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Have I Compromised my Muscle Repair after tummy tuck surgery?
I am 5 weeks post-Tummy Tuck surgery with muscle repair. I have been doing very well but when having a normal bowel movement the other day I heard what sounded like a stitch pop in the area above my belly button, I also heard this again when I sneezed the next day. Have I compromised my muscle or could this be other dissolvable stitches? I have done nothing to strenuous to jeopardise my Tummy Tuck results, yet it still feels tight inder the skin at this point.
Popping post-op
Abdominoplasty involves "plicating" the rectus muscles with suture and is a regular part of the procedure as performed in my San Francisco area practice. This repair is typically most vulnerable at week 2 after your surgery. This is because the normal healing process can actually make the tissues the suture passes through more weak for a period as scar tissue deposits. People are also generally feeling better and becoming more active at this point. Most surgeons would not choose a suture that would dissolve as quickly as 5 weeks so the sensations you felt were probably not that. If you haven't noticed a difference in profile you probably have not compromised the repair. (Though it is possible a suture has ruptured). As always - because the surgeon that performed your surgery understands better than any of us what was done - it is important to follow-up with your doctor if you have post-op questions. I hope this helps!
