upper belly fat after abdominoplasty

Problems with Upper Belly Bulge after Tummy Tuck.

WOW, I GUESS I'M NOT CRAZY! I'm glad I've now found others that are having the same problems as I am. HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME!

I also had what was suppose to be a full tummy tuck for a scar revision. But when I woke up from surgery I found out the Plastic Surgeon had done different. He cut the skin from right below my belly button, removed the excess skin/fat and then sewed it up all tight right along my pelvis area. This made my belly button look pretty funny, it's only about an inch above my pelvis. But the biggest problem is the UPPER BELLY BULGE that was left and then there is this "drop off" to where my belly button now is. Sure the last 2 inches of my belly are flat, but I feel like a freak and it hurts.

I feel like my upper abdomen is about to explode, it's is crushing into my lungs and like I can hardly breathe. Sitting at my desk all day at work is pure torture. The only way I feel comfortable is if I’m in a recliner or laying down. I’ve been tired, depressed and just laying around ever since my surgery.

Another big problem is that now I don't seem to have a waist to hold up my jeans, they just slip right down to the "drop off" and it hurts for them to sit there. Even when I wear the compression garment (I even bought a $78 pair of spanx, didn’t help). So now I'm stuck wearing long shirts so that there isn't a space between my shirt and jeans.

It's only been 6 weeks since my tummy tuck and I go back to the Plastic Surgeon next week. I feel intimidated by the Dr. and I don't know how to complain. IS THERE ANYWAY I CAN HAVE HIM "FIX IT"? If I hadn't been told that I was to have a full tummy tuck I would have never have had this done in the first place.

I'd appreciated any and all posts that might help me. Thanks in advance

I thought I was crazy too. but now I know others are in the same boat. I had my tummy tuck feb 2010, coming up on three months. my upper belly was bulging right after surgery. My doctor tells me it will go down. Need to give it time. Must wait a year for full results. I am not sure I am buying that from all the comments I am reading here. I sure hope it goes down. He said we can go back and do lipo but I dont think he removed enough skin. so I have a horizontal scar and a vertical scar. you would think with all tha cutting all should be flat. but no. anyway, just wanted to add my two cents.

So glad it isn't just me. Here's my story - I had a full TT in April, 2007. Since the beginning have had this upper belly bulge. Working out, losing weight, whatever, it didn't matter, it was always there. Bending over, it would just hang. So April 6, 2010 I went ahead and got it fixed. Another full TT, cause my surgeon said that stitches had come out both below and above. He fixed my "shelves" that I had on each side of my scar. It looks good. But guess what? I'm 4 weeks out and I still have my upper belly bulge!!! HOLY c**p! I've gone through this twice and it still isn't fixed???? It is about 70 percent better, but still hangs when I bend over and it's still sticking out. WTF?? Anywho, I need to talk to my plastic surgeon and see if he can do some lipo or whatever. I just need it to be fixed. I paid alot of money to have a flat stomach and it isn't!! I'm sooooo frustrated.

I wish I had read all of this before I got my full TT.. I had it when I also had my overies removed, bladder redone, rectocyle and other things. I was so happy with the results, but now I have the upper buldge and now my lower stomach is starting to roll over my hips.. What the hell. I had my TT Dec of 09 and it seems like all these changes happened over night.. One day I was flat and now I m not.. Very, Very , Very frustrated..

I also have alot of pins and needle feelings in my stomach at times, is this normal.. I also had a lot of issues from my rectocyle part of the surgery and I am afraid that all the straining I have done might have popped my stiches inside.. Just soooooo frustrated.. I will be 50 this year and this was suppose to make me feel better not worse.

i noticed everyone here has been facing the same problem. sorry i can't relate much since i haven't had this kind of surgery. i just thought i would suggest that you guys should address your problem to the surgeon that performed your operation. they should know what to do. hope this helps a bit.

It is in this matter that I always suggest to my friends who are planning to have abdominoplasty to always have a background research about their surgeons. There are many very good surgeons out there who can always do abdominoplasty; however, there are also a few who cannot do it right. Never settle for less, always choose the best surgeon there is.

