Patient Reviews

beachlifemama

Review from Realself

Jan 17, 2020

47 y/o plus size tummy tuck with lipo I have been researching and planning for a few years. At first I just planned on large volume lipo, but for a few thousand more I can get a full tummy tuck and a flatter tummy. I am scheduled for 2/28 with Dr. Newall in Houston. I am 5'4, 235lbs. I am also hoping that a side effect will be an improvement in my back pain, as some studies have shown tummy tucks with muscle repair can help back pain. That would be a great bonus! Right now I am just trying to get everything together I may need post op. I am going for my pre-op 2/11. Down payment made, I am comitted now! I have also reserved a very nice recovery house for 3 nights post op. I am actually excited about that! Someone else feeding me delicious food, private room, TV, netflix, nice view, someone to take care of me 24/7. I am also considering adding fat transfer to breast to my procedure, waiting until my preop to see what the doctor says about that. I am wondering if I have to get a mammogram preop if I do that. I am also trying to lose a little weight preop. Any visceral fat I can lose pre surgery will help my outcome. I have been shopping on amazon trying to decide what all I need post surgery. Getting nervous and excited. Surgery is 5 weeks away! It seems like time is crawling since I scheduled my surgery. It feels like it will never get here! I am staying 3 days at a recovery house before I come home, so I am trying to decide if I will still need a lift recliner by day 3. I looked i to renting one, but its almost as much as buying one. I fond a plain lift recliner for $200, but if I go ahead and but one, I will probably get the one with heat and massage for $299 to help ease the back pain from laying in it so much. I am thinking about buying a few maxi dresses to wear for the first week or two post surgery. I have read so mnay reviews on here and everyone seems to recommend something different. I can't imagine trying to bend over and pull up seeatpants the first few days though. I keep buting things I think I will need post-op, like pillows and a grabber and a lanyard (for he drains). I feel like I am anxiety shopping! I need to slow down. My pre-op appointment is in a week and a half. They are going to give me my pre-op instructions then, and do my surgery clearance. I am ready for it to get here already! Time seemed like it was crawling, but today it hit me that I am having my TT this month! Holy cow! It doesn't seem real. On a not so happy note, my digital scale was acting up, so I got a new one, and it shows I weigh 10 pounds more than I thought. So has my other scale been lying to me for years, or is the new one off? I guess I will find out when I go in the office, if they weigh me (they didn't at my consultation). It's silly I guess that a number, even though I look the same as yesterday, can make me feel fatter and worse about myself 🙁 . Trying to concentrate on the positive. I have quit diet cokes this week, which is huge for me! I used to drink 4 a day, and now I am rid of that habit! I am trying to cut down on salt also, so itwon't be such a big change after surgery. I still can't decide about the lift recliner. Anyone else out thre having a TT this month? Three weeks away from surgery! Now I am trying to decide if I want to get a breast lift with implants at the same time as my tummy tuck. I was considering a fat transfer to breast to get some volume back, but I have read a lot of accounts where none of the fat transferred stayed. I don't want to waste my money. I am not small, I am already a small D,so I would just get a small implant for more youthful volume. I am worried about the scar, though. Does anyone regret that? I am kind of on the line of needing a lift or not. Just not sure what I am going to do. I am excited my pre-op is tomorrow! I can't wait! 2 1/2 weeks away from my surgery. I have been dieting, and have lost 6 pounds in the last 2 weeks (15 since the end of november) Hoping to lose another 5-6 before surgery. Posting a few before pics in my clothes. (Ugh) My surgery is two weeks from tomorrow! So, I went for my pre-op appointment Tuesday. There was SO much information. I did talk to Dr. Newall, and he says I am not a good candidate for fat transfer to the breast (it would not give me what I want), but I could do a lift wih inplants. I am just not sure about that right now, so I am going to hold off. Maybe in a few years. Plus, seems like it might be too much to recover from at one time. But, I did add chin lipo. It only added $1000 to my cost, and he said wold only add about 15 minutes or so to my procedure. I will add some before photos of my chin. So, at the pre-op, they did before photos. They took my blood pressure, and checked my hemoglobin with a pulse-oximeter looking machine. I am a nurse, and I have never seen a machine that can do that without a needle stick. Pretty cool. My hgb was good at 13.9. I have been taking Blood Builder for a few weeks that some other people have recommended on here, because I tend to have very heavy periods, and can be anemic at times. So, yay! Glad that was good. They also gave me a nice Joann Marie bag with supplies in it. It has bed pads, kotex pads for covering lipo sites, tape, kerlix for tummy tuck incision, antibiotic oitment for TT incision, hibicleanse to shower with the night before and the morning of surgery, peroxide and saline for wound care, Arnica montana for bruising, and recovery support vitamins and bromelain. I will add some pictures of it all whrn I have time. I am supposed to start the vitamins on Friday. I take three in the morning, and there is a different one I take 3 of in the afternoon. For the two weeks before surgery