Tummy Tuck

I have this problem. I developed quite bad diastasis after my second baby over a year ago and it has now developed into an abdominal hernia. My stomach from above belly button is very distended, and hard and my tummy gets so incredibly swollen I can look 5 months pregnant. I tried postnatal pilates and tuppler technique but there has been no effect. Finally I have gone to see both a general surgeon and a plastic surgeon. Both diagnosed also the abdominal hernia which needs to be fixed. Both doctors were very nice but I am not interested in the open surgery tummy tuck. I just want the diastasis and hernia fixed and I will have this done in June through laporascopic surgery where the doctor will put a mesh in. Recovery time much quicker, no big scar. I will still have whatever extra I have in my tummy, but I can live with that, but not the pain from hernia or the hard distended belly that has just gotten worse and worse. My surgery will Benin American hospital

Dubai Cat - re abdominal separation after pregnancy check out this exercise DVD. You can't fix hernias with it but you can fix abdominal separation http://www.befitmom.com/press.html I found it useful.. I now realise I have an umbilical hernia. Having done a bit of research think it may be best to fix it sooner rather than later. Am interested in open mesh surgery rather than key hole. Was hoping someone can give me recommendation of where & who would be best to fix it. Not interested in a tummy tuck. Many thanks!

LadyNomadica, I am also seeing Dr. Sahar... I would love to see your before and after too, if possible. Thanks! How are you feeling about everything now that it's been a few months? Hello Safa, My plastic surgeon is Dr. Sahar at Cosmesurge, and I cannot recommend her enough. She is a true artist. I am beyond delighted with my results. I have the belly of a model, and that is above and beyond what I had expected, and I'm only 3weeks post op! If you put your email, I'll be glad to show you my before and after. I decided to go back to work at 2 weeks post op and was so nervous about whether i'd be hunched over. This is my first week of work and I feel great. <em>edited by kamanda on 07/05/2012</em>

Just a little update for anyone still thinking about this procedure. I went for my pre-op appointment with the anaesthetist today, and while I was there the admissions office called to ask me to come in and go over the billing details, as my insurance is only covering the hernia repair. So I popped along. After me asking the surgeon about the cost several times, and being told it was in the region of 25,000dhs, the admissions office now say it's 33,000dhs. I asked the staff member there to explain the costs to my husband on the phone, as he was at work, and he actually refused to speak to him and told me to get him to come down! So, back to the drawing board I think. I'm not happy that the hospital have been less than transparent with the costs and I was absolutely appalled with the admissions guy's attitude this morning. LadyNomadica, if you could email me on harpersdxb at gmail dot com I'd love to see your before and afters :). ETA: I had reports from the plastic surgeon, general surgeon and neurosurgeon all saying there's no way I'll be able to get my muscles to rejoin without surgery, and even a report stating that I'll be facing a vertebrae fusion surgery in a couple of years if I don't do the abdominoplasty now, but the insurance company still wouldn't cover it. <em>edited by DubaiCat on 26/03/2012</em>

Hi TD I'm seeing Dr Yasser and Dr Khalid at City. Dr Yasser is the plastic surgeon and Dr Khalid the general surgeon. I must remember to ask about quilt stitching tomorrow! I'll post again when I've been :). Thanks for the info DC and also to LN. DC good luck!

Hi TD I'm seeing Dr Yasser and Dr Khalid at City. Dr Yasser is the plastic surgeon and Dr Khalid the general surgeon. I must remember to ask about quilt stitching tomorrow! I'll post again when I've been :).

Emailed you Safaa, you can delete your email.

Hello Safa, My plastic surgeon is Dr. Sahar at Cosmesurge, and I cannot recommend her enough. She is a true artist. I am beyond delighted with my results. I have the belly of a model, and that is above and beyond what I had expected, and I'm only 3weeks post op! If you put your email, I'll be glad to show you my before and after. I decided to go back to work at 2 weeks post op and was so nervous about whether i'd be hunched over. This is my first week of work and I feel great.

Good morning Safaa, DC, and TurkishD., It is very normal to be a bit bent over after your surgery, especially if you have muscle repair. I work full time and was worried about how I would look going back to work. I get a little hunched over if I have sneezed or sat for a long time (muscles a little too tight), but no one can notice anything. I would say you get pretty straight around the 2 week mark. You're not supposed to drive until after the two week mark. You wear a compression garment that helps stabilize your muscles and reduces swelling. Also, the pain wasn't that bad, just initially with the drains in place and figuring out how to move without engaging your muscles that are very very sore after their repair. I think 2 night at hospital are just perfect because after that I was A LOT better. A lot of your recovery will depend on whether they use quilt stitching or not. If they don't you are likely to walk around with two collection drains for around 2 weeks. I found that the quilting method (which some plastic surgeons use without any drains) helped me recovery quicker. Realself is a website that has been so incredibly helpful in helping me understand this process. You read about the recovery process from normal women like us. It is important to also see pictures to see how your plastic surgeon deals with the appearance of the belly button, as it is re-placed in an abdominoplasty. It is really important to have some help as you recover, because you can't lift more than 3 kg (or even less) for a while. It is important to walk, but gradually build up to walking more and more. The most important thing is to find a plastic surgeon that you are happy with and ask about their seroma rates because seromas are a nightmare and need to be needle aspirated. They involve the collection of fluid between your muscle wall and the new skin (it's an empty space). Methods like this quilting stitching reduce the collection of fluid a LOT, but most plastic surgeons don't use it because it takes more time. Another thing to discuss with your plastic surgeon is placement of scar because some place them too high and that is a huge complaint that many women have. In your consultation, let them draw and show you where everything will go. Before my surgery, my plastic surgeon explained all these things including details about what to eat and drink...etc. Unfortunately, this is one of those surgeries where a lot of people judge women as being petty and vain, not realizing that if you have severe muscle damage/separation (diastisis), it really leaves you susceptible to hernias and other troubles. Also, I paid: 25,000 AED for the full abdominoplasty (including muscle repair and Liposuction of region) including 2 nights at Emirates hospital and free lipomassage after to help with swelling because lymphedema is normal after this surgery for a couple of months. This fee also included all the pre-op blood tests, meeting with anesthesiologist, and also a very thorough ultrasound to examine muscles and discover any hernias. The radiologist was very very detailed and detected a 1.8 mm umbilical hernia which is very very small. <em>edited by LadyNomadica on 08/02/2012</em>

