Arm Lift and Tummy Tuck

[j.winters1028 1]

I just got approval from insurance for my Tummy Tuck and my arm lift. My plastic surgeon recommends doing both at the same time. Has anyone else done both? Pros? Cons? My only concern is my husband works full time 12 hour days and no family lives “nearby”...meaning within an hour from us...does it seem feasible that I’ll be okay alone all day? Thanks everyone for your input!

[galnamenikki 8]

Congratulations! What did it take for insurance to approve your removal? You're going to need some help sweetie pie...just a little.

[jess9395 5,449]

I had arms Tummy Tuck and breasts done same time.

I had hubby around for the first 24 hours then he left for a camping trip. I was actually glad for the alone time. I had help that was a phone call away but never needed it.

[j.winters1028 1]

Congratulations! What did it take for insurance to approve your removal? You're going to need some help sweetie pie...just a little.

I have been stable for 6+ months, I have rashes and irritation from the extra skin. I tried and documented 3 different types of therapy, but honestly I think my plastic surgeon helped. He told me 99% of the time insurance will not cover arms..but he was gonna submit photos and a letter anyway..and I got the approval in the mail yesterday.

[jess9395 5,449]

Check your policy some (like mine) have some very specific requirements like pannus has to be x inches past pubic bone or things like that. Some exclude it entirely. Some require documented health complications. Looking at your policy is the best instruction manual for planning ahead.

Sadly I had to self pay all of mine.

[jenpa 34]

I just got approval from insurance for my Tummy Tuck and my arm lift. My plastic surgeon recommends doing both at the same time. Has anyone else done both? Pros? Cons? My only concern is my husband works full time 12 hour days and no family lives “nearby”...meaning within an hour from us...does it seem feasible that I’ll be okay alone all day? Thanks everyone for your input! [emoji4]

Hello there! Congratulations! I had both done at the same time 5 years ago. It was hard. I did have help though for 1st couple days. If you take your pain meds you can cope. Just make sure you have everything you need close by when your hubby leaves for work: Water ,meds crackers & pillow for tummy - having your Velcro wrap around you tight helps too! When the drains are removed you will feel like a million bucks! Best wishes:) PS Don’t shower till someone is around... I passed out & my husband was there to help. I was fine but my blood pressure dropped a bit! No regrets !!!

[j.winters1028 1]

Hello there! Congratulations! I had both done at the same time 5 years ago. It was hard. I did have help though for 1st couple days. If you take your pain meds you can cope. Just make sure you have everything you need close by when your hubby leaves for work: Water ,meds crackers & pillow for tummy - having your Velcro wrap around you tight helps too! When the drains are removed you will feel like a million bucks! Best wishes:) PS Don’t shower till someone is around... I passed out & my husband was there to help. I was fine but my blood pressure dropped a bit! No regrets !!!

Thank you! I’m really nervous to do both together but I’m only allowed 1 medical leave in a 12 month period, so my surgeon and I agreed both together is best (plus out of pocket cost will be less if done together). I am doing a lot of research to find out what I can do before hand to make everything after smooth for recovery. Thank you for the tips, if you think of anymore I’d appreciate hearing them

[GotProlactinoma 458]

Has anyone hired a nurse to stay or stop by for a few days? I have only my adult sons and they can’t help with like getting me to the bathroom or changing bandages or the parts that are being worked on. They can fix me meals and take care of the little kids for me but I have no female to help if I need more private help.

[jess9395 5,449]

I mean you could... but I didn’t need any private help. I wouldn’t have known what to do with one. Perhaps if you are skittish about your drains... but they are easy... just if you’re squeamish. And I had arms, boobs and tummy done all at the same time. And I was no spring chicken, pushing 50.

If you think t might be useful to you try a nursing school and see if they have a student who might be interested!

[nurse247 74]

Has anyone hired a nurse to stay or stop by for a few days? I have only my adult sons and they can’t help with like getting me to the bathroom or changing bandages or the parts that are being worked on. They can fix me meals and take care of the little kids for me but I have no female to help if I need more private help.

The place I went to had a recovery house included in my surgery package. I stayed for seven days.

[Zuze 18]

I had both at the same time. Everything in life is easier if someone helps you but Like you I had to count on myself, so it’s not impossible just challenging till you figure out the way to do things on ur own, like get up and switch sides and and .... very very very slowly though.

Some pointers

-Pain meds are highly needed and helpful so you can manage. And you can’t do without them at the beginning even if you have help

-don't shower if you are alone. I had my mother help me with that the first time. otherwise clean the wounds well and apply the medication or whatever the doctor instruction is.

