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ORIGINAL POST
Tummy Tuck with Large Umbilical Hernia
$8,200
I have searched the site to see the results of a tummy tuck with a large hernia repair, but have yet to see anyone with a hernia as large or diastasis as wide as mine. Dr. Tattelbaum really has his work cut out for him! Well large tummies run in the family. Mine was tiny till my second child. Since then I have had this hernia come back with a vengeance after being repaired once already. But the under lying muscle separation was never addressed as I guess that’s not a general surgeon’s priority. It’s cosmetic but failure to address diastasis results in hernias. Well this year my endocrinologist prescribed Saxenda and I dropped 40 lbs. I was literally losing a pound a day and kept it off. Hope to lose another 15-20 with this medicine before my surgery date. My hernia is really painful when my stomach is bloated there is immense pressure and I usually have to lay on my stomach to reduce the pain. Carbohydrates cause the worst bloating with my hernia. I’m so grateful to finally be fixing it once and for all. Because of the size of this hernia I will have to get my belly button reconstructed after I’m healed as the blood supply and umbilicus was severed during my initial hernia repair by a general surgeon.
Paislyflower's provider
Replies (5)
January 2, 2019
Hi I had an umbilical hernia the size of hand in circumference. I had had minor surgery before to fix it when it was small and at that time they removed my belly button. So I was without a belly button since 2012. Then I had 2 back to back pregancies in 2014 and 2015, the latter w twins. The twins exacerbated my hernia and it got worse but I didn’t have time to get it repaired until it got really bad to the point my dr warned me I couldn’t put the surgery off any longer else I may end up in an emergency room. So I opted to do a TT to 1) fix the hernia 2) muscle repair 3) take away the excess skin fat I had put on. I wasnt able to have my belly button recreated until about 9 months later. My surgeon and I separatley came across a technique that would work for some who had no former belly button tissue to work with. If I recall correctly it is called the 4 corner technique. I had the surgery as out patient and it was a sucess! I finally had a belly button again. It has been almost a year now since the surgery and my belly button looks great and is still holding. Unfortunately I have gain some weight this last year which im not to happy about (family losses and I guess i was depressed). But my shaping from my TT has maintained. This year I will get back on track w weight loss.
So there is a chance to have a successful TT for the hernia (i opted for no mesh) only stitching of muscles and also to get a new belly button reconstructed. Good luck!
January 2, 2019
Thanks sooo much for sharing this! I will discuss this with my surgeon as he is very caring and is open to suggestions as to the best way to re-create my bellybutton. I had my surgery 2 weeks ago and I’m still in swell hell. My surgeon is going to attempt to re-create my new belly button in about 7 months. I wonder if this can be done under local? Any way to the weight loss I tried Saxenda when my endocrinologist prescribed it and I lost about a pound a day and kept it off! So that may help you. Happy New Year
January 9, 2019
Here is the link to the paper. It is called 4 flap technique. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4439597/#!po=2.00000
I had TT w hernia repair in Jan 2017 then the belly button Jan 2018, wanted to give myself some time for swelling to go down. We did the belly button surgery at the plastic surgeons center vs hospital. Also had to limit doing any strenuous activity w midsection for a good 6-7 months to ensure that the surtures did not tear away from area. Basically tacking down the skin to the muscle as there is no tissue to tie it to. If i can figure how to send a picture i will. Also my dr was Plastic Surgeon Dr Douglas Forman, Washington DC if your dr wanted to reach out and talk shop.
February 5, 2019
Thank you for this I did research the 4 flaps technique. I will show this to my surgeon this fall as he wants to wait for all the dissolvable sutures to absorb before attempting a belly button. Is your umbilicoplasty results on your profile? Would love to see how it looks.
UPDATED FROM Paislyflower
14 days post
Surgery Day
Well the day came and what a day it was. I woke up from anesthesia fine. Got the pain patch behind the ear in the car ride home but still threw up about 2x due to the OxyContin. And let me tell you ladies throwing up after muscle repair will send burning fire through your belly. But I made it through officially 2 weeks today. Still sleeping on the recliner but I’m about 90% straight. Not going back to work till about 4 weeks healed. So far love my results and my lovely Bonito & Co. compression. Stage 2 is already getting bigger on me so I stuff some Lipo foam on the sides to make it more snug. Couldn’t have gotten through the first few days without a walker, drains, toilet seat riser and shower chair. My abdominal muscles were very irritated. My Diastasis was significant. Happy healings to you ladies in the New Year!
Replies (1)
January 2, 2019
Hey there. I’m glad that you are well! Happy New Year. Look forward to your updates.
UPDATED FROM Paislyflower
2 months post
7 weeks- Dr. T did it again
Dr. Tattelbaum is an amazing doctor. Not only is he a concerned doctor he is a perfectionist in every sense of the word. My scar is almost invisible on my Nigerian/ Trinidadian skin! I attribute it all to his skill. He is sooo humble too he never takes any credit for how flat and thin my scar turned out. I was the one with the 4 inch muscle separation. Everything is nice and tight now. I have been released to all my regular activities but I’m still gonna wait till 12 weeks just because my diastasis was so wide and my umbilical hernia was very large. Looks like I will be going back to him for a umbilicalplasty.
Replies (3)
February 6, 2019
Looks great!! Did you have a scar from a belly button ring? If so, was he able to hide/remove that?
March 18, 2019
My belly button stalk was cut out completely by a general surgeon. So we had to get rid of the belly button all together. I go back on in 8 months for him to reconstruct one. I always hated my outie belly button anyway and this doctor does great natural looking belly buttons! So I will update my profile after that procedure
Welcome to the community! I'm so glad you started a review and I wish you well on your journey. Keep us posted on your progress and be sure to come back and keep us updated on your progress. Here's a link to the tummy tuck check in page so you can meet others preparing for their big day. Also, I thought you'd find the following information helpful:
12 Things I Wish I Knew Before Tummy Tuck Surgery