More OT-Surgery Updates

I was just wondering how all the latest surgeries are doing! Anyone want to check in with their progress reports?

Good to hear Gina!!!!!

 

Here is mine..prepare yourself...lol..

I had my abdomnioplasty w/out ab plication on April 27th. On the first post op the nurse didn't catch that the steri strips were giving me bad blisters. We didn't look at it because I kept my compression garment on. I felt like something was wrong because when I would get up my stomach would actually twitch and feel like it was ripping a little, but I just chalked it up to obvisouly having sugery and just not getting up the right way.  The second post op when she went to take them off she noticed them and since there was nothing to be done she just ripped them open. Which at this point they had gotten bigger so it left a huge area almost my entire stomache, of exposed subdermal skin. All she said was just keep it clean and don't let it stay gooey from either the neosporin or from taking a shower. She also took out my drain at this point and left a bunch of built up fluid. Said that hopefully my body would absorb it if not they would tap it.

Went back like 2 weeks later and my wound had actually gotten worse because it was too dry apparently killing more skin surface so we had to put this DuoDerm stuff on it twice a day. The fluid was still there but they said it will probably break through the wound and just to let it drain that way. Which it did around a week later and thank god hubby noticed it cause I was just about to walk out the front door. He was like your stomach is wet...I thought it was just water from me scrubbin the grill but it got bigger..lol...Anyways....a week later I was making something to eat and I noticed water like stuff on the floor...it started leaking really bad like just flowing out of me when I would touch my stomach. Went back for my weekly appt. and the nurse was like that's fine come back in 2 weeks....

BUT within 3 days I started running a fever and the fluid started to really smell...like rancid cornflakes and it first clouded but then what looked like puss just started oozing out of the now bigger hole and a new second hole. I called the Doc went in that afternoon and he wanted to get me in the hospital that night thinking it might be infected but my insurance woulnd't cover it... ( got to love that military health care ).... so I went back in the next day and he opened me up again.. took a culture and cleaned it out and stitched up the entire area.

Turns out I had Fat Necrosis. Which I think was caused by the built up fluid creating a cavity and cutting off the blood flow. Went back in a week later he took out all the stitches but he forgot one which I took out. Now it does look a little malformed but with some additional weight loss it shouldn't look too bad.

I think the nurse I had for most of my visits is just an over all bad nurse resulting in some of the mess ups. When I went in cause I thought it was infected I had told her I was running a fever of 102 she didn't tell the doc. When I mentioned it he was completely suprised and was then like I want to admit you. As well as a few other things like keeping it dry or putting lidacain on it prior to my last visit because she was like ya we'll probably tap it.

Would I do it again....with all the BS.... yes I would because even now you can still see a HUGE differnce....the scar is going to be nice but scars don't really bother me anyways...If I knew they were doing it I would have just had some student Army/Navy doc do it for free instead of paying over 6k...At least if there were mess ups then hubby may have been able to *itch about it or get his corpman to say something......Live and learn I suppose

i want a boob job :(

Gina mine went soft about week 4 but now (3 months) they are even softer, they feel real now (or so my bf said)lol

I can feel rippling under the fold too! or it almost feels like an air bubble but you can't see it. I also thought they were on the large size at first and always looked at them - but as they softed and drop they look way better - in fact I almost wish I had gone bigger!

My scars look great, they are fading so fast.

Rachel - uuooo glad your OK and still happy with it

Being a Registered Nurse and hearing that REALLY pisses me off. Bigtime. I hope that you file a complaint. She's not a bad nurse, she's a dangerous nurse. Because of her carelessness, you possibly could have future problems. Although the nurse did not look at your incision the first time, neglected you the other times, what about the surgeon? Isn't he soposed to be the one to check your incisions site in the first place?

I'm glad your OK. I would go for a follow up with someone else.

I'm a little freaked out on your behalf also Rachel.

and elvira.  where's your update?

First of all, the first post op apt the doctor should have been the one to look at your incision site, taking down the compression garment to observe for any redness, inflamation, discharge, foul odor, etc.at the incision site. I't's hard to say what he would have seen the first time, but the point is that he didn't even bother to look. It's his responsibility to check the incision site for potential infection at the post op appointments. It is the nurses responsibility to report any findings to the doctor. Did he tell you when the culture would come back with the results? Did he start you on any antibiotics? If your incision site gets real red, inflammed, oozing, or you have a temp, call your doctor.

I had my sutures taken out from under my eyes yesterday. I'm snapping photos every day to post soon.

Elvira....everything is fine now..just still a little swollen if I move around to much..but that's even gone down a lot...the first post op was just to check on the drain i guess and they left it in a few days longer until the nurse pulled the steri strips a week after that was the first time that I remeber seeing the Doc after the surgery... ..I'm pretty sure he wasnt there the first time but I'll dbl check with my hubby.....I had gone back in to have it cleaned out awhile ago and the appt. I had after that he reffered to it as Fat Necrosis so I just figured that's what it was and he didn't put me on any anti-biotics...It's all healed up up now just a few scabs left..and no more compression garment..WOOHOO......god I hated that thing...I called it my torture device......What kind of surgery did you have?....hope it went ok...

Merguthrie....Thanks..what kind of waist reduction exersizes are you doing?

Mocachip...it's cool...I'm just over all happy that its basically over and done with....now back to getting into shape...laying around so much made me loose a lot of muscle....actually get to put the bowflex to use.....

 

Did Dr. Townsend take a before pic?  He did a polaroid of me.  Maybe you can get him to fax you a copy?  Or do you have another post op coming up?  get a copy then?  The girl at the desk told me my before was a pretty good pic but gosh could you see why I was there compared with an hour later. 

Did I tell you I'm doing Retin-A now too to reverse my sun damage/get rid of fine lines!  My morning routine is so hilarious now.

Yes, Dr Townsend did take a before thank God. They are really coming along nicely!

OK confession time. I wanted to post my hair install with my eye pics both before and after together (ya know, no makeup, no hair) then the transformation, but I still can't take a freaking picture of the back of my head by myself! I feel like such a dimwit! I must say that I do have plenty of pictures of my bathroom sink! So I'm standing in the front of the mirror, holding another mirror? WAAAAAA! Help!