64 Yo Undergoing Multiple Txs: Brow Lift, Eye Lids, Cheek & Lip Augment, Facelift, and Chin Lift with Implant. Savannah, GA

Well, this is my second review for RealSelf, which I have found astoundingly helpful both before and after the Tummy Tuck Liposuction I underwent with Dr Michael Huntly at Coastal Empire Plastic Surgery in Savannah Georgia. My abdominoplasty/lipo went extremely well and I have recorded it in depth elsewhere on the site, with name MVPT. I feel like a new person since the removal of excess skin and fat in my belly and tightening of all abdominal muscles many years after 4 pregnancies. The multiple facial procedures will again be with Dr Huntly and his amazing team, scheduled currently for 8/21/14. They have repeatedly tried to move the date forward -- and I am still hopeful -- as I have had a recruiter call with an appealing new position for me, and of course I will not be able to begin until the facial surgeries are healed. I currently have no concerns or misgivings: the Percocet worked well with the extreme pain post-tummy tuck so I expect it will work again with all the swelling and incisions on my face and neck. Expect I'll be "out for the count" for 5-6 days, but I have a wonderful husband who is supportive in every way, and I still have all the assistive devices I bought for the abdominal surgery. 

I know I will not be able to sleep in a bed for several days, possibly more than a week. I have recliners but the lever is very difficult, so I might again use the zero gravity chair (a patio chair) that I was able to operate by pushing with my feet. I have a bedside commode as our main floor does not have a bathroom! (The three bathrooms are either 12 steps up, 8 steps up, or 5 steps down. Very unusual house-- some steps needed to raise house above ground level as we live on an island where a hurricane could potential cause extreme tides.) I also have a shower chair (not sure I will need this, only needed it once with the TT/lipo. But balance may be affected and the worst possible thing would be to fall in the shower (or anywhere). I have multiple shirts that are button opening as no doubt I will not want to wear pullover tee shirts or PJs! Dr Huntly believes as I do (I am a physical therapist) that pain HINDERS healing and can even make a person less able to fight off infections, so he is responsible about providing sufficient Percocet. Additionally, my husband is a retired periodontist and understands pain meds, so I will be in safe hands. I only needed the Percocet at bedtime after the first 4 days after the TT. Who knows if this will be a longer recovery? 

One concern after a chin implant and chin lift (tightening the platysma muscles in the neck) as WELL as the facelift and brow lift, eyelid surgeries is how well will I be able to eat?? So closer to the date I will be purchasing protein drinks to ensure hydration and nutrition, so important also for healing. I am looking forward to reading others' stories on RealSelf and learning other important details to prepare in advance. Meantime, best wishes to all who are undergoing these surgeries in next few days!

Weirdly, (because I have never been afraid of surgery and have needed more than 7 major surgeries) I am feeling quite nervous about the upcoming multiple facial surgeries I am having done at Coastal Empire PS, under the skilled care of Dr Michael Huntly. It was just 7 weeks ago that Dr Huntly performed an abdominoplasty and liposuction for me, and I am THRILLED with my "new body". Even though all the swelling has not yet left my body (may take 6 months to a year) I feel incredible just to have a waist again!!! Now for the more complex surgery, although Dr Huntly's team tell me there is less pain following the facial surgery. I remain unconvinced, but thank goodness I was again given a Rx for Percocet which worked astonishingly well for the severe abdominoplastly/lipo pain. (just for the first few days). I had my pre-op appt with the wonderful team of Dr Huntly and Maria, RN (his right hand woman) on Monday. I'm not sure why but I seemed to have no Qs for them that day. But, since then I have been reading accounts on RealSelf of others' facial surgeries, and unfortunately I have reviewed TOO MANY that had very poor results, per the author. Now I have millions of Qs, and expect to receive a call from Dr Huntly, Maria, or Kathy to help me with my concerns. (I sent my Qs via FAX. They have surgery on TuTh so I didn't want to bother them. I haven't yet found anyone on RealSelf who's having or had the 7-8 procedures I am having at one time. But I am assured by Dr Huntly that he "does not get tired -- the hours go by like minutes". Amazing. Since my own daughter is a trauma and general surgeon, and often stands and works for 12 hours on a particularly difficult case, and says she is not even aware of fatigue until it's over, I have to believe that very special people choose surgery as their passion. My husband is a periodontist, which is a gum surgeon...he ALSO says it is the most adrenaline rush he's ever had whenever performing surgery. (He said sex is just fractionally better. I haven't asked my dgtr Dr Kate or Dr Huntly and do not INTEND to ask them if THAT'S how they feel about surgery!!!! ) 

Anyway, I am going to try to post before photos that are absolutely AWFUL, just as I did before the abdominoplasty. I surely hope no one except strangers sees these photos. The four of my face in various positions were selfies from June. That day I woke up particularly swollen and wretched, so I thought I'd take photos so my adult kids (who were and are not too thrilled about my going through the surgeries) could see why I felt it was imperative. My eldest dgtr (who is a PT, like me) has been won over to the tummy tuck -- she is as THRILLED as I am by my flattened tummy and can see why I did it now. My older son (the OT in research) saw me last weekend and didn't even comment until I asked and he said, "Yes, you look great". (No cheering.) My surgeon dgtr has not yet seen me since the surgery, and neither has my younger son, the artisan carpenter. My younger step son expressed that he could see the difference. 

WELL. I think there will be NO DOUBT after the facial surgeries that all will note a difference!! I am just praying that I will not lose hair (because my curly hair is my best feature I believe, and it thinned out dramatically after my brain surgery 7 years ago. I would hate to lose more now!! Dr Huntly is going to raise my brows that have slipped under the orbits of my eyes, reduce fat in the upper and lower lids of both eyes to "freshen" the look which has unfortunately sagged into a rather droopy and sleepy look. He intends to remove fat that has slipped down to form jowls and is stored in my neck and place it appropriately in my upper cheeks. I will have a facelift where the doctor will cut the skin from the side of the face in front of the ears and gently lift it closer to the ears, removing the excess saggy skin. The distance from my nasolabial fold has increased, so he will decrease that and slightly roll my upper lip upwards so more of the upper lip is in evidence. You will not from the side view photos the complete lack of a chin and the very unattractive way the flesh of my neck descends in a diagonal line down to a low point, leaving no outline of my too small chin at all. I remember hating this when I was only about 10 or 12 -- 52 years of this embarrassment is MORE than enough! 

Dr Huntly hopes he can tighten the flat, wide platysma muscles on the surface of the neck so that there WILL be some shape to my jawline. Additionally, he is going to place a small chin implant to provide a bit more prominence to my dimininutive chin. So, pretty well everywhere on my face will be pulled and tugged which is why I think it will be more painful than the TT. (However, the TT initial pain was so severe I almost fell down the first time I tried to stand! YEOWTCH!!) But the blessing of Percocet made that completely manageable. I wonder if I will be able to open my mouth to eat...??? I suspect it will not be a pleasant experience. I bought about 20 bottles of that yukky bottled protein drinks because I cannot heal without nutrition. Well, this has been far too long for one day. So I'll quit and write again when I get the needed reassurance from Coastal Empire tomorrow. I have a photo I took of Dr Huntly's brochure....I don't know why his photo isn't on RealSelf.