Eeeek- BL/BA with TT or LBL? Complication rate with LBL Freaking me out!

Good to know, Sonya- pain , nausea, seromas, etc I can deal with- clots no thank you! I have another consult this week to review some questions- thanks so much for sharing your experiences! XOLori

I had no complications from my LBL. 

You have to consider your personal health in assessing risk.  Did you spend time in the ICU following a LAP WLS procedure?  If so, I might reconsider.  Do you have chronic diseases?  Do you get regular cardio exercise?  Do you smoke?  Do you turn into a slug after surgery?  All these things are significant in determining personal risk. 

Also, multiple procedures and long surgeries add significantly to risk and poor recovery.  I only did my LBL at one surgical setting.  I've had four rounds of plastics and I was careful not to schedule too many procedures at once. 

Aloha BCG! Thanks so much for your always educated responses! I feel I am as good a candidate as any...but I had not heard of the complication rate being that high with the frontal and posterior lifts combined. Still researching! Again, Mahalo- your thougtst make very good sense! XoLori

I'm only doing a tummy tuck with a BL but I've seen it done quite a bit. So I am not sure. Good luck! Your arms do look AMAZING

Yeah Leah, I see you are getting so close! Be sure to give it time after reaching goal before surgicating- my shape continues to change with improved skin appearance even 8 months after reaching goal. So happy for you! XoLori

I've been at the same weight with a 3 pound fluctuation since August. If you look at my stomach pic in my profile you can see it won't improve dramatically. I appreciate the advice though.

Hi Lori,

I posted a link to an scientific research article from one of the most skilled and experienced surgeons in the world, whose complication rate was 50%. 

Remember, that in these series, even minor issues are considered a complication. I include anything that requires my intervention as a doctor, even excessive vomiting.

The 37% number you mention is misleading.  It does not mean your risk of a complication is 37%.  It means of the last 100 that doctor has done, 37 had issues.  I've had 10 in a row with no issues, but may have the next 10 with complications.

Complications happen, regardless of the skill of the surgeon.  What counts when planning these involved procedures is having your surgery done in the appropriate facility with adequate staffing 24/7 where little problems can be managed early, and prevented from becoming big problems.

Also, having your doctor available for both early and later followup can lower the chances of problems too.  Read through these boards...many issues occur several weeks after surgery.

As for blood clot risk, the rate after LBL is not well defined, but it is certain no greater than 5%.  I will go to my paper journals and get the details of the following article for you, which follows 350 or so LBL/CBL patients.

http://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/Abstract/2008/07000/Th romboembolic_Risk_Assessment_and_the_Efficacy_of.36.aspx

You may note that Drs Kenkel and Rohrich are leaders in the field of plastic surgery after weight loss, and they show that the use of Lovenox for certain risk groups significantly decreases thromboembolic rates.

You are on the right track....get informed so you can make the best decision !

Aloha Dr. L-

Mahalo for your quick response and the link- I was on my loooonnnngggg weekend shift or would have responded sooner.

 I pulled the 37.5% rate from some older articles and that referred to seromas- cited rates for thromboses were more like 9-10%.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12496613

http://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/Abstract/2006/08000/Si mplifying_Circumferential_Body_Contouring__The.42.aspx

We use LMW Hep in veterinary medicine as well but not in surgical cases. I have another consult with the surgeon of my chose this week to ask additional questions - it does invlve an overnight stay but I'm not sure about use of compression devices, etc.

Again thanks for taking time to respond! XOLori

I had the LBL with a BL and had no issues.  My surgery took about 6 hours.  I also think the 37% complication rate seems high.  If you are healthy and in good shape and trust your doctor's skill then I wouldn't hesitate doing both together.  I'm glad I did.  For me the BL was the easiest part.  No pain there at all.  The LBL wasn't as bad as I expected either.  The first couple of days were the hardest of course, but it got easier.  I was on pain meds about 4-5 days.  If you choose to not do it all together, then I would at least do the LBL.  I wouldn't split that.  The first surgeon I was going to use didn't want to do it all at once.  I'm glad things didn't work out and I ended up using a team that did it all together. 

Good luck!

Mahalo my06ds! I agree- the breast work seems to be the least of my worries- it's what result I can expect if I split the lower body lift into 2 parts vs the increased risk of doing it all at once. Again, congratulations and thank you! XOLori