Susan's surgery at UCSF with Dr. Hu on 19 and 22 March, 2013

[golfnut]

Susan,
It sounds like everything went well. As usual, your posts always put a smile on my face. I love your sense of humor.

[mabeckoff]

Glad that everything is going OK

[titaniumed]

My lower abdomen looks like a road map!

I have Route 5 which runs from my xiphoid process south down around Sacramento,(Belly button) then down to my Tijuana with no east west spurs. All my roads run North, South and down around LA, its 5 lanes in each direction. Speed limits run fast except down in Tijuana.

(smiley face)

Ed

[susancook]

Susan--
So glad the hernia surgery is behind you and sounds very successful--and a tummy tuck--awesome, I want that! I totally remember the girdles in high school and hose. Yuk! Before a daughter's wedding a couple years back, my girls thought I should try the miracle of spanx. I thought I might have to call 911 to get me out. Was half way in and couldn't get it on or off--giant fused spine doesn't help--do not try this at home or a dressing room in JC Penney's .
Take care and good luck with healing and that flat stomach! Janet

Janet, I tried on 3 pairs of Spanx in Nordstrom's Rack on the day before my surgery and like you said.....I could not get the last pair off! Seconding the sage advice above, if you have a full fusion, do not try on Spanx or you might wear them for the remainder of your uncomfortable life! I figured that the surgeon could cut them off in the OR. Would that have been embarrassing? My general surgeon does not have a senses of humor. He would probably just think I am weird.
Susan, sans menopausal baby!

[Doodles]

Glad I'm not the only one who couldn't deal with those things! I like Ed's map info too! But still wait to hear of his experimentation with Spanx. Might have to start a new thread. Janet

[Marianne]

Susan, so glad your surgery went well and you are rid of that menopausal baby.
You always make me laugh. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[susancook]

Susan, so glad your surgery went well and you are rid of that menopausal baby.
You always make me laugh. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Thanks for the support! My daughter asked if I took "before" pictures of my menopausal baby and I laughed! I actually tried to take pictures but they looked awful! I can't wait for the swelling to go down so that I know what I will look like sans baby. My drains continue to pull fluid off of the surgical site, but the amount is gradually decreasing. I am paranoid about having this surgery fail, so every time that I get a twinge, I have a small panic attack.

Here's hoping that I heal....Susan, sans menopausal baby

[springchicken]

Hi Susan,

I've been reading of your surgery and I just wanted to wish you the best of luck. I hope you are feeling better every day! It must feel so good to not have to wait on this surgery any longer. Your body can finally get over that last hump and begin healing.

-Olivia

[leahdragonfly]

Hi Susan,

So glad that all went well and that you are on the road to recovery. Are you home yet? That sounds like one huge hernia--I am sure you're glad to be rid of it.

Take care,

[susancook]

Yes, Gayle, the entire incision plus opened. There was a lot of tissue that had limited blood supply, so not viable for use to close the hernia, so it had to be cut off. I'm thinkin' maybe I lost some weight on that! I saw my surgeon's partner (my first consult that I decided not to go with) and he said that the surgery was very complicated. I had "multiple component separation"....unsure what that means. I had drains removed yesterday, so am recovering from that. I am fine until I try to get up. Ouch! Dilaudid doesn't help that pain.

Looking in the mirror probably does not predict a final outcome, so I am hopeful for improvement. My lower abdomen is so-o-o-o much flatter than it was pre-surgery. Now I am praying that this was the final fix on the hernia. I will wear my "abdominal binder" which the surgeon says improves chances of healing. I asked him when I could have confidence that this surgery was successful and he said, "5 Years". Seems like a long time to wear my girdle, but what else do I have to do?

Susan and her new girdle

[PeggyS]

Bye, bye menopausal baby! Happy to hear your surgery is over & you're on the road to recovery! You've got that wonderful trip to look forward to, as you're healing!

Take care!

[rohrer01]

Yes, Gayle, the entire incision plus opened. There was a lot of tissue that had limited blood supply, so not viable for use to close the hernia, so it had to be cut off. I'm thinkin' maybe I lost some weight on that! I saw my surgeon's partner (my first consult that I decided not to go with) and he said that the surgery was very complicated. I had "multiple component separation"....unsure what that means. I had drains removed yesterday, so am recovering from that. I am fine until I try to get up. Ouch! Dilaudid doesn't help that pain.

