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*Treatment results may vary
About two months post op!
LADIES!!!! (And gentlemen, of course) I HAVE DISCOVERED A MIRACLE!!!! I've tried something new for treating my seroma and it is amazing. Through this I have found some of the best shapewear/ compression garments money can buy and I recommend them like crazy! Check out the website here http://www.lymphedemaproducts.com/products/msw_girdles.html after you read my review :)
If you haven't bought your shapewear yet for post surgery, I urge you to check them out. As much as I liked my Marena suits, I think that if I had used these compression garments instead, I would have NEVER gotten my seroma. Please, check them out. Best investment ever.
OKAY! On to the review: So, I'm just over 2 months post op. I'm feeling pretty good! I can almost sleep on my stomach again, which is great, cos I always slept on my belly. As long as I have one up (you know, in that running/I'm throwing my leg over the blanket position) I am very comfortable.
My seroma is almost all gone. Due to the fact that it was in my pubic region it complicated things a little more. I tried so-called compression underwear and that didn't work. For a while my best option was a good old fashioned full body girdle and a bunch of pads against my pubic region, but I was still getting about 3CC's of fluid taken out of me every other day.
About 2 weeks ago I discovered something called a labia support garment, that is designed precisely to prevent this type of thing from happening. I've been wearing it over my normal underwear with pads between it and my pubic area. I only had about 1.5CC's of fluid accumulate over an ENTIRE WEEK!!! Wow!!! I am really happy about this.
As the seroma is closing up and the swelling is lessening I'm beginning to feel the occasional odd twitch of pain where the pads press against my pubic region, but I am thinking this is a good thing.
Also, I've regained a really great amount of sensation back in most of my body. So far the only spot I don't feel anything yet is a few inches around my belly button and the upper part of my pubic mound. Everywhere else has regained complete sensation. Which is actually a bit annoying, since I can feel it's tenderness in some spots. It seems like the spots in my arms and flank where they did the small amount of lipo are the most sore spots. It's not intolerable. More like how your muscle feels tender beneath a bruise after you've walked into something.
I've added some new pictures so you can see the 2 month post-op scar. It's entirely sealed and there's no scabbing or anything. My belly button is healed too, now it's just time to wait for the scar over it to become less angry.
I read that some women experience their belly buttons closing up. Mine has a little bit now that all the scar tissue and such has dried out. I will admit though, having a "new" constructed belly button is strange! When I wash it out, it feels like it goes on forever. It's a very deep belly button. But I'd say for women who don't have much cushioning to begin with, you probably wouldn't have that problem. I still have extra padding ;) My surgeon said it's normal though to have it close a tiny bit.
I just can't wait for that part of my scarring to go away. I haven't had time to research any good scar remedies, especially homeopathic ones. But when I do, I will absolutely share!
I'm not sure if I'm having the "swell hell" reaction, because my belly IS puffy, but having been large to start with, it's difficult for me to tell. It's still smaller than I started with, though. So any improvement is good! I am interested to see how I look in another two months.
OH OH OH! Also!!! Pretty awesome note here, after my surgery my doctor told me that he had removed about 4 to 6lbs of fat. Well, I am now down seventeen pounds since the week before my surgery. And that is with minimal exercise and no change in diet. I think that my body is finally capable of burning off fat from other areas instead of taking it from the copious amount in my big old belly. Granted, I do want to work on my thighs. Slim them just a little. Too much and I will look like an upside down pear, haha. So if any of you know some helpful thigh exercises, please share :)
Happy healing everyone! And best of luck to those of you with your future procedures!
Swirly Pop
If you haven't bought your shapewear yet for post surgery, I urge you to check them out. As much as I liked my Marena suits, I think that if I had used these compression garments instead, I would have NEVER gotten my seroma. Please, check them out. Best investment ever.
OKAY! On to the review: So, I'm just over 2 months post op. I'm feeling pretty good! I can almost sleep on my stomach again, which is great, cos I always slept on my belly. As long as I have one up (you know, in that running/I'm throwing my leg over the blanket position) I am very comfortable.
My seroma is almost all gone. Due to the fact that it was in my pubic region it complicated things a little more. I tried so-called compression underwear and that didn't work. For a while my best option was a good old fashioned full body girdle and a bunch of pads against my pubic region, but I was still getting about 3CC's of fluid taken out of me every other day.
