it will help someone else. I've learn to listen to my body because you know your body better than any doctor.
I'm also thankful to my family for their support & to Realself for all the help that it offers.

This is week 11 & I'm almost healed!!! Thank God!!! It seems like a life time but I'm feeling stronger & better each day. I walked for 1.5 miles yesterday in the park before surgery I could do 5 miles. Can't wait to get back in the gym because I'm starting to pack on the pounds! I'm thankful to Realself for an outlet!!!! Thanks to each of you for being supportive!

Hi y'all!!! It's been almost three months & I'm almost healed!!!! My belly button is still not healed and I have some pain from there & my right side. I'm done with wound care therapy as of last Friday...... I was emotional & cried because I felt like I was loosing my biggest cheerleader during this whole process. She helped me realize that God places people in your lives for a reason & a season & that sometimes those relationships blossom into long lasting relationships she asked me to keep in touch. I also saw my PS this week & I got my weekly talk saying that everything was looking good & to keep doing what I'm doing...... Any hoot, I'm feeling more emotional towards the end & I'm start to think I want to have my breast done. I can't say that to my friends & family because of how bad the TT has gone. I think I'm toooo afraid to actually do it. What do you all think....., those mugs slap my tummy when the bra comes off !!! Thank each of you for your support & prayers!!!! I'm still swollen in areas & can't wait to see my tummy with no bandages & wound free!!!!