- plan your meals before the surgery because you need a high Protein diet to help with the healing. It’s extremely important. I had good people who cooked and brought me food, I ordered in on some days and toward the second week I would cook easy quick things, like eggs for example.

- laxative is your best best best friend for the first two weeks. For me the pain of constpitaion brought me to tears and wouldn’t let me sleep. So add some Fiber to your diet to help as well

- I set up my living room as my space, pillows for my back cuz u can’t lie flat at the beginning and pillows under my knee. Tv was my mindless entertainment to keep me company. I watched so many movies

- wear your Spanx 24 hours

- cheer yourself on everyday because you have reached the plastics phase, you made it, it’s just hard when you are near the finish line.

- check yourself out in the mirror and enjoy the view

best of luck. You can do this 💪

[Jamocoa 54]

I had both at the same time. Everything in life is easier if someone helps you [emoji4] but Like you I had to count on myself, so it’s not impossible just challenging till you figure out the way to do things on ur own, like get up and switch sides and and .... very very very slowly though.
Some pointers
-Pain meds are highly needed and helpful so you can manage. And you can’t do without them at the beginning even if you have help
-don't shower if you are alone. I had my mother help me with that the first time. otherwise clean the wounds well and apply the medication or whatever the doctor instruction is.
- plan your meals before the surgery because you need a high Protein diet to help with the healing. It’s extremely important. I had good people who cooked and brought me food, I ordered in on some days and toward the second week I would cook easy quick things, like eggs for example.
- laxative is your best best best friend for the first two weeks. For me the pain of constpitaion brought me to tears and wouldn’t let me sleep. So add some Fiber to your diet to help as well
- I set up my living room as my space, pillows for my back cuz u can’t lie flat at the beginning and pillows under my knee. Tv was my mindless entertainment to keep me company. I watched so many movies
- wear your Spanx 24 hours
- cheer yourself on everyday because you have reached the plastics phase, you made it, it’s just hard when you are near the finish line.
- check yourself out in the mirror and enjoy the view [emoji4]
best of luck. You can do this [emoji123]

This is all good advice. I was sleeping in an uncomfortable recliner my Daddy bought over. I was so uncomfortable and my back and shoulders hurt on top of the pain from the surgery. I was watching YouTube videos and a young lady mentioned see rented a hospital bed. I called and rented one. Way better than the recliner and it was only 175.00 for the month.

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[Nologoz 18]

Had both done at the same time about 6 months ago. It was not easy. I needed help (especially the first 5 days), mainly because I was paranoid about the drains. I had four total. One in each arm, and two in on either side of the pubic area below the abdominal incision.

After 5 days it got a bit easier because the arm drains came out. I had the stomach drains in for almost 2 weeks. I didn't feel comfortable being left alone for long periods of time until all the drains were out.

Whatever you do, do not wait too long to take colase. Constipation is a b***h. I didn't start the stool softener right away because I was worried about getting diarrhea and not making it to the toilet on time. Big Mistake! Instead I became very constipated about 5 days post op.

When you can't use your arms, you don't want to have to use a suppository. The colase wont work right away if you start it too late. I added Metamucil to my Protein Shakes and that eventually helped get things moving. If I had to go through the surgery again, I would have started the colase right away.

Here are the things I did right:

1. I rented a lift chair for $150 per month. Look for a two motor chair that offers zero gravity. You don't want to use your arms to get in and out of bed. A lift chair will basically pick you up, and lay you back into a sleep position with ease.

2. Get an Amazon Echo Dot and some Phillips Hue bulbs if you can afford it. In my chair, I could verbally (instead of physically) turn the lights on and off whenever I wanted. It also kept me entertained when I was alert (news flashes, podcasts, audio games). When I was high on the pain meds, I would tell Alexa to play lo-fi meditative "zone out" relaxing, trippy music. Haven't been that "stoned" since my college years. You might as well enjoy the high since its legal. Looking back, I wish I could have had a nest thermostat, so I could have controlled the room temperature with Alexa. You tend to get hot and cold quickly when you sit around in a chair for days on end.

3. Toilet seat riser with handles on at least one side, for obvious reasons.

4. A Medicine Log Book. Write down the time, every time you take your meds. Its especially important with the pain meds. You will be very out of it and you don't want to OD because you forgot that you already took your pain meds. I would also use the timer/alarm feature on Alexa to remind me when the next dose of medicine was due.