About 2 weeks ago I discovered something called a labia support garment, that is designed precisely to prevent this type of thing from happening. I've been wearing it over my normal underwear with pads between it and my pubic area. I only had about 1.5CC's of fluid accumulate over an ENTIRE WEEK!!! Wow!!! I am really happy about this.
As the seroma is closing up and the swelling is lessening I'm beginning to feel the occasional odd twitch of pain where the pads press against my pubic region, but I am thinking this is a good thing.
Also, I've regained a really great amount of sensation back in most of my body. So far the only spot I don't feel anything yet is a few inches around my belly button and the upper part of my pubic mound. Everywhere else has regained complete sensation. Which is actually a bit annoying, since I can feel it's tenderness in some spots. It seems like the spots in my arms and flank where they did the small amount of lipo are the most sore spots. It's not intolerable. More like how your muscle feels tender beneath a bruise after you've walked into something.
I've added some new pictures so you can see the 2 month post-op scar. It's entirely sealed and there's no scabbing or anything. My belly button is healed too, now it's just time to wait for the scar over it to become less angry.
I read that some women experience their belly buttons closing up. Mine has a little bit now that all the scar tissue and such has dried out. I will admit though, having a "new" constructed belly button is strange! When I wash it out, it feels like it goes on forever. It's a very deep belly button. But I'd say for women who don't have much cushioning to begin with, you probably wouldn't have that problem. I still have extra padding ;) My surgeon said it's normal though to have it close a tiny bit.
I just can't wait for that part of my scarring to go away. I haven't had time to research any good scar remedies, especially homeopathic ones. But when I do, I will absolutely share!
I'm not sure if I'm having the "swell hell" reaction, because my belly IS puffy, but having been large to start with, it's difficult for me to tell. It's still smaller than I started with, though. So any improvement is good! I am interested to see how I look in another two months.
OH OH OH! Also!!! Pretty awesome note here, after my surgery my doctor told me that he had removed about 4 to 6lbs of fat. Well, I am now down seventeen pounds since the week before my surgery. And that is with minimal exercise and no change in diet. I think that my body is finally capable of burning off fat from other areas instead of taking it from the copious amount in my big old belly. Granted, I do want to work on my thighs. Slim them just a little. Too much and I will look like an upside down pear, haha. So if any of you know some helpful thigh exercises, please share :)
Happy healing everyone! And best of luck to those of you with your future procedures!
Swirly Pop
My Seroma Story - in it's completion
Last Wednesday I went to my PS for a weekly follow up and was rewarded with the findings of a nice big seroma. I didn’t know that’s what it was called until researching it after the fact. The doctor did not explain much other than the fact that it was a fluid pocket.
The appointment went as follows:
I entered the exam room, switched into the paper gown and waited for the doctor. Doctor walks in, I’m standing by the wall, he asks how I am, I say “Good, I think.” And that fast I’m being jabbed below my scar area with the tips of his fingers. He apologized because I jumped, but as he continued to smush his hand against my pubis area I exclaimed “Wow, it feels like you’re moving fluid.” He said “That’s because I am.”
He then had his assistant come in and fetch a turkey baster sized needle. (Okay, not turkey baster length, but the width was darn close!) He injected a small amount of numbing solution into the area through the center of my scar tissue, then aspirated a little over 100cc’s of fluid through the same area with the turkey baster needle. He actually had to detach the needle and empty it twice.
Though Dr.Gabay is short with me, he’s exceptionally good at what he does, and his assistant is a very kind girl who goes out of her way to help me. She helped keep pressure on areas of my belly to push more fluid down and kept talking to me because I was really scared at that point. Through the combination of the both of them, I wasn’t in much pain or discomfort at all. My nerve endings seem to be regaining sensation faster than average because I have feeling in about 75% of my surgical area, and still there wasn't much pain - just discomfort. Luckily the scar area still has barely no sensation so when the initial poke occurs it's not nearly as bad as it could be!