Looking in the mirror probably does not predict a final outcome, so I am hopeful for improvement. My lower abdomen is so-o-o-o much flatter than it was pre-surgery. Now I am praying that this was the final fix on the hernia. I will wear my "abdominal binder" which the surgeon says improves chances of healing. I asked him when I could have confidence that this surgery was successful and he said, "5 Years". Seems like a long time to wear my girdle, but what else do I have to do?

Susan and her new girdle

My question, Susan, is what the heck did they do to you when you had your anterior surgery that left you with such a bad abdominal outcome? Was it fine and then just split open one day?

I'm so happy that your surgery was successful and is DONE. You have such a positive attitude about things and a funny way of talking about things that may embarrass other people! LOL

Why do you have to wear a girdle for FIVE years? Usually soft tissue surgeries don't take that long to heal. But I would certainly follow doctor's orders so as not to have to repeat any of this! I'm sure you look like a slim, young girl now! LOL
Boy! I can only imagine how insecure you will feel after five years of wearing a girdle. I can imagine a very weak feeling. I remember after my c-section, the first time I got up to go to the bathroom I felt like my guts were going to fall out, literally! It was a horrible feeling. I held on to that little pouch with my hand or a pillow for about two weeks. Then it healed and I don't feel that way anymore. Although, the bikini cut made a weird bump below the incision that never did go away and I'm as skinny as a rail. It's not huge, but if I get the least bit bloated it seems to puff out more.

Well, at least we have these surgeries available to us to keep us, and in my case my son, healthy!

Best wishes for a continued smooth recovery.

[LindaRacine]

Rohrer...

That weird bump is probably an incisional hernia. They're fairly common. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incisional_hernia

I've always thought mine looks like a bratwurst.

--Linda

[rohrer01]

Rohrer...

That weird bump is probably an incisional hernia. They're fairly common. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incisional_hernia

I've always thought mine looks like a bratwurst.

--Linda

You have a bikini line scar, too? I know the doctor said when he was stitching me together that the tissues were just falling apart and tearing. He said I ended up with about half the normal amount of suturing under the skin. He did a running stitch to hold the skin together. It kind of upsets me because no matter how "in shape" I get my abdominals (I had a six-pack) by the time my son was 3, "it" was still there. It sits right where many underwear want to sit. I try not to get underwear that sit there, but they are hard to find. It looks horrid on profile on all of my x-rays. Maybe I'm too vain. It doesn't matter how thin I am, either. I'm too thin right now. It's not AS bad, but it's still there. But, I can say my son was worth it!

[susancook]

My question, Susan, is what the heck did they do to you when you had your anterior surgery that left you with such a bad abdominal outcome? Was it fine and then just split open one day?

I'm so happy that your surgery was successful and is DONE. You have such a positive attitude about things and a funny way of talking about things that may embarrass other people! LOL

Why do you have to wear a girdle for FIVE years? Usually soft tissue surgeries don't take that long to heal. But I would certainly follow doctor's orders so as not to have to repeat any of this! I'm sure you look like a slim, young girl now! LOL
Boy! I can only imagine how insecure you will feel after five years of wearing a girdle. I can imagine a very weak feeling. I remember after my c-section, the first time I got up to go to the bathroom I felt like my guts were going to fall out, literally! It was a horrible feeling. I held on to that little pouch with my hand or a pillow for about two weeks. Then it healed and I don't feel that way anymore. Although, the bikini cut made a weird bump below the incision that never did go away and I'm as skinny as a rail. It's not huge, but if I get the least bit bloated it seems to puff out more.

Well, at least we have these surgeries available to us to keep us, and in my case my son, healthy!

Best wishes for a continued smooth recovery.

Re: incisional hernia, at about 2 months I had a severe burning sensation in my LLQ. About a week later, I noticed that my umbilicus was on the R side of my abdomen and I had a bulge that progressively increased. The surgeon did not give a reason for the hernia occurring.

Unsure how long I need to wear the girdle. Maybe 6 weeks or so, but I will check with the surgeon.

Thanks for the support. Susan and her snazzy girdle