Upper Abdominal Swelling 3 years after full tummy tuck

I had my surgery in 1998 and am now having the same problem. it is very uncomfortable cannot eat anything without my stomach bloating and being blown up like a balloon and I am having extreme bowel problems.

Have been going to doctors for help but they will not give me a straight answer. I suspect that the stitches came loose on the left side.

Wow... I'm so sorry to find so many of you having problems but also don't feel so alone anymore. I'm two years post-op and has developed horrible symptoms, similar to IBS but with upper abs bloating which gets worse as the day goes on. I feel like I have trapped wind under my rib cage and as someone else described, it's almost as though my intestines have no room to work anymore. My GP has had me on various antacids which don't help and the next step is a gastroscope. I exercise hard, six days out of seven and I am so careful what I eat but I can't lose weight anymore - something which was relatively easy pre-op. really regretting having this op at all now as I am convinced it is the cause of my problems.

hello i think you need to see a gastroenterologist. this sounds like irritable bowel syndrome. i have suffered with it since a small child and it just got worse as i got older..i want to get a lipo tummy tuck because i look pregnant and have no children..it is terrible..i gained weight from thyroidism but even when i was skinny, i still saw a small pregnant belly. ibs is very painful, it can make you feel like ur having the worst menstrual of ur life. but now after reading your story, im a bit scared to get the procedure. like whats the point if my belly will still look like this. sorry to say but ibs isnt as controlled as some dr's day. bentyl will stop pain but then 2-3 days later you have a pain attack and it can cause constipation which is bad if you were already constipated. donnatol is good and librax is the best but you have to pay cash for it, yet the swelling wont go down much..the pain will just get better..i also have to get checked for fibroid tumors people say, so maybe you should too. us females have all these organs bunched together confusing us and doctors. after a lifetime of being under medical care, its sad...i wish you the best and hope ur pain stops and swelling goes down. new meds may be out there and meds work dfferent for everyone..i dont eat med. ibs can come from stress, foods, excitement/anxiety etc. it can make life miserable....june 2013

I DONT COME TO THIS PAGE, BUT HAPPY I FOUND IT..I SEE TRYING TO SHRINK MY BELLY MAY NOT WORK OUT FOR ME..THE AIR IN YOUR RIBS CAN BE GAS. TRAPPED GAS IS HORRIBLE. A HEATING PAD CAN HELP ALOT ALONG WITH THE ANTI-ACIDS. I HAVE AD SO MANY GUINEA PIG PROCEDURES JUST TO BE LEFT FEELING HOPELESS. DOCTORS WILL START TO BLAME IBS ON DEPRESSION. IF YOU CANT LOSE WEIGHT IT MAY BE HYPOTHROIDISM. IM NOT A DOCTOR BUT I HAVE A LOAD OF HEALTH PROBLEMS AND WHEN I WAS USE TO BEING 95-100LBS AND BLEW UP TO 115 WITH NO CHANGE IN DIET. I WAS TOLD ABOUT THE THYROID..I SAID I CANT GAIN MORE WEIGHT. GESH I WISH I LISTENED TO THE DR. I BEEN STUCK AT 130LBS FOR 3 YEARS AND EAT LIKE A BIRD. THE SAD THING IS THAT THE FAT IS ALL IN MY THIGHS AN BELLY AND NOW I HAVE CELLULITE. WORKING OUT IS PROBABLY STILL GOOD. WHEN I TRY MY FRIBROMYALGIA GIVES ME HELL AND THE PAIN STOPS ME FROM DOING MUCH FOR WEEKS. I WAS THINKING LIPO TUMMY TUCK WOULD GIVE ME A NEW START BUT READING ABOUT ALL THIS LEAVES ME HOPELESS. I CAN TAKE ANY MORE PAIN..BEST WISHES.. JUNE 2013

I had a tummy tuck in. 2011 and I have  horrible swelling  especially after eating , by about 5 in the evening I have to change pants in order to be comfortable , I sometimes feel like I look pregnant , my doctor has diagnostic me with ibs  I have had all kinds of test and X-rays. The only thing they found was my intensities were looped  so they can't see everything , I think that comes from pushing everything together , I am so miserable all the time , I am slowly gaining weight , and I haven't changed my diet , I am getting depressed over it  I have measured my waist in the morning and by evening it is almost 4 inches bigger , my husband , nags me about not being able to go out in the evening , or go eat , I have gas from the swelling , just horrible  any suggestions 

