Ok, so one more question

 After having tt and extra skin removal monday the 19th of april..........how long until I can stand up straight. That is annoying, lol. loving the results already but it feels like i am stretching everything out when  i try to stand up straight.

dottie

Aloha-

Everyone is different. I was warned it'd be 4-5 days before I was walking upright after a circumferential belt lipectomy, breast lift and augmentation....but was up straight the very first night and never looked back. I was in the best shape of my life at time of plastics and it helped immensely, being mobile and flexible and also having the local anesthetic pump that continuously infused a long acting novocaine-like drug into my abdominoplasty incision ( the OnQ pain blocker, it runs out after about 5 days and was wonderful!).

They also warned me it'd be 6 weeks before working out, and I was approved for stretching/yoga at 12 days post op, and full workouts at 3 weeks post op (with the caveat that I take about 2 weeks to ramp up to the amounts, weights, duration of cardio, lifting, etc). My incisions healed very well, and I had no swelling by about 4 weeks post op. I did wait 6 full weeks before returning to boxing as that is the hardest workout I do, with lots of twisting and upper body work.

Heal well! Get that protein in- absolutely essential for rapid healing! XOXOLori

I am so glad I read your post. One of the things I am mourning after I have my lbl and bl/ba on June 1 is having to be inactive afterwards. Did you have the muscle tightening? My ps told me I wouldn't be able to do crunches for 6 months or my full cardio workout until 6 weeks out.

How hard was it for you the first time back to your full workout? I was a little concerned, too, with how the working out would affect my swelling. Did you wear compression garments while you exercised? 

 

 Aloha Shelly-

I too was dreading the inactivity after having discovered a love for exercise that I never had experienced before in my life. 

I had a circumferential body lift that included abdominal muscle tightening, panniculectomy, and butt lift. He took a circular strip of skin off of me- 8" tall in the front, 6" in the back. He did some liposuction of my saggy mons. I also had a breast lift and augmentation at the same time.

I had 7 drains in place: 1 in each beast, 1 from each back hip that came around the front to exit between my front  hip bones, 1 from each side of my lower abdomen, and one at the center of my mons. Surgery took 6.5 hours. I was walking within 8 hours of recovery, and could stand/walk upright by the first day post op. It's more of a conscious effort telling yourself to stand up straight rather than it being too painful to do so ---- and for the first few weeks of healing (on a recliner or couch or bed), you are supposed to lie in a W shape, bent at your waist and knees, to keep tension off your incisions.

All drains were pulled by Day 12 and at that time I had the OK to do yoga and stretching  - I did squats, low leg lunges, stork poses standing on one leg,walked up and down stairs and took my time so that I was doing 15 minutes of work over 30 minutes or so ...I listened to my body and stopped when I was pooped.  Which was pretty quickly early on! My skin incisions all looked terrific even this early on- no dehiscence ( separation of incision). I was not bruised at all even early out- I have my surgeon to thank for that-  gentle tissue handling.

Nine days later at my 3 week recheck, I got the OK to do cardio and weights provided I would start slow and ramp it up over the next 2 weeks. Whereas before I would lift 10-15 lb dumbells, I started with 5 lbs, or no weights at all. I did the gravity machines, emphasizing full range of motion rather than more incline or angulation ( more incline would be a harder workout on the gravity machine). I took the cardio slow, riding the bike for 20 minutes sustained,  instead of intervals for 50 mins, and did not do aggressive twisting, kicking or punching in my cardio kickbox, for example. By week 5 I was back up to full weights and cardio except for boxing class where we hit bags and the trainer wears mitts- for that, I waited a full 6 weeks for because it's definitely alot of twisting and core work. I also waited 6 weeks before doing the half hour Core mat classes that follow cardio kickbox.

I did not have any trouble doing my first "full" workout, because I started at 3 weeks and built up to 5 weeks post op to get back to that "full" level. I had no excess swelling after about 4 weeks, and I did not have to wear any compression garments ever-  when I asked my surgeon why he doesn't use them, he says the guy he trained under did not use them, and you either get used to using them or not depending on those first early years out of internship and residency.  I had a lot of drains, and was bummed initially that I had so many, and that they were in almost 2 weeks....but I am so thrilled with the speed of recovery and no-swelling outcome that now I think it was a blessing.

Remember- be in the BEST shape possible pre op- cardio, strength, and flexibility wise. DO YOUR SQUATS ahead of time- it helps SO much with getting off the toilet/couch/bed/out of the car- I cannot reiterate that enough! Most of my discomfort came from the abdominal work, I didn't even notice the breasts...so definitely ask for an OnQ pain blocker  for the abdominoplasty, worth every penny! And any added muscle built pre op translates into stores of protein to help you heal, so lift those weights---- with my VSG I have no appetite anyway, and post op you really don't feel like eating. I went back to shakes to ensure a minimum of 125 g protein intake per day 3 weeks prior to surgery, and will continue it for 6 months post op. My surgeon is convinced that my pre op muscles stores and peri-op protein intake were why I healed so fast.

I think our fear of being inactive for 6 weeks partially stems from the fact that it took us so long to get in shape n the first place- both in losing the weight to learning to exercise again, to LOVING the exercise - but your muscles have memory, you will regain your fitness faster this time around.

I am very excited for you, love hearing the fact that you will miss your exercise like I did, and in wonderment at how far we've all come over this journey. This is another step in the journey, you will be SO glad you did it( after about the second night!). Get that protein in and do those squats now! XOXOLori

Hi Lori,

This has been SO VERY helpful! I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to post your experiences in such detail. I am printing this out and will read it many times between now and my surgery. You are a jewel.

I have amped up my squats and lunges and have increased my dumbell weight, which I will continue to do until surgery.

I'm glad, also, you mentioned about the protein. I will start doing that now. The OnQ is included in the price of my surgery, so now I am glad to be having it.

Again, I am so appreciative of your information and help with this. I look forward to being able to pay it forward someday, as well.

Again, thank you!

Think it took me about a month my son would always tell me to stand up straight I did not realize that I was bent over I guess I just got use to it - It wasn't that I couldn't stand up because when he would say stand up straight I would then I had to make a conscious efftort to stand up straight.
I am 5 months out and still numb they say that can take a year it is driving me crazy

Hi Dottie,
I totally agree with the previous posts and say again that everyone is different.  My surgeon told me it would take 2 weeks to stand upright.  But to my surprise and his whole staff, I was standing straight at my first office visit at post-op day 4.  I felt comfortable at day 2  to make more effort to stand taller, so it took 2 days to accomplish my goal.
Best of luck to you...don't push yourself and listen to your body.
Karen

It took me about 5 days to stand straight but I have seen some people take up to 4 weeks. It really does vary. I wouldn't push yourself to do it if you don't feel ready. You'll gradually walk straighter with time and will be upright before you know it.