When the draining was complete he said “Okay, all done. Look down. You’re smaller already!” Which I WAS! I thought my pubic area was just swollen, and it was part of the “swell hell” I read about. Nope. Big ol’ fluid pocket. ***So, in the event that you ever have a lot of swelling, especially concentrated in one area (even if it's a LARGE area), plus sensitivity and/or stinging in that spot, don't assume swell hell. I'd double check with your doctor, just in case.***
He said no ibuprofen or aspirin for the next 2 days and to wear full coverage compression briefs 24hrs a day with a giant women’s sanitary pad between my pubic area and the underwear. We thought maybe because my compression garment was open in the crotch area that could have contributed to the fluid accumulation all being in my pubic area.
I also had to go back Friday, which surprised me. I figured it was to make sure the fluid didn’t come back.
Friday rolled around and at this point I still didn’t know much about seromas (I thought those were more cyst like and not big). So you can imagine my surprise when I was greeted by the doctor walking into the exam room with two needles IN HAND, at the ready! Like a surgeon version of a wild west gunslinger. That was definitely shocking. Did NOT see that coming! AGAIN I had to be drained. That was very annoying. This time I felt like there was a little more movement with the large needle because the bruise lasted all weekend long, the first time there was barely a bruise at all.
I had a follow up appointment Tuesday because of the long holiday weekend. That wasn’t overly promising. Dr.Gabay checked me out and took out nearly as much fluid as he had that past Wednesday. Unfortunately, I didn’t wear my newer compression garment all weekend, because it’s basically a bathing suit with a hook-eye crotch area and it just made me feel awkward when I had normal cloths on top of it. I was never a girdle girl, so it’s still a very uncomfortable thing for me. Especially because I have a long torso and the cups of the bra part are so low they give me the “double boob” effect, where your breasts have their own muffin top. Not cool. I carried it in my bag everywhere with my binder in case I needed it. Usually towards the end of every night I’d slip the girdle back on and the binder too. But still, it was off me for close to 8 hours for both days. Which I think contributed to the build up (hopefully).
The doctor said that he may have to put a drain back in. At this point I had read more about seromas and I asked him if it would be a different drain than before. Somewhere I read that there are smaller types of drains used for such procedures. He said that it would be the same exact kind of drain as before. Which was kind of traumatic to hear! As bizarre as it felt coming out I can only imagine what hell it would be going in. That’s just panic inducing to think about.
Dr. Gabay’s assistant came back after I had dressed and she suggested that I wear both my binders (I bought a 12” one on top of the 10” one the Surgery Center gave me), because she didn’t want to see me have to get a drain. So Tuesday I wore my binders as much as I could stand. I rolled the softer one in half to add extra compression over my pubic mound and put my 12” ITA med one on top of that. I wore them until bed time, I tried to sleep with them on but it’s impossible. I am too light of a sleeper. BUT I still kept the compression suit/ girdle on with 2 thick sanitary napkins inside for extra pressure.
Today I went for another follow up and no drains were mentioned! The doctor had to prod a bit more than before and I swear moved the needle around a lot more this time. He got about ½” of fluid into the needle which wasn’t all that much and he said that whatever I was doing worked well and to keep doing it. I said to thank his assistant because it was her idea to wear the two binders.
With any luck this method will continue to work, and god willing it will work fast because I do not want to wear this stuff anymore!! I go back Friday, so I will update you all then. I haven’t had to get the drain put back in, which is a plus, but there’s a small part in the back of my mind saying maybe a drain will be easier than getting a needle poked inside me every other day.
I’m just glad my doctor’s so good. Like I said, the guy may be short with me, but he does his job so well that I can’t dislike him. I’m even happier that he really cares about my results and has me checking in so often. So to future patients of Dr. Gabay, I think you’ll be happy with your choice. The pros definitely outweigh the cons.
Oh, and on an interesting side note. When my body started swelling, it felt like the top of my thighs were sunburned. It was making it difficult to sleep for a few days. I asked the doctor what the cause was and he said fluid, but I didn’t get any more explanation than that. So, I think that can also be a side effect. Not only was the affected area a little stingy and sore, but magically my untouched thighs were too. – Just thought I’d mention that in case anyone ever has the same symptoms. For a bit there, the only way it felt better was with some ice and lidocaine burn gel.
Happy healing, and thanks again for your comments and praise :) I'm glad for your support on my journey.
