I'm scared - ThinnerTimes

minime · 03-27-2008, 10:24 AM

Hi guys,

I'm three years out from my RNY and I have the opportunity to have a breast lift and tummy tuck. I have some concerns and would love feedback from you.

The breast life doesn't scare me at all. I'm there on that one, no problem. But the tummy tuck really scares me and here are the reasons:

a. I've had a blood clot after surgery once before (laproscopic hystorectomy). The nurses let me lay there too long after surgery in my opinion. I think I remember my doctor telling me that you are not neccessarily prone to blood clots and that just because it happened before, doesn't mean it is likely to happen again.

b. I'm paying for this myself and if there are complications and I have to stay in the hospital for several days, I'm not sure my insurance will cover it. I don't want to create a huge debt for my family.

c. The pain. The drains.

d. I'm off for the summer (a teacher) and I don't know if I can take care of myself with two boys (9 and 13) running in and out of the house along with their friends.

e. I look pdg (pretty darn good) in my clothes. I'm married for 25 yrs and don't plan on looking elsewhere. I'm doing this because I have this dream of wearing pants on my hips and clothes that I've never been able to wear and letting my husband kiss my tummy and not mind it.

For those of you who've done it, was it worth it? Did your insurance ever kick in after complications? How long does the pain last? Did you need help at home?

Thanks for your response.

Minime in TX

twodogsmom · 03-27-2008, 07:55 PM

I had my TT and breast lift in Dec. Mastopexy was a piece of cake, the TT was excrucuiating. The muscle in your gut are so torn up and restruictured the pain is not in the sutures, it is in the abdom. muscles. I planned to be and was in the hospital for a week, and for the first 3 days or so I screamed every time I was moved. When I did come home, as I live alone, I had someone come in daily for 2 hrs to do things that required bending or lifting-dishwasher, trash, change linens, laundry, etc. I also had a nurse visit daily to change dressings since I had a drain that was so far back on my hip I couldn't see it. The drain itself, though a nuisance , is not hard to drain, I just did it sitting on the toilet. In retrospect, I would have settled for only a panniculectomy and not done the TT.

MiladyB · 03-27-2008, 08:17 PM

I had a tummy tuck and breast lift last September. I won't say it was a piece of cake though for me the pain was controlled well with the pain pills. I was in the hospital 3 days though would have gone home after 2 except DH had the gastric flu and my doctor didn't want me going home with him sick.

I used the pain pump a lot that first night. They got rid of it the next day and I went to pain pills with occasional IV Valium for the muscle spasms. At home I was fine with Vicodan about 2-3 times a day and occasionally some Valium for muscle spasms. I was painful but not what I would call excruciating but I am also one who has a high pain tolerance.

In regards to a blood clot the best thing is to get up moving as soon as possible. I stood at the side of the bed that first night and would have walked except that I had the dry heaves every time I moved. But by the next day I was up in the halls and even wandered off the floor outside to the hospital healing garden. I was really ok up walking it was just the getting in and out of bed that hurt the most.

I think for me the hardest thing after I got home was the total and complete exhaustion. I lost a lot of blood so I went home anemic and I had NO energy. I napped a couple of times a day and still crawled into bed early. For the first 2 weeks I really felt as if I had been hit by a MAC truck.

I was off from work for 6 weeks and really felt as if I needed it but I'm a nurse and lifting proved to be rather difficult even after the 6 weeks. I had a lot of muscle spasms for quite a while. I wouldn't say they were really painful but they were uncomfortable. I compared them a lot to the Braxton Hicks contractions you get when you are pregnant.

Insurance paid for my surgeries so I can't answer your question about insurance covering complications.

The drains were a bother but I really didn't have much trouble with them. The 2 in the breasts came out 1 week postop and the 2 on my sides were in for 2 weeks postop. At that point the insertion sites were getting a bit sore but it wasn't too bad. I just emptied them twice a day and kept a record of the amount of drainage.

For me it was something I would do again. I'm very happy with my results and feel so much better emotionally and physically.

If you are at all curious about pictures I have some that I am willing to let you see. Just let me know...some of them are in an album on my profile but I have ones of the breast lift in a private album I'm willing to share with you.

minime · 03-28-2008, 03:34 PM

Hey thanks,

Yes I'd like to see the pics. Where can I email you? I have another question for you that I don't want to ask here.

Thanks,

minime

MiladyB · 03-28-2008, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by minime

Hey thanks,

Yes I'd like to see the pics. Where can I email you? I have another question for you that I don't want to ask here.

Thanks,

minime

I'll pm you the information.

veroniquetalk · 03-30-2008, 06:15 AM

I had a lower body lift (goes all the way around your body), an inner thigh lift and an arm lift all at the same time and went home the same day. I rented on of those lift chairs for older people and that helped my recovery a TON. Although, I must say the tummy tuck part was horrible pain. I, however, would do all of it again.

bridgetgirl · 03-30-2008, 06:40 AM

Minime:

I guess the best question needs to be answered first.......... "Why do you want or need to have reconstructive surgery?"

minime · 03-30-2008, 07:25 PM

Vanity, Vanity....it's all vanity.

I'm healthy without it.

michelleJC · 04-06-2008, 04:00 PM

Well i guess you are going to get a whole bunch of different type of answers on here from it was a piece of cake to it was excruciating. I had my belt lipectomy and medial thigh lift January 11th and am still recovering. I was off of work for 10 weeks, then back to work PT for 2 weeks and am just getting back in the swing of things. This surgery was by far the most frightening thing I have ever done. I had to have a blood transfusion 36 hours post op because my blood count was low. I couldnt pee on my own and went home not only with 6 drains but a foley catheter. I coudn't get out of a chair by myself for almost 2 weeks. The pain was something I can not explain. I don't mean to scare you but this is HUGE. Am I glad i did it? Do I have any regrets? Not really. My legs didnt turn out the way I had hoped but the surgeon claims there is still a lot of swelling. My left leg is still huge from the knee on down. There is a lot of access fluid sitting in my calf, ankle and foot. The surgeon says it takes over a year to completely heal from this surgery and now I can see why. Please get yourself a ton of help and don't expect to be doing anything for at least 6 weeks or more. Good luck. I'm sure you will do fine.