sjfink

I’m not sure what a “full tummy tuck” entails, so it’s hard to say. I’m in Seattle & had a lower body lift with fleur de lis tummy tuck (no lipo) as an outpatient procedure at a surgical center & it was ~$13k. Will you be inpatient at a hospital? There are so many variables to consider, but as much as cost is an issue, I wouldn’t let that be a deciding factor. How did you feel about the surgeon? If you weren’t 100% comfortable & confident in their ability, keep looking!

I think I missed last week… sorry! 156.4 today.

It's also referred to as a fleur de lis tummy tuck. In addition to the hip to hip incision, which only removes the skin from the lower abdomen, they also do a vertical incision to tighten the upper abdomen as well.

I pretty much lived in the recliner for the first 3-4 days after surgery. I wouldn't say it's an absolute necessity, but if you have easy access to one, take advantage of it. I didn't have a walker, and after the first week I wouldn't have used it anyway. I completely lost my appetite for the first couple of weeks… it was like the early post sleeve days… I was living on protein shakes & Greek yogurt. If your surgeon hasn't provided it, full body compression garment is a must. And LOTS of pillows!! Good luck!

157.4

I was driving about 10 days post LBL (to/from work & running errands), but I can't imagine an 8 hour drive that early on. Talk to your surgeon!

157.8

I had a vertical thigh lift in May (had LBL/fleur de lis in Feb & breast lift in Apr). The thigh recovery was the most difficult by far. I was fortunate & didn't have any incision openings, but I did spit a lot of internal stitches… mostly in the groin incisions. I was in the same compression garment as I used for my LBL, but only wore it for ~3 weeks because it was causing serious cankles! My surgeon said it was ok to stop, and honestly, the swelling in my thighs wasn't too bad. My best advice is to take it easy! I hope you have a smooth recovery!

157.2

157.2

Mine was pretty tight, but I was determined to be self sufficient as soon as possible & was able to get it on & off without help within a few days. Granted, it took a while to do it, but it got easier with practice! I wouldn't say I had intense pain from swelling, but it was noticeable and uncomfortable. It does get better!!

Current: 157.8 Goal: 155 I'm pretty much maintaining, which is fine with me. I have my 2 year follow up up in 2 weeks though, and will do a body composition test, so I may change my goal after that.

I had a LBL w/fleur de lis in February. I was in full body compression from day 1 and wore it 24/7 for 6 weeks. I still had swelling, but it was much better by about 4 weeks. This is the one that was recommended by my surgeon https://marenagroup.com/fbm-capri-length-girdle-with-suspenders/

Sorry I disappeared from the summer challenge. Count me in for this one… and I promise to not disappear again!

I was a wearing a 34G or H before my lift. Post lift I'm in a 32DDD. I thought I wanted to be more like a C cup, but the girls fit my build (& look pretty amazing if I do say so myself!)… and I'm just happy to have them back up where they belong!

I had my surgeries (I also had breast & inner thigh lifts) with Dr Eric Harris at Eviva. I'm debating whether I want to do my arms & upper back, but after having 3 surgeries in 2 1/2 months, I'm just focusing on working out again (with all of the recovery time, I couldn't exercise for over 4 months).

I'm in Seattle with Regence. They required documentation of abscess that required drainage in order to cover anything, so I was self pay. I had a 360 lower body lift with a fleur de lis tummy tuck, because I had a lot of excess skin above & below the belly button, and I'm super happy with my results.

If your insurance is covering the panniculectomy, I know that some surgeons will let you self pay the difference in cost to have a full tummy tuck. The panniculectomy won't do anything to improve the area above the belly button, it's just removing the skin below. Good luck!

Since your surgery is at a hospital (not a surgical center), they'll likely have you arrive a bit earlier for the pre-op testing. If you're worried, definitely call your surgeon's office to confirm!! I'm sure they won't mind… and better safe than sorry.

I can't remember if you have a date already or if you've already had your pre-op appointment. For any surgery, they typically require an EKG within 90 days & the blood work (CBC & CMP) within 30. Maybe you'll get those orders at your pre-op visit??

Before my skin removal surgeries, the only thing I needed was a couple of blood tests & an EKG. Pretty simple!

My parents have a split level, so I did a half flight of stairs the day after surgery. At 10 days out, I was back home & up & down 2 flights pretty regularly.

I only had one surgical consult. He also specialized in post bariatric patients. I had 3 surgeries (360 LBL w/fleur de lis, breast lift & vertical thigh lift), & I'm super happy with the results. If you're comfortable, go for it!

The worst of the swelling lasted 3-4 weeks. After that, it was mostly when I over did it that the swelling would come back. I'm almost 4 months post op, and swelling isn't an issue. Give it another week or 2, and then look at swelling as your body's way of telling you to slow down!

Yesterday was my last skin removal procedure… vertical inner thigh lift. I'm pretty swollen, but that's pretty standard after surgery. He removed 2.6lbs of skin & decided to do some lipo (that was an added bonus!) & removed 1600ml of fat. They put me in my compression garment while I was still in the OR, so I have no idea how I look! I get to shower tomorrow, so that'll be my first look at the new me. Just some history: 5'4" HW 292.6 SW (VSG) 268 GW 175 CW 148 (pre-thigh lift) Fleur de lis TT/LBL 2/23/17 Breast lift (no implant) 4/18/17 Inner thigh lift 5/16/17 I'll probably get on the scale tomorrow, and I expect it'll be back in the 150s because of all of the swelling… but it'll come back down soon enough. Can't wait to see where I land!