LBL surgery - how is swelling post-surgery?

Hi guys -

With my recent achievement of hitting goal, I've got my future lower-body lift surgery on the mind.  I've met with three possible surgeons so far, have a consult with a fourth, and might line up a fifth and sixth, depending.  So far, those first three that I met all agreed that an LBL would be the way to go for me for what I'd like done.

I understand that healing takes forever, fine.  Pain, high.  The swelling I'm still a little confused on.  How long is the swelling - and how bad is it?  Will the swelling be enough to change my pant size, for instance?  Will I temporarily need larger clothing?

Appreciate feedback from anyone who's had this surgery.

Pre-op my waist was 27". Immediately post-op I swelled up to 31 inches. I stayed there for a few weeks and then lost 2 of those inches. It took a lot longer to get back down to 27. And I'm still at 27". I'm one of the few that did not lose any inches post-op, but it's all good. I'm thrilled with my results.

Laura

Damn! I missed your "goal" post!
I had my party hat and everything ready.

Belated "whoot whoot" to you.

Donna

 Swelling is an annoying fact of the surgery. Your body has to repair all the cut lymph channels so you will swell from that plus swelling from the trauma.  We're all different though so it may not be as bad for you as for some.

I had so much skin and tissue removed from my large overhang that even with the swelling I was smaller than before the surgery. If you ever compare the photos of Laura and myself - you'll see that she had just skin and i had skin and tissue (I look alot meatier than her preop).  It did not increase my pantsize, in fact, it decreased it by one to two sizes.  I did, however, have purchase sweatpants/workout pants a bit on the large size prior to the surgery.  These had a drawstring and were easy to slip on over my binder when I left the hospital or whenever I needed pants to go out in the next month or so.  While at home, I just wore an oversized sleep tshirt that came to my knees  and covered my binder while I was pantless.

The swelling for me was quite signifigant for the first 8 weeks.  From weeks 8-12 it greatly improved although thruout the day I would slowly swell.  The more activity, the more swelling.  It was by week 8 though very liveable.  The swelling is very very annoying and can be uncomfortable.  It gets to be a mental challenge to stay positive. You may feel frustrated (I often did) but it DOES get better with time.

Thanks a lot for this information!

How about fluid intake post-surgery?  Did you increase your fluid intake or cut it back?

Also, did you increase your protein intake to help with healing?

My Abdominoplasty is scheduled in less than three weeks and I'm just trying to get an idea of what I'll need post-op.

My entire body was swollen the 4 days following surgery--especially my hands and arms.  My thighs were very swollen for a week.  I'm still swollen above my incision line (flanks, waistline) and I am 17 days out.  This is mostly because I had lipo done in that area.  I still have numbness in that area, too. 

I wore clothes 1-2 sizes bigger for approximately 10 days after surgery.  Now I am capable of wearing my normal size clothing.  I did get in at least 70 oz. of water daily but I wouldn't say my protein went above 60g per day (I didn't have an appetite and I actually craved weird things).  The compression binder helps with the swelling so as long as you wear that, drink water, and get up and walk, I think those are the best things you can do to alleviate swelling.  Also, I haven't been on the scale.  I had no interest in knowing how many pounds I "gained" as a result of the amount of IV fluids they pumped into me or how much was due to swelling.  To me, it was enough to know the surgeon removed 2-3 pounds of skin :)  Regarding healing, I did take Bromelain supplements 5 days before surgery and have been taking it every day since surgery.  Truth be told, I am healing incredibly fast.

BTW--it's nice to see a fellow Dr. Cirangle patient on OH! 

 After surgery, drink as much fluid as you can. Some patients report that they can't stand the taste of water post-op and drink juice or gatorade. I though****er was just fine and had a glass nearby at all times.  I also increased my protein intake.  It can be difficult to get alot of food and liquids in because of the pain medication and the sleepiness/fogginess it can create. Some members here also report an increased feeling of restriction in their stomach that prevents them from eating alot.

I was healing very slowly and got a gentle scolding from my surgeon about my eating habits.  While I was pushing the protein, I was not pushing the calories. He told me that in order to heal the trauma, I needed to increase the overall caloric intake and consume fats, carbs, and protein to help my body heal. I read later that a body can use as much as 4000 calories a day in healing trauma post-op.  Now there is no way I could have gotten that much in, but once I increased my overall consumption I began to feel alot better and heal faster too.

Try to have food on hand that is simple to cook/microwave.  Get some quick snacks like yogurts or unsalted nuts so that you can easily nibble on something while in your recliner.  Better yet, get someone sweet to cook you minimeals every time you wake up from a vicodin snooze!  Avoid salt - no need to add to the swelling! 

Good luck on your surgery.

I took my measurements a few days before surgery. My waist was 38, Hip - 41.5, Thigh - 23.75

Three weeks after surgery my waist was 37, Hip - 39.5, thigh 22.5.

I took my measurements week before last (second surgiversery mark) Waist was 34.5, Hip 42, Thigh 22.5.

They removed a total of 5 pounds of skin from my LBL (also LIPO on my outer thigh). I lost about 4" on my waist.

The swelling in the first couple of months was the worst. But all things considered I think I had a remarkable recovery. No pain after the first few weeks. I did wear sweat pants as it was more comfortable. I was still able to fit in my old clothes.

The hardest transition was going back to work. I went back at 2 1/2 weeks. Should have went back at 3 weeks. I wear dress slacks to work. The belt was very uncomfortable. 

The first three months I felt like my skin was going to pop as I was so tight. This would come and go.

Today I still feel some tightness from time to time. My doctor said the swelling could come and go for up to a year.

Still very happy I did it. 

 

Wow, thanks for these detailed measurements!