So - I know, I know -

This question really belongs in the PS forum - and I did post this question in the PS forum a couple weeks ago, and Diane responded and gave me some good advice, but it didn't get a lot of other suggestions.

I wanted to ask here in VSG-M because when I met many of you last night in San Jose I was swamped with hints on how to prepare and heal from a lower body lift - uh... so many hints, I can't remember them all!  So I'm asking again if ya'll might share them with me - I'll take notes this time, I promise ;)

I had my final pre-op this morning with my surgeon and it went great!  Feeling very positive about moving forward.  LBL and gynecomastia scheduled for just a bit over two weeks now!

 

 Hi Ruggie,
 I had a TT in November. The best advise I can give you is you to stay on top of your pain.  Take the pain pills on schedule weather you think you need them or not.  Make sure you take a stool softner or Miralax with the pain pills.

Good luck! I am sure you will do great :)

A cane, a "commode" seat, and one of those thingys to pick stuff up with...And I agree, stay on top of the pain, especially the first few days. It was great meeting you!

Lizanne

Thanks again for this and it was great to meet you too Lizanne!!!

If part of your LBL includes a tummy tuck, you might consider a short term rental of an electric  recliner.  It will be very painful for you to sit up from a lying flat position for a long time.  I slept in one of those chairs for a week or two.  Ask any woman who has had a C-section and they will be able to vividly describe what having your stomach muscles cut is like.

Also, I would suggest you get a walker for the tummy tuck.  At first you won't be able to stand up straight as the skin and muscles are so taut. Using a walker will make walking in a bent over position more comfortable.

I had a tummy tuck years ago and it was worse than any C-section (I had that too).  If you can't get an electric easy chair, then be sure that you fix up your bed so you can sleep sitting up.  I made the mistake of lying down and it took me 5 minutes to crawl from the middle to the edge of my queen size bed.

Wear the compression garments for the recommended length of time.  If you can wear them longer than that, then go for it.  As you continue to shrink, you might need to purchase a smaller garment.

Be patient with yourself and your appearance.  Your body will continue shrinking bit by bit for up to a year. 

What about your butt?  Will it be flat?  Will he be stitching the stretched muscles back closer together as he would with the abdominal muscles in a tummy tuck?

My niece was going to have butt implants from Dr. Mendieta (who is famous for this) in Miami.  At the last minute she decided to have lipo from other areas and have that injected into her butt  It worked out quite nicely and her butt still looks really good almost 8 years later.   The butt implants have an incision made very close to the rectum and it is very easy to get the incision infected.

The other information you have received about staying on top of your pain medication is spot on.  Some people thinkk that you should wait untl you can't bear it anymore and then you break down and give in to it.  This is just stupid.  Take it when it is prescribed to be taken.  Your body won't heal as quickly when you are in extreme pain.

Plus, do NOT wait until you are constipated before you start taking some kind of gentle (like Senokot) laxative.  Start taking that as soon as possible following the surgery.  When my husband was getting his chemotherapy, we found that he got horribly constipated and the only thing that helped was starting a course of laxatives at the same time he was receiving treatment.

Finally, go easy on yourself.  You have probably already learned this from when you had your VSG.  If you start feeling depressed or anxious like something is terribly wrong with your life, or the world, then stop and take a breath.  Remind yourself that things have not changed.  It's like the emotional equivalent of taking acid and having a bad trip.  The world around might seem terrible, but you can give yourself a mental shake (haha, not a McDonalds type shake) and tell yourself that your bad feelings are just exacerbated.  They really aren't the real deal.

Another comparison:  Let's say you have a very bad sunburn on your back, but you are wearing a shirt and no one sees it.  Something as simple as a hand on the shoulder can be excrutiating, when under normal cir****tances you wouldn't think twice about it.  I refer to this emotional over-sensitivity as being "mentally sunburned".   A minor irritant that normally wouldn't bother you can just absolutely send you through the roof.  Be aware of this so that you can talk yourself out of it.

I am very excited for you!

Hugs!

Anita

Hi Angel's Hot Mom -

So, I've got no recliner although people keep asking.  What I do have is a pretty strong partner - a bit of an amateur weight lifter, and he works from home, so I'm just hoping he'll be able to haul me around the apartment as needed.  

