Male Tummy Tuck With Lipo - San Francisco, CA

This one's for all you guys out there that are thinking about, getting one or have had a tummy tuck with or without lipo. I am 47 years old but over the years had developed some loose skin around my belly and love handles that persisted no matter how good of shape I got into.

I had considered a TT for years but only in the last 12 months did I research it. I went to several doctors, looked them up to see what their reviews were, if they had any pending litigation/lawsuits/malpractice, checked their credentials and saw them in person. In the end I picked a local SF Bay Area PS that has a great reputation and see clients that come from outside of the US. Dr, Miguel Delgado.

Consult went fine. Examined me and gave me good feedback on long term outcome, cost and the procedure itself. Sent me home with a $ quote. After talking to my wife I made the decision and put down a deposit. At that point the planning stages began. Getting time off from work, getting the rest of the money for the procedure and just getting my head wrapped around what I was doing. That was tough, really tough. The thought of permanently altering my body really got to me. Scared me. I read blogs and articles and spoke to people but in the end was ready to proceed.

Prep. My PS and his awesome staff gave me everything I needed. A checklist of things I needed to do 1 week prior, then 3 days prior then night before and day of surgery. I started by taking the multi-vitamins they gave me, morning and evening along with Bromelain. I continued this then added the antibiotics they gave me 3 days prior. Then the day before the surgery I started taking Arnica. By 10pm the night before surgery I was no food/water. In the morning I took Arnica and antibiotic with a sip of water as prescribed. Also, the night before the procedure I showered using anti-bacterial soap.

The big day! Got up early and took one more shower with antibacterial soap and shaved my naughty bits and other areas around the surgical site/ My wife drove me. I wore sweats with slippers and zip up hoodie sweatshirt. We checked in. I was weighed and then put into a gown and placed in the OR prep room. The anesthesiologist came in and did a quick assessment, started my IV and told me he was going to put me to sleep and place a tube in but that I would be breathing on my own. His goal was to give me just enough sedation to keep me out which would allow me to wake up faster and not be so groggy.
Next, the nurse escorted me into the operating suite. On the ground were a dozen absorbent pads. I was like "Oh, this looks like one of these scenes in a movie where they are going to off somebody and they don't want to make mess!" It was time to get painted. She had me take off everything, butt naked, and hold my arms out. She then took a small sponge soaked with warmed iodine and proceeded to cover just about every inch of my body. Then, I was laid down on the table. They covered me up. The very last thing I remember was looking up to see the anesthesiologist connect a syringe to my IV line. I woke up 5 hours later.

Recovery. They said they had a hard time keeping my body temp up. It stayed at 95F the entire time. The procedure went well and the doctor said he was surprised at the amount of fat he got during the lipo.
I was really, really groggy. All bandaged up and wrapped up. I stayed in recovery for about 1-2 hours. The goal was to get me to pee. Pee=good to go home. It took 2 nurses to help me to the bathroom. I stood over the toilet and found it real hard to pee and when I did the first thing to come out was blood. NORMAL! It was from the foley catheter they put in so I could void of urine. They gave me all of my discharge instructions and sent me on my way. So, here I am 2 weeks post procedure. Let me give you some highlights and some tips.

First day is not too bad because you still have anesthetic in you system and my surgeon injected my belly area with a long lasting numbing/pain management medication. That helped. GET A WALKER! Yes, like you see elderly people using! Rent one. Borrow one. The first week you are going to have to walk bent at the waist and it is going to put a huge strain on your lower back that it hurts almost more than the incision areas. A walker will make your initial mobility so much easier! Ask you doctor to give you compression underwear! If you don't your ball could swell to the size of small grapefruits. I did not have this issue. If you don't have a recliner, get one if you can! It will keep you relatively comfortable and in the "pool lounge chair" position you need to be in. Plus, it will be your bed for a couple of weeks. You may experience some problems with peeing. In my case all of the swelling, and perhaps the narcotics, caused me to become incontinent. Meaning, when I felt the urge to pee on my way to the restroom I literally was leaking. I soiled myself on a couple of occasions. 2 weeks later that problem is resolved.
During this first week or two, while your drains are in, you won't be able to shower. What I did was bring a stool into the bathroom so I could sit at the sink and shave, brush my teeth. Then I put the stool in the tub and used the handheld shower head to wash and rinse my arms, legs and head. I used a washcloth on my head.

Drains. I named my Jeckyl and Hyde. They don't hurt but they are just annoying. Follow your instructions on how to empty them. For me I lost a total of 800 ml of fluids in the drains (1.7 pounds-ish)
My right drain came out after 7 days then my left on day 12. That was liberating! SHOWER TIME!!

Stay on top of your medications! Take your pain pills and STOOL SOFTENERS! Drink plenty of water. Take the Arnica, Bromelain and multi-vits. No surprise, I got constipated and on day 3 had to take a laxative. I was off the pain meds after 3 days. There were a couple of nights where I probably could have used them to help me sleep. Oh, make sure you press your doc to give you a muscle relaxer for your back and ativan to help you sleep at night. Sleeping in a recliner sucks!! It has been my bed for 2 weeks now. I can't wait to get back into bed but I can't lie flat yet and lying on my sides hurt my incision areas.
I also have been taking 3mg of melatonin every few nights to help me get a good 6-8 hours of sleep.

For the 7-10 days I was REALLY swollen! I mean bad. Now, at 15 days I am still swollen but nearly as bad. It looks horrible!! You can see in the picture. BUT, my PS says I am doing fine for where I am at in recovery and to really give it time. I am basically pain free except the area in my flanks where I got lipo. Lots of swelling there an feels like I got hit with a baseball bat. Bruising is not too bad though. I am standing almost straight and walking a lot whereas last week I could barely walk 10 feet without being in a ton of pain. I have been taking it really easy. Small walks only. No real exercise.

I have had 2 follow up appointments. My next one is in 4 days and will be to remove my stitches around my belly button. From there its just being really patient with the recovery and trusting the procedure.

My biggest advice to all you is that you just listen to your doctor and your body. Don't be afraid and if something does come up don't hesitate to call your doctor. Also, I know money is a big factor for people, but, this isn;t something you want to go cheap on. Avoid traveling out of the US. Use coupons for cheap groceries not plastic surgery. So, if you find a doctor you really like and he/she cost a few thousand more than others…pay it.

I still have many weeks and months of recovery to go. I went in on Oct 22 and I am going back to work on Dec 15 so I am taking 8 weeks off. I am also in a very physical job that requires a lot of lifting. At this point I am not 100% certain I made the right decision because of how I look and feel. Time will only tell. Best of luck to you.