5. A good quality blender for making fruit/protien smoothies. Get a Vitamix if you can afford it. If not, a Ninja or a Magic bullet should suffice, For some reason after surgery, prepackaged foods taste horrible. Getting high quality Protein is essential for a fast recovery. I blended bits of fresh fruit with nectar Protein Powder and ice. Flavors like Fuzzy Navel, Grapefruit, and Kiwi strawberry blend nicely together with bananas, pineapple, etc. Tastes like Jamba juice, but without the refined sugar.

6. Be as active outdoors as much as you can, the weeks prior to surgery. Do errands, play sports, go hiking, take a walk, go shopping. Get out of the house as much as possible. For 2-3 weeks after surgery, you will likely be stuck inside, in a chair, bored out of your mind. Don't watch TV at all prior to surgery. DVR your favorite shows and save them for after surgery. Trust me, you will have all the time in the world to catch up on your TV shows after surgery.

Hope all this helps. Best of luck with your surgery and recovery!

Edited June 13, 2018 by Nologoz

[shelia45 0]

Had both done at the same time about 6 months ago. It was not easy. I needed help (especially the first 5 days), mainly because I was paranoid about the drains. I had four total. One in each arm, and two in on either side of the pubic area below the abdominal incision.
After 5 days it got a bit easier because the arm drains came out. I had the stomach drains in for almost 2 weeks. I didn't feel comfortable being left alone for long periods of time until all the drains were out.
Whatever you do, do not wait too long to take colase. Constipation is a b***h. I didn't start the stool softener right away because I was worried about getting diarrhea and not making it to the toilet on time. Big Mistake! Instead I became very constipated about 5 days post op.
When you can't use your arms, you don't want to have to use a suppository. The colase wont work right away if you start it too late. I added Metamucil to my Protein Shakes and that eventually helped get things moving. If I had to go through the surgery again, I would have started the colase right away.
Here are the things I did right:
1. I rented a lift chair for $150 per month. Look for a two motor chair that offers zero gravity. You don't want to use your arms to get in and out of bed. A lift chair will basically pick you up, and lay you back into a sleep position with ease.
2. Get an Amazon Echo Dot and some Phillips Hue bulbs if you can afford it. In my chair, I could verbally (instead of physically) turn the lights on and off whenever I wanted. It also kept me entertained when I was alert (news flashes, podcasts, audio games). When I was high on the pain meds, I would tell Alexa to play lo-fi meditative "zone out" relaxing, trippy music. Haven't been that "stoned" since my college years. You might as well enjoy the high since its legal. Looking back, I wish I could have had a nest thermostat, so I could have controlled the room temperature with Alexa. You tend to get hot and cold quickly when you sit around in a chair for days on end.
3. Toilet seat riser with handles on at least one side, for obvious reasons.
4. A Medicine Log Book. Write down the time, every time you take your meds. Its especially important with the pain meds. You will be very out of it and you don't want to OD because you forgot that you already took your pain meds. I would also use the timer/alarm feature on Alexa to remind me when the next dose of medicine was due.
5. A good quality blender for making fruit/protien smoothies. Get a Vitamix if you can afford it. If not, a Ninja or a Magic bullet should suffice, For some reason after surgery, prepackaged foods taste horrible. Getting high quality Protein is essential for a fast recovery. I blended bits of fresh fruit with nectar Protein Powder and ice. Flavors like Fuzzy Navel, Grapefruit, and Kiwi strawberry blend nicely together with bananas, pineapple, etc. Tastes like Jamba juice, but without the refined sugar.
6. Be as active outdoors as much as you can, the weeks prior to surgery. Do errands, play sports, go hiking, take a walk, go shopping. Get out of the house as much as possible. For 2-3 weeks after surgery, you will likely be stuck inside, in a chair, bored out of your mind. Don't watch TV at all prior to surgery. DVR your favorite shows and save them for after surgery. Trust me, you will have all the time in the world to catch up on your TV shows after surgery.
Hope all this helps. Best of luck with your surgery and recovery!

Thanks for the info. I'm soon going to talk about removing loose skin on belly


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[JSchool10 16]

Thanks everyone for your input. I’m down to 33 days left until surgery! It seems so unreal sometimes! I’m going to take all your advice and do what I think will work for me. Luckily my niece is gonna stay with me for my first week at home since my husband has to return to work. I’m so ready to see my body after everything I have worked so hard for! I’ll keep everyone posted next month. In the meantime keep the advice coming! I appreciate it all❤️