Tummy tuck, arm lift, and breast lift

Hi all,

I lost 125 lbs 4 years ago and am finally getting some loose skin removed. I'm going to be undergoing a tummy tuck, arm lift and breast lift with implant in just two days. Really would love some social support from people who have been through similar procedures or about to undergo it.

Also, any advice as to speeding up the recovery process or what to avoid is much appreciated!

Good afternoon I went thru the same surgeries almost 6 months ago (Dec. 29th) and am very pleased with the results and the pain is totally worth it! The first few days were ok as I was still very numb from the local but pain meds helped me get thru the first week and a half. Just stay on top of your schedule to keep the pain to a manageable level. Remember to keep your arms elevated as much as possible to reduce swelling, I will say that is the one area I will probably have revised as there is still too much loose hanging skin.

Watch your nutrition after surgery, I unfortunately slipped during recovery and did not eat as well as I wish I would have!

Wishing you a fast recovery! :)

Hi Amy,

Thanks for your reply. I already have a nutrition plan in set during recovery as I know it really impacts the healing process and ultimate results. Sorry to hear your arms still need revision. I will definitely try to keep them elevated as much as I can! Thanks.

This is a copy and paste from about a year ago - hope it helps! I had RNY at 350 lbs (I am 5'4"). I lost to 165 lbs and have been maintaining for about two years. After losing almost 200 lbs, my body needed some work. Although my bat wings were quite prominent and literally flapped in the wind when I run, my main concerns were a breast lift (my once 42DDDDs turned into sagging, empty tube socks) and a tummy tuck (I didn't have the tummy apron that hung to my knees but it sorta hung over my lady bits and was mushy and really unsexy).

So I went to Dr. Joseph Michaels with the intent to have a tummy tuck and breast lift. As he pulled and prodded my skin it became clear that if he did a tummy tuck, it would make my saggy backside that much more pronounced and I realized I needed an entire lower body lift.

This freaked me out to no end - I would be cut in half! I would look like Frankenstein! I would be in serious pain! I would walk like a hunchback! I might die! I would be under anesthesia for 10 hours! I had a million scared and anxious thoughts that ran through my mind in the months leading up to surgery.

In actuality, I had two terrible and painful days, and was great as of day 3. Although some people take off weeks and weeks, I was back working (from home) on day 4 post op. Surgery was Friday and I was online answering emails Tuesday afternoon and worked all day Wednesday. I took a total of 2.5 days off. I do have a flexible job where I can take a nap between meetings, so if you have a physical job or have to get dressed and commute to a job, you will likely need more time.

I did not have my arms done at the same time as the LBL and thank god, since the abdominal tightening made it so hard to do something basic like sit up. I had to use my arms to push my body to a sitting position (the first few days I had to hug someone while they lifted me to a sitting position). However, I opted to have an arm lift six months after my LBL and BL.

Now, there are people *****nt reclining chairs and shop for 100 new things for after surgery, but it's really not necessary. Here is my comprehensive list.

Things I needed:

• A wedge pillow (I don't have a recliner, the wedge pillow was perfect). I got this one online http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009HHLBKK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
• A stepstool next to my bed to put a water bottle on, my cell phone, my OxyCodone for the middle of the night, a magazine, chapstick, etc.
• Someone to stay with me for a week, to help fetch me food and drinks and pills, to empty my drains, to just sit next to me while I felt crappy
• Pantiliners, to put over your incisions before you put a tank top on and then a binder over that
• A crappy tank top or t-shirt that can get bloody to wear under the binder and unsexy bra
• The abdominal binder that the doc sent me home from the hospital with
• The weird front closure non-underwire bra that Dr. Michaels sent me home from the hospital with
• All of my prescriptions filled and ready BEFORE surgery (I had zofran for nausea, OxyCodone for pain, Valium for muscle spasms, an antibiotic to fend off infection, Lovanox to thin my blood)
• Non-prescription meds like Tylenol (I had a few headaches), Colace (stool softener), Senno (laxative)
• Neosporin or bacatracin for your belly button and any random skin rubs you have
• Gentle lotion like Eucerin because your skin (the skin without incisions) gets itchy being all wrapped up tightly.
• A lanyard to wear around your neck and hook your drains to while you are in the shower.
• A clean apartment and clean sheets on the bed and clean towels. You don't want to have to worry about that after surgery, and you don't want to get infections either!
• Protein, protein, protein. Some bars, some chicken, some fish...whatever your favorite protein is...protein helps you heal so have your fridge and freezer stocked.

Things I wish I had known:

• I felt like I couldn't breathe the first few nights. The binder is tight but also if your doc tightens your abdominal muscles, it literally leaves you breathless.
• The importance of butt augmentation. Some docs do it, some don't. Mine does and thank god. Rather than have that flat "I have been pulled up and pulled down and then sewn together" look, I could be a distant Kardashian cousin. I am still LOVING it.
• The LBL helps the outer thigh sag, but not the inner thigh sag. I sort of knew this, but now I really know this.
• I was swollen. I was also up 10 lbs. As WLS patients, we are trained to have a good day when the scale is down and a bad day when the scale is up. Well my scale was up 10 lbs right after surgery. Kind of demoralizing. But I knew it was swelling and water weight so I forced myself to not obsess over this. Don't be shocked!
• There is definitely an emotional component to this. Night 2 I was hyperventilating from the pain and super regretful. I got into a thought pattern of "why am I here? Why did I get so fat that I needed surgery to get normal, and then now I am not even normal, I had to have another surgery to cut skin off my body, I can't believe I did this to myself, I'm such an asshole". Luckily this was short-lived. But I definitely had some self-hating moments!

Would I do this again? Twice today, and twice tomorrow. Even despite the pain and regret on the second night, the pain greatly diminished within the first week and I managed well with painkillers. Almost 2.5 years after my LBL, my body looks amazing. Dr. Joseph Michaels' techniques are hands-down, the best I have come across while researching plastics. He is Type A about stitching, and my scars are so minimal. The buttock augmentation looks amazing. And he did such a good job with the abdominal muscle tightening that I still have semi-defined abs.

Thanks so much for your post. These are some awesome suggestions and I can totally feel the breathlessness! It was really tough to deal with and making me cry yesterday. Trying to take things very slowly and hoping time flies! I was considering getting a lower body lift but I felt that most of my problem areas were in the upper body. I do still have some loose skin in my inner thighs so considering surgery for that at some point in the near future.

Great information! Thanks for sharing ?

I just survived a lower body lift and brachioplasty. The LBL is more extensive than a tummy tuck.

Follow your discharge paperwork, stay on top of your pain, get 100+ grams of protein a day, wear your compression garments, etc. I don't think it's possible to speed up the recovery process, but it's possible to survive it :)