The appointment went as follows:
I entered the exam room, switched into the paper gown and waited for the doctor. Doctor walks in, I’m standing by the wall, he asks how I am, I say “Good, I think.” And that fast I’m being jabbed below my scar area with the tips of his fingers. He apologized because I jumped, but as he continued to smush his hand against my pubis area I exclaimed “Wow, it feels like you’re moving fluid.” He said “That’s because I am.”
He then had his assistant come in and fetch a turkey baster sized needle. (Okay, not turkey baster length, but the width was darn close!) He injected a small amount of numbing solution into the area through the center of my scar tissue, then aspirated a little over 100cc’s of fluid through the same area with the turkey baster needle. He actually had to detach the needle and empty it twice.
Though Dr.Gabay is short with me, he’s exceptionally good at what he does, and his assistant is a very kind girl who goes out of her way to help me. She helped keep pressure on areas of my belly to push more fluid down and kept talking to me because I was really scared at that point. Through the combination of the both of them, I wasn’t in much pain or discomfort at all. My nerve endings seem to be regaining sensation faster than average because I have feeling in about 75% of my surgical area, and still there wasn't much pain - just discomfort. Luckily the scar area still has barely no sensation so when the initial poke occurs it's not nearly as bad as it could be!
When the draining was complete he said “Okay, all done. Look down. You’re smaller already!” Which I WAS! I thought my pubic area was just swollen, and it was part of the “swell hell” I read about. Nope. Big ol’ fluid pocket. ***So, in the event that you ever have a lot of swelling, especially concentrated in one area (even if it's a LARGE area), plus sensitivity and/or stinging in that spot, don't assume swell hell. I'd double check with your doctor, just in case.***
He said no ibuprofen or aspirin for the next 2 days and to wear full coverage compression briefs 24hrs a day with a giant women’s sanitary pad between my pubic area and the underwear. We thought maybe because my compression garment was open in the crotch area that could have contributed to the fluid accumulation all being in my pubic area.
I also had to go back Friday, which surprised me. I figured it was to make sure the fluid didn’t come back.
Friday rolled around and at this point I still didn’t know much about seromas (I thought those were more cyst like and not big). So you can imagine my surprise when I was greeted by the doctor walking into the exam room with two needles IN HAND, at the ready! Like a surgeon version of a wild west gunslinger. That was definitely shocking. Did NOT see that coming! AGAIN I had to be drained. That was very annoying. This time I felt like there was a little more movement with the large needle because the bruise lasted all weekend long, the first time there was barely a bruise at all.
I had a follow up appointment Tuesday because of the long holiday weekend. That wasn’t overly promising. Dr.Gabay checked me out and took out nearly as much fluid as he had that past Wednesday. Unfortunately, I didn’t wear my newer compression garment all weekend, because it’s basically a bathing suit with a hook-eye crotch area and it just made me feel awkward when I had normal cloths on top of it. I was never a girdle girl, so it’s still a very uncomfortable thing for me. Especially because I have a long torso and the cups of the bra part are so low they give me the “double boob” effect, where your breasts have their own muffin top. Not cool. I carried it in my bag everywhere with my binder in case I needed it. Usually towards the end of every night I’d slip the girdle back on and the binder too. But still, it was off me for close to 8 hours for both days. Which I think contributed to the build up (hopefully).
The doctor said that he may have to put a drain back in. At this point I had read more about seromas and I asked him if it would be a different drain than before. Somewhere I read that there are smaller types of drains used for such procedures. He said that it would be the same exact kind of drain as before. Which was kind of traumatic to hear! As bizarre as it felt coming out I can only imagine what hell it would be going in. That’s just panic inducing to think about.
Dr. Gabay’s assistant came back after I had dressed and she suggested that I wear both my binders (I bought a 12” one on top of the 10” one the Surgery Center gave me), because she didn’t want to see me have to get a drain. So Tuesday I wore my binders as much as I could stand. I rolled the softer one in half to add extra compression over my pubic mound and put my 12” ITA med one on top of that. I wore them until bed time, I tried to sleep with them on but it’s impossible. I am too light of a sleeper. BUT I still kept the compression suit/ girdle on with 2 thick sanitary napkins inside for extra pressure.
