Comments on: Muffin Top after abdominal surgery? What’s a muffin top and how do I just make it go away?

By: aku

aku — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:43:24 +0000

i have a big tummy .. had surgery 1+ yr back.. lifting heavy stuff still gives pretty much unease… what do i do..?

By: Kimi

Kimi — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 06:32:54 +0000

Wow, That’s great news. Thank you so much for sharing it’s really helpful. What a wonderful site I lucked up on. I feel much more at ease about the little lump.
Now I hope to continue a good sex life.

By: Becka

Becka — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:26:37 +0000

My surgeon said the bulge is where the fascia (the layer of connective tissue below the skin/fat and above the muscle) was cut and stitched back together, and it makes sense that that area would be puffy and tender as it heals. I’m almost six weeks post AM and the puffiness above the incision is almost entirely gone. I also have been gently massaging the area, since about week 4.

By: Naima

Naima — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:11:24 +0000

Disa,
I’m one month post-op and my stomach looks now about like yours did in your pic right before surgery. My dr has advised me to give it a couple of months to go down. I went in with a little bit of a belly caused by a combo of the ‘broids and a little extra weight. I really don’t want to have to go back into any kind of surgery so I’m praying it goes away on it’s own once I’m back to working out

By: Issac Maez

Issac Maez — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 03:12:10 +0000

When is the best time of the year to go to Anguilla.

By: Celine

Celine — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:10:51 +0000

TT – I have to say you are very brave to want to undergo yet another surgery to fix the muffin top after your hysterectomy. The bulge is unslightly and I didn’t like it either, but it does go down with time. Mine is almost gone (~6 mth post op). But if had to pick one of the two options I would go with a plastic surgeon. One girl (I think it was DISA) had it done and posted a link with her before and after (scroll up you can look at it). She could probably give you better advise on that.
I would not have extra surgery if it was me (so scary), so I have been working out my abs every day and you can’t tell that I had a muffin top. I also rub cocoa butter into the scar every day. But your Dr should give you the green light for working out and rubbing your scar. Did you ask your Dr what you can do to get the muffin top down? I would give it time. You still have over 6 mths till your wedding. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding by the way!

By: Evee

Evee — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:43:38 +0000

Disa,

What could your doc have done to prevent this? I had myoectomy 4 weeks ago and I am also in good shape and did not have loose skin on my abdomen. So far I have a slight muffin top and numbness above the scar. I am going to start massaging and using vitamin E oil on the scar, but I’m worried that the muffin top won’t go away. I’m not as concerned right now, because I still want to have kids, but after kids, I plan to have a tummy tuck.

By: TT

TT — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:31:19 +0000

Just had surgery Dec 3rd for hysterectomy. I got to keep my ovaries. Surgery went fine but I have the muffin top really bad!! Above my incision is a roll or muffin top that goes across the length of my incision then there’s a dip above that, then a bloated looking belly. I’m 45, had a c-section with a premature birth, in which he is fine…thank God! My incision from the c-section starting sinking inward like a hole so I decided to get a scar revision. The revision looked ok with the exception of one side being puffy with a muffin top. Not even a yr later I had to get a hysterectomy due to a hugh fibroid on my uterus. After the surgery I noticed right away that when I stood up I had the muffin top. I’m getting married in June 2010 and I’m very self conscious about this. Should I try to have this muffin top fixed with lipo or plastic surgery?? I would love some advice please. Very concerned…TT

By: sisinsuffering

sisinsuffering — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:49:17 +0000

Ladies, try to get on your feet immediately after sugery! Give it just 1hr after opperation. It works wonders. Thats what the nurses did to me by helping m stand to start walking. I was like are these nurses crazy or what? Little did I know it was for my own good. I was dicharged after 3 days from hospital and mantained walking for 45 min. every day. I felt pain while walking and a reduction in retained fluids. Am 3.5 wks post AM and totally no muffin top. I take of my dit too. No fatty foods at the moment. Nothing lik retained fluids at inspection when I lie on my back.

By: Amy

Amy — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:30:32 +0000

Yay!! FYI! Blog has been fixed!

By: sarah

sarah — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:58:19 +0000

I had a laparotomy on june 9th and the bulge you can see Gayle is called a healing ridge and is an essential part of the healing process ( something they don’t tell you in hospital and should). Mine was tender for quite a few weeks and the bulge stayed there for a while. However two weeks ago I started gently massaging the area for about half a minute with Bio oil and, whether coincidence or not, the bulge or muffin top, has just about gone. My tummy is still a bit numb and I do get the odd twinge but it looks more or less back to normal again. I agree with Disa about going to the docs to check out the bladder thing though. You might have a bit of cystitis. Also have you been taking it easy the last two months because I find, even now after eight weeks, my stomach hurts if I walk for more than 30 mins or overdo it on the housework. I hope this helps you Gayle…..

