Incredible / Drastic (In the Very Best Way) Tummy Tuck Results! - Naples, FL

7 weeks post op!

I finally figured out how to add photos.

After losing over 100 pounds during the period of 2 years through calorie counting and exercise, I was left with a large amount of sagging skin and loose "junk" under my arms and tummy.

I received several great plastic surgeon referrals from doctor friends and began interviewing various plastic surgeons as well as doing extensive research earlier this year. Once I met Dr Basile, I knew that I met the right doctor to give me my much needed transformation. I was impressed with Dr Basile along with his experiences with these procedures and his impressive credentials and certifications. I also appreciated Dr Basile's detailed and conservative nature and also how forthcoming and honest he was to me with respects to preparing for the surgeries and what to expect through every step of the process. I could tell right off that Dr Basile's priorities are for his patients and making certain that they are kept safe and healthy under his care. I met with another PS who insisted that he would do both surgeries at once and would not even give me an option to do the surgeries via 2 separate procedures. I had other PS including Dr Basile explain to me how much I would need my arms to pull myself up, and navigate after tummy tuck surgery. Now that I have had both surgeries, I can't imagine what this PS was thinking (other then himself) when suggesting this to me to have had everything done at once. I do believe there are many plastic surgeries that work well while being combined under one surgery, however and arm lift and a tummy tuck together would not be one of them in my opinion.

I scheduled my tummy tuck procedure for November 2, 2016 which was roughly 11 weeks after my arm lift. The procedure was approximately 4 1/2 hours long. I could not have been more pleased to wake up after surgery to feel a flat tummy and to learn Dr Basile had removed 8 pounds along with doing significant muscle repair! I was sent home with 3 drains and was wrapped tightly in a compression / binder type of garment therefore I did not get to peak at my new tummy until my follow up appointment with Dr Basile the next day. I seriously could have cried when Dr Basile removed my compression garment as I could not believe my eyes to see such a tight, young looking tummy. I have been overweight all of my teen through adult life and I have never seen my tummy look so good! As you can see from my "before pictures" (taken the night before my surgery) and my "after pictures" (taken 2 weeks after my surgery) the results are dramatic despite that my tummy is quite swollen still in my after pictures. Once again, I am extremely impressed by Dr Basile's prefect stitching as his eye for detail is beyond exceptional. I am now 7 weeks post op and doing extremely well with life being back to normal. I had the first 2 drains removed at day #8 and the last drain removed 5 days later. Once all of the drains were removed, I began light walking at the indoor mall and resuming light chores and getting back into my life, slowly but via good reasonable progress. A few helpful tips that I found to be extremely helpful for comfort at home after my surgery are the following:

1) I purchased a 5 inch tall toilet lift (seat) for my toilet via amazon for less then $30.00. Trust me, it is very helpful to not have to lower yourself down to the level of your toilet during those first few weeks after surgery.
2) I used a small step stool to get into my bed as my bed is quite high and climbing in without that extra life would have been difficult.
3) I did not use a recliner but I did use a total of 8 pillows to comfortably prop my self up, as well as elevate my knees and wedge up my sides while resting in bed. I had a flat tray propped up as well to where I could be comfortable and have my lap top resting on my knees. I did try my husbands electric recliner on a few occasions and although it was a good alternative for me, I found my bed and pillows to bring me the most comfort.
4) Buy a enema kit (less t hen $15 on amazon) as unfortunately the oxi cotton and vallium caused me a great deal of terrible constipation. I did prepare for this by taking stool softeners and eating high fiber foods, however nothing worked for me like an enema. I had never done an enema prior, and hope to never again but trust me it was the only tool that was going to help me. I stopped the oxi cotton and valium at day #5 and depended only on tylenol as of that date. The constipation was truly worse (at least for me) then any pain from the incision.
5) Exercise and live as healthy as possible well in advanced of your surgery. I believe that these preparations were a big reason as to why I bounced back so quickly after surgery.
6) Do plan to get up and walk around your house a bit after surgery. I feel as though getting up and walking around the house frequently through out the day did quite a bit for my quick healing.
7) I bought a 4 foot long, grab type of stick / device off amazon for around $12.00. I could not believe how helpful this device was for picking up and grabbing objects during those first few weeks post surgery.
8) I bought a large box of adult wipes / wash clothes at Sam's club which worked out very well for washing myself (no showering while one has drains), I would wipe myself down with the wipes, apply lotion over my bodies skin and spritz with body spray. I stayed fresh and clean despite not being able to shower.
9) I bought panteen dry shampoo to keep me hair reasonably clean while I was not able to shower. No one could tell that I had not actually washed it for nearly 2 weeks. I looked surprisingly good!
10) I tied a long rope (day before surgery) onto the foot rail of my bed. The rope was VERY helpful in allowing me to pull myself up without assistance.
11) Resist the urge to take up your binder / compression garments for pictures. I believe that listening to my doctor, and being patient about the process made a big difference for how quickly I healed from surgery. I have seen and actually did appreciate the photos people shared of their tummy tucks immediately after surgery, however honestly taking the binder off to get early photos so early on is probably not in your best interest. I did have my husband come with me to my first few follow up appointments to take photos while my wounds were being cleaned and redressed by my surgeon.
12) Do plan to have a loved one or hired care for at least those first 48 hours. Although I did really well, I can't imagine trying to manage well on my own. The first few days you will be exhausted, and very groggy from the medications. You will need help with making sure you drink plenty of fluids (the more the better), and eating healthy meals. Also the first few days moving around felt awkward and scary for me therefore having another person around was a great safety net.
13) Plan to take a minimum of 2 weeks to take care of yourself, you are #1 those few weeks. I spent quite a bit of time in advance pre paying bills, making sure I had plenty of good food and meals prepared in advanced, had my house professionally cleaned in advanced as well as many little details that would have driven me crazy to not have done while I was being good to myself. I allowed myself to not have to worry about much other then ME during those first few weeks.
14) DO set your alarm clock for every 4 hours during the few following days after surgery to take your pain medication. I know not everyone will agree with waking oneself up if you happen to be asleep, but for me keeping a handle on the pain made all of the difference in the world.