Today I went for another follow up and no drains were mentioned! The doctor had to prod a bit more than before and I swear moved the needle around a lot more this time. He got about ½” of fluid into the needle which wasn’t all that much and he said that whatever I was doing worked well and to keep doing it. I said to thank his assistant because it was her idea to wear the two binders.
With any luck this method will continue to work, and god willing it will work fast because I do not want to wear this stuff anymore!! I go back Friday, so I will update you all then. I haven’t had to get the drain put back in, which is a plus, but there’s a small part in the back of my mind saying maybe a drain will be easier than getting a needle poked inside me every other day.
I’m just glad my doctor’s so good. Like I said, the guy may be short with me, but he does his job so well that I can’t dislike him. I’m even happier that he really cares about my results and has me checking in so often. So to future patients of Dr. Gabay, I think you’ll be happy with your choice. The pros definitely outweigh the cons.
Oh, and on an interesting side note. When my body started swelling, it felt like the top of my thighs were sunburned. It was making it difficult to sleep for a few days. I asked the doctor what the cause was and he said fluid, but I didn’t get any more explanation than that. So, I think that can also be a side effect. Not only was the affected area a little stingy and sore, but magically my untouched thighs were too. – Just thought I’d mention that in case anyone ever has the same symptoms. For a bit there, the only way it felt better was with some ice and lidocaine burn gel.
Happy healing, and thanks again for your comments and praise :) I'm glad for your support on my journey.
System is being glitchy if you put two a left arrow with two hyphens...
Damnit!!! I lost like a 2 page review... I thought maybe it was getting the html confused or something so I tried it in my last review just in case, it proved that I was correct. So, just for future reference, never make an arrow emoticon on here. Here is how my former post ended:
So I've been wearing a different Marena girdle. It's like a compression suit, shaped like a bathing suit, with a hook-eye crotch area which I can adjust for tightness. Works well!
The doctors assistant said that this happens. Not that often with TT's, but it does happen. I'm just really getting sad that I'm not healed up yet. I can't wait to not have to wear all these stupid compression things 24hrs a day! I miss the feel of my silky pajamas and freedom!
So I've been wearing a different Marena girdle. It's like a compression suit, shaped like a bathing suit, with a hook-eye crotch area which I can adjust for tightness. Works well!
The doctors assistant said that this happens. Not that often with TT's, but it does happen. I'm just really getting sad that I'm not healed up yet. I can't wait to not have to wear all these stupid compression things 24hrs a day! I miss the feel of my silky pajamas and freedom!
Provider Review
Facial Plastic Surgeon, Board Certified in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
9500 Roosevelt Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
During my pre-op visit there was a lot of multi-tasking going on. The tech was taking so long trying to find a vein, Dr.Gabay interrupted to take the photos of my body. So much happened in a five minute visit, it was like a multi-task tornado. I was too confused to even ask questions. Dr.Gabay is a gentle doctor, but he has always been very short with me. The longest time he spent with me was during my introductory visit, and that was maybe five minutes. Every follow up I've had with him has been very quick. So quick that I get flustered and forget any questions I have to ask. He did call me the night of the surgery to find out if I passed urine by 11pm, and though it took some time he did return any calls I had for him. He went out of his way to help me find a painkiller that worked for me during the first days of recovery, but he was very incredulous during my 2 week visit when I told him they did not do the trick anymore. However, with the abuse of painkillers these days, I can excuse that. The Surgi Center staff were very irate when was an hour late for my surgery though I called ahead to tell them. I was complained at all the way until I was falling asleep on the operating table. I can understand being upset that your patient is an hour late, but that's no excuse for snide remarks. I was terrified. I've never been through a major surgery, so being reminded every 30 seconds that it's my fault for being late wasn't that helpful. Also, the side of my stomach almost seems like it was rushed closed. It looks like when a button is popped off from a chair or sofa, a strange pinched area. I've been wondering if that's because of my being late? If it heals well I'll amend this part of my review. Most of the main office staff are friendly and helpful, though the Surgi-Center employees I met the day of my surgery were 50/50. The nice people made my experience far better. Especially several girls in the recovery room. I have to say, though, the positive aspects of Dr.Gabay and his staff really outweigh the negatives. I would recommend both him and his associate Dr. Gotlieb. The earlier you go, the better your experience will be. The office gets crowded later in the day.