By: DISA

DISA — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 01:07:42 +0000

GAYLE, PLEASE GET A SECOND OPINION ON WHAT YOUR DOCTOR HAS TOLD YOU. SOUNDS LIKE HE OR SHE IS BLOWING YOU OFF THE SAME WAY MINE DID. TAKE CARE, AND LET US KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED…

By: GAYLE

GAYLE — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:06:46 +0000

I had a abdominal hysterectomy on 5/26/09 today is 7/24/09. A week after I was home a bulge appeared next to my incision and it hurts. I was told is was were fluid had collected it will go away. Well it has been 2 months it’s still there and it still hurts. My doctor just says I don’t know you need to give it time. Does anyone know what this is and how long it will take for this to go away. I also have pain when I urinate the pain is on my bladder and it moves up along my incision to this swelling. I don’t know if there is a connection with the swelling and the bladder pain. If anyone experience this please let me know.

Thanks,
Gayle

By: DISA

DISA — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:44:09 +0000

KC, yes, i will pray for u, i promise. as for me, i will be 34 in a couple weeks. a woman in her mid thirties and older is risking multiple health problems for her an her child if she is having her first child at that stage in her life, so ive decided not to have any children at all. i no not every single woman who has her first baby later has problems, but i no the odds are not in my favor. my aunt had the same fibroid condition that i had. she had a myomectomy, and then decided to have her son at 38. she almost died giving birth, and her son almost didnt make it. she ended up having to have an emergency hystorectomy. her doctors talked a lot about her having her first baby at her age as being the major problem. so yea, im not going to have any children. im also not interested in adoption or surrogacy. god’s will i guess. i can live with it…

By: KC

KC — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:59:45 +0000

DISA,
For a lot of these dr’s it’s about the $$$. I didnt know about your losses – sorry to hear it. (We really go through it, huh?) I am going to be trying to conceive in a few months so please pray for me. Are you going to try again?

By: DISA

DISA — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:45:13 +0000

KC,

yea thank God u did that. i was so depressed about having to do the myomectomy after the loss of my third pregnancy that i didnt think too much about how much my obgyn doctor could possibly make me look on the outside. it kills me how they ignore questions on why u have a muffin top and strictly concentrate on making sure u dont have an infection. that is always their way of paging a new subject…

By: KC

KC — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:53:38 +0000

DISA,
The doctor really sounds like he should not be doing surgeries or anything else with that kind of a rating.
My primary doc wanted me to go to someone that he recommended but I decided to choose the doc that a friend of mine had an excellent experience with and thank God that I did.

By: DISA

DISA — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:06:34 +0000

hey thanx kim…i think im gona check out that site also, the hystersisters…’love that name too lol…that may be my future so i want to educate myself more on premature hysterectomy and things of that sort…

By: Kim 25 june 09

Kim 25 june 09 — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:26:44 +0000

Thanks Disa, your cosmetic surgeon did a great job. I think that our gyno surgeons need to take responsibility for the total results of their work. I am looking forward to visiting my surgeon next week for a follow up visit and am interested in her comments regarding what the hystersisters (great website) refer to as swelly belly (my waist measurement is 29 inches in the morning and 31 inches in the afternoon) and the muffin top (this measurement seems to only vary about an inch now so I am hoping it is gettin better). Thanks for the support everyone. This is a great site. Thanks EG.

By: DISA

DISA — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:01:03 +0000

KC,

thanks…yea i felt much better inside after the myomectomy, but the way i felt about my outward appearance as a result of what my obgyn surgeon did was downright horrible. i mean look at the difference. but yea, i feel much better after my lipo procedure. like i said, im still healing, but my lipo surgeon said i should look close to my natual stomach (1st picture) soon. the scar, i dont care about that. im actually proud of it, its kinda like a battle wound from getting rid of the fibroids! it was that gut he gave me that i hated. but im glad ur doctor did a great job. do u no that last week, i did a research on my obgyn surgeon’s ratings, and found out that he has done wrong so many other patients? i read about everything, from muffin tops, to misdiagnosis to near death experiences. on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best, his overall rating on three different sights averaged at about 1.7, i kid u not, this was before i even put in my own two cents…had i dont my own research instead of taking his colleage’s word for telling me he was the best obgyn surgeon in boston, i wud not have chosen him as my fibroid doctor, and probably wouldve had good results in the first place like u did