Infamous "swell hell" knows no discrimination. It doesn't care if you're fair skinned or dark skinned, short or tall, were physically fit or still needed to lose a few pounds prior to surgery.
I familiarized myself with it prior to having my surgery by reading as much as I could and felt I had mentally prepared myself for it. But reading about it versus experiencing it, you don't really understand until the latter. My swell hell probably began between 2-3 weeks post-op. I still experience it daily and it typically worsens by the day's end. Since I'm not even 6 weeks out from surgery, I presume I have another month and a half minimum before I start seeing some sort of improvement in regards to the swelling.
Swell hell can last 2-3 months for some, 6 months or even up to a year for others. It can be a very obvious swelling to a mild swelling. There is no crystal ball that will show you "Ick, it will start on this day" and "Woohoo, it will end on this day". There's no way to tell because our physical make up is different. Not only that, the amount of swelling varies dependent on the surgery or surgeries, if there was liposuction involved, prolonged sitting and how active you are (which is a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation) and how much salt is in your diet.
I currently have quite a bit of swelling right in the abdominal area located above my scar line to below my navel and it seems to have more swelling on the left side than the right. I have mornings I wake up and my abs are nice and flat. I have other mornings I wake up and I look like I'm in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, go into the TT process thinking once the surgery is over you're immediately going to be in a size or two smaller because the excess skin has been removed.
Uh uh. No siree. Don't do it or you'll set yourself up for disappointment.
Do you read the words typing out my fingers?
This line of thinking is furthest from the truth. I tried on some slacks that were actually too big on me before but after surgery there was still some space but not as much. I can thank the swelling for that.
I also tried on some other slacks that I could wear prior to surgery. Do you think I buttoned them at the waist? If you're thinking yes, think again. I couldn't even zip them to the top to button them at the waist. I even measured my waist and compared it with my measurement the morning prior to surgery and it was actually bigger. Again, I can thank the swelling for that.
The only exception that I would say where someone having a TT came out of surgery and was able to get into a smaller pant size would be an individual that was morbidly obese at one point in time and had lost many, many, many pounds which would mean a great deal of skin excised which could result in being able to get into a smaller size.
Realistically, think about it. You've just had this large area on your abdomen where your skin has been lifted, separated from the muscles, those muscles (or the fascia rather) have been surgically sutured into their original spot, and that same lifted skin pulled down and placed in a different area than where it originally was. During this process the lymphatic drain channels are disrupted and the only way for the fluid to drain from the tissues is laterally versus typically being pulled toward the point of gravity. That's a major alteration to one's body. Your body now has to accommodate for that major change as it heals. So until it heals your result is the lovely swell hell.
TIP: When or if you feel discouraged and frustrated, just chant in your mind or heck, out loud if you need to "Tem-po-rar-y. Tem-po-rar-y. Tem-po-rar-y."
I'm not complaining or dissatisfied with the results of my TT because it's far from that. I'm merely sharing my experience and the fact that it can be a frustrating factor. Believe me, swell hell is not one of the more enjoyable outcomes from the TT surgery. There's nothing enjoyable about it. But even in the frustration and moments of discouragement it provides, I know it's only TEMPORARY. It's not enough to make me think, "I shouldn't have done it" or "It wasn't worth it". I'm glad I had the procedure despite the swell hell and for me, there's no question about it that it was definitely worth it.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: Some swelling can be caused by what is called a seroma. A seroma is fluid or "serum" that has pooled between the abdominal skin and the muscle. This can typically be removed by your PS through needle aspiration (use of a syringe) in the office. I believe local anesthesia is used to aid in this process. When this occurs it is typically after the drainage tube is removed. If you tap the abdominal area and you see a "fluid like wave" it's possible you have a seroma. If you feel this is the case, you should contact your PS.
Patients can also have what are referred to "ruptured suture plications" which also create a bulging midline. These will not have the "fluid like wave" noted above with a seroma. Once again, check with your PS if you feel this might be the case.
