Question:
I've got a few questions about Plastic surgery

Hi Gang- Yesterday I FINALLY had my consult with a plastic surgeon- He said I am a great candidate for a Tummy Tuck- and a breast lift- Pending insurance approval- He said if they give the ok- I can "check in" ......Ok course I had to strip naked infront of 2 strangers (yipeeeee) and let it all hang out and say cheese to have my photos taken- He said I should have NO problem getting approved for the TT (man oh man its bad) but we'll have to cross our fingers with the Breast--------- so here is where my questions come in- The Belly MUST go (no if and's or "butt's" about it) but I'm not sure about the breast- I don't have humgo breast to begin with (C-D cup) But now (after losing 178 pounds) There ain't much there but these two Longgggggggg "things" that hang way down- and are pretty much empty- I can stuff all that stuff into a bra- and they actually look like boobs (hehe) I will NOT be getting any implants- so for those of you have had a breast lift- WAS IT WORTH the recovery/the scars ? Of course I told a "little white one" and told him they caused me back pain- but the breast would pretty much be for "vanity" reasons- IS IT WORTH IT ALL ??? ALSO He has given me a choice between having a Tummy tuck (it will look like a bit upside down "T" ) But then he said he can do "muscle work" and repair my stretched out belly muscles- He said this is alot of work- and the recovery would be MUCH harder and longer if I choose to do this muscle stuff- He said- my belly would look "better" and flatter- Does anyone know anything about this ??? Summer is coming- and of course I don't want to be laid up all summer- but on the other hand- heck- If I can get this done- maybe I should just do it "right" the first time ? Of cours I know the ultimate choice is mine- but I'm wondering if anyone has had a Tummy tuck- if they know the pro's out weigh the cons for having this muscle work ??? Of course I have a ton of other "experience" questions- but I'll stick with there two for now (hehe) Hope you are all well and in good spirits- Cheers    — WABBIT F. (posted on April 3, 2004)

April 3, 2004
Hey there. I had both mu TT and boob lift I would think you would want both. I had a choice of body lift or TT and boobs and that is what I chose. I could not imagine having this flat tummy and my boobs hanging like they were. I was a dd and know I am a c cup, i had alot of just skin too. Also I have never heard of a Dr. not doing the muscle tightning you probley would want theat done because it gives you the firmness.I was aloud back to work at 2 post op but ended up in the hospital for other stuff. The scars are not bad either the breast is under the boobs at the wire line so you dont really see and my scars at the aerola are barely noticable now and I just had it done jan31 st. Good luck
   — lisab.

April 3, 2004
I'm 3 months out from LBL and 9 days out from breast lift/arm lift and I would do all of the above again tomorrow. The results are phenomenal, and, it's like having a baby.... you forget the pain and are ready to do it again before you know it. The LBL was definitely the granddaddy of all surgeries as you're cut 360 and it makes for a difficult recovery but do-able! It was really depressing for me to live with all that hanging skin. Now I feel like a million bucks and I'm still in the early post-op stages of breast/arm lift. It's the ONLY way to go once you reach goal.
   — Vicki S.

April 3, 2004
I had a TT (belt lift) with muscle work (200 inside stitches) and a breast lift with implants (to keep them perky) I had TONS of complicatios, almost died, BUT I would do it again in a second becaue the body is perfect! No flab at all and perky boobettes! :) I have scars, but because I'm seen with clothes on in public, I don't care. Best of luck!
   — ZZ S.

April 4, 2004
Oh my goodness YES! My breasts are awesome :) The scars are very faint, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I just had the lift, no implants, and ended up a full B. I had a genius of a plastic surgeon though, who was able to pick them up off the floor and make them look so great, so your mileage may vary ;0)
   — mom2jtx3

April 4, 2004
Tightening of the abdominal muscles I do not think added to the pain or recovery but then again I had a LBL which is way more extensive than an abdominoplasty. So I already was in massive pain from the tight skin etc. However, I would not waste my time and effort having an abdominoplasty and not getting the muscle tightening done if you need it. You won't be as pleased with the results. I am 6 weeks PO today from my LBL and I have had major drain issues and still have one in. I had 5 originally and they were all removed at 3 weeks + and then I had to have 3 different ones put in to drain build-up since then. The last one is way down in production and will come out this week but I do have some fluid build-up on the left side of my lower abdomen, so I'm not sure what he's going to do - aspirate it and hope it stays away or put in another drain. It's been a pain but doable. I will be glad when they are finally gone, but it's not the end of the world. A positive attitude will carry you a long way in dealing with any PO issues. I also have a tear in my butt crack that has required packing since about 3 weeks PO. When I saw my surgeon for my 1 week check-up he cut out some dead skin in that area and then sewed it up. It was very sore after that and about a week and a half later all of the sudden it tore open. It was just too tight. However, once that happened it felt so much better as the tension was gone. So now I have to pack it until it heals shut. He said it will likely be another 4-6 weeks yet, but it is doing good. Yes having to pack a hole for 2-1/2 to 3 months is an inconvenience but again doable. I had a hole in my incision for 4-1/2 months after my WLS so I had good practice in packing techniques, which was good since this one I am packing blindly. <p>My experience is the pain and recovery from my PS has been considerably more involved than from the WLS, which is saying a lot because I was 442 and found it difficult to move around. I was prepared for a lot of pain from the LBL but was not prepared for the pain coming from the skin being pulled so tight. As bad as that was, I survived and do not regret choosing to do the whole LBL at one time. I had 19 lbs of skin removed off my gut plus the outer thighs were lipo'd, so I had some major work done. I will be having phase 2 of my PS done in early to mid June, so this experience hasn't scred me away from completing the plan I started out with. It is worth whatever you go through to complete the process of the weight loss. To me it is a closure piece to my life as a SMO. I will never forget but do not feel I need to be reminded daily with the tons of skin and it's associated problems, especially in the summer.
   — zoedogcbr

April 5, 2004
I saw my PS a couple weeks ago and like you I have the hanging water balloons. She informed me that because they hang so far down it has a medical term, Ptosis (the p is silent). Look it up and see if this is what you may have also.
   — Tammara D.

April 5, 2004
I should add that if you research it on Google or another search engine type in breast ptosis. It is also used for drooping eyelids.
   — Tammara D.