So, LBL is "lower body lift" and it's both halves at once - an extended tummy tuck with the butt lift at the same time - literally removing a belt of skin 360 degrees around my body.  So, I can't use a walker to bend over forwards, because then I would be pulling and stretching out my back.  One of the major downsides to an LBL (instead of breaking it into two surgeries) is that there's "no give" - I can't lean forward to bring relief to my back, and I can't lean back to bring relief to my forward.  :(

How 'thick' are compression garments?  In my mind they are really thick, but I might be just dreaming that up?  And just how tight do they feel?  Like a T-shirt?  Or snug?  Or tight?  Or I can't breathe in this!

My surgeon's already drilled me about keeping on pain medication - and I have a low threshold and don't suffer from Macho Male Complex so I'm taking those damn pills!

My butt is flat now.  I mean, really bad flat.  I had consults with seven different plastic surgeons, and three of them remarked on my lack of butt immediately, first thing, when they saw it!  My surgeon pointed out that the back part (butt lift) is going to make the flatness even worse.   So - (1) I don't have enough fat for lipo distribution into my butt, surgeon says.  I've got my love handles, but they are "fiberous fat" and not "gooshy fat".  (2) I've been discouraged from butt implants because I'm told since you sit on them they actually move around and migrate - not cool.  (3)  What he is doing that will help a little bit, and it's hard to explain this without words, is that he's going to take big flaps of extra skin from my back, trim off the top layer, and then fold it down to pull my new butt up over it.  That probably didn't make sense but if I could draw it, it would help.  This will help my butt a little.  Not much.  But better than nothing.  *sigh*  I wish I could have a butt like my partner.  

I get your point about taking it easy - I'm actually off work for three weeks, which while a bit short, is actually a big deal for me!

Thanks for all your great advice Anita, I really appreciate you taking the time to post it. :)

I've  been sewing for almost 50 years, since I was about 7.  I totally get what your surgeon plans to do.  Regarding the compressionn garments, they are pretty thick and unforgiving.  I sometimes felt claustrophobic in the one I  used after my tummy tuck.  As I got a little further out from surgery, I bought similar non-surgical long line body smoothers that weren't as constrictive, but still held me in.

You are going to be in so much pain.  I don't envy you, but I am still very happy for you.  You will never, ever regret it.   I'm glad that your partner will be there with you 24/7 basically.  He'll be able to move you around, but will have to inure himself to your cries, shrieks, moans and whimpers from pain.  I'm not trying to be negative.  I'm speaking from experience.  Plus, you will be having waaaay more stuff done to you than I did.

It will be tough, so remember to be very patient with your healing progress, and keep an eye on the big picture!


Anita

 Hi Ruggie, great to meet you last night.

I'm not sure if I had the butt flap augmentation or not. It's a regular for Dr. Sauceda.  I did have the ft injections into my butt or I would be totally flat.

Garments are like old fashioned girdles that you may have seen a grandmother wearing. It's not terribly thick but it doesn't have a lot of give.  You can look at designveronique. Com to see what I had. I wore them 24/7 for six weeks.  At first they are outrageous tight  because of swelling.  Wear s soft tshirt between your skin and the garment.  At the top where the garment closes, it's very helpful to tuck things like soft folded handkerchief to protects our skin. I used thick feminine Kotex pads to keep the darn things from torturing my skin, then switched to the hankies a few weeks out.  You want the garment to stay snug because they say it's what helps your skin adhere to the layer below.  Some urgeons don't use compression so you'll find out.

I slept in a clinic bed for five nights but after that in a regular bed.  Use down pillows to protect yourself laying down.  I was able to sleep on my side around 10 day out.  I did fine on the regular toilet.  I could not use legs or arms, so it's all about your core. 

To be continued.

Oh right!  The T-shirt trick is a very clever idea, thanks! :)  I was told in my pre-op today that I'll be using a compression garment. 

That is terrific advice, Lee!  I wish I had this advice after my tummy tuck!

 I learned all of my tricks on Dr. Saucedas group here on OH and also through trial and error.  We all need to pass things down to make it easier for each other.

 If you wear compression garments, they mess with your blood pressure. When you get ready to shower, take off your garment at least 30 minutes before. Sit on the edge of the bed for awhile. Sip on a protein shake, even if you don't want it, or eat part of a protein bar.  A shower chair really helps for the first week.  Make sure your partner is there to help and hold you.  Many people pass out. Two days post op the nurse put me in the shower. The room was spinning and she had to take me right back to bed. After that I made sure to eat first and take off the garments.  That made all the difference.

