how long is adequate time in hospital?

I am having a body lift, arm lift and breast lif on December 9th and I will just be staying over night but I am thinking of paying for the extra night at the hospital and driving home 2 1/2 hours on the 11th.  In your opinion, do you think 2 days in a hospital is sufficient or do you think 1 night is enough??  What about the drive home, how bad is every bump in the road??

Also, what do you think was the worst part of having the surgery.  I am beyond nervous entering nerotic.  I am terrified that I won't be able to do anything since both arms, both breasts and my entire waist will have been cut open.

I can't imagine having that much surgery in one go - that's a lot of hours being under and you are bound to feel it in the days to come.

I haven't had any plastics yet but they are scheduled - all separate.  First my arms, a month later my breasts then two months after that my tummy tuck.

Do you perhaps want to reconsider having so much done all at once?  A friend of mine regretted having just her arms and breasts done at the same time. 

Every patient and every surgeon is different and I'm sure you have done your research. I hope your surgeon has gone over very carefully how many hours you will be under anesthesia, how hard it will be to get up from a chair not being able to use your arms or your stomach muscles, etc.

I am not trying to be a downer here but I would feel overwhelmed facing all that at once.  If it's to save money, make sure that your health and well being are not being compromised to save a few dollars.

Mickie

Hi Mickie,

Thanks for your reply.  I am actually using Dr. Capella who has one of the most body lift experiences in the world with Gastric Bypass patients.  I will be under for 5 hours because he and his Physician Assistant are very experienced at what they do.  Unfortunately I own my own business and this is the best time to be gone for 6 weeks, I would never be able to have 3 different surgeries due to having my business and taking care of my kids. 

I have to tell you that I think that one night is absolutely insufficient for the surgeries that you are talking about.

I went to an aftercare facility after my LBL for a scheduled two nights.  I opted to stay a third. I stayed because I couldn't even bear the thought of moving into a car.  

When I finally came home (after 7 nights away- 3 in the aftercare facility and 4 in the hospital) the 20 minute drive was brutal.  The next morning, I was taken by ambulance back to hospital.  Again, brutal ride.

I'm not particularly weenie about pain either... however, this is just my story, and it is unfortunately extraordinary, and there are many more here who did not have any issues and I'm praying that you'll be one of those.

For me, the worst part of the surgery was moving to the wheelchair/car/wheelchair/bed 2 hours after waking up to go to the aftercare facility.  Two small nurses, an ampoule of ammonia, and a very dizzy patient do not make for an easy transfer.

 

Wow, good luck! I had my LBL in April and selected to stay overnight. I would have stayed another day but the price jumped dramatically for the 2nd day. I had a 2 hour car ride home and even with the good drugs it was miserable. Each bump in the road or sudden turn hurt.

I found it nearly impossible to get the footstool down on my recliner, so I spent most of my time in bed, propped up with lots of pillows. I used my arms A LOT to get myself turned over to get in and out of bed or to get up from a sitting postion. I did have muscle tightening with my LBL, you didn't mention that, but even still I can't imagine how I would have functioned with my arms in pain too.

PS: I would consider having the breasts and LBL together and do the arms another time. I also only took 3 weeks off work but I have a desk job. Maybe you can cut your off time in half and plan the second surgery later.

You are hero to me!
I had just extended TT in Sept 22 and I was in hospital 3 nights, covered by insurance.
Boy, how happy I was stay so many nights in hospital!
And ride to home was still tough.
Good luck.
Alla

I had a Lower body lift, hernia repair and arm lift on Nov 5 - I was under anesthesia for 6 hours and I was thankful that I had a two day hospital stay on a surgical ward post-op. I slept most of the first day and was still doppy from the anesthesia the next day. On the second night I was up and down almost every hour to the bathroom to pee - you retain a lot of fluids from the saline drip they run in you during surgery. For the first few days I could eat but I was drinking water so all that excess fluid started to run out of me that second night - I was so thankful to have a caring RN help me get up and down to the bathroom all night long. Definitely it was worth it to have that second night in the hospital.

I didn't have much pain post op - basically went off pain pills the second day - and I had a half hour drive home. I found the drive not painful but weirdly uncomfortable - it felt so awkward siting in the car - I was feeling bones I didn't know I had. I felt I was sliding on the chair and not sitting right - bizarre and it's while it's a little better, I still don't feel right yet. I could have travelled 2 1/2 hours on the second day, but not on the first. I had a ton of nausea post op from the pain meds so if you have that problem you might want to take something for nausea as well as pain before your drive home.

For me the worst was the hernia repair - I really forget about the LBL and armlift - the only pain is the hernia repair. I not sure if your body lift includes any muscle tightening or not.

I've been surprised at what I can do - I find I have almost the same range of motion with my new tiny arms compared to before - just can't reach at that top shelf but I can dip to pick things up off the floor. I do have to be careful not to lift anything heavier than a jug of milk or I'll feel some pulling in the arms. I've had no problems going up and down stairs as soon as I came home 2 days post-op. For the first few days I did need some help getting up and down from a lying down position- just a little help from DH. Now it's almost 2 weeks and I'm back to doing almost everything now. I don't know how having the breast lift at the same time will affect everything - but I hope it all goes smoothly for you.

Wow, that is alot of work at one time....stay as many days as you possibly can.  I just had an extended tt and arm lift on October 20, and the combination of no arms and no stomach muscles makes it very difficult to move yourself.  I was grateful to have 3 nights in the hospital, it is quite tiring.  The pain was managable, and quite honestly way less than I expected (already had 5 c-sections) but the after effects of the anesthesia makes you very tired, as your body has been through alot.  If you cannot stay another night or two, you might want to consider finding someone--a friend or family member who can come stay with you at home.  Good Luck!

I'm surprised that your surgeon is allowing you to drive home that soon.  Dr. LoMonaco keeps his out of town patients close for 2 weeks following large procedures like lower body lifts.  I was in the hospital for 2 nights and in a hotel in Houston for 2 weeks after that.

Laura

Patients generally tell me when they are ready to go and I listen. 95% are not really ready after the first day to leave the hospital after LBL, and that's fine with me.  So I plan for 2 days in almost every case.  The time in surgery is irrevlevant unless is excessive of course...its the amount of incisions and healing you have to consider when planning discharge.

I think it's instructive to look at the timeline on the complication profile, especially in patients who travel.  Seromas are the big deal at 7-10 days and you have to be seen and ultrasounded (routine in-office procedure at my practice) so they don't get big, then infected, then they are a REAL problem and can require hospitalization, wound opening, IV antibiotics, etc. 

Identifying and treating them when they are small averts that whole scenario and is the main reason I like my patients available for 10 days - 2 weeks.