advice please from people who have had plastic surgery

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I am scheduled in May... so the time is nearly upon me to finalize some things and I need help!!!

Okay, I have never been the kind of person who ever thought I would have plastic surgery and I think at times I ask myself if I am just caught up in the hype. But, the reality of it is, I have lost 150+ and just like tossing those huge 3X sweatpants, I want and need to get rid of some excess skin.

Here is the deal, I have 4 areas that could benefit from improvement, but there is a certain diminishing return. I am trying to decide if it is worth the money and pain and suffering to do what i am planning.

I picked a surgeon with a good reputation who is also very conservative. She does not want to do a bunch at once to keep risk as low as possible. Also, she feels that if you risk breaking open the scars if you use your arms or thighs too much after those procedures, so is very cautious about combining surgeries compared to the out of country surgeons especially. I don't know what to believe anymore, but when it comes to being sliced open and sewn backtogether I run on the conservative side myself... lets face it, I am scared! I am not afraid of dying, I am afraid of going through alot of pain, discomfort and then not having results that are worth it.

so, my doc recommended surgery #1 as an lower body lift (tummy tuck plus goes around the back to address saggy butt and lower back fat) PLUS breast lift and implants. She is right in that those are my biggest problem areas - my boobs basically disappeared the last 15-20 # and I love the fitted clothing look too. The downside of this is that thighs and arms would be two more surgeries in that scenario.

I went back to her and said, i want just two, not three surgeries,

So she gave me a plan B lets do lower body lift and arms as 1 and then breasts and thighs as two.

She wants to be sure you can use muscles to move your self so won't combine certain things.

I liked this but then started thinking.. do I even want to do my arms? They are hangy loose skin but it is my 4th priority and some people have ugly scars after the arms. This doc has great after photos of arm scars but i know darn well that alot just depends. My ams have had stretch marks and sorta wrinkly skin under them since I was 11, I am worried how they will heal to be honest.

some people have tummy and thighs together but my surgeon makes a compellign case that SOME people have wound separation when they do that and i have very thin/delicate skin so my conservative nature has decided to take her word for it.

Bottom line, I quickly need to decide whether to stay with the first plan or go with the revised plan.

So, I would like to hear from people who have staged surgeries over time and what you would recommend given what you know now.

Plan A: surgery 1 : lower body lift and breasts - biggest impact get it done quickly... and then thighs this fall. And then if I want arms, it is a 4th surgery

Plan B: surgery 1: LBL and arms now Surgery 2: breasts and thighs probably in the fall or next year.

either way, it is a crapload of money and my surgeries will be 6-12 months apart so I am waiting along time for surgery 2, 3 and possibly 4.

[luce499 0]

If you have back pain will medicare cover plastic surgery

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

Hi CGJ,

Here is only my opinion as I have had several plastic surgeries:

Tummy Tuck

breast lift and pubic lift at the same time

arm lift and labiaplasty at the same time.

Personally I don't think that I could handle doing arms and TT or LBL at the same time. You can barely move/use your arms much for the first two weeks though it does get better as time goes on. You are hunched over from the TT and I am sure a LBL will leave you quite immobile for a while as it is all the way around the body; lots of slow movement and such.

Breast lift for me was very easy so I could have combined that with anything. The scar for the arm lift is long and well is noticable though I only had it done in January and I hope that it will fade more as time goes by. I will say though that my arm shape is fantastic and I can now fit into all clothing; jackets, tops with arms and I look great.

I know that the more PS I do the more you kind of need/want. You just notice the other parts of your body more as the one part looks better the other ones start to look worse, if you know what I mean.

Good luck with whatever you decide, it is well worth it for sure.

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

Oh just to add on, it will be very hard to put on your LBL garment if you do your arms at the same time. You would have to have someone dress you everyday and not sure if you could use the restroom either without help.

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

Plan A: surgery 1 : lower body lift and breasts - biggest impact get it done quickly... and then thighs this fall. And then if I want arms, it is a 4th surgery

Jane

I'm not doing plastics

IMO - i would do plan A

see how you feel after the first procedures - results et al

if at a later time you decide you want to do the arms, great!!!!

theres another board here for people that have had plastics - hopefully more people will respond

sounds good that you like and trust the doc, thats very important

the fact that the doc says he doesn't want to do too many reconstructions at once, sounds like the right thing to me

i can see you look beautiful after losing 152 lbs (OMG)

now you will look and feel even more terrific!!!!

good luck with all

can't wait to hear about your experiences!!!!

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

You know i can wear clothes fine with my arms as is. it is just that want to wear cocktail dresses etc.

