Advice Tummy tuck and breast lift

[QuaintMauveCrow]

I am having a consultation soon to book a tummy tuck this year, very excited! It’s been a long 16 years of waiting to be able to afford it and finally keeping off 60lbs of excess weight!
I have found a surgeon who’s work and reviews are excellent (Prof Whittaker, based in wales & London)
I am 35 and have two children at home ages 17 and 3 and lots of support from friends and family to help during the recovery process but
i would love to hear people’s experiences,
good & bad and recommendations for items that help make the recovery easier please 😁

I am also considering have a breast lift at the same time so any experience of this greatly appreciated, thank you lovely ladies!
(posting in AIBU as I couldn’t find a suitable place to post)

Emotionally I’m a little up and down, I feel restless as I’m obviously a little slower lol

yes definitely surreal! I never thought I’d be able to get it done. Roll on the next few weeks!

I’ve lost and kept off 11 stone, and def need something - does it lift your bum up too ? Someone seems to have stolen mine and it’s gone south

No I promise you, your be fine. Just go for it. I know I’m mad I couldn’t afford the uk prices so I even flew to turkey for the surgery. My mum flew out the day after me and I remember her saying what on earth have you done 😂 but it was a private hospital beautiful they fed her and treated her like a queen while I was just in and out of sleep. I flew home after 4 days and looking back I don’t know how I did it just kept thinking of my babies. But like I said i couldn’t afford it so it was either £6.7k in turkey or not having it done atall.
the nurses care for you so carefully and when i have the what have done cry after 48hrs they were AMAZING. Motivating me remembering what I told them prior about my kids used that so get me up and walking etc
im glad i went for it and would go back.
They cooked all our meals, kept an eye on all the medicines and was full on carers to me while I was there
FYI - if anyone is interested the clinic is called comfort zone. You can find them on instagram. Other social media platforms also.
I later found out the breast implants they gave me were top of the range with little microchip in each one so they can be scanned by the surgeon to check on the health of the implant without having to open you back up if you suspect any complication or issues. with an added lifetime guarantee.
im over the moon with my body now

Hello, thanks for setting up this thread, super helpful! Did you find a clinic he works at that isn’t the Cadogan? Seems to be the only clinic he operates out of London from. If you have any other recommendations for surgeons they would be gratefully received!

A neighbour had both procedures. She has a five year old who needed taking to school. Her Mum had to move in with her for three weeks. She wasn't healing well so was told to limit movement to going to the toilet. She was very down. She is only in her 20s so thought she'd bounce back. It was the limited arm movements to allow the breast lift to heal, that she didn't fully plan for. She thought that she'd be able to potter around like after her C Section. You might need someone to take over everything for a while. Plan a box set etc, just in case. Start to teach your three year old to not climb on you and ask before they go to throw something on you etc.

I had a tummy tuck in 2017 after my third child, and a breast reduction and lift last year. Best things I've ever done! I am absolutely thrilled with the results and I don't know why I waited so long for my breast reduction. I'm 60lbs lighter too, and feel (and look) terrific, even if I say so myself. The recovery from the tummy tuck wasn't easy (I was off work for two weeks) but the breast lift was a walk in the park.

I'm not in the UK so can't advise about surgeons but it sounds as though you're doing your research. I hope it goes well!

Hi @Bonneylass ! No I didn’t and decided not to book with him as I heard a few reviews with aftercare and communication being an issue, so many positives too, but I had found the initial contacts had a bit slack, so that was off putting.
i didn’t think I would ever consider going abroad, but I have been researching Nordesthetics after lots of recommendations. The price difference is over £7000 so I’m currently looking into there surgeons and trying to figure out how much money I would need to have for a safety net for private care in case there are any health complications when I’m home, they have nurse cover here but I want to be able to cover any hospital admissions if needed!

thank you @Ponoka7 that’s really great advice! I have decided not to have the breast lift, but after reading so many stories about tummy tuck recovery i think im going to need even more support then I thought 😩

@thicklysettled so good to hear you feel amazing! I hope I can say the same in a years time! How would you say the recovery was after a month or so? X

Thanks @QuaintMauveCrow I’ve decided to have mine in the UK so will continue my search. Best of luck with it all and let us know how you get on!

Best thing I ever did. Had BA at same time but not a lift. Get it all done in one go. You sound like you’ve educated yourself and are well prepared. Good luck. X

Look up Caroline Stevensxx on instagram. She has posted her journey of uplift tummy tuck and implants in great detail - doing daily updates for 14 days after her op. I think her op was about 2 months ago. She also talks about how she chose her surgeon and what the costs are. I don’t know her personally, have no interest in any surgery but did find her story interesting. She is very engaging.

I’ve had an abdominoplasty. Getting a £7000 discount on a £10,000 procedure fills me with fear. This is the most complex procedure on the menu, with the hardest recovery, so really should be taken seriously, and I wouldn’t recommend looking for the cheapest deal. I couldn’t get out of bed unassisted, or even wash my own hair, for weeks. I wouldn’t have been able to fly (and even then, I would have needed major support), for at least 6 weeks. I went into it super-fit and healthy, exercising most days, and it completely knocked me back.

I went abroad. Lithuania in fact but didn’t use Nords. I used Dr Adas Cepas who works at Affidea, his colleague is equally as brilliant, Dr Rainys.

I could not believe the difference in price, the care was outstanding. Nothing was too much trouble for them. I’ve heard of some UK private companies kicking you out the very next day or even SAME DAY in some cases.

Lithuania is a relatively short flight too and within the EU so they are bound EU laws and regulations. Whilst Nords are popular I have read some concerning things these past few months of that how busy they seem to be getting, one lady said she had to do her paperwork on the floor and her consultation was 10 mins! That’s no where enough time. They also have TWO price increases a year which fees greedy.

My consult lasted an hour. I am 5 weeks PO today and thrilled with my results.

its just over £6000 where i have been looking, £13000 here and there will be a price rise later this year! Also there’s a minimum 5 night stay after a tummy tuck there with you being able to stay nurse assisted for as long as your happy to pay for. But I’m doing ALOT of research if I wanted cheap and quick I would of had it done years ago!

Glad you had such a good experience and I hope you are recovering well!
i took my friend for her breast lift and implants last year to a very expensive clinic in London, they could not get her out quick enough and I ended up picking her up 90 minutes after her surgery and doing the 6 hour drive home, absolutely shocking!

Also @U53rName of you have any recommendations they would be gratefully received 🙂

I had a tummy tuck in 2008, 10 months after my twins (baby 3 and 4) I went to my brothers wedding two weeks afterwards. I was 35 and weighed 9st, my stomach muscles were really separated after twins, my boys were 7lbs each. I unexpectedly had a baby two years afterwards and my stomach muscles stayed tightly knitted and pinged back after that 9lb 9oz baby!!! Now 18 years later my stomach is still flat. Considering going back to the same surgeon for a neck lift, will see what he says when I go for my consultation.

It’s ‘err on the side of caution’ as in make a mistake (error, erroneous etc) not AIR.

Good luck with it all.

😂 thanks!

@MissSmiley 10 months after twins, and at a wedding 2 weeks later that’s bloody amazing! I’m guessing your recovery wasn’t too bad? My Stomach muscles are absolutely destroyed!

Well done on your weight loss! I’m not sure if it does but I could do with it too 😂