ABDOMINOPLASTY ADVICE PLEASE?

[DianaCox]

Looking for all advice in preparing for abdominoplasty:

Preop:
What should I buy/have on hand?

Postop:
What tricks, products, etc. were lifesavers?

What I've got so far:

• Have an electric recliner to sleep on
• Have a tolerable protein drink (Unjury chicken soup) on hand
• I think I should buy some long soft men's sleeveless undershirts to wear under the binder
• Tampax pads (don't have those anymore ...)
• Somewhere, I have one of those cup/hose thingies that allows a woman to pee standing up - but that doesn't help with #2.
• Speaking of which, my Toto washlet is going to be even more handy immediately postop
• I quit smoking Jan 1
• I MUST start walking to get my strength up though - I've been a vegetable lately! Long fast walks!

What else should I know/expect?

We have a trip planned to LA in the RV on May 17th, for a wedding on the 20th. I hope I'll be in good enough shape for that. I can ride in the SleepNumber bed. And I have a nice dress (my MOTB dress from 2007, when I was 15 lbs heavier) which should be very comfortable.

 

[Larra]

Disposable gloves for emptying the drains (they don't need to be sterile)
The support garment should allow you to use the bathroom normally. Honest!

Let me know if you need an angel.

 

[DianaCox]

I may ask Charles to contact you directly, thanks!

We have gloves, check! Thanks. I helped Charles with his drains when he had his abdominoplasty, so I sorta remember this.

 

[hilary1617]

Cane - to get in and out of recliner and up and down from toilet. Stepladder next to bed in case you want to give it a try. Makes getting in and out so much easier....

 

[Spiky Bugger]

I like these ideas.

Depending on how hard you need to push for a decent post-anesthesia poop, maybe a stool softener?

I used my men's sleeveless t-shirts for after lots of surgeries. I like that idea. And if the binder feels too tight, trust your own judgement. I have a friend who ended up with unfortunate areas of big ol' black, necrotic tssue from her binder being too tight.

 

[galaxygrrl]

Hope it goes smoothly!

 

[JackieOnLine]

And if the binder feels too tight, trust your own judgement.

yes! and even if it doesn't, have Charles do a skin check where you can't see. circulation is so important

congratulations on quitting smoking

 

[Munchkin]

When is this happening? And congratulations! You will do great!

 

[DianaCox]

April 23rd, unless an OR slot becomes available sooner.

Another thing on the list - I am approved for a radiofrequency ablation of my tailbone nerve, which I should do before the abdominoplasty, especially since I'll be flat on my tender ass for weeks, and won't be able to lay on my belly for the procedure afterwards for a long time. So I'll be doing that at the end of the upcoming week.

Trying to figure out if I really have to drive 22 miles up and back to the hospital for the pre-op tests a few days before the procedure, or if I can do them down here - surgery will be at an Abrazo hospital, and my PCP is with Abrazo, but this large medical group with multiple sites is SO less electronically sophisticated, much less integrated, than, for example, Sutter Health in the Bay Area is. Really annoying - can't even graph my labs over time, which I had been able to do with PAMF/Sutter for the last 10 years.

 

[Munchkin]

Let me know if there is anything I can do for you!

 

[Marquis Mark]

Your list looks good. Instead of a recliner, I rented an electric hospital bed, but either should work. The pee bottle is definitely a good idea. Stool softeners until you know you're not going to lock up. Most def.

Get your iron and protein as high as possible before surgery.

Make sure to walk like an old lady when you're standing and stay bent at the knees in bed for the first week (to avoid stretching the scar).

Get some Mepitac tape (Amazon) for post surgery scar care. I can barely see my scar now.

Be ABUNDANTLY clear with your PS about what you expect and listen to him/her when he tells you what the challenges are. It's unlikely you're going to get a perfect outcome the first time around so prepare yourself. Be realistic and you won't be dissapointed.

Wear clean t-shirts under the binder so you don't have to wash the binder too often. I have a couple of extra binders. If you PM me a mailing address I'll send them to you.

Relax. It really wasn't bad AT ALL. I think I took two Vicodins total. And I really didn't need them.

I'm smoking hot now. You will be, too.

 

[DianaCox]

Hmm, well I’m only having the abdomen done, and the rear and thighs are a disaster zone (and I’m almost 65) - but I don’t think I’m going to be able to get them done under insurance. Although just for the helluvit, I’m appealing the denials too.

So if you didn’t already tell us how your procedure went, and what you had done, and how your insurance battle went, as well as before and after pix, please share (or repost the link?).

 

[Spiky Bugger]

Ya know...I was thinking about what YOU need.

Have your surgeon bring one of these...they are like magic:

https://www.halyardhealth.com/solut...e-pain-solutions/on-q-pain-relief-system.aspx

 

[DianaCox]

Excellent suggestion! Will ask for it.

 

[bearmom]

That's a good list, just make sure the shirts are coton. Soft as possible against sore skin for hours is a thing, and absorbent is a must. Multiples, so you can just toss em in the laundry every time you change dressing if you leak every few hours.

If there is any lipo happening, then I also suggest the huge (like 3 ft wide) disposable pads on the bed or recliner.

Because you will be doing the old lady walk for a while (not straightening up when standing or walking, not properly sitting in a chair - only semi reclined) I recommend a toilet riser. The taller kind, like 4 inch rise, not 2. If you are getting an upside down T type cut, that may not be as big of a deal, but the further back the horizontal cut goes, the more difficult sitting without doing damage to the incisions at the sides becomes.

So cool you could get some of this done with insurance. As much as I hate surgery, the tummy tuck was one that the recovery was made easier just because the results were obvious immediately post op. It wasn't like waking up and thinking "owch. and now I don't have a gallbladder", it was "owch. HOLY CRAP LOOK AT MY BELLY!!!!!" Much easier to deal with the pain when your looking at abs you can bounce quarters off of.