Grandmommy Makeover! - Beverly Hills, CA

Though not technically a grandmother, I am 54 and when reviewing YouTube videos I couldn't find many ladies over 35 sharing their experiences. I hope my story will help the over 40 set considering any of these procedures.

I had breast reduction with underarm lipo and full tummy tuck with flank lipo in Beverly Hills, CA I chose my surgeon based on his outstanding reputation at a local hospital, especially with after cancer breast reconstruction. I figured if he could build breasts from scratch so well, he could certainly reduce mine!

I am going to add some detail regarding my surgery and the first few days thereafter. This kind of info was hard for me to find (I was mostly searching You Tube) from women in our age range.

First and foremost, the best decision I made during this process was to stay in a recovery center. I know not every doctor recommends this and there are a variety of reasons why this may not work for everyone, but in my case it was a Godsend. My center was called Serenity, located in Santa Monica, CA and it was wonderful in every way. One review called it a "Four Seasons with Nurses," but in addition to the lovely, private room, there were many great reasons to be there. Before I get to that I will discuss my first moments post surgery, something I was very concerned about from watching videos and reading blogs.

No one looks forward to the whole waking up after anesthesia situation and I was so worried I'd be ill and in excruciating pain. Happy to report upon waking I felt well and quickly alert. Much different from past procedures where I was so sleepy and/or nausea it was hard to keep my eyes open. I did notice the tightness in the stomach area right away and a tingling sensation around my nipple area, but nothing painful. My anesthesiologist explained to me that I had been given a steroid as part as part of the pain management strategy, and that when I was tired later and really wanted to sleep, I might not be able to because of the steroid. This proved to be very true and though my surgery was over in the afternoon, I never fell asleep until after 1:45 a.m. But if it helped the pain situation, it was a small price to pay.

One of the great things about going to the recovery center was that I never had to get up immediately after surgery. I was lifted onto the recovery gurney post op, then wheeled to a van type car where I rode on my gurney to the center. We went up the elevator and then I was transferred to the bed.

I cannot express how little I was able to move those first 48 hours so having a hospital bed where the head and legs could be raised electronically was crucial in my opinion. I had been very worried about blood clots post abdominoplasty and in the center they guard against this by placing leg compression devices on your legs 24/7.

Though many patients are encouraged to try to get up later the day of surgery, that was really out of the question for me and the nurses didn't push it. I had been catheterized so there was really no necessity. I also had asked for a pain pump, so in addition to two drains, I had a pain pump attached to my body. A lot of wires to worry about tangling, but believe, I was not twisting and turning (think bug on its back!) I was not able to control the pump, but it delivered pain relief in pre-measured doses. I never felt horrible "pain" but the tightness you feel from abdominoplasty is like nothing I've ever experienced. Like wearing a corset pulled so tightly that you cannot honestly get a deep breath. For this reason, my doctor ordered oxygen delivered by little nubs in my nose. They bothered me a little, but on that first evening I noticed when I removed them I started feeling tired and faint after about 15 minutes, so I put them right back. Catheter was removed the next morning by an RN (how could I have done this at home??) I was encouraged about an hour later to try and take my first trip to the bathroom.

Sitting up is such a challenge for literally days, but that morning it seemed insurmountable. However with the help from the electronic bed, the nurses and a walker, I managed and I was able to pee the first try with no trouble (thankfully.)

Sitting up, almost any motion of my head, made me nauseous and when I tried to eat a little breakfast I threw it right up. I was then given a nausea patch, another Godsend from the recovery center. After that I mostly sipped fresh smoothies or ate a spoonful of mashed potatoes for the duration of my stay. But they had a wonderful menu of fresh, healthy foods ideal for post surgery healing.

In addition to tummy tuck, I had a breast reduction. You are not supposed to lift anything -- so it was doubly challenging to not have any core movement or strength and not be able to use my arms in my attempts at moving or trying to sit up. I have to say that doing both procedures together is not for the faint of heart. Now -- six weeks out -- I'm glad I did both and do not have another procedure in my near future, but those first days are not easy going.

I booked two days in the center and ended up staying four. I honestly felt I could not have gone home to my three story house and be able to get myself up to the bathroom and deal with the drain maintenance. It was not until the third day that I was even up to dealing with that, and then I was so lucky to have the nurses show me all about the care involved.

It also took three days for me to realize that I was not in a binder at all. I begged one of the nurses to loosen it a bit and she said, "honey you don't have one. Dr. Rogers doesn't use them." That's how tight the muscle repair feels. Since proper oxygenation is so vital to healing and it's so hard to get good breaths post tummy tuck, my doctor also recommended some visits to the hyperbaric chamber. The recovery facility took me in a very nice car with tinted windows a few blocks away and I had my session. It is like going into a glass coffin (though not close to your face, it's not claustrophobic) -- a la Sleeping Beauty. You stay in a little over an hour and they let you pick a movie to watch while inside. (Girl With Pearl Earring!)

I share all these details about those first days because to me the center made all the difference. If this is not an option, I really suggest having a person who can assist you 24/7 for at least four days. My husband is wonderful, but I think he would have been very panicky having to care for me and deal with drains -- not know what was normal post op and what wasn't. The nurses do this day after day and they were so confident and knowledgeable.

Just wanted to share those early days. Will keep you posted about the next stages of recovery/results.

Gentle hugs!!

Here is me at week seven post op. I've had an issue all along with ugly hip pleating that Dr R. assures me will go away: extensive hip pleating. At first it was very severe, looking like tight rolls of fat coming in each side diagonally from my hip bones (which were covered under the swelling.)

We had not discussed this prior to surgery and this was not something I noticed in the dozens of YouTube videos I watched.

I was kind of oanicked until I read something from one of the RealSelf doctors about hip pleating. He said this was a good thing and usually associated with a shorter scar. It has to do with the easy they match up the skin. You have TEMPORARY pleating but a permanently shorter scar. It likened it to hemming fabric but this was beyond me.

As you can see from the pic, it's finally resolving and my incision does seem a little shorter than some, with no wrap around. Once again, Dr. Rogers' work has proven innovative.