Barbie Butt Surgery And Wound Vac Experience

Question

Hi ostomates! I'm new here, so I hope I'm doing this right :)I'm currently 7 weeks post-op from having a revised stoma and Barbie butt created. A couple of days ago, I went to a follow-up appointment where we discovered my wound had completely opened up and was not healing. I was immediately admitted and sent to the operating room to get a wound vac placed in my bottom. A little history of my recovery from the beginning: the first two weeks went perfectly enough. I still had the dissolvable stitches in place and an abdominal JP drain at this point. At my two-week follow-up, my surgeon told me I was healing really well and having very little drainage from my bottom, so we decided to remove the JP drain. The following day is when I started noticing more drainage from my bottom, which was expected because the drain was no longer collecting that fluid. At 3 weeks, I returned to work full time. I work remotely but am required to sit 8 hours a day. I didn't sit directly on my bum; instead, I alternated sitting on my sides as much as possible. Unfortunately, the draining just continued and worsened. At 5-6 weeks, my stitches were dissolved, I still had a lot of discomfort but not much pain at all. The only thing that concerned me was the drainage; I just thought I was healing very slowly at this point. I'm back home today, two days after the vac was placed. I'm told the vac should help keep the area dry and promote healing. I'll also have to go back once a week for wound care and to have the dressing replaced for the next 6 weeks (under anesthesia in the OR). I've decided not to go back to work for the full 6 weeks this time. This has been very stressful for me. I have a great deal of support from my husband and family, but I still would like to hear from anyone who has had this surgery and/or a wound vac. How was your healing process? Did the vac work for you? Did you have any leaking with the vac? Was it painful the entire time? How long did you take pain meds? I was given 28 pills of 5 mg oxy, but I don't like taking them for fear of becoming dependent. I also ordered Collagen Peptides protein supplements. Has anyone else tried this, and was it helpful?If anyone has any advice on anything or questions, I would be grateful for them. Anything at all would be appreciated.

Barbie Butt Surgery and Wound Vac Experience

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