Mother of Four, Including Infant Twins, With Hernia, Spinal Injury, & SEVERE Muscle Separation Having TT, HR, & MR-Wynnewood,PA

I became a member of Realself not too long ago, but I’ve actually been stalking this site for years. I was looking for ways to get rid of my stretch marks, and I was led to this site. I mostly admired all the brave and beautiful women on here who have gone through this procedure. But, I never thought I'd be writing a review for my own tummy tuck because 1) I’m scared of surgery, 2) it’s expensive, and 3) I have ulcerative colitis.

Anyway, fast forward to 2015 and the hubby and I found out we were pregnant with twins. I’m still adapting to being a mommy of four (11 yr old, 8 yr old, and 5 month olds) just taking it one day at a time. My delivery went well. I had cholastasis during the pregnancy so at 37 weeks I was induced. Luckily, my breeched twin turned head down two days before the scheduled induction, and I was able to have a vaginal delivery without any medication. So, I felt really good that I avoided a c-section with all my pregnancies. The only problem was that immediately after delivery, when I finally stood up to use the rest room, I had severe pain in my back. It felt just as bad as the labor and whenever I sat down I would get spasms in my lower back. I also had a fever so they ran some tests and the doctor said I had a kidney infection and it got into my blood stream. So, I assumed that’s why I was in so much pain and having spasms. I was so wrong! I stayed in the hospital for five days until the fever broke and then was sent home with an iv in my arm so that I could self-administer the medicine. I figured the pain would go away when I finished the antibiotics in 14 days.

It actually ended up getting worse. In addition to the back pain, I had an area on my stomach near my belly button that would hurt whenever I laughed, coughed, sneezed, or breathed deeply. Plus, I noticed that my stomach was not shrinking like it had when I had delivered my two older children. By my six week postpartum checkup, I still looked very pregnant. But, instead of looking like I was pregnant with twins, I looked like I was approaching the third trimester pregnant with one baby. At my appointment, my obstetrician referred me to a specialist to determine whether I had a hernia and also to find out what was going on with my back. The specialist confirmed that I had a hernia, severe muscle separation causing my intestines to distend, and a spinal injury, most likely due to the weight of my belly when I was pregnant. Thinking back now, I did have back pain when I was in my third trimester that made it difficult for me to walk, especially up and down stairs. The specialist recommended surgery and physical therapy to stabilize me enough for the surgery. I was given a bunch of restrictions - no driving, no lifting anything, like laundry, groceries, etc., no stairs, no standing for long periods of time, no cooking, no exercise, no sitting on the floor, no raising my arms, etc. - but they aren’t realistic for my situation. I work from home so I take care of the twins all day and I drive to pick the older ones up from school. My hubby helps out, but I’m sure, as a mommy especially with young babies, you already know how that goes. You may as well do it yourself.

I’ve had three consultations so far. The first was with Dr. Carp, the chief general surgeon at Lankenau Hospital. I was referred to him by the specialist, the therapist, and even my kids’ pediatrician. Everyone had such nice things to say about him, so I went in with high expectations. But, my appointment did not go well at all. He was almost two hours late so he rushed through my appointment. He was really impatient with me when I couldn’t lay straight back from a sitting position. I told him I have to roll on my side and then lay down flat because I have no core strength and it hurts my stomach and back to do it any other way. As I was trying to roll down, he pretty much forced me down and said I shouldn’t be in that much pain. He poked around my stomach with his finger for a few seconds and then said he could “fix me as an outpatient.” When I tried to ask a question about what he would be doing specifically, he said “trust me.” Mind you, he was already inching out the door. So, I pressed him for an answer and he said that he wanted to get a CT scan done first and he would have the nurse set it up. He said this from the hallway. The appointment lasted only about three minutes. I had already made up my mind then that he would not be the surgeon for me. But, I was going to get the CT scan done because I also wanted to know if there was something else wrong with me. Anyway, the nurse never set up my scan. Two days later, I get a call from his assistant stating that it was taking her so long to get back in touch with me because she needed some paperwork from the doctor and he was busy. A week later, I called to inquire about the scan and she said the same thing. This was in December. She still hasn’t gotten the paperwork or called me.

I started doing my own research for a surgeon in my area with the help of this website. I learned that there is a big difference between a general surgeon, a plastic surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon in terms of their training and qualifications. It was important to me that the person I selected to do my surgery was a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Also, if the doctor was certified before 1995, it was important to me whether they maintained their certificate by voluntarily participating in continuing learning and practice improvement programs. Certificates issued before 1995 do not have an expiration date so doctors with those certificates aren’t required to undergo the training programs, whereas the certificates issued after 1995 expire after 10 years. This is how I narrowed down my list of potential plastic surgeons in my area.

