How many procedures can you have done at once?

Hello, everyone -
I've very much enjoyed reading this forum, and I'm so thankful for everyone that posts here and shares their experiences.  I'm still in the midst of losing weight.  But, I'm both and optimist and a planner...so here I am already thinking about plastic surgery in my future.

My question - how many procedures can you have done at one time?  I imagine this depends on the surgeon and the extent of any reconstruction that is needed.  I am certain I will need a excess skin removed from my lower stomach (panni) and also an arm lift.  Can these be done at the same time?

The two procedures that I think I MIGHT need, but I'm not yet certain, is removal of extra skin on my neck (is that called a neck lift??  I had a LOT of fat around my neck at my highest weight) and maybe a breast lift.  I have small breasts, so we'll see how saggy they decide to get when this is all said and done.

How many procedures did you have done at once?  Do you wish you had spaced them out more?  Or, do you wish you had additional proedures done at the same time? 

I wonder if the pain from one surgery masks the pain from others to some degree.  Like, if I only had my arms done, I wonder if the pain from that would see much worse than if I did a TT and arms at the same time, because my mind would be focused on pain from the TT as well.  

Curious to hear any thoughts/opinions/experiences on this issue.  Thanks!

Hi had the lower body lift, tummy tuck (only the lower abs, not all of the ab muscles) and a breast augmentation (no lift).   It's a lot to have done at once.  

My advice...

1) Start working out now so you have the core & leg strength you'll need to more easily get in and out of chairs, beds, etc - it will make your recovery easier and less painful.

2)  Do as much as you can at once (within reason), because you may not want to undergo another surgery after the first one.

I spoke recently with an old grade school friend who had her arms, breasts and lowr body lift done at once and was miserable.   She originally wanted to go back for a tummy tuck and legs but decided against it all.   Her other issue is she continued to lose weight (due to some complications from surgery and other health issues that developed unrelated to the surgery) and the work she had done was essentially "undone" with the additional weight loss.

The one thing I didn't have a good mental grasp on before the surgery is that you are essentially ripping your skin away from the muscle and then putting it back.   That's a lot of angry nerve endings.  I'm not saying it to scare you off the surgery, I just wish I had a firmer grasp on the pain level to anticipate ahead of time so I could have mentally prepared for it.  I truly believe not being mentally prepared enough made for a more stressful recovery.

Good luck and keep doing your homework!

tg

If I had enough money to do both the BL/BA and lower body lift, I probably would have done them together. I'm kind of glad now that I didn't. I think the recovery would have been much more difficult with both upper and lower body surgery. I had the BL/BA first. Thankfully, I had been working out for a year prior to surgery. If I hadn't, it would have been very difficult to get in/out of bed afterwards. It can be painful to use your arms, so I was glad that I could use my abs more. Even 5 weeks later, there is still some tenderness with certain movements (pump bottles, levers on paper towel holders in restrooms, etc.)

If you've got someone to help you for a week or so as you recover, it would be easier for you. Something to consider if you are alone though.

i had my breast lift and augmentation and bilateral thigh lift at one time 

then a couple of years later i had a circumfrential tummy tuck - aka circumfrential belt lipectomy - aka lower body lift

my doc said that he didnt wanna do the thighs and the circumfrential tummy tuck at the same time - at the same time because it could cause lymphedem

my friend sam had her lower body lift and her thigh lift at the same time and hasnt had any problems - but, i wouldnt do that - because there are people who have lymphedema and they are miserable - if you arent familiar with the condition i would strongly recommend that you research it

kf

I had a lower body lift, breast lift w/augmentation, arm lift, and butt flap augmentation - all done at the same time.  I had a wonderful experience without much pain at all.  I was expecting the absolute worst and it wasn't even close to what I had imagined it would be - but I know everyone is different.  My dr. also does twilight anesthesia with an epidural which helps with the pain for a few days after surgery.

Allison

 Hey Allison, can you PM me your password? I'm having my surgery with Dr. S at the end of the month, and I'd love to see your pics if I may. 
Thanks,
laura

Thank you for the great responses!

I had a LBL, 3 hernias repaired (helped insurance pay for OR time), breast lift, implants, deviated septum repair and nose job all at once. The first week was hell.. I had to stay in the hospital on morphine.

The second week was uncomfortable and pretty bad. By the third week I was driving myself around and shuffle walking. Today I am 4 weeks out and irked I can't go back to dancing yet.. surgeons orders, not reflective of how I feel!

I'm very glad I got them all at once, because I didn't want to go through that so many times.. I just wanted to get it over with!

Wow  -  congratulations on getting through all those surgeries!   I hope you are pleased with the results so far.

Were you very aware of the pain for each surgery, or did the more painful procedures sort of overpower the big picture for your pain.  (Er... if that makes sense!)

Did you know you'd be in the hospital for a week for pain management, or was that unexpected?

Thanks for sharing your experience!