How did you combine procedures?

 I have two consultations next week, and I'm curious how others handled having multiple procedures done. I know all surgeons are different regarding how many procedures they'll do at a time, and we all have our priorities regarding what parts of our bodies we want worked on first. I need LBL, full thigh lift, arm lift, and breast lift/augmentation. I'm wondering what is the most typical combinations and what the reasoning behind combining them is. I've heard breasts and arms are good together because they are so interconnected. I've also heard people NOT do thigh lift with lower body lift because there is some thigh lifting with LBL and that the recovery is more difficult. I'd like to go into the consultation with as much information as possible.
Thanks in advance.
Eileen

 My procedures were complicated by an imbilical hernia.  I had the hernia repaired with the panni removal/T-cut to also strengthen the abs and tighten the stomach.  That was a 5 hour surgery.  The hernia was worse then expected and I spent two days in the hospital in a lot of pain.  I had the last surgery of the day and didn't get to my room until after 11:00pm and any movement the next day was painful.  They finally took the catherter out at 4:00 that afternoon but kept me the extra night anyway.  By 5 days afterwards I was doing pretty well and walking about a mile and a half, albeit slowly.

A week later, I had my thighs done and my lower back/butt lift.  My thighs were really bad in terms of loose skin and my doc said I would hate my back once my front was done.  I did the procedures so close together so that I would have the same recovery time/time off work.  My doc signed me up for 8 weeks short term disability.  The second surgery was self pay (insurance covered all of the first) so I went home after the recovery room.  The first two days were hell (see my previous post on what helped).  Recovery time has been much slower.  It's been two weeks and I think it's taken that long for the anethesia to leave my body.  Walking is really slow still and I get tired easily.  I had four drains in me, two from the first one and two from the second.  One came out Monday and two more came out today but I still have one very active drain in me so it will probably be another week.  I'm starting to feel more normal, but spend most of my time on the couch watching tv, reading, and sleeping.  I'm glad I did it because I would not go do this again later.  Recovery has been very hard but I've had wonderful support from my husband, son and friends who have been calling and bringing us meals and visiting.  And now that I am starting to feel better, I'm glad it's over with.

I have no plans to do my boobs or arms.  The former look fine rolled up in a bra and my arms aren't that bad.

Hope this helps.  Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Jan

I went to Dr. Agha in Newport Beach, CA for 8 weeks. I had LBL, BL, spiral thigh lift, hernia repair and butt augmentation (with lower back tissue) in stage one. He did so much at once because I was handling the surgery very well otherwise some portion would have been done in stage 2. 4 weeks later I had an arm lift (it was supposed to be the full stage 2 but I was too tired) and then 2 weeks later I had upper body lift, vertical TT, and implants. Also lipo as needed to even things up and fat transfer to my butt. I committed to staying out there (I'm from Illinois) between surgeries for healing purposes. I was lucky in that I healed quickly -- helped by Dr. Agha's insistence on the high-protein Pro Care shakes (which have been reformulated and no longer taste disgusting) for weeks before and after surgery (I'm still drinking them). I have been home a week (total of 9 weeks off work) and back at work 2 days ago.

Now that everything else looks fantastic, I will go back in the spring for a full thigh lift and any necessary revisions.

Good luck!

I wanted similar to you, but my boobs are okay and my outer thighs (saddlebags) are TERRIBLE.  They are still bad, but better since I did have a fair amount of lipo.

So, this is how I lumped things.....
Surgery 1 - July 7th -arms (I could've added boobs at this point, but wasn't in the plan) I actually had not planned on doing my arms, but I found out that I could not have my second surgery until the end of July and insurance would cover the TT, which meant I could use that money for my arms! :-)

Surgery 2 - July 27th - Abdominoplasty, medial thigh lift, and outer thigh lipo - Since I need some leg work and my surgeon prefers to not to a full LBL and do it in 2 seperate stages simply b/c she can get the stomach even tighter if not concerned with pulling on the back.  This was a 6 hour surgery and if it had been a LBL I would not have been able to do anything with my legs.  20 days post arms I was able to use my arms to move.  I do not know how people do their arms with TT and things as I needed a walker to get up and down. 

Surgery 2 1/2 - was added b/c I had some necrosis and my stomach opened up and was kind of stuck in the healing process so she went in and added a drain and sewed things back together last week.  (I am sooooo much better and think for the first time this summer I think I can go to the gym next week!)

Surgery 3 - will be Dec. 15th - Outer thigh lipo (round 2), outer thigh lift and butt lift

I have to say that I have struggled to get back into the swing of life post my surgeries.  I know they say the anethesia leaves your body quickly, but I have been soooo wiped out and all I want to do is sleep. (I should day I also had a "surprise" surgery the week before my arms to fix some intessuption (intestinal blockage)  I am sure part of that has to do with the fact that I am not back in the gym.  I do go for some walks with the dog and an running agility, but I need to get over fear of popping stitches and overall tightness to get back in the gym.  (My abdomin incision stills burns most of the time.)  I did go to the gym and lift some and my arms felt so weird I didn't know what to do!

I know my PS prefers to do front procedures seperate of back procedures.  This allowed me to have 2 rounds of lipo on my outer thighs.  I also know how bent over I was for several weeks and how bad my back hurt from just that forward bend, I can't imagine if I had an incision area there as well.

Thanks for your response. I never thought about the possibility of doing the front and back seperately. I just assumed since I needed both, then a LBL altogether was given. If they're only doing the front, maybe I could add breasts and arms to that. My stomach is much worse than my butt, although that's pretty darn wrinkly, too! Then the 2nd surgery would be thigh and butt lift. 
Eileen

My surgeon will not do thighs with body lift so here's our plan.

November 8th Circumcunferential lift and brachioplasty (arms)
 nights stay in hospital. Self pay cost of 10G's

And whenever I can afford round 2
Thighplasty and implants
nights stay in hospital. Self pay cost of 12G's

OMG.... My big day is coming up!!!

You must be so excited to be so close! Thanks for the info. It seems like waiting on the thighs until after the LBL makes sense, since there is some change to the thighs with the LBL (although not so much the inner thighs, which is where I need help). I'd love to be able to do LBL, arms, and BA/BL at the same time, but I don't think surgeons would want me to be under long enough to do all that. The price for your surgeries is pretty reasonable. Do you mind telling what part of the country you're in? Also, does the price include all the hospital charges?
Eileen

I'm in Indiana and I was told that other than my pre op test that everything else is covered. This is a team of surgeons and I was told that It would be less than 6 hours. Hopefully that is true because they only charged me for 5 hours worth ($1500) of anestesia.

Unlike you my butt and thighs were/ are much worse than my panni.  As a matter of fact, I only did the panni b/c I would look funny with the back done and not the front!

With the panni part of the TT covered with insurance and the repair of the TT was covered by insurance I look to pay about 14, 000 out of pocket all told.  (Just FYI)  I am from Maryland, but am having my surgeries in Delaware.

My quote was for:

Stage 1 - lower body lift with anchor cut $13,000.

Stage 2 - upper body lift including gynecomastia surgery, arms, lateral thorax and back.  Also, inner thigh lift will be done $15,500.