When I first started my search, I was interested in the Penn Plastic Surgery Chief Resident's Clinic. But, I was told that chief residents couldn't repair my hernia via the clinic. Instead, they referred me to one of the plastic surgery faculty. Even though the faculty members supervise and assist the chief residents in the clinic, they have their own separate offices. I was scheduled for a consultation on January 26 with Dr. Fischer. The consultation fee was $125. I assumed that he met all my requirements. But, when I verified just for my sanity, I learned that he did not. I checked the other faculty members as well to see if I could select someone else, but many of them weren't certified and if they were, their certifications were not being actively maintained. So, the Penn Clinic was no longer an option.

I had another consultation on February 5. This time it was with Dr. Sean Wright of Wright Plastic Surgery in Media, PA. I had to pay $20 for the consultation. He met all of my requirements. I would say that he had very good beside manner as well. He listened to my concerns and he seemed pretty knowledgeable about the procedure. He said the surgery would last no more than 2.5 hours. Although his office is located at Riddle Hospital, he performs the surgery at Crozer Brinton Lake surgical center, which is about 15 minutes away (possibly more if you're familiar with the congestion of traffic in that area.) He believe he could close my hernia but I would not have a belly button. PAUSE. Instead, he would refer me to a tattoo artist after the surgery to have a belly button tattooed on my stomach. PAUSE AGAIN. I never realized how much I liked having a belly button until he said that. After the examination, he gave me a cost sheet. For abdominoplasty with repair of my umbilical hernia and removal of the umbilicus, he was going to charge me $8180 (surgeon's fee: $6000; Operating Room: $1250; Anesthesia: $930. The price also included liposuction. He didn't mention it, but when I asked him whether he would be doing liposuction, he said I didn't have a lot of fat on my stomach, but he would lipo my love handles. He never asked for my insurance info.

I had another consultation on February 25 with Dr. Ryan Hoffman of the MainLine Institute of Plastic Surgery. His office is located at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, PA. The consultation was free. When I scheduled the appointment, I was given access to a patient portal that would allow me to see a summary of the doctor's notes from my visit and also another patient portal that had videos, articles and other helpful resources regarding the tummy tuck. During my appointment, one of the doctor's assistants took my dreaded 'before' pictures and I was told that I could access them on the portal. Soon after, Dr. Hoffman came in to examine me. He said that my separation was "the worst he had ever seen." As he was examining me, he kept saying "yeah, this is bad, this is very bad." But, he reassured me he could address all my issues. He explained IN DETAIL what he could do for me. He basically answered all the questions I had before I even asked them, which I appreciated. He made me feel so comfortable that I forgot I was undressed talking to him. (Oh, and if you're not comfortable with being alone with a male doctor in the examination room, his female assistant stays in there with you.) There was a touch screen on the wall and he brought up my 'before' pictures. He drew what he was going to do on the pictures so I would have an idea of what I would look like. He said I didn't have fat in my abdominal area, but he would lipo my sides to give me better results. He said he always does liposuction when doing an abdominoplasty because it helps him close the gap better. After the examination, I met with his surgical coordinator, who gave me a copy of the cosmetic package plan, which contained all of the fees for the surgery. She said that my hernia portion of the surgery would be paid for by my insurance company. Unlike Dr. Wright's office, Dr. Hoffman's office requested my insurance information. The surgeon's fee is $7500, but RealSelf members get a $500 discount. The fee for the hospital is $1235-$1525, depending on how long the surgery takes. The fee for anesthesia is $420. If you stay overnight, the hospital fee is $1125. Since I have a hernia, my insurance would cover the overnight fee. There is a $500 non-refundable deposit that has to be paid to reserve the procedure. It is applied towards the cost of the surgery. Oh, and they accept the CareCredit card, but if you use it, then you can’t use the discount.

My stomach still looks exactly as it did after I delivered. I keep telling people that I'm not pregnant. But, they think I'm being sarcastic because my stomach is really hard and firm to the touch when I stand up. My doctors say that's because my intestines are falling forward out of the muscle separation. When I lay down, I can see my intestines and anything that's being digested. I haven't found a binder, compression garment, or abdominal splint yet that can handle my stomach. They all curve due to the pressure.