Doc's Different Protocols... LBL, Extended TTs, TTs

Hi, 

 

One thing that I have noticed on this message board is how doc have different protocols for treating essentially the same thing.  I thought it might be interesting to do a lil comparison (and what the heck, I'm on a recliner recovering, what else do I have to do???)  So I developed this lil Q&A and thought it would be interesting to have folks post their experience.  

Surgery - Lower Body Lift with Inner Thigh lipo

Date - June 5, 2013

How long did you stay in the hospital - 1 night

Did you get out of bed at the hospital - not really, my blood pressure was so low, my nurses didn't want me getting up

Binder or no binder - Binder

Compression garment - not yet, but likely will get it at my appointment next week.  We tried it today (1 week out) but with the drains, it pulled too much, so we went back to the binder

Drain placement and how many - 4, one at each hip bone area, 2 coming out of my mons area (freaky) 

Type of dressing and how long has it stayed on - I had gauze around the incision area taped with this clear huge tape.  Doc pulled it off the morning of the second day after my sugery.  I have steri strips covering up the incision all the way around.  Doc says those can just fall off at will. 

Showering - Was allowed to shower as soon as the dressings were removed

Pain meds - Percocet, script allows for 1-2 pills every 4 hours but I've been managing on very little pain meds.  I take 1/2 a Perc, maybe 2-3 times a day.  Had a pain pump implanted during the sugery.  I think that made a HUGE difference. 

Can't think of any other items, but if you can, feel free to add it in.  

Have a good day ladies! 

 

 

Surgery - extended tummy tuck, lipo of inner thighs and hips (pretty much all the way around my back)

Date - June 6, 2013

How long did you stay in the hospital - outpatient. Out of surgery around noon, left around 5:15 pm.

Did you get out of bed at the hospital - only to go from the bed to the wheelchair out to the car. I was just in a small recovery room so there wasn't anywhere to walk anyway

Binder or no binder - No

Compression garment - not yet, maybe tomorrow. Even if he says no I think when I'll wear my smoothing panties, which may not even be tight enough anymore

Drain placement and how many - 2 in the mons area. I agree, very freaky

Type of dressing and how long has it stayed on - thick padding the first night. It felt like a diaper. Went to his office the next afternoon and he switched it to gauze. He said I could take it off Saturday, I waited until Sunday.

Showering - Saturday, again waited until
Sunday. Just wasn't feeling up for it.

Pain meds - Percocet, script allows 1 pill every 4 hours. I'm aiming for every 6-7 hours right now. I went 8.5 hours last night and felt it when I woke up. No pain pump

Not pain meds but just thought of these, I had to do 7 days of lovenox shots (thank god the last one was today!) and was had an anti-nausea patch placed on me the morning before surgery that was taken off the next morning. They also gave me 1 anti-nausea pill when I woke up because I was nauseous. I had a script for zofran filled pre-op but never used it.

Extended TT on June 10th. Stayed 1night in hospital. Walked only to the bathroom and back to bed.Binder yes compression garment after 2 weeks. Only 1 drain at the end of the incision on my left side but I have seepage from around the drain tube and from a place in the incision on my right hip. PS nurse said that is normal. I have gauze over the incision and belly button and absorbent pads were the seepage is. Because of the seepage I have to change the dressing 1 or 2 times a day. PS said I could shower after 48 hr but I waited until today when I pulled out the pain pump tubes. Percoset script says 1or2 every 4 hr. I've been taking 1 every 4 to 5 hr.

Surgery - Lower Body Lift

Date - January 24, 2013

How long did you stay in the hospital - 2 nights at surgical center.  It was suppose to be one, but I got dizzy/nauseous when I stood up on the first day, so I stayed over one extra.

Did you get out of bed at the hospital - Yup.  Got up and walked.  Once the dizziness/nausea resolved, walking was easy.  Getting up was a whole 'nother story!

Binder or no binder - No binder

Compression garment - put on while I was still on the operating table and kept on (with brief breaks for washing and just taking a break from it) for 5 weeks.

Drain placement and how many - 4, all out of the mons area

Type of dressing and how long has it stayed on - steristrips on the incision, covered with gauze.  I changed the gauze twice a day and applied antibiotic ointment.  Got really good at it - could get it all done in under 5 minutes at the end.  Once the incisions were completely healed, I got the silicone strips to put over the incisions to flatten them.  That stuff really works!

Showering - Was allowed to shower when the drains came out - 3 week mark for the last one.

Pain meds - lortab - either one or two every 4 hours.

Swelling - swell hell started right on schedule at the 3 week mark and lasted for 2 weeks.  I still swell in the afternoon, but no where near what it was in the beginning.

I can't even imagine what swell hell is going to be like with the way I'm swelling already at a week! Maybe mine just decided to come early *fingers crossed*

I remember feeling my mons area when I first woke up after surgery and it was small and boney. I was happy about that but just a few hours later it was swollen along with my tummy and upper thighs. I hope it doesn't get worse.

Oh, it'll get worse!  Then, it'll get better.  Don't think anyone's died during swell hell - just wished that they had. 

This just made me laugh out loud.  I'm still about a 1 1/2 weeks from the 3 week mark, so I am afraid it is comin' but I will keep this in mind when it does!  Thanks!

 

I'm not looking forward to more swelling lol. I'm so swollen right now that I can't really see my results. No loose skin on my tummy now but it still looks big because of the swelling. I'm so thankful for this board because if I didn't know what to expect I would be very disappointed and upset but I've read lots of posts and so I know the swelling doesn't last forever and someday soon I'll be able to see my flat tight tummy.