So I am thinking I am being foolish about the arms. I think bang for the buck is fixing the body and my docs original plan was smartest. Still thinking.... Keep the ideas coming.

[luckysmomma 407]

My bestie had gastric bypass in 99...she has had each surgery separately since 2000-2012...lots of money...lots of pain, but she swears it is worth it...she's had the arms, the thighs, the Tummy Tuck, the butt lift, the chin area, whole body lift...she is very pleased with the results, but she does have significant scarring...she's pale & doesn't try to tan to hide the scars...

I would follow my dr's advice if I were you...best of luck to you! Congrats on your success.

[coops 1,790]

Hiya CowgirlJane,

I had an extended TT with muscle repair and boob uplift in one go - will be 5 weeks post op Thurs.

The boob uplift is fairly easy to recover from, a little tenderness but no biggie... the TT is another matter completely. The actual operation was a breeze, in fact the first week was a walk in the park! Now, from around day 11 things got worse. There is no 'pain' per se, but the discomfort, swelling and general feeling of blurgh is really hard to deal with. I am still slow walking around and not stood 100% straight, but I know this will change in time and get better as my body heals.

It is also a massive emotional journey... I really have had moments of 'OMG! What the fook have I done!' - and then of course there's the cost and justifying that in my own head isn't easy!

But - saying all that, I would still go through it again, and again, and again ... to get rid of the apron, well... no words describe the relief.

My only real advise is expectations... I swing from being grateful that I am not a ball of blubber any more to wanting to look like Lara Croft! Stupid or what! When I went into this, I genuinely wanted just for the apron to be gone - I keep changing the goal posts and I am not sure why! Just last night, my hubby reminded me what an amazing surgeon I had and his words - 'I can only work with the genetics that you were born with...' and this is sooooo true.

Realistically, and I have been assured by others, that my tummy is a million times better, but all I can see is the swelling and not a flat tummy that I had at one day post op!

As far as having the two procedures done at the same time... no problem!

I know you are realsitic and you have done a lot of research and I am sure that you will be great! Just wanted to give you my story... others are different!

Remember, results my vary; expectations may change!

Let us know what you decided... and good luck!

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Thanks coop.

I know what you mean about swinging expectations. When i had the sleeve i dreamed of being under 200 - that seemed like an amazing miracle and it was. But then, I wanted more and got more. When I got to my goal weight I started questioning if I was thin enough. Luckily, I have lots of good friends, family and medical people who told me to stop being crazy! Eventually I believed them and I now realize they were right - for me and my body type, i am just right.

My initial plastics consult, I just wanted a tummy and thigh that didn't bounce when I work out...,lol. Just to be normal.

Then, I started realizing I needed to set the bar a little higher... but i have thought, and talked to others and looked at pix... and realize there is a wide range of results. What i desire in my heart of hearts is a small waist. I never had one even when I was young, so lets be real about that. The only way for me to have a small waist is to grow a huge ass and I don't want that either so I will be content with my natural body type!

Anyway, I appreciate the reminder about the headtrip - it is something I am ever vigilent about. Good thing I feel so stuck up about myself that I think I look pretty good even with a floppy belly and thighs and no boobs...lol. IT can only get hotter from here.

[coops 1,790]

See... You know you're own mind! You have clear goals and you probably can visualise yourself post TT... I couldn't do that! You also have more confidence in your appearance that I do... Something that I continue to work on!

At this stage in the healing process I really am all over the shop!

But, the future is bright... What you said about moving/ working out with no skin flapping around is absolutely spot on! In my utter boredom over the weekend (I did absolutely nothing to try and rest to combat the swelling) I watched a yoga thing on sky. I was looking at the different movements thinking: 'yea, righto! I can't do that cos my tummy would get in the way!' Then it dawned on me... The apron has left the building... 3 1/2lbs worth of skin and empty fat cells! Holy moly- I WILL be able to do that. A light bulb moment that lead to me realising that when I am healed and have my surgeon's permission for full exercise, I'm gonna be able to kick ass in the boxing gym; I'm gonna be able to get on that treadmill and run/jog without my tummy hurting my back and hips; I'm gonna be able to climb that mountain that has been teasing me for years!

So, my point... Things have to get better regardless of the outcome- Lara Croft or not, Coops is gonna be a better and fitter version!

Having this sort if surgery, for me, is so much more than looking good, although that is always a bonus. It's about quality of life, a further improvement to my health and fitness and also overall well being.

I'm sure you feel the same way.

If you need any advise or want to chat/vent, feel free to give me a shout!

[freethinker 6]

A good friend of mine had the LBL and arms at the same time - it was hell for her and she had to hire a nurse to help her with daily care... I have not had anything, but from her experience I would say option 1.