Yes, DD is three months old and I'll be having the surgery in the last week of March when she's five months. I was referred to a plastic surgeon and a general surgeon by my obstetrician and the plastic surgeon diagnosed the hernia, but I'll see the general surgeon tomorrow as he's the one who will do the hernia repair then the plastic guy will take over to do the muscles and sort out the loose skin. We haven't applied for approval yet as it's too soon but the plastic surgeon says my insurance should cover the hernia repair, time in hospital and all that kind of thing but I may have to pay for the actual tummy tuck procedure during the surgery. He said that's somewhere in the region of 23,000dhs. He did say the insurance might agree to cover it in the end if we argue, but to prepare for a bill. Thanks DC for the info. Could you please email me the details of the doctors you are using, if you don't mind? I would prefer to go to docs that are recommended because I would not know where to start. My email is [email protected] This would be greatly appreciated. Good luck tomorrow! Let me know how it all goes once it is done. Thanks TD

Yes, DD is three months old and I'll be having the surgery in the last week of March when she's five months. I was referred to a plastic surgeon and a general surgeon by my obstetrician and the plastic surgeon diagnosed the hernia, but I'll see the general surgeon tomorrow as he's the one who will do the hernia repair then the plastic guy will take over to do the muscles and sort out the loose skin. We haven't applied for approval yet as it's too soon but the plastic surgeon says my insurance should cover the hernia repair, time in hospital and all that kind of thing but I may have to pay for the actual tummy tuck procedure during the surgery. He said that's somewhere in the region of 23,000dhs. He did say the insurance might agree to cover it in the end if we argue, but to prepare for a bill.

Bump!

For the ladies who've had this done, was/is your recovery horrendous? Is there much post-op pain and discomfort involved? I'm having it done in March as I have an enormous hernia and the surgeon has said a hernia repair alone won't be enough, so I need the abdominoplasty to make sure the muscles will support the hernia repair long-term. I am, however, absolutely petrified :(. DC, you've recently had a baby, right? Me too and feel that my muscles separated in pregnancy. How did you get your hernia diagnosed? Because it is a medical condition that requires additional cosmetic surgery, do insurances pay for these? To the other ladies, how much does a tummy tuck cost and how long does it take to recover? Thanks

For the ladies who've had this done, was/is your recovery horrendous? Is there much post-op pain and discomfort involved? I'm having it done in March as I have an enormous hernia and the surgeon has said a hernia repair alone won't be enough, so I need the abdominoplasty to make sure the muscles will support the hernia repair long-term. I am, however, absolutely petrified :(.

I just had my tummy tuck with Dr. Sahar Kazzaz at Cosmesurge mid January. I am still recovering but am already so incredibly pleased with the results!!!! She repaired the muscle damage (LARGE BABIES), did some lipo, and tummy tuck. She also used this special quilting method which reduces the risk of seromas and meant that I only had drains for 2 days. I stayed at Emirates Hospital for 2 nights and they were amazing. As part of the package, they cover the hospitalization and all of my after care which includes some LPG (lipomassage sessions). I had my first one yesterday. My scar is very low and I am SO glad that I did this!! Dr. Sahar is a very smart women who takes the time to explain things very clearly. She welcomed me to go home, think about it, research it, and I returned for another consultation before I finally made my decision. She showed me pictures of her work and she discussed realistic expectations and all the risks very clearly. My surgery was not done under full anesthesia, had spinal with sedation and that really helped me stay strong.

Tahnk you for sharing your experience louisedvs. Dr. Khan has not mentioned doing surgeries at a hospital. I will have to call back and double check. But i am glad that you had a good experience with him. Amazing from beginning to end. I wouldnt go to anyone else after my experience with him. He is supposed to be very good with TT procedures ( although i didnt have one of those) apparently people come from all over the world to see him for that

I used Dr Khan for a procedure 2 years ago and i had the choice of the American Hospital or the Belhoul in Satwa He advised me to use the latter one as it was cheaper. I had nothing but praise for the care the staff gave me there :-)