The following question from our forum is from a man who had a tummy tuck in Lebanon and has since returned to Kuwait. His doctor never installed surgical drains and he now faces an additional surgery.

Date: 04/10/2010 Submitted by: Yaqoub

Dear Dr.

I had a tummy tuck operation in Lebanon 7 months ago. my doctor didn’t install draining tubes at all, when I came back home to Kuwait and after 3 months I started feeling pain and my tummy feels like a hard baseball inside, I went to a doctor in Kuwait and he said this is normal after a tummy tuck operation, it most be blood. He tied to suck it by a syringe but it was hard to come out so he gave me cream and asked to comeback in one week for another surgery but I was afraid to back.. so please doctor give an advice. Yours.

Yaqoub

RESPONSE

Date: 04/10/2010 Submitted by: Tanner

Yaqoub,

I am not a doctor. I am a patient who had a tummy tuck operation. I cannot advise you on medical matters. I can just tell you of my personal experiences of what I went through, but I have never heard of anyone not having surgical drains installed for a tummy tuck (but again I am not a doctor). I never had that pain or “baseball” feeling that you described. I did have a “tightness” feeling with numbness, but that was expected. Three months after your tummy tuck you got that feeling and your doctor said it was normal and it must be blood? It doesn’t sound normal to me. Also, I could not possibly guess why they gave you a cream or what a cream could do to treat something inside your body. I would go to a different doctor for a second opinion (or even a third) before going back for another surgery.

Good luck.

Tanner

FOLLOW-UP
Thank you very much,, I think I should book a flight to see the same doctor who did the operation very soon.. Thank you again. Yaqoub