Ready for plastic

[tampa 55]

I had my sleeve in Sept 2013. I have over 100lbs. I am about 20 lbs away from goal. Looking into plastics finally. I just can't wrap my head around recovery time. All the sites say something different. I feel like I have to get a lot done! Ugh.

My first question is what was your recovery time for the following surgeries? Please tell me age and activity level. I feel that makes a difference. I am 46 female and moderately active. I work out.

Recovery time for Tummy Tuck with muscle tightening?

Recovery time for Thigh lift?

Recovery time for Brazilian butt lift?

Recovery time for arm lift?

Recovery time for breat lift with implants?

I am not sure if I will get all that but as of now I feel I need. The TT and thigh lift are a must.

My 2nd question is if you had more than one procedure at the same time. If so which ones?

Thank you in advance for your help!!

[TheRealMeIsHere! 863]

I had a panni/TT. For a week or so, had to sleep sitting up and walk like Quasimodo. Pain was minimal. Drains were a pia, but not nearly as bad as I thought. I thought I would've been laid up and barely able to function, but that was NOT the case. I actually felt like I got back to my normal activities very quickly! Wore compression for about six months. The doc said that the longer, the better the final result. Best of luck to you!

[JamieLogical 8,684]

I think you already know my story from other threads, but I'll recap here.

I had plastics almost 4 years ago. I was 32 years old. I had extended Tummy Tuck with muscle repair, breast lift with implants, all-over Lipo, and fat grafting to my butt. I spent two full weeks in Mexico and then I was scheduled for 2 more weeks off work once I got home. However, I had a complication with serious swelling of the soft tissue in my lower back that prevented me from sitting up in a chair (I have a desk job) for more than a couple of hours at a time. So, I ended up working half days for a couple of months. I had my surgery at the beginning of August 2011 and I would say I wasn't really comfortable sitting at a desk for a full day until January 2012.

However, like I said, I had an unanticipated complication. Had it not been for that, I probably could have handled going back to work full time at 4 weeks post-op as planned. I would probably have rather had 6 weeks though....

[AvaFern 3,516]

I had all of my plastics procedures in the last 8 months and I am 31 years old.

My first was a Tummy Tuck with breast lift and augment. Recovery was cake. I was walking 5 miles twice a day by day 10, which FYI I don't recommend because I ended up with a seroma. Easily fixed, but kind of annoying. I was fully back to the gym and running in 6 weeks. I was back to working 12 hour days at a desk on day 5, and about 8 hours on day 4.

My second was thigh lift and brachioplasty. My thighs were minimally painful though a hassle the first two weeks to keep them dry and clean, and my arms had pain twinges for about 3 months, but I was back to my gym schedule in 6 week. Same work return- I was back to work full time at my desk (which is in my house, so not the same as actually driving to work) within 4-5 days.

My third surgery was a posterior body lift with auto augment of the buttocks and a redo of my thighs. My thighs healed perfectly, my back has been an enormous pain in the butt. As of today I am two months post-op and while my original wound separation, which was resutured and then ripped apart again has almost healed, I ended up with a giant Staph infected abscess along the incision line at 6.5 weeks. I now have a truly enormous hole (ok the actual hole is only 2.5 inches at its widest- but it looks huge to me) that is over top of a 8-10 inch cavern in my back where all the Fluid had accumulated. I get the lovely job of packing my back, twice a day, for probably months or longer until it heals. Since I can literally stick my index finger in the hole and swish it around in a circle up to my knuckle, I can only imagine how long it will take to regenerate enough tissue in that area for it to heal. When I do finally heal I am likely going to have a whopping giant scar on my butt cheek. I have been walking 3-6 miles a day for the bulk of my recovery, excluding a few days around when I had to have the wound separation dealt with and when my abscess was cut open. Except for a few days where I was sick from my darling Staph infection, I worked full time the entire time. With the posterior body lift and augment, it is massively uncomfortable to sit on your butt for about a month, so that influenced my working as well.

So...I've had 3 surgeries. Two were a breeze and the third one has been less than fun. None of them were really painful at all, just annoying in the limited range of motion. I would still do all of them all over again even knowing the complications that resulted. While I'm a bit ashamed of my scars, I look exponentially better with all of my extra skin gone...even with a giant gaping hole in the middle of my butt, lol.

[deedadumble 1,033]

I had my sleeve in Sept 2013. I have over 100lbs. I am about 20 lbs away from goal. Looking into plastics finally. I just can't wrap my head around recovery time. All the sites say something different. I feel like I have to get a lot done! Ugh.

My first question is what was your recovery time for the following surgeries? Please tell me age and activity level. I feel that makes a difference. I am 46 female and moderately active. I work out.

Recovery time for Tummy Tuck with muscle tightening?

Recovery time for Thigh lift?

Recovery time for Brazilian butt lift?

Recovery time for arm lift?

Recovery time for breat lift with implants?

I am not sure if I will get all that but as of now I feel I need. The TT and thigh lift are a must.

My 2nd question is if you had more than one procedure at the same time. If so which ones?

Thank you in advance for your help!!

Out of everyone I've seen in the boards that have had plastics, I'm probably the closest in age and procedures. I was 48 when I had plastics. Lost 100 lbs and had LBL, butt flap implant, arm lift, breast lift/implants, and neck lift. I'm almost a year out. My only complication was a abdominal seroma from the drain coming out too early. It reabsorbed within two weeks. I work out of my home and honestly was back working the night of surgery from my hospital bed. I took everything very easy as far as physical movement for 6 weeks. Wore full compression for six weeks and when swelling after that.

I feel amazing now. I was active before but had taken time off from distance running for a few months before surgery. I was back to running half marathons at 6 months.

I also live in the Tampa area (Safety Harbor), so if you would like to get together for a coffee to discuss further and look at scars in person, please message me.

[deedadumble 1,033]

Here's a recent pic:

[Cupcake 801]

Hi I am scheduled for surgery tomorrow June 1/15 I am having Tummy Tuck with muscle repair and Lipo my insurance is coveting everything 100 percent . I am taking 10 days off work and will post updates if requested . From start to finished only took 1 month and 1 week from start to surgery day . Good luck .

[JamieLogical 8,684]

@@Cupcake I hope you manage okay with only 10 days off work. The muscle repair is NO JOKE in terms of pain and limited mobility. Best of luck to you!

[Julie norton 2,850]

I second Jamie's thoughts about 10 days off. I had TT w/ plication march 10. The first 2 weeks were no joke like she said. I was very glad for pain killers. Week 3 was better and I could walk outside and stand upright finally and went back to work part time.

The 4 th week was way better and I resumed all except work outs.... You gotta wait 6 weeks for real work outs because if you get a micro tear it hurts for a long time and cannot be surgically fixed. Good luck! There is lots of info on plastics here...

Tell us how it went and how you feel when you are up for it????

[Cupcake 801]

Hi everyone my Tummytuck went great I am 9 days post opt drains removed two days ago and I feel great , I am walking upright since day 2 and will be going back to work Monday. I still have to wear my compression garment but I love the results . Go for it , it is do worth it .

[JamieLogical 8,684]

@@Cupcake Congrats! So happy to hear everything went smoothly for you!!!

[Cupcake 801]

Thanks I have small seroma which are common with Tummy Tuck doctor drain Fluid today it didn't hurt and he says I am doing great I fell great .