Have extension cords for chargers. Have a small basket where you will be sitting. Remote, chargers, big water glass, baggie of vitamins(I made up a few weeks of baggies), kleenex, phone, book, laptop/iPad etc. you won't be lifting so keep it all where you can easily reach it.  Put protein powder jugs at counter level.

Miralax or something similar. No straining advised after stomach muscles are tightened. Take those pain meds.  Tell your partner how many protein shakes you need daily and ask for help monitoring your food the first week. You will likely lose your appetite. Use a timer if you need to. I regret not being able to get in enough protein for optimal healing.

I started taking Arnica a week prior to surgery and when I got to recovery. I think it's a homeopathic wonder drug for swelling and bruising.


Take your before pictures!!  I'm so excited for you. Visualize the best! I was out to lunch and at the movies less than a week after all of my ody work.  You're going to do great. You're so strong and healthy going into this!

Good Luck Ruggie,
I'm following this journey of yours pretty closely because I am thinking of PS in the future.
I am a chicken though.
All this talk of taking pain meds scares me.
I didn't take any after the VSG, lol.

Make sure your laptop or IPad are close at hand for updates.

cheers,
donna

 My iPad will be nearby ;)

I am a chicken too, but that's what the pain meds are for.  

Although when I woke up from my VSG, I asked my partner for my iPad so I could by stock in the company that was producing the morphine I was on .... ho boy....

I was sooooo drugged............

The nurses wheeled me into my room, and said "There you go Mr. Ruggie, here's your room" and I was so out of it, I threatrically said "It's actually Dr. Ruggie, but I would appreciate if you just call me Ruggs!"  Ugh.  So embarassing.

 I got an iPad the week before plastics so I wouldn't have to lift my MacBook.  It's my all time favorite purchase! 

I just LOVE me a Mensa man on drugs!

Sounds like my husband when he had his bike accident and broke 9 ribs, LOL

I told him he should watch who he calls and talks to because the drugs were making him kinda stupid. He said "I've NEVER been stupid!"
righ up until he tried to talk to his boss...not good. LOL

He stopped taking the pain meds that second and lived with the pain after that. Too funny cuz I would have been listening to Led Zep on the BOSE really loud wondering why everyone wasn't having fun with me...and watching the clock for my next dose.

Good Luck Doc, hope the whole thing is a breeze and a LOT less painful and stressful than it sounds.

donna

Pffft - Mensa is full of riff-raff; they'll let anyone in.

Nine ribs!  That's some bike accident!  Moterbike or cycling bike?  And what did he say to his boss?

Thanks, appreciate your wishes Donna.  I'll see if I can post all drugged up for you ;)

Motorcycle...we both ride Harleys..no idea why he went down...hate not knowing.

*****PLEASE DO NOT REPEAT THE MENSA COMMENT IF HE MEETS YOU IN REAL LIFE!****

He would be really offended. I think he has been a Mensa member since God made the world or sometime around then. LOL I think he was like 9 or something like that. Just meet him and do some really hard math problems. That would be better. Remember,...I love him.

I have no idea what he said to his boss but the sound of the phone slamming down and the loud yelling about "this drug ****" pretty much clued me in to the fact that my Mensa man just got a taste of Timothy Learys real world LOL

Hmmm, he never did say I was right. Men!

LOL

But really, I hope everything goes well with the surgery and the recovery.
I'm gonna be thinking about you and hoping it's a lot less than what we all thought.

all the best,
donna

Alright Donna, since we're such good friends and you're hot and I love you dearly, I'll forgo my normal rant about Mensa and why it's a big waste of money and energy and is just as shallow as something like the Miss America pageant but in a different way.

And really, they do take just anyone in the top 2%. 

I will try to remember not to send out work emails while high the first week.  I hope my partner will be watching me closely!

Thanks - I have a pretty great surgeon, and I deal well with anesthesia, and my partner is super supportive and watch out for me, so the cards are stacked in my favor.

Good luck to you!

You got some great suggestions...

The two biggies for me were get miralax for constipation.  Those meds are tough on your bowels and you need something good to help.  Miralax is the best.

Have some protein shakes at home.  I wasn't hungry at all for the first week..so having that around was a hugh help.  And a friend made me some chicken soup and that helped alot too.  You need protein. 

The rest of the suggestions are great!

best of luck
Patty