TELL ME ABOUT THE PAIN FROM LBL W/O MUSCLE TIGHTENING

 I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT LBL W/O MUSCLE TIGHTENING IS NOT NEARLY AS BAD.  I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY INPUT ON THIS.  LIKE OTHERS ON HERE, I AM TRYING TO MENTALLY PREPARE MYSELF, SO PLEASE TELL ME THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY.

I'm no help because I had the muscle tightening which I thought was very livable.  I know there have been lots of discussions in the last several months.  Have you done a search on LBL and read the posts?

The LBL is a major surgery.  If you just take a look at the incision line and the shape of the flesh being removed, you have to see that such a thing couldn't be entirely pain free.  While you should be aware that there may be some pain, I don't think you have to really worry about ALOT of pain.

Your first 3 days, with or without muscle repair, are going to be the roughest.  Usually you are in the hospital though and have lots of pain medication.  My experience was that I faded in and out of sleep most of that time and the whole thing is a fuzzy blur.  After day 3, moving around can be difficult but the pain is managed by taking your pain pills every 4 hours.  If you have a pain pump, this helps too.  You aren't going to be running any marathons or burning to clean your house but you arent going to be in agony or even in a great deal of pain.

Mostly what happens is that you feel uncomfortable.  You also can get emotional from the aftereffects of the anasthesia. This can mean you interpret your discomfort differently than you normally would.  The swelling makes you feel awkward and just plain yucky.  You know how infants cry when they are uncomfortable with a wet diaper?  I thought of myself a bit like that. The infant isnt in pain, just uncomfortable and really not enjoying the sensation.  Same with me.  Including the crying and the tantrum (ok, just once or twice).


Plastic surgery isnt a cosmetic change like a haircut.  There is going to be some pain - which mostly will be controlled by pain medication - and there will be a fair bit of discomfort.  You'll swell and have to sleep in a recliner for 2-5 weeks.  Moving around will be harder and things like lifting your leg to step into a shower/tub or getting into a van/truck will be tough.  You'll have to learn to get up and down from any sitting position by using your arms and your thigh muscles, not your back or your stomach.

I had muscle tightening done.  My experience is as described above.  I had the pain pump and took the pills every 4 hours.  If I skipped  a dose or was late by a few hours, I could feel it.  I don't think the pain is bad at all.  However, I mention the haircut analogy because I have met some women that were shocked that there was any discomfort or recovery time.  I guess they thought the slicing, removal, and restitching of skin would be the same as a haircut or getting your nails done.

You'll be ok.  And you will look fabulous!

 THANKS RAVEN.  YOU HAVE HELPED ME TO GET A BETTER MENTAL PICTURE AND I WOULD RATHER  BE PREPARED THAN SHOCKED.

I had muscle repair and the only real pain I experienced was when I tried getting in and out of bed.  And I had my legs done at the same time, so a lot of my discomfort was from my leg pain - not from my abdominal pain.    I took my pain meds some of the time because I felt I needed to but I really didn't need it.   Sometimes I just wish I could have given myself an instant pain pill when I was ready to get out of bed.

Good luck.

If I do my body first, I will have the LBL and thighs at the same time.  Because we are encouraged to use our legs when getting up, versus our stomach muscles and back, how difficult was it standing up, sitting down, etc., having had your thighs done too?  What type of incision did your surgeon use for your thigh lift?

I haven't had any significant problems getting up and down having both my tummy and thighs done at the same time.  And I had the large thigh lift with scars going all the way down to my knees.  If you have assistance getting out of the chair, you are not going to have any problems.  And I do agree with Laura below - if I were going to have the tummy tuck, might as well do the repair.  The pain is not significant enough to keep me from having the MR done.

Why do you not want the muscle tightening????? I don't really see the point. The muscle tighteneing is important, in my not so humble opinion.

Laura

Some people don't need muscle repair...I didn't.  Dr. LoMonaco got in there and said my muscles were tight as a drum.  I've exercised since I was 25 years old...lots of weight training paid off.  Sure I was over weight but my muscles underneath were good!

Laura

How does the progression wok once you decide to move forward?  Do you give the deposit,  set a date, get labs scheduled and see Dr. L one more time?  And of course make payment to everone in there somewhere.  Does that sound right?