want to know why your ab s on top r bulging and the bottom part is so tight it hurts, the dumb ass plastic surgeon pulled your skin so tight, it looks abnormal. also the bulge is from your plastic surgeon not doing the plication right, its kinda like a corset. surgeon pulls it together and sews it together. The problem is if they don't do it right it pops open and now you have a huge abdominal bulge. The only way to fix it is a whole proceedure all over again. about a year recovery and the 3 plastic surgeons I saw does not recommend it. I wouldnt do it anyway not after all the c**p I have been threw. I literall died 4 hrs after operation, thank god my boyfriend ran out and saw med flight and grabbed them. Took hours to figure out what was wrong had to be revived 4 times, ended up with a huge blood clt that had to be removed, 4 blood transfusions later I woke 2 days later to a tube stuck down my throat looking at my boyfriend and saying with my eyes wtf happened. I saw my daughters around me crying.. next thing I remember is<( 5 weeks later I do not rember 5 weeks of my life, ) mothers day taking the guaze off and seeing the inside of my stomach, omg i almost fainted. cause the skin was pulled to tight and he cut it off that it made the wound pop open. my boyfriend packs it for me for months, because too gross to look at. ok huge seroma on my hip have to go have it drained, next my abs on top look funny the right side hurts like hell and is bulging, plastic dude looks and says, hmmm no hernia just a pulled muscle so he sticks a needle in it to numb it for a few days and tells me to rest come back in 3 weeks he said and i will cut off your dog tags an d talk about revision of scar. people almost throw up when they see the scars from it being split open. Ok i finally get smart i cnat breath i have acid rflux and the other side of upper abs r popped out. pulled muscle my ass, he knew it wasnt a pulled muscle! i had panic attack thinking about him slicing off dog tags, hell no i am now 13 months pST OPERATION i HAVE POST TRAaumatic stess the stiches popped out in upper abs and caused the huge bulge i can barley eat because their is no room for food. skin is pulled so tight it hurts to lay down or strech, I have had a periumbillical repaired and fat transplants to try and cover some of the holes on my hips. plastic surgeon new one who fixed the hernia said can,t fix the scar cuz the skin is too tight> Great!!! 1 month after hernia operation somthing is popping out of the upper bulge it comes and goes, great another hernia.. this is where i am at I see a surgeon tommrrow. never again will I mess with what the good lord gave me. I am paranoid to have surgery and in constant pain from tummy being so tight. shame on that plaSTIC SURGEON FOR LYING TO ME WHEN HE TOLD ME IT WAS A PULLED MUSCLE. AND HE KNEW THE SKIN WAS PULLED TO TIGHT AND CAUSED IT TO SPLIT... OH I STILL HAVE SHORT TERM MEMORY LOSS, NEUROLOGIST SAID IT WILL BE A COUPLE YEARS BEFORE i FULLY RECOVER FROM THAT. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!! i BELIVE PEOPLE GET WHAT THEY DESERVE AND WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND!!!! OH HE ALSO CHARGED MY INSURANCE CO 40 GRAND FOR HIS FU@# UP. GREAT GUY GREAT id**t IS MORE LIKE IT. AND AGAIN SHAME ON HIM!!!!

I had my tummy tuck done March 5, 2009. It is now July 14, 2010. I noticed that my stomach was awfully round, and thought that it was because of water weight. I began taking water pills, but the pregnancy look did not go away. I weighed about 135 and I go to the gym about three to four times a week. I thought that maybe I was to heavy for my height (5ft 3inches). I started losing weight and went down to 125. However, I still have a round belly that hangs when I go to do push ups and when I sit down. The wrinkles from my pregnancy are gone, but my stomach doesn't look any better. On top of all this I have huge keloids that go straight across my supposed to be panty line ( which is awfully high and very visible) from one side of my body to the complete opposite side. Two keloids that look like some type of weird growth in my pelvis area, and a keloid around my belly button. If your doctors are telling you its because you need to exercise, it's a lie. I exercise more than anyone I know. I especially work on my abs about three times a week, I eat right and everything. I think somewhere, somehow, someone screwed up. I don't have the answer, but I am searching and am determined to find one. It's really not fair. At least now I know that it's not something wrong with me and that others are having the same problem. >:(

Its very sad to see this history of problems after abdominoplasty. I don't see any replies or advise from Doctors or Plastic Surgeons. I also have the same problem. ie. distended upper abdomen, especially in the pm. My surgery was about 9 years ago and I only noticed a slight problem for the first few years. In the last 4 years my abdomen is severely distended and no matter how much weight I lose I still have problems with breathing, gerd , pants sliding down, etc. There must be a solution to the problem. I've never mentioned this to my plastic surgeon because I didn't realize how common this is. ? I will share my researc here. Watch this space !

Has anyone spoken to a surgeon since about this - if it's happening to so many it can't be a coincidence. My story is similar, had a full TT July 2005, immediately noticed upper abdomen bulge, despite not gaining any weight, I had mysteriously gained 'fat ribs' :$ .
5 yrs post-op, I now have a horrible pulling sensation around m belly button, especially if I jump up from sitting too quickly. And still got those FAT RIBS, grrrrr... Can somone please talk to a PS about this, I was amazed to see it's such a common problem, I had put tit down to my PS being imcompetent as he was apparently sued so often he couldnt get med insurance any more. Amazing how all this comes to light a year or so AFTER surgery.

To everyone: did your surgeon tighten the muscle (fascia) both above and below the belly button??? If the surgeon only tightened below the navel, then you WILL get the upper belly bulge. Also, if your surgeon did a lot of liposuctioning below the navel and then you gained weight, you might get a bulge above. But more likely, the it's a problem with the fascia. Maybe try requesting your post operative report, or getting a CT scan. The CT scan will show how much muscle separation and/or fat you have. Good luck!

Thank God i get rid from big belly.
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Wow! I too feel somewhat better. I had my surgery 9 months ago and I look and feel like I am 6 months pregnant. My stomach was rounded right after but thought it would go down as doc said it was swelling. Well I am even more "swelled". I am bigger in the upper waist now than I ever have been. Very depressing. I am not sure how I feel anymore about doing this. I want a flat stomach!!!!

I've been reading all these posts and have not seen anyone who has had the upper stomach bulge issue resolved. Mine looks and feels like a balloon. I'm 5 years post abdominoplasty. Anyone know what causes it? and if there is a remedy? I have not gained weight. But the balloon sure is uncomfortable.