I'm back.... Getting ready for the next phase!

Hello All,

I haven't been on the forum in a little while.  Life has a way of getting busy as you all know.   So I am 7 months out from my LBL and am still loving the results.  I've gained about 15lbs from my lowest, which sucks, but I am working now to refocus and get that weight off again.  It is SO never easy.  Sigh.  

Any who....I am ready to move on to my next phase in reconstructive surgery (sure it is "Plastics" but lets face it, we are reconstructing our bodies to remove all that excess skin so it truly is reconstructive surgery) which is Arms, Thighs and Breast Lift.  

Just made my consultation appointment with my PS, although she and I have already discussed this a few times during my LBL follow ups.  The plan is going to be to do all 3 procedures, stay in the hospital overnight and come home with pain balls like I did for my LBL.  I know doing arms and thighs at the same time will be rough, but I healed so well with my LBL and had minimal pain, so I am optimistic.  Plus, I really don't want to be out of commission relative to working out for 8 weeks after the surgery more than once, after all, I still have to worry about weight gain.  

I'm not sure if I am going to do any lipo at the same time.  Maybe some on my outer thighs, but when I had the inner thigh lipo during my LBL, that was the most painful part, so I may not go that route this time considering.  Has anyone else done a thigh lift with lipo out the outer thighs?  What was your experience?  

Hope all is well with everyone!  

Congrats on moving to the next phase!  I'm a year out from LBL, and have a thighplasty scheduled for March.  Then doing arms and boobs.  Then we'll talk about the turkey neck.  I'm still not sold on a facelift.

Anyway, you're a braver/crazier person than me, combining the upper and lower.  I understand what you're saying about recovery time, plus, recovery sucks.  But I can't get my mind around being unable to fully use either legs or arms at the same time.  But lots of people do it, and they survive!

I've not done lipo, but you confirm what I've heard from others - it can be the most painful part of the surgery.

I am just beginning to consult regarding plastics, my biggest concerns are my thighs and my arms. I was under the impression that a LBL included the thighs - is that not the case?

LBL is a combo of abdominoplasty, mons lift, butt lift, and outer thigh lift.  It doesn't do anything for the inner thighs.  My surgeon won't combine LBL and inner thighs because of the disruption to the lymphatic system.

Emelar - I am so glad that I did the facelift!!! I felt that I looked like dr. Frankenstein had grafted my 49 yo head onto the body of a 29 yo! Now I match and look like I am in my 30s.

I'm okay with most of my face.  It's the turkey neck that makes me crazy!  But it won't even be in the queue until towards the end of the year, so I have time to talk myself into it!

Ugh, my neck was the worst! When I told Dr. Capella that I had had my facelift done with a facial plastic surgeon who could address all my areas of concern, the very first thing he asked about was my neck! Dr. Winslow did a great job. 

I just had a LBL and thigh lift done two weeks ago.  I had wanted to also do the arms at the same time, but my doctor said it  was too much time under anesthesia, so I didn't have it done.  I am very glad I did not have the arms and thighs done at the same time.  The thighs were extremely painful and I have relied on my arms to get me up and down from bed, chair and bathroom.  I don't know what I would have done if I did my arms at the same time!  I also had lipo but the pain has been from the deep stitches in the thighs and the bending, hard to sit, etc.

Hey Robyn - that is supercool that you are transforming your entire body! I had my stage 2 plastics in October and converted my tummy tuck to an LBL (no muscle plication or deep undermine of the abdo, just pulling the skin tighter, as well as extended arm lift and breast lift and inner thighs, whi*****luded monsplasty and lipo. 

My recovery was so easy compared to the tummy tuck, even with a few minor complications. The first night in the care center I cried about why I had incapacitated myself - I could not move on my own!!! But the next afternoon I was walking short distances with a walker, and the day after I was up and about, albeit it slowly. I spent 4 nights there to make sure I could take care of myself on my own, and after that I spent the remainder of my two weeks in a hotel by myself. I was fine. 

At two weeks post op I was back to having sex. At 4 weeks post op I was back at the gym. I don't want to o make it sound like a breeze, but it was a very manageable recovery for me. I had very little pain and did not use many pain killers at the care center and then flushed them before I left.

two months later I had my facelift. Now I am all done except for breast implants!

Thanks for the input.  I have the feeling this will be a bit rougher than my LBL, but I had a relatively easy recovery for that so I was lucky.  I'm preparing for this with the expectation that it will be rougher since I am doing both my thighs and arms at the same time, but I have an extremely helpful hubby and my mom was a home health aide so she will help me with showering.  

It is exciting and a little scary, but I am very much looking forward to what my new body will be.