Hi Kellie -
Due to all my complications, I still wear a binder sometimes at night and I'm 5mo out from my original LBL, and 2 mons out from my last surgery due to complications which was only across my back and hips.  I wear a compression garment about 2-3 days per week.  I understand the bound up feeling.  There are days when my muscles still feel odd without a binder/garment and I get swelling if I'm without them for more than a few days in a row.

 I had a LBL with BL in June, several complications involving infected seromas and chronic pseudobursa seroma that involved 3 more surgeries to resolve.  I am 13 weeks po from the last surgery in the front, and 8 weeks po from quilting surgery in the back to resolve these issues.  When I last saw the PS on Oct. 10th, he told me to begin to wean off compressive garments/binders (have been wearing them continuously since June 7), and begin resuming all normal activity.  I've only been wearing a garment about 1 -2 days per week.  Over the last 10 days, I've noticed 4 enlarged nodes - 2 on the pubic bone area right below my incision in the front left and right, and 2 in the groin on the left and right.  Sometimes, I can feel 2 more.  The are about 1/2" long for the pubic bone ones, and 3/4" - 1" long in the groin.  Has anyone else had this?  Any idea if it is related to the surgery?  I'm going to check in with my PCP first and see if he thinks it is related to the LBL.  The nodes do seem to shrink a bit if I put on a garment, but not with the binder because it isn't long enough.  


Thanks for sharing any similar experiences - sometimes when you go through a big procedure and have lots of complications, it is hard to determine what is normal, and what might be related to the procedure, and what is a new problem.


Thanks,

Amanda,

I've had to deal with some similar situations, but they have been handled differently.  I had a lbl on June 7th.  I developed a seroma early July and by mid July it became seriously infected.  I was opened up again to find that my entire stomach, around my left hip and into my back was a seroma and none of my skin was sticking to the facia. I had formed a pseudobursa lining and was filled with infected fluid.  The lining was scraped away, the infected fluid was removed, and I was hospitalized for 5 days on IV antibiotics.  I came home with instructions to limit movement, and had 4 drains in.  After 2 weeks, I developed another large seroma on my left hip/back area and under went surgery again to clean out that lining and try again.  After 6 weeks, I still had  lots of drainage - more than 200 cc per day from my 1 remaining drain, and I had my back/butt/flanks quilted on Sept. 4.  I still have 2 drains in place - 2 were removed last week, one will be removed on Wednesday, but I still have quite a bit of fluid - 125+ cc per day from drain #4.  For whatever reason, my skin does not want to stick the facia, and I form an almost "autoimmune" response to the fluid when trying to heal, especially on the left side.  I know that eventually this will pass, but we've got to find a way to have the skin/facia heal together and become one piece of tissue again.  Some of us are unfortunately experiecing this rare complication.  I've never had a surgical complication before, so this has been really hard on me and my family.  I will be glad when it's over, and at somepoint it will end.  Hang in there!

This is the same type of garment that I bought from my doctor.  The one I got retails for $109, and I bought from him for $70.  It does help.  I am to wear that for at least 12 weeks - I bought 2.  My is the Design Veronique brand.

I have been stripping the lines and the bulb was compressed just fine. In the 17 days that I've had the drains in, they have never leaked out of the hole in the top of my thigh. The tube had a kink in it, so I think it was just backing up and leaking out of the leg hole. Since I unkinked the tube, all the leaking has stopped and it is draining fine again. Just a weird thing I think.

I had my lbl bl on June 7th and still have 2 of my 4 drains. I was allowed to shower beginning at 4 days post op. I used my On Q pouch after the On Q was removed, but then I wanted to keep the pouch dry to keep my drains in during the day. SO, I found that I had a webbed clip on waist strap to another fanny pack, and I have used that like a belt to pin my drains to in the shower. It dries fast, and allows the On Q pack to remain dry for me to use during the day to keep my drains in. It felt great yesterday to have 2 drains removed, and next week, the other 2 should come out.

I guess I'm just trying to figure out more of what to expect following my LBL and BL on Saturday.  How easy will it be for me to get in and out of the car?  Am I better to try and go home in my mini van or Toyota Carolla?  Will my first few days at home be spent in my recliner, or will I be moving around a bit more than that?  Will I be able to go upstairs?

Will I be able to have someone wash my hair under the kitchen sink a few days post op, or will I just have to live with really dirty, greasy hair for the first week or so?  Is the dry shampoo really helpful?

I purchased some scrubs type pants/tops for easy dressing and I have some yoga capri pants as well, but will I even be able to put on the pants with the drains and such? 

When I saw one plastic surgeon, he said no lifting of my arms above chest level for 2-4 weeks, but my surgeon has said that as I can tolerate more, I will be able to do more, and the rules are not hard and fast.

I know that everyone is different in their healing, but I'm just trying to get a mental idea of what to expect post surgery.  Most of these questions are probably pretty redundant, and I've been reading several pages back, but I'm not really seeing these types of things asked or answered.

Thanks,

Thanks for sharing!  I am having a LBL and BL at the end of June and have been wondering what to expect, especially in terms of pain!  I am borrowing an electric lift chair/recliner from my mom.  It had been my grandmothers, so I'm set there, but I keep thinking how soon I will be able to go upstairs to my own bedroom!  I've been told that the first 2 weeks are really, really hard, and that's what I'm gearing towards, but I also hope to hear that others have an easier time and the recovery won't be THAT bad!