Dora

Im the same but only 1yr post op I hav a constant uncomfortable feeling in upper tummy and if I eat a meal feel like im going to pop ive also had my belly button pierced twice and it has rejected both times ....its like I hav a constant infection in my tummy

wow!!! shocked at how many deal with the exact problem! 25 year old male here. 3 years post op. By the end of the night im always swollen. its so depressing. A few times ive bloated so bad that i looked pregnant as well. today it happened again! sooo uncomfortable. terrible what we have to go through :( sad thing for me is my doc is in middle of mexico and im in california so i cant just go give him a visit :/

We've all made a huge dreadful mistake fooling around with our stomachs.  I've come to the conclusion from my own experience 11 years later, and all of yours, that lipo or tummy tuck is the worst thing anyone can do to themselves.  It will make it impossible to lose weight, and in a short time, you'll be much heavier than if you'd just left your stomachs alone.

To those reading all this and still think it won't happen to you, you're fools one and all.  If I knew what I know now, or had any inkling that this would happen, I'd still be 35 pounds lighter with no effort. I have lost hope of ever losing the weight that continues to creep up. I never lose weight anymore, and it used to be easy.  It's not just getting older, this changes your body and the way it regulate fat.  Think about it, you think your body, that was natural, is not going to fight you when you alter it, to try to get back what it lost?  It doesn't even make sense to think you can remove cells, matter, flesh and not have a reaction.

Do not alter your natural body, work on what you have. I wish I could go back in time, and undo this horror.

I am two years post op with a full tummy tuck and I am so happy with the results. I do still have a little discomfort when doing strenuous activity and I cannot to planks without feeling like the sutures are going to rip out, but for the most part I am very glad I have had this procedure done. My surgeon was great and went over all the risks with me before I decided to go through with the procedure. Dr. Elisa Burgess made me feel so comfortable and at such ease. I have had two friends have procedures with her also who are very satisfied. I still have not regained all the feeling below my belly button, but I knew that was a risk and I was willing to take that risk. I was so unhappy and embarrassed with the way my tummy looked before the surgery. I am so much more confident and comfortable in my own skin. Also I know not everyone heals the same and diet and over all health has a lot to do with that. I eat a strictly plant based diet and also eat a lot of whole foods (meaning not processed) and that alone will help the body repair itself. I would and have recommended a tummy tuck to many people. I guess everyone's experience is different, but mine has been great and life changing for the better for me.

I have been in the same boat with upper abdomen swelling and am now 3 years post op. I went gluten free for one week and my swelling was cut in half which convinced me to go full paleo for the last 3 mths and the last week I have an actual flat stomach!! I have no idea if it's paleo or just time but I'm not going off paleo to find out. Please try it I know how frustrating looking like your pregnant on only the top part of your belly. You have nothing to lose!!

I'm 7 yrs post op and have heavy swelling and hardening, it's very uncomfortable

I am 8 years after, and I begin swelling and bloating shortly after breakfast. I too am miserable ...most of the time worrying I have a tumor growing. I have put on a few pounds but only after taking anti depressants. Water pills and ladies tend to make me bloat more. Drink water but no help. The stomach walls become do hard. I can understand if it was from gaining weight but its gone normally in the morning and then begins to show its ugly self around 9 am,,,, uurrrr

I am relieved to read some of these posts, although sorry that others are having same problems. 2 years post tummy tuck, and so wish I had never gone down this road. Stomach swollen, very uncomfortable almost all of the time. I feel like I am walking around with a rock in my stomach; I don't even care what I look like any more, I just want to NOT feel my stomach hurting all the time.

I am 2 years post op tummy tuck and have the same exact problem! I look pregnant , bloaded and round on my upper portion! I look bigger than I did before the surgery! I'm so disappointed at all of this,help pleaseeeeee 

I'm dealing with the same problem And surgeon tells gives me laxative to try to bring my pregnant looking stomach down which doesn't if you figure it out please let know

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