Scary Scar

February 27, 2006 11:53 PM

Three months ago, I had a myomectomy. I've recovered fine in terms of the way I feel physically, but I still have some concerns about the appearance of my scar.

Before surgery, I was told by the surgeon that he would make my scar below the hairline so that it would not be visible when said hair grew back. However, the scar is about an inch above the hairline. And worse, there is a poochy bit that sticks out on the right side - the same side where the fibroid was removed from.

My stomach is still pretty swollen in general, too. I'd say I look like I'm pregnant and just starting to show. Am I ever going to get my flat tummy back?

I asked my surgeon about this at the follow-up appointment a month ago, and he just said 'everything looks normal to me." When I showed him the poochy bit, he said I should massage the scar every day and it would go away. It hasn't.

I've been told the surgery I had is about halfway in severity between a C-section and a hysterectomy. So scar stories from anyone who's had either of these would be most welcome! Thanks.

posted by hazyjane to health & fitness (12 comments total)

I have heard wonderful things about the silicone pad treatments for reducing scars. I'm getting some probable skin cancer removed from my face soon so I've done quite a bit of research into it. A plastic surgeon can deal with the excess tissue if it's an issue but my experience with prior surgery is that it takes up to 6 months to a year for scars to fade.
posted by fshgrl at 12:16 AM on February 28, 2006

HJ, I had abdominal myomectomy three years ago. The whole area appeared kind of swollen for at least eight months post-surgery. I do have a very slight pooching effect around the scar, but the scar itself is very fine and barely noticeable (and also about an inch above the hairline).

If your pooch is on the side where the fibroid was, that's where the most work was done inside you, so yeah, it's going to take longer for that to return to normal.

My stomach isn't really flat, but I got lazy after the surgery and haven't done crunches so your stomach could be worked back into pretty good shape, but give it time. Three months is not a long time at all.

I hope you're feeling better. Feel free to email if I can answer anything else.
posted by astruc at 1:49 AM on February 28, 2006

I had a hysterectomy in Jan. 2005, and it took about nine months for my swelling to subside completely. At three months, I was still pretty puffy. My scar is very thin and tiny now. There is still a little tiny pooch right above it, though it is getting smaller.

You can definitely get your flat tummy back. Just don't' try to fit into jeans for the next several months. It's depressing.

I'm just glad I had the surgery, life is so much better. There is an online support group called Hystersisters. It deals mostly with hysterectomy, but a lot of the issues are the same. You can find it at hystersisters.com.
posted by WyoWhy at 6:13 AM on February 28, 2006

Completely different surgery, but I had some plates put into my arm, and it took almost 7 months for all the swelling to go down, including some of the puffiness of the scar.

While it might be different, my point is, major surgery takes a damn long time to heal.
posted by KirTakat at 6:57 AM on February 28, 2006

They probably told you this already but don't! let it get sun for the first year! It WILL turn purple!

My abdominal scars are very flat and the same color as the rest of my skin, but it took at least two years, really. Sorry for the bad news
posted by small_ruminant at 8:40 AM on February 28, 2006

I don't know about your particular surgery, but when I had surgery on my neck, the surgeon recommended using Vitamin E on the scar. It took about a year before the scar got to the point where it was barely visible.
posted by clarissajoy at 9:05 AM on February 28, 2006

it's been almost a year since my emergency appendectomy, and I still have uneven puffiness, but it's less and less each month, and the scar is also moving from redness to the color (but not texture) of the surrounding skin.
posted by olecranon at 9:48 AM on February 28, 2006

I believe in Vitamin E. It's a very thick oily substance, and it seems to reduce the scarring.
posted by five fresh fish at 1:01 PM on February 28, 2006

Thanks, you guys. I feel reassured that I just need to wait this out. I feel a lot better.
posted by hazyjane at 1:36 PM on February 28, 2006

Three months? You really shouldn't even be worrying yet. It's still a baby scar, and has barely started to heal. It does sound like you're healing normally.

Vitamin E oil is good. Gently massaging the area will help. It's not going to be instantaneous. It will go away. In about 9-12 months. Yes, abdominal scars take a while to heal completely. Scars in general take a while...once your body has sealed off the wound, further healing of the surface takes a while.
posted by jlkr at 2:08 PM on February 28, 2006

I've had a bunch of surgeries on my arms and legs, I'll second the call for keeping it out of the sun. A scar on my arm, which is normally exposed to sun, looks a lot more noticeable than the ones on my legs, which are ghostly pale and never see the light of day.
posted by Kellydamnit at 3:31 PM on February 28, 2006

I had a hysterectomy (for fibroids) eighteen months ago, and had the pouchy, puffy scar tissue for quite a while--months and months, at least six or eight, maybe a year. Then it was just a red line, and now it's all gone. I can only tell there's a scar if I really look--not that I care, it was such a relief to get rid of the fibroid. And I didn't use any vitamin E or anything else.

Three months is really early to be worrying about it--the healing takes time.

Also, look at the info on hystersisters about adhesions. It scared me so much that I decided not to even think about exercise for a year, to be sure it was all healed up inside. I really didn't want to go through any corrective surgery.

So be patient. Easy to say, hard to do, I know!
posted by gg at 3:52 PM on February 28, 2006