Tummy Tuck with Hysterectomy
July 16, 2009 by admin
Filed under Hysterectomy
At first thought, having a tummy tuck at the same time as a hysterectomy may seem to be an idea whose time has not come; however, at second thought, the idea seems almost natural. Having the two procedures done at the same time means cutting everything in half. The woman only has to go under anesthesia once and only has to go through recovery once. An added benefit for some women may be that having tummy tucks with their hysterectomies may reduce the financial burden of that procedure. Coming out of the recovery room with a flatter stomach can provide a little mental lift as well.
What are the prerequisites for combining a tummy tuck (known in medical parlance as an abdominoplasty) with a hysterectomy? First, and most importantly, a woman must receive the absolute approval and cooperation of the surgeon performing her hysterectomy. Although most physicians will not dispute that the two can be done at the same time, there are some additional risks. Some doctors may be unwilling to subject their patients to that additional jeopardy. The tummy tuck is definitely the secondary operation and should in no way interfere with the primary procedure. In some cases, getting the doctor doing the hysterectomy to go along with the doctor doing the tummy tuck will be no problem at all; there are doctors who do both. Most women probably won’t find a doctor willing to multitask in this way though so the second imperative task becomes having the two doctors coordinate their schedules. They will also need to devise the routine by which the two operations will be performed. In order to have the patient under anesthesia for the shortest time possible, as far as can be arranged the two doctors will work in unison. The work of the gynecologist will, of course, take precedence over that of the plastic surgeon.
Before the surgery occurs, a woman undergoing both procedures at once will want to consult with her insurance carrier. Tummy tucks are rarely, if ever, covered by insurance. Even though many of the costs may be rolled in with the costs of the hysterectomy, it is imperative that the insurance carrier be informed ahead of time. Trying to hitch a ride for the tummy tuck on the back of the hysterectomy without first talking to the insurance company could have dire financial consequences.
A woman should also be aware that although she will only have to go through recovery only once, it may be more painful and tiring to recuperate from two procedures at the same time. Tummy tucks can be excruciating the first one or two days after the operation; they can also cause fatigue and even minor depression. Obviously, the return from a hysterectomy is even harder. All of these difficulties may be exacerbated by a lowering or outright cessation of hormones which may accompany some forms of hysterectomy.
All in all, a woman facing a hysterectomy who would like to have a tummy tuck at the same time might actually be able to do so. Coordinating the two procedures will take some effort. Recuperation may be somewhat harder. Still, for some the benefits of having a tummy tucks at the same time as their hysterectomies may outweigh the disadvantages. So, if a woman is of the mind, she needs to get on that Internet and start scouting plastic surgeons that are up to the task.
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I recently underwent a hysterectomy followed by abdominoplasty 10 days ago. I fully agree with the article in many ways.
1. It was like the abdominoplasty hitched a ride onto the discomfort of the hysterectomy that was inevitable. I came out feeling good and secretly lighter. I must mention that I was otherwise not an obese person, and just thought that I could get rid off the sausage roll of fat that had stayed on after 2 C-sections
2. The doctors were great in tandem and the hysterectomy was over and seamlessly the abdominoplasty went on. It helped that they were friends for over 35 years! Their great rapport put me at ease. I surrendered to the scalpel wielded by the two lovely ladies on the verge of retiring from their beautiful professions.
3. The incision for the abominoplasty was nearly three times as wide when compared to that for both my C-sections. Understandably, that is a little bit of a discomfort. But look at the picture a few months down the line where I will be feeling fitter (free of menorrhagia) and looking fitter.
To sum up, two birds were killed with one stone and I am going to be all the happier for it.
Karen,
Please provide your doctor’s name. I would like to see if he or/she is in my area.
Gladys from dallas TX
Karen, thanks for sharing! I am about to undergo a hysterectomy and wanted to do the same! Any advice on locating a doctor who will do the tuck?
Dr Azouz in Dallas work with my OB/GYN. I had the hysterectomy and tummytuck together on 11/3/09.
Hi Karen,
How are you doing now, and what is the visual result? As good as you hoped for? I also had 2 C-sections and am considering an abdominal hysterectomy and have that role of fat from the early surgeries that I would love to improve on, not make worse. Did you get a vertical incision, too? Thanks for all.
I am about to undergo this procedure and I cannot wait. I have to have a total abdominal hysterectomy since it is medically necessary due to prolapse of my pelvic organs…so as I pondered about having that surgery and having an incision to deal with, the thought of having abdominoplasty at the same time hit me like a ton of bricks…why go under anesthesia twice? I’ve always wanted to consult with a plastic surgeon since I have suffered with an unsightly mid-section for many years now. The uro-gynecologist who is performing the medically necessary surgery portion works with a plastic surgeon (group) out of Winthrop University Hospital, in Mineola, NY. I am pre-op as of this writing and cannot tell you how excited I am to get this done. I am paying $10K out of pocket and this includes the plastic surgeons fee, anesthesia and OR time…to me, it’s worth every cent. My insurance carrier is covering the medically necessary portion…I’ll report back after the procedure – just to encourage other women to “go for it.” Wish me luck!
I am 8 days post op and I can honestly say that I was extremely uncomfortable for the first four days ONLY – otherwise my experience/surgery went off without a hitch. It was a positive experience overall. I stayed in the hospital for 2 nights and 3 days and was happy to be discharged home only to hit my bed with a vengence (you need to have lots of pillows).
Wonderful nurses cared for me and the docs were all compassionate and professional. I couldn’t have had a better hospital experience.
While the hospital that I was in is well-maintained, clean and well-staffed, everyone washed their hands or wore gloves before they touched me. Having a hip to hip incision is something that you need to take very seriously. While the risk of infection is very low, bacteria can easily find its way into a wound, especially a wound with 2 drains.
