I had 3 steps, first in 9/2018, second 12/2018 then take down 2/2019. The doctor originally said 2 steps but the 1st surgery went for 5 hours so they decided I need 3 instead of 2. I did not have choice. 1st recovery was good, second was ok 3rd was much harder and took a long time. But also because the body need to adjust to the new pouch. The first 2-3 months after take down was extremely difficult, but I finally feel like myself. If you trust your doctor, you just have to go with his recommendations