advice you wish you had known about LBL

 I have a LBL scheduled in July. I wi**** were sooner so I didn't have to think about it for so Long. I am second guessing myself but I will go thru with it I am sure. I would like to know what you wish you had know before you had LBL.  Should I start doing crunches to tighten my abs? Or should I wait? What was the one thing that surprised you? I had my thighs done so I know about drains.  I worry about sleeping with an incision  all the way around. What position doesn't hurt? Any advice will be appreciated. I had a pretty easy time pain wise with my thighs but my outcome wasn't the greatest and my scars are very wide and still red after six months. I am using a different doctor this time.
They mentioned my crack may get higher but they wouldn't pull too much to prevent me from getting an even flatter butt. I know I could loose my belly button also. No biggie there.
I wi**** were tomorrow so I could stop thinking about it so much. Thanks for your input.

I just had an LBL.  After much reading here, I asked my surgeon about the best sleeping position and he said at a 30 degree angle so either a recliner or in bed with pillows under your back and under your legs.

For me, the recliner works best as it was easier for me to get in and out of, especially when I was starting to do more on my own. 

Strengthening your core can never hurt, but also I found out that having really strong legs helped me too.  I found myself sort of doing squats to get in and out of chairs so it was a lot of pushing and lowering with my legs.

Get your scripts before your surgery and get them filled before you go in so that everything is already home when you get home.

In December is when I decided that I was going to do the surgery and knew I wanted to do it in late May.  So I signed up for a half marathon in mid May.  Between training for that and work, I was pre-occupied so that I didn't have almost 6 months of thinking about it.  So I would suggest put in a lot time planning things for your vacation.  If you're walker/runner, sign up for a race or something before your surgery.  Or find projects that need to be completed and need focus so that you're not constantly thinking about the surgery.

If you don't have a toilet riser, get one!

I was expecting to have pain in my tummy and all round my incision. I was surprised at how sore my butt and outer thighs were (still are). Even though the surgeon didn't do anything to my outer thighs, the pulling up of the skin has caused them to be sore, feels like they are bruised.

I only slept int he recliner for a few days then decided I liked my bed better. I used 2 pillows under my shoulders and 3 under my bent knees to get me in the right position. My butt would hurt though so sometimes I'd throw out the back pillows and lay flat with my legs elevated. I also got to sleeping on my sides pretty quickly so I could get off my butt. Basically, there is no comfortable position, just keep rotating.

One more tip, I put all my foods at countertop height so I wouldn't have to bend down or reach up. That really helped.

I slept in a recliner for 4wks. It was the only place I was comfy. I also had one of those "grabber" things to get stuff off the floor and up high. It was a life saver.
I also got the whole set of Sex and the City thru Nexflix. Delivered to the house.
I had a TV tray beside the recliner for books, water cup. ALso, started taking vitamin C a few weeks before surgery to help with healing.
I had an OnQ pump in the hosp. Really never had any pain except for my back and thinking it was from laying around so much.

The best thing I ever did except for the lap band.

Good Luck,

Montie

 Thanks for the tips. I ordered a freshette and also have a riser for the bathroom. I have a grabber from when I had my knees replaced. I guess I will plan on using the recliner for a while.

hi, I had LBL six months ago. I slept on the couch, with the incision "between" the cusions-worked. The thing I was least prepared for was the burning sensation as the nerves regenerated, the swelling (smaller but some how bigger in size for the first little while). I also had and still have outer thigh pain, from the lipo i had. I wouldn't change a thing though!

I had mine on 3/31/10. The thing I wasn't expecting was how much my butt would hurt. This however may not be an issue for you because my tailbone was broken when I was young and it sticks out a bit so my incision pushed right against it. Overall the whole thing was way easier than I thought it would be, and a fraction of the pain. My biggest problem was getting and staying comfortable. I slept in a recliner for three night, then on my side on the couch (turning side to side every few hours) for four nights, then finally in my bed with my back flat and pillows under my legs. I was so happy to get into my bed that I actually cried when I got in. My advice to you is to make sure you have LOTS of pillows of different firmnesses and sizes. They were a lifesaver!
As far as exercising your abs goes,my surgeon had me stop doing abs a week before so the muscles wouldn't be so tight and swollen when he went to manipulate and tighten them. Thatnwat he could pull them nice and tight. Hope this helps. God bless and best to you for your suregery.

I really can't think of anything that I wish I would have known because I had been researching the LBL forever and read so much about it on here. So much that I may have even overprepared but that was okay by me. One thing that I loved was my lift chair. I was able to get up with a push of a button which helped and I didn't have to worry about the lever on the side or using my legs to put the leg part down. I also had bought one of those neck pillow thingies which I loved when it came time to going to sleep. I didn't have to fuss with the pillows around my head as much with that. As far a the butt part of the LBL it wasn't too bad. I was pretty sore but I think it was from sitting down so long. I just shifted from side to side as soon as I got tired of sitting in one position for too long. That and getting up to move around helped a lot too. I slept in the recliner for 2 weeks and moved to my bed afterwards since my bed was way too high to crawl in and out of. Once I did get into bed I slept with a pillow under my knees and a couple of pillows under my back.