I am grateful to be able to tell the tale for those who are considering have abdominoplasty (a “tummy tuck”) done along with another surgically necessary procedure. Warning: you must be completely and utterly psychologically prepared along with being healthy to begin with. You really do feel like you might have been hit by a truck immediately post op (even with the first 12-hour epidural pain relief, I did alot of sleeping in between having to dangle my legs, getting out of bed to the chair and even having to walk a few steps to keep the circulation and lungs functioning optimally). Coughing and deep breathing would be impossible without the pain meds or abdominal binder that the surgeon puts on you in the OR. I will explain why this is so later. You have to wear leg pumps while in bed to keep the circulation going – to prevent blood clots.
I’m not too sure that I would have had the nerve to go for the “tummy tuck” procedure if I didn’t have to have the pelvic floor reconstructive surgery… yet I am so glad I did it even though my abdomen looks like a truck ran over it several times – and the whole area where my new “belly button” is – well, it’s numb and will be for a long time to come until the nerves regenerate and I begin a fitness regime once again. When I look down, I can see my feet again. THIS makes it all worth it!!!!
I had a hysterectomy along with bladder and urethra repair before the actual abdominoplasty procedure. The uro-gynecologist did his surgical part for the first 2 hours (insurance paid for this part) and then the plastic surgeon did the abdominoplasty over the next 2 hours (this was all out of pocket expense).
I can do Kegal exercises without any discomfort now. This is a big deal because I was afraid that I would have internal pain to have to deal with as well as tummy tuck pain. I had a Foley (in-dwelling) catheter inserted for only 24 hours!!! As soon as I had it removed, I was able to void within a half hour. You must drink lots of water post op in order to flush out your system and to help the “plumbing” along. Please note: you must be able to totally relax your mind and body, run water while you are attempting to void for the first time – this helped so much. I had to ultimately stick my hand in the water as it ran out of the faucet in order to be able to go. If they had to put the catheter back in because of not being able to void on my own, it would have held things up. Urinary retention is a complication of this kind of uro-gynecological surgery and I was lucky to have had a successful repair that reduced this potential complication.
I’m not a fan of prescription pain killers – so since I’ve been home now, I’ve been taking 800mg of Motrin once a day and at night, I may take a half of a Vicodin – just to take the edge off the soreness…but for the first 4 days, you do have to take prescribed pain meds to stave off the pain.
Just a week and a day post op,I would describe my current physical state as sore and somewhat weak. Pain comes when I have to cough or sneeze…it’s like someone is taking a blow torch to my mid-section for about 20 seconds when I cough, sneeze or laugh for that matter, and then it subsides. This is because of the repair of the muscle bed diastasis that caused the bulge that I had in my mid-section. There are sutures in there and it is still very raw.
My abdomen looks like a truck ran over it yet it is healing according to plan. Lots of bruising and puffiness. The little liposuction that I had was brutal to the tissue, that’s why I look like I was run over by a truck.
I went for my first post op visit yesterday and had the left drain removed. The right drain is still pulling out sero-sanguinous fluid that would otherwise build up underneath the wound if it was not in place. The drainage has become less each day. There is no foul odor or anything like that. You hook the drain (it looks like a hand grenade) to the binder with a safety pin and you have to empty it twice a day – taking note of the amount. I am in awe at the amount of drainage that is produced by such a procedure. The surgeon put steri-strips on the incision during yesterday’s visit (there were no sutures or staples anyhow)to help keep it intact. I liken the incision to what it might look like if someone were to cut me open with a hunting knife – it’s that wild looking. Hip to hip and right above the pubic area…which they shaved to a neat little patch while I was in the OR.
The pre-op experience was surreal in that as I got into the “OR garb,” had an IV put in, answered all of the pre-op medically necessary questions (this all taking place at 600am) by residents, nurses and the anesthesiologist, I had a sense of calm and determination that even surprised me. The OR nurse assigned to my case came to my little curtained area, introduced herself and after all was said and done, walked me to the OR! The whole team was in there…indie music was playing…I hopped up on the OR table and the rest is history…
I woke up in the PACU 4 hours later…very groggy and sore yet relieved and excited that it was all over. My young adult daughter was by my side, pallored with worry and feeding me ice chips with trepidation. She was unusually quiet because I know that I must have looked pretty awful at first. My mouth and throat was so dry post-op – the ice chips were refreshing and necessary. I hardly had any nausea or vomiting due to the medication cocktail that the anesthesiologist gave me. That would have been killer due to the soreness of the abdomen.
I was in the PACU for a couple of hours then transferred to my room. All in all…for this kind of surgery, it was an awesome experience. I recommend that it be done in a reputable hospial by board certified surgeons. Having a deep sense of faith that everyone working on me knew what the hell they were doing truly helped me get through it. It is not for the meek.
I am so happy I did it even though I know I will be sore. I also have to take it easy too – no major housework or physical maneuvers for several weeks. I have 7 weeks off before I have to go back to work…I am going to enjoy a slow recovery, savoring every minute of taking care of myself.
Good luck to you should you decide to have this procedure done…all the best!
JM
i am about to undergo a hysterectomy- and would like a tummytuck also. i live in pennsylvania and need help in locating an excellent gyn surgeon.thank you
To Karen,
I am living in Pembroke, Ontario. I just had the same surgery five days ago.
I am so glad to see that is possible to go throught the recovery and still be happy even if it still painfull at times.
Thank you Karen for taking the time to write about your experience. I wish I could ask you more questions about your recovery, if I can.
Francelle
francelle510@hotmail.com