Hi All, I had my lower body lift done on December 9th with Dr. Quiroz at the Cosmed Center in Tijuana, which included lipo on my arms and thighs. All I can say right now is OWWWWW. I was actually not feeling too bad the first few days after surgery, as the anesthesiologist had given me an epidural and it kept the incision pain at bay. The anesthesia is wearing off now in spots, and it hurts really badly when I do any action that pulls on the incisions where the anesthesia has worn off. I missed one of my pain pills last night so this morning was particularly painful ... seriously I almost started to cry. This is by far the worst surgery/pain I've ever experienced. I knew it would be, and I know that things will improve with time, but right now it just really hurts. I am seriously thinking of dipping into my stash of vicodin (that I brought with me, but haven't used yet) to help with some of the pain, as the Mexican meds I'm using (Sinergix) are not up to the task now that the anesthesia is wearing off. I'm going to ask Dr. Q today what to do, as obviously I don't want to combine pain meds without his advice.

Also, the drains are really irritating me ... they pinch so badly where the incision site is. I am expecting Dr. Q to remove one or hopefully both drains today. I discharge from the recovery hotel boutique tomorrow and really don't want to have to deal with any drains when I leave! I am going to be staying with my mom over Christmas (she lives about 2.5 hours' drive from San Diego, a major reason why I chose to have surgery in Tijuana) and then on the 28th I fly home. I took a month off work and hope it's enough (otherwise I'll just have to take more, and hopefully when the first month is up I'll be feeling fine to work at my desk job).

I've been staying in the recovery boutique hotel since my surgery, and the staff has been really lovely. I haven't been cleared to take a shower yet, but yesterday one of the staff washed my hair and gave me a sponge bath,and that made such a huge difference! I was feeling like a skank bomb with greasy hair, betadine smears, and bandage residue. I haven't been eating well, and my appetite is very low ... almost all cooked food repulses me, with the exception of Soup,so my diet lately has mostly been soup, crackers or toast with Peanut Butter, and fruit. I am really excited to be able to make my own green smoothies and Protein shakes starting tomorrow. I think part of why I've been feeling so yucky is the lack of good nutrition, and my aversion to most food.

I thought I'd show some pics of my abdomen before surgery and what my incisions look like, and the bruising from the lipo. I am still extremely swollen in arms and thighs where the lipo was done, but the soreness from the lipo is pretty manageable with the pain meds. On the plus side -- wow, my abdomen is SO much flatter than it was prior to surgery! And although I have a ton of swelling and bruising on my arms, they are definitely more toned looking than prior to the lipo, which is good. I was thinking getting an arm lift and a thigh lift at some point, but right now that's not remotely something I want to consider! I just have to make it through the next several weeks of healing, and hopefully I will feel much better. Also, by the way, I did have a fleur de lis abdominoplasty due to a lot of lax skin in my upper abdomen. That's why there is a vertical incision.

I'll post some more pictures in the coming weeks as my healing progresses.

Oh my goodness that looks painful. You can tell a huge difference though and it will look fabulous a year from now. Best of luck to you in your recovery.

I am starting to think that plastics is not for me...yikes!

I didn't have any lipo since I didn't have enough excess to make it worth it, but I have been told that is much more painful than the skin removal. Is that where you are feeling most of the pain?

I had plastics two months ago and it is a rough road to recovery in some ways. I didn't have pain or complications, but it is a BIG deal.

However, i am astounded by the difference. I thought I looked pretty okay before, but now clothes fit so good, my arms are amazingly normal looking, my scars are healing up well - very flat. It is worth it if you had alot of skin.

Hang in there, Kris, the swelling and all that takes awhile to resolve, but it will get better. Do you get to wear a tight tight compression garment? fun - not! but, necessary!

Hi Ladies, I didn't want to frighten anyone off of having the surgery, but thought I would be really honest about my experience so folks would have an idea of what it's like. Then if you have the surgery, and you're feeling miserable the first week afterwards, you know that's all normal! The adorable patient coordinator who works here (Crystal) told me the first week after surgery is known as "Regret Week," due to the pain and swelling people experience as a result of the surgery. In my case, I don't think I regret the surgery per se, but I sure do hate the pain/discomfort. I know over time I will continue to heal and feel better, and in a few months this will all be a memory. I had the same experience last July after having a breast reduction, and although the surgery was painful the results are well worth the pain.

I'm really looking forward to January, when I can go back to work -- I know my clothes will fit SO much better than they did before with my huge muffin top. And later this spring my hubby and I are taking a beach vacation and that will be super fun to wear a bathing suit without all the saggy skin I have been dealing with.

Hi Ladies, I didn't want to frighten anyone off of having the surgery, but thought I would be really honest about my experience so folks would have an idea of what it's like. Then if you have the surgery, and you're feeling miserable the first week afterwards, you know that's all normal! The adorable patient coordinator who works here (Crystal) told me the first week after surgery is known as "Regret Week," due to the pain and swelling people experience as a result of the surgery. In my case, I don't think I regret the surgery per se, but I sure do hate the pain/discomfort. I know over time I will continue to heal and feel better, and in a few months this will all be a memory. I had the same experience last July after having a breast reduction, and although the surgery was painful the results are well worth the pain.

I'm really looking forward to January, when I can go back to work -- I know my clothes will fit SO much better than they did before with my huge muffin top. And later this spring my hubby and I are taking a beach vacation and that will be super fun to wear a bathing suit without all the saggy skin I have been dealing with.

