Question:
How much pain is there in having your inner and outer thighs , hips and butt trimmed

I am having plastic surgery to remove the excess fat and skin from my inner and outer thighs, my hips and my butt. I have heard that it is very painful, and that I will need to be in bed for two weeks after surgery, but would like to hear from anyone who has had the procedure done, on what it was like.    — Kathy M. (posted on September 11, 2003)

September 11, 2003
Hi - I just had a complete lower body lift with a belt lipectomy two weeks ago and I can confirm that there is a fair amount of pain. In fact, I don't think I've ever felt more intense pain than I did the first time I sat up and then stood (well,stood is a little ambitious, how about vertically slumped?). The pain, however, subsides into something manageable pretty quickly and I was only bed ridden for about three days total. I've been off pain meds since Sunday and I've been going out for walks this week, not fast ones but just to get myself moving again and on Monday I'm going back to work (I'm a teacher). That's less than three weeks out from surgery, but I really feel pretty good and I'm going nuts at home. Also I need to save sick days for my next round of plastic surgery which is in November. By the way, one of the things that really helped me in the early going was a pain pump installed right in my abdomen. The most wonderful device ever invented! Ask your surgeon about it. I don't know how much extra they are, but I think I would have been stuck in bed much longer if I hadn't had it. Mine was free, I just have to go on the local news and say what a wonderful thing it is. Seems fair to me since I do think it's a wonderful thing. Good luck to you on your upcoming surgery. It's painful, but definitely worth it. I have to say I'm still freaked out when I look down and see that flat stomach. I can't believe it's me!
   — Traci H.