You just have to listen to your body and you'll know what your limitations are. I wasn't able to sleep on my side for a while and others do it pretty soon after surgery. I'm sure you'll be fine.

Melissa

Aloha HM-

 I feel I was pretty well prepped ahead of time- but it never hurts to reiterate stuff.
Things I'm glad I did-

Lots of squats incorporated into daily workouts. It's true, you need that leg strength to get up off the couch, bed, toilet, car seat, etc. It was a little difficult to depend on my arms to pull myself up, since I had a breast lift/aug at the same time-  I really needed my legs. Don't worry about crunches- my LBL included tightening of the abdominal muscles ( I think most do), and you aren't going to be using those muscles for a while except as more muscle (= protein)  banked in your system ( see the next item).

Upped my protein pre and post op- I ensured a minimum of 125 g/day starting 3 weeks prior to plastics, and will keep it up at least 6 months post. You must have protein to heal, and to keep your immune system at its peak. Your own body stores ( =muscle) will be used if you are not taking in adequate dietary protein. I had a VSG, and I'm never hungry even 2 years out, plus it's challenging to eat the quantity of food necessary to get that amount of protein in. I felt even LESS like eating post plastics, so I went back to protein shakes  I healed VERY quickly, my PS was amazed- my scarring is minimal, nothing opened up, and I had my surgeon's blessing to return to exercise quicker than I imagined ( 12 days post op for stretching and yoga, 3 weeks post op for cardio and weights provided I ramped up over a 2 week period).

OnQ Pain Blocker- LOVED this apparatus - it is a pressurized pack of long acting local anesthetic ( like long acting novocain) that is pumped into your LBL and keeps your midsection numb. Because the anesthetic enters your surgery sites at the drain holes, there are no additional incisions on your body. It made a HUGE difference in pain relief post op. I could tell the very hour the thing ran out of anesthetic! And it's non addictive, non drowsy, non constipatory ( if there is such a word) - all downsides of the narcotic pain relievers. The lower body lift is what is so painful, I didn't even think twice about the breast lift/augmentation that I had done at the same time.

Tempurpedic pillows- My surgeon rec'd these, or that I get a recliner, or a hospital bed. I figured I'd get the most reuse out of these, so I went to a Relax the Back store and bought a large triangle wedge back support, a small triangle for under your knees, and a third flatter pillow to rest your arms on top of your lap. To avoid tension on your 360` incision and reduce the risk of clots, you recover and sleep reclined with your knees bent- kind of in a "W" shape- for several weeks. The covers are removable for washoing, and when I was done I lent the pillows to my friend ( double mastectomy), kids ( both had wisdom teeth out the month after my plastics), and they are now at the home of another WLS buddy who is having HER plastics. So it was money well spent.

Other stuff-

-MEASURE the night before with a tape measure, some of your measurements may actually increase post op  til the swelling resolves ( like your waist).  I was warned about the butt flattening out, but I do alot of gluteal work ( squats, barre, weights, etc) and after years of being called Bubble Butt, I didn't mind a smaller boda! And they give you a new belly button so don't worry about that either- but discuss it ahead of time and make sure you are getting what you want.

-SHOP for groceries and stuff you need, you won't be driving around til you are off narcotics. Make sure you have a box of medical gloves for changing dressings/stripping your drains/ etc, and some sterile gauze packs, surgical tape, and  triple antibiotic ointment.

-MOVE stuff from high and low cabinets to more middle ground and waist level- if stuff falls on the floor, let someone else pick it up! Move the stuff in your fridge too, to make it easier access. I kept a small cooler by the couch I recovered on- the kids stocked it with Greek yogurt, frozen juice boxes, tapioca pudding, iced tea- all my favorites. I also had a notebook so I could log amounts of drainage produced, when I took my last pain pill, how much tylenol I was taking - you need to keep track of drainage amounts over a 24 hour period for them to know when to pull your drains.

-EARLY WALKING - you'll improve your circulation, reduce the risk of clots, sleep better with less stiffness, maintain regularity- all that good stuff- if you move around! I recovered close to the bathroom with the highest toilet - easier to get on and off the throne!

I think my surgeon is some kind of miracle worker. At 4 months post plastics, I returned from a week in Hawaii wearing a 2-piece for the first time since college ( and THAT was in the 80's!!!!). I would go through it all again, even Day 2 when I had a bit of a pity party for myself....til I smacked myself upside the head and thought how LUCKY I was to be able to do this, and blamed the anesthetic/pain meds/ etc for my hormonal mood that day.

Best of luck, do those squats and get that protein in! XOXOLori

 WOW if my results are anything like yours I will be very happy. You look great.