Extended tummy tuck and inner thigh lift

I’ve been over weight since childhood. After a 140lb weight loss between 2012-2014, I had an extended arm lift, BA/BL in Jan2015 with Dr. Peter Fisher in San Antonio TX. I am returning to Dr. Fisher on 21Mar2019 to have a lower body lift and spiral thigh lift. Since there are fewer reviews and information regarding extensive thigh lifts, I wanted to document my surgery to help others.

Arrived in San Antonio a day prior to surgery and met with Dr. Fisher and Joann in the office for surgical marking. Talking with both of them made me excited. Since I was happy with the shape of my behind, we switched from a lower body lift (360 tummy tuck) to an extended tummy tuck. My thigh lift markings ended about two inches below the knee, and he marked some areas for liposuction. I had a previous surgery, and Dr. Fisher also said he could touch up the scar line for my previous arm lift. Other than marking, JoAnn taught me how to use the drains and instructed me to wash with hibiclens the night before and morning of surgery. I drank plenty of broth and water for the rest of the evening.
Here are a few things I did to prepare for surgery:
(1) I started a packing & questions list on my phone a few months in advance. This allowed me to add items to the list as they came to me.
(2) increased my water and protein intake.
(3) started a liquid diet two days before surgery.
(4) Secured help from my cousin who is a nurse, rented an Airbnb, and rented a lift recliner.
(5) completed blood work and an ECG.
(6) bought a compression garment.

I arrived for surgery at Methodist at 0530 and was in my room around 1700. The first night was a blur. I had a PCA pump to self administer pain meds. Overnight, the pain got a little worse as I could feel the numbness wear off near the incisions. I started taking oral pain meds the second day, and they seemed to control the pain better. Dr. Fisher came by both days. The nursing staff was attentive, but I’m glad I had my cousin to help know what to do - such as she noticed my catheter bag wasn’t filling, and she adjusted things to help the urine to flow. (Your bladder shouldn’t feel full when you have a cath). My cousin taught me how to do cath care because the nursing staff didn’t complete it for two days (prevents UTI). The nurses did not know how to care for the drains very well, and the nursing assistants can’t do more than empty the drain, so my tubes didn’t get stripped as often as needed. So be sure to learn about your drain tubes from JoAnn and Dr. Fisher to allow yourself to complete this task independently.
I wasn’t able to walk more than a few steps on Day 1, but was able to sit in the chair for an hour. Dr. Fisher gave me an Rx for diflucan to prevent a year infection, and I took it post op.. I started a liquid diet on Day 1, and I had soft solids on Day 2. On Day 2, I was able to walk the hallways, and they took the catheter out since I felt confident I could make it to the bathroom. Once I voided on my own, I was cleared for discharge. We stayed for a few more hours to nap and take my next set of pain meds before leaving. I put on my compression garment to leave the hospital. The ride to the Airbnb was manageable.
I took a few after picture before leaving the hospital. I’m still very hunched over, but the results are immediate.
Multiple people in the OR and on the floor told me they thought Dr. Fisher’s work was amazing and that he had patients come in from all over. I already knew how great he was, and I got lucky that he is only 4 hours from my house. There aren’t many surgeons that do such a great job on major weight loss patients, but Dr. Fisher is an artist with redraping all the excess skin. He also has a wonderful personality, so it made the choice of picking Dr. Fisher as my surgeon even easier.