Okay I will admit I did widen my eyes in total fear of plastics when I looked at your pictures...I too will have it done when I get ready...It just looked so painful...My daughter who is a nurse said that it is one of the most painful surgeries of all....Not looking forward to it all. but I do look forward to getting rid of the extra skin someday..Thank you for your honesty regarding this part of the journey...Good to know how someone see things while they are going through it...Thanks again!

I didn't have any lipo since I didn't have enough excess to make it worth it, but I have been told that is much more painful than the skin removal. Is that where you are feeling most of the pain? I had plastics two months ago and it is a rough road to recovery in some ways. I didn't have pain or complications, but it is a BIG deal. However, i am astounded by the difference. I thought I looked pretty okay before, but now clothes fit so good, my arms are amazingly normal looking, my scars are healing up well - very flat. It is worth it if you had alot of skin. Hang in there, Kris, the swelling and all that takes awhile to resolve, but it will get better. Do you get to wear a tight tight compression garment? fun - not! but, necessary!

Hi Cowgirl Jane, I've been thinking of you this past week and wondering how you ever made it through ALL the work that you had done! OWWW! I wish now though that I had just gone for the arm lift at the same time as everything else, rather than just having lipo. Even after the lipo I still have batwings, although I think my arms will look more toned after they heal up some. Dr. Quiroz remarked that my arms were in much better shape than my thighs and that I would notice the benefit of lipo much more on my arms than thighs. So far that is proving to be the case, although as the swelling is gradually decreasing, I'm also seeing a little extra contouring in my thighs.

The lipo pain for sure was the worst in the first week after surgery, but now that the anesthesia is wearing off my incisions, the lipo pain is just a nuisance compared to the pain of the incisions.

I am wearing a compression garment but keeping it on the loose side, since I can't breathe well when it's tight (with Dr. Q's approval). I have read there is some debate as to the benefits of using a compression garment. Most surgeons recommend & require them, but some don't require them, which is very interesting, and the ones who don't require them are pretty passionate about why they don't. One thing I've learned from having two plastic surgeries, with two different surgeons, is each surgeon has his/her own practices/beliefs but there probably is not any one best way to handle things. Dr. Quiroz told me it's more important to be able to breathe well since pulmonary embolism is always a possibility after surgery and the compression garment is designed to provide support but shouldn't hurt. Makes sense to me.

I am so thankful you have shared your experiences with your surgery because it helps me get through each day!

Oh gosh, one thing I didn't mention was that I was supposed to get a brazilian butt lift w/lipo injection along with the lower body lift. It turned out that I didn't need a lipo injection in my butt, since I actually have plenty of fat left in my booty. I am SO thankful I didn't have a lipo injection in my butt! My butt is one of the few places on my body that doesn't hurt! The lower body lift did lift up my butt and I think it will look just fine and I am glad I didn't have the lipo injection.

Best,

Kris

I dsagree, lower body lift was Not very painful for me. I had no lipo though. I have a thread here with pictures. Recovery has been hard though I need to post an update on that.

I dsagree, lower body lift was Not very painful for me. I had no lipo though. I have a thread here with pictures. Recovery has been hard though I need to post an update on that.

Yes, please do provide an update, I would love to hear the latest!

Kris thank you for sharing this with us. It looks so painful but the end results will be so worth it....

It can be life changing too..

Hi Kris, Hang in there. The rewards are there. Just give it a few more weeks. I am grateful I did not experience any of your level of pain. I had a LBL, breast and butt lift 6 months ago in Tijuana also, but with a different plastic surgeon, and understand what you are going through. I am sure the doctor can help with adjusting your medication to make you more comfortable. No one likes pain! Thank you for sharing your story, and please know everything will get better.

Edited December 18, 201312 yr by Sweetpee

Thank you for sharing,

Hope your feeling better soon.

I'm so glad for your post, My surgery is scheduled for Jan 14. Whole body lift now then 6 months, breast reduction, then 6 months for thigh lift.

Kris thank you for sharing. I've been "on the fence" about plastics for a long time now. Still no answer. But everyone says the pain and expense is worth it ONCE you are all healed which can take a year or more to be 100%. Best of luck to you on your journey through this. Please update us when you can about how things are going/feeling. Hang in there!

I will concur with cowgirljane and say that I too did not have pain with my plastic surgeries. I had three separate surgeries and it is uncomfortable but not painful and yes the compression garments help a lot. I think everyone must have a different pain threshold. It certainly is NOT the most painful surgery; I think those that say this have not had any plastics.

I think a big part for me as far as pain has been the pain meds I"ve been using. .Since the surgery, I've been using the Mexican Singergix, which is not as powerful as vicodin (not as many side effects, either). With other surgeries I had, I used Vicodin and that was very good at controlling pain, but it really made me woozy, too. After the first few days I only used it at night to help sleep and relied on OTC meds for the daytime. I'm down to my last day's worth of Sinergix; so now I'll find out, can I manage on OTC pain meds or will I finally need to dip into my stash of vicodin to help me control the pain? I always thought of myself as having a pretty high tolerance for pain; on other surgeries I've had, the drs told me that their other patients had a much worse time. But in this case, I have been struggling. Dr. Q did a thorough check of my incisions before I discharged and there's no sign of any problems, so in my case I think it's probably a case of ineffective pain management.

Oh, also another thing, I experience my worst pain getting in and out of bed. Because I had lipo in my arms and legs, and the LBL when I get in and out of bed, or up and down off the sofa, that hurts a lot because a lot of sore spots are getting pressure. I try to get help when I can to get in and out of bed, but sometimes I have to do it myself.

Anyway i'm glad to hear that the level of pain & discomfort I've described is not typical ... sorry if I worried anyone unduly about what the pain is associated with this surgery!