Too much fat removed, still causing Pain? (5 months post-op)

[problem man]

I am 5 months post-op. Still have pain on my Left Hand Side, the area around the areola towards the arm. I've marked the area in the below pic. The pain starts from the marked area and then spreads to the entire LHS. The pain increases whenever i flex my chest. I thought the pain for the first few months was normal and part of the surgery, so did'nt think much at the time. But the last 2 weeks has been bad. Its the same area where he removed too much fat.
The RHS is painless, no pain at all.



Now, what shall i do? My doctor is evasive kind of a guy. Even if i ask him he will say, give it some more time or he will write some painkillers. But what is really causing the pain even after 5 months?

Did the liposuction cannula injure me internally?

Plz advice, i really need some Opinions here before consulting my surgeon. 

[cgeorge1]

it is possible that your doctor messed up during surgery. but you chest looks good, perfectly normal.

[rowdy99]

the pain may be caused by hard scar tissue forming under the skin. 

i am 9 months post op and still have some pain directly under the nipple, even 9 months later and my surgeon adviced it was scar tissue and we should give it time to heal.

hope everything works out for you.

[problem man]

I don't have scar tissue anywhere near the area of pain. There's just bone under the skin. But why will the pain increase when i flex my muscle? I think he has done some damage somewhere inside.

[cgeorge1]

i have heard of another guy in your situation but when he flexed it looked like half of his chest was missing, im not sure but i think he said that the doctor cut some muscle and it just takes time to heal. not sure if its the same for you, but could be.

[problem man]

i have heard of another guy in your situation but when he flexed it looked like half of his chest was missing, im not sure but i think he said that the doctor cut some muscle and it just takes time to heal. not sure if its the same for you, but could be.

Same here, i think he has cut something inside. But, did that guy have any pain?
The pain for me is really bad. i'm consulting the doc tomorrow.

Any opinion from Dr. Jacobs or Dr. Bermant?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

In the hands of an experienced gyne surgeon, damage to the underlying muscle is a rarity.  And even if there was some un-intentioned muscle damage, it should have healed after five months. What is more probable is some scar tissue involving a small sensory nerve in the area.  If you can localize where the pain starts (ie try to put one finger tip on it), then perhaps a careful injection of a steroid might be helpful.  This is a common technique used by pain doctors who treat "trigger points" with injections of steroids.

Elliot Jacobs, MD, FACS

[problem man]

Thanks for the reply Dr. Jacobs. I'll discuss this with my doc. I'm hoping he will help me and investigate the problem.

[Grandpa Bambu]

Good luck dude!

GB

[problem man]

well, nothing happened with the consultation. It was just a waste of money. The consultation lasted 2 minutes.  He says the pain is not due to surgery. He also says the liposuction cannula cannot go near that area. As predicted earlier, he writes me a painkiller tablet and walks out of the room. But i am somewhat sure that his cannula has injured me internally.

So, where can i go from here? Will an x-ray help in investigating any internal skin injury? What type of a specialist doctor should i consult?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Sorry you were disappointed with your surgeon.  Best direction would be to a pain specialist -- usually an anesthesiologist who sub-specializes in treatment of chronic pain.

Dr Jacobs

[problem man]

Sorry you were disappointed with your surgeon.  Best direction would be to a pain specialist -- usually an anesthesiologist who sub-specializes in treatment of chronic pain.

Dr Jacobs

Thanks for the advice sir.

My surgeon said he used Power assisted Liposuction. My research on net tells me that Ultrasonic assisted Liposuction can cause burns to the undersurface of the skin but PAL is said to be safe.

Pain ever since the surgery and pain is only increasing. so what's causing the pain is still a puzzle to me.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

You are correct -- ultrasonic liposuction, though highly touted, is known to cause damage to nerves, sometimes resulting in long term pain.  Power assisted lipo is just a mechanical device to diminish the surgeon's physical work and no no major adverse effects on nerves.

Dr Jacobs