I familiarized myself with it prior to having my surgery by reading as much as I could and felt I had mentally prepared myself for it. But reading about it versus experiencing it, you don't really understand until the latter. My swell hell probably began between 2-3 weeks post-op. I still experience it daily and it typically worsens by the day's end. Since I'm not even 6 weeks out from surgery, I presume I have another month and a half minimum before I start seeing some sort of improvement in regards to the swelling.
Swell hell can last 2-3 months for some, 6 months or even up to a year for others. It can be a very obvious swelling to a mild swelling. There is no crystal ball that will show you "Ick, it will start on this day" and "Woohoo, it will end on this day". There's no way to tell because our physical make up is different. Not only that, the amount of swelling varies dependent on the surgery or surgeries, if there was liposuction involved, prolonged sitting and how active you are (which is a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation) and how much salt is in your diet.
I currently have quite a bit of swelling right in the abdominal area located above my scar line to below my navel and it seems to have more swelling on the left side than the right. I have mornings I wake up and my abs are nice and flat. I have other mornings I wake up and I look like I'm in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, go into the TT process thinking once the surgery is over you're immediately going to be in a size or two smaller because the excess skin has been removed.
Uh uh. No siree. Don't do it or you'll set yourself up for disappointment.
Do you read the words typing out my fingers?
This line of thinking is furthest from the truth. I tried on some slacks that were actually too big on me before but after surgery there was still some space but not as much. I can thank the swelling for that.
I also tried on some other slacks that I could wear prior to surgery. Do you think I buttoned them at the waist? If you're thinking yes, think again. I couldn't even zip them to the top to button them at the waist. I even measured my waist and compared it with my measurement the morning prior to surgery and it was actually bigger. Again, I can thank the swelling for that.
The only exception that I would say where someone having a TT came out of surgery and was able to get into a smaller pant size would be an individual that was morbidly obese at one point in time and had lost many, many, many pounds which would mean a great deal of skin excised which could result in being able to get into a smaller size.
Realistically, think about it. You've just had this large area on your abdomen where your skin has been lifted, separated from the muscles, those muscles (or the fascia rather) have been surgically sutured into their original spot, and that same lifted skin pulled down and placed in a different area than where it originally was. During this process the lymphatic drain channels are disrupted and the only way for the fluid to drain from the tissues is laterally versus typically being pulled toward the point of gravity. That's a major alteration to one's body. Your body now has to accommodate for that major change as it heals. So until it heals your result is the lovely swell hell.
TIP: When or if you feel discouraged and frustrated, just chant in your mind or heck, out loud if you need to "Tem-po-rar-y. Tem-po-rar-y. Tem-po-rar-y."
I'm not complaining or dissatisfied with the results of my TT because it's far from that. I'm merely sharing my experience and the fact that it can be a frustrating factor. Believe me, swell hell is not one of the more enjoyable outcomes from the TT surgery. There's nothing enjoyable about it. But even in the frustration and moments of discouragement it provides, I know it's only TEMPORARY. It's not enough to make me think, "I shouldn't have done it" or "It wasn't worth it". I'm glad I had the procedure despite the swell hell and for me, there's no question about it that it was definitely worth it.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: Some swelling can be caused by what is called a seroma. A seroma is fluid or "serum" that has pooled between the abdominal skin and the muscle. This can typically be removed by your PS through needle aspiration (use of a syringe) in the office. I believe local anesthesia is used to aid in this process. When this occurs it is typically after the drainage tube is removed. If you tap the abdominal area and you see a "fluid like wave" it's possible you have a seroma. If you feel this is the case, you should contact your PS.
Patients can also have what are referred to "ruptured suture plications" which also create a bulging midline. These will not have the "fluid like wave" noted above with a seroma. Once again, check with your PS if you feel this might be the case.
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Good luck with your surgery and/or recovery!