they said no diet pills, no tumeric, no decongestants, no retinol, no ibuprofen, and the list goes on. I have to be at the surgery center at 6:00 am on the 28th. They gave me 6 prescriptions to get filled, which I did yesterday. They said I can shower the day after surgery and wash my hair with baby shampoo. That's all I an think of right now. Eveyone have a great day! So, my title in the other update says pre-op and bad dream. I told you about the pre-op, forgot the bad dream! I guess because it is getting so close, and it is on my mind so much, I had a dream last night that I had my tummy tuck, and it was the day afterward, and it looked horrible! I had a new roll in my abdomen that I don't have now, my belly button was missing, and i had an overhang in the front and sides, and my incision ws very crooked. I couldn't find my compression garment anywhere. I guess I am worried about a good result, lol. I think its hard for me to believe I can have a tummy like so many I have seen on here. It just doesn't seem real. I am just ready for the waitin to be over! I can't believe I am only a week away from surgery. It's coming so fast now! I haven't done everything I wanted to get done yet, so its a race to get those things done now. I want the house in tip top shape so I don't have to worry about it for a while. I almost ruined the whole thing yesterday. It was rainy and wet,and I stepped out the front door onto the porch in my house slippers, and my foot slipped and I puton a impromtu acrobatic performance and did an involuntary split. BTW, I CAN'T do a split, not for at least 20 years. I hyperextended my hip and knee, and I thought I broke something for a minute. I rolled around in pain. It's much better today, thank the Lord, just a little sore. I think I have everything I need ready. I got my lift recliner in a few days ago, and put it together with the help of my 12 year old son. It was a pain. Could not have done it alone. I love it, though! It has massage and heat that will hopefully help a little with the back pain from laying around so much. I will be heading to the recovery house the night before my surgery. So 6 days till I get there, and 7 days till surgery! OMG! I am freaking out. My surgery is in 3 days. I almost talked myself out of it today. What freaks me out he most is how long recovery is. But I am pushing through. I have been cery busy cleaning and packing and getting my nest set up for after surgery. I have my lift recliner with massage and heat, a table on either side for my stuff, pillows within reach, and nuts, crackers, cough drops, straws, and tissues within reach. I am a little freaked out about how many pills I have to take per day after surgery. Its like 25! Pain pills, blood thinner, nausea meds, 6 vitamins per day, arnica, bromelain, and a steroid pill. I am sure I am forgetting something. Anyway, I guess I am as ready as I can be. There was a huge water main break in houston. I was in m gown, IV in, ready to go, and they cancelled my surgery (and everyone else) due to a water main break. I was so upset, I cried. I am rescheduled for Monday. But it really messes ip my time off work and child care situation, and I live 2 hours away. Not happy today. Surgery about 12:30 yesterday. All went well. Wasn't relly in pain when I woke up, just a little nauseasted. Recovery house picked me up. Not much pain last night, maybe because of he exparel. I had a fee moments where I coughed that made me think "what did I do to myself?!"bruising is not bad. Didnmt take any pictures riht aftr surgery, so I am posting the ones from today, and I am already super swollen. Dr says my waist will be much more defined when he swelling goes down. The surgeons nurse came and changed my dressings a bit ago, i had my binder off for about an hour, and I much prefer it on. I have one drain in the crease betren my mons and my leg. I kee falling asleep typing this, so will update more later So far I am happy with my results. My exparel has worn off, and I have some minimal to moderate MR pain at times, and some slight lipo burining, but not much. My main issue right now, and it is a big one, is the back pain! It's awful! The funny thing is, I think it has helper my chronic back pain, because before I wold never have been able to sit in a recliner for hours wihout pain, but I am fine while sitting or reclining. But I cannot take more than a few steps wihout a walker wihout severe back muscle pain from being hunche. At this point I don't know how I will walk into my PS office for a follow up Tuesday even with a walker. Its hard to standlong enough to take updated pics,but i will try later. Anyone have any solutions for the back issue? So, it has been a while since I updated. I did not feel good enough to worry about what I looked like for a while, I had a rough recovery. Then I came down with he virus. I coughed for 11 days straight. I have been so sore. Just starting to feel more normal. This is the first week I can sleep on my side sort of comfortably. Thank goodness for my lift recliner, it has saved me. I am still pretty swollen because of all the coughing. I am mostly happy with my results, because I mainly wanted my overhang gone, but I am not happy with how boxy I look. I hope that inproves. I feel like he took too much off my hips. From pre-op, i have lost 3 inches off my waist, 7 inches off my hips, and 4 inches off my bra band area. I am happy with that, but I need more of a waist. It may go down a little more, hopefully. I haven't taken many pics, but I took a wuick one this morning, I will post it. Updated pic today, finally flattening out! Will be 7 weeks tomorrow My waist is starting to appear! From one week to the next, big difference. Hopefully i keeps getting better