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Hi everybody, I'm Dr. David Reath. And I'm going to talk to you about this week's
Truth-O-Meter Tuesday question. We asked a question that I get a lot of times,
either through emails or in talking with patients, and that is how to deal with swelling after
surgery--particularly something like a tummy-tuck. And what we said was this: the use of diuretics
is not a good idea for post-operative swelling. And the answer, which everybody got correct,
is True. Diuretics have many very good uses, but they
are not good for post-operative swelling, and in fact can be very harmful because they
have very little effect on the swelling and end up making you dehydrated.
Unfortunately swelling after a surgery like this kinda has a mind of its own and it's
going to take a while to resolve. There are some things you can do to help,
such as reducing salt intake--because when you do have a lot of salt you do tend to retain
fluid. And sometimes the compression garments will
help somewhat. But basically this is a part of the healing
process and time is what's going to take care of your swelling.
So don't try any fancy stuff. As I tell many people, sometimes the best thing to put on
for recovery is patience. Anyway let's find out who won this week.
Michelle Heat. Michelle, you're this week's winner. Congratulations. We have a $100 gift
card for you. Come on by and pick that up from our office.
And by the way, we loved your post on our Facebook page. For eveyone else, thanks for
playing.