seaking advice just had LBL and breast lift/augmentation

Hi. I am a bit more than 24 hours out of surgery lower body lift and breast lift with augmentation. I am looking for feedback and advice on how long it will be until I can move without significant pain, stand at least mostly straight, stop needing my HOB raised fairly high, be able to sleep on my side again, and how long people needed their pain meds. I know everyone is different, but I am thinking  that after day three things will be easier-? I cannot get in bed myself and my head is up on a lot of pillows, my back and neck and butt and but are getting pretty darn sore, not to mention the surgical pain.

so, anyone want to share any tips and what you think I might be able to expect?

thanks ;)

I had a LBL and it was a much harder recovery than I expected.  But everyone is different.

I sort of counted how well I was doing by how many moves I had to make to get out of bed.  In the beginning, it seemed like it was 20 different manuevers before I could get to standing up.  It really took me three weeks before I felt like I turned a corner and was moving easier.  I went back to work at 6 weeks and did okay, but was still slightly hunched over, particularly at the end of the day.

I was on pain meds for 6 weeks, although for the last 2 it was mostly just at night to help sleep.

Turning to the side - I can't remember how long.  Just that it took awhile.  I'd stuff pillows under me on one side to take the pressure off of my back.  It was a major accomplishment when I could actually comfortably lay on my side!  And it was months after that before I could comfortably sleep on my stomach.

Hope your recovery is quicker and easier than mine!  One way or the other, you WILL get better and I bet you'll love the result.

Hi! Congrats on being on this side of things! It will get better! I will be 5 weeks post-op from the same surgeries that you had on Monday. 

To answer your questions, I got 2/6 of my drains out on post-op day 7 and the remaining 4 drains on day 11. That was a real morale booster because I got to shower on day 12 and that made me feel so much better. I stopped taking narcotic pain meds on post-op day 11 and took Tylenol and Aleve as needed. Since I stopped taking narcotics, I resumed driving on post-op day 14. Mind you it was only driving my kids back and forth to school and to the doctor from weeks 2-3...but I did it. I was pretty hunched over for the first week or two but am now mostly straight...I find that when I over do it that my posture usually suffers the most. I'm still sleeping with my head on 2-3 pillows but haven't needed to elevate my legs for at least a week now. I'm just now sleeping on my side with a pillow between my legs...I'd tried previously but never could get comfortable long enough to sleep. If I remember right, I needed help getting in/out of bed and a recliner for at least 3 days maybe as long as 5 days. I mostly just struggle with fatigue these days....it was really bad weeks 2 and 3 and has been much better this week...although sometimes it just hits me hard...particularly in the evening. In summary, I felt like I turned a corner about week 2 and then another this past week at week 4. 

Nutrition is really important right now so even if you are not hungry, make sure you are at least getting in your protein!

Things really started to turn around for me after day 5, in terms of mobility, self sufficiency, and pain tolerance, but it was a good month before i was up and back to a normal (albeit still slightly restricted) life. I had my surgeries in stages as opposed to all at once. Each stage focused on two major areas. This first, tummy tuck & arms took the longest to recover from, about 5-6 weeks... this mostly was due to the tummy tuck (and a little bit i think because it was my first major surgery). In each subsequent stage I have had an easier and quicker recovery. All if that is to say that each area you had worked on will probably have different recovery times, and I would anticipate that the area that takes the longest to heal is your lower abdomen. But the first week is really the toughest, by a long shot! After that the challenge becomes less physical and more mental. You will find yourself getting frustrated with how long the recovery process is taking, because you are ready to be better. I believe for the most part i was on pain medicine for the first week-two weeks, something like that. Once you are off the pain meds and can drive and get out you can really start to notice the improvements. Just try to slow down, your energy level will be the last to return to normal, and that is ok and to be expected! Fuel and rest your body as best you can and practice patience. Sooner than you know this will all be behind you and you will be ecstatic with your decision!!