frumpynomore

Today was Day 20 of recovery and I feel like I've got a little more stamina. It was my 2nd day back at work and it went a lot better than yesterday. I apparently sat too long yesterday at work because last night I had nerve or muscle spasms in my lower abdomen area that felt like labor pains! It wasn't fun and it happened all throughout the night. I knew it had something to do with me sitting too much because I was very uncomfortable all day so I tried to not sit for long periods at a time today and got up from my desk and walked around every now and then. In fact, I spent more time standing than sitting today. I've had a few pains tonight but nothing like last night. If I had a choice I would have taken this week off from work too which would have made a total of 24 days of rest before returning to work and I think I could have handled an 8 hour day better. I'm sure tomorrow will be even better than today so I'll be just fine

Thank you livinglifeout for the nice compliment! It feels really odd to get compliments, especially about my body! Wow! What a feeling!

WOW, Gmanbat! You look great! You should be very proud of yourself! ONE MORE POUND! FANTASTIC AND CONGRATULATIONS! I can't wait to see your before and after pics!

Wow! Yes, PLEASE!

I agree with kyllfalcon! 20 lbs from goal weight is certainly close enough to get a TT! Go for a consult at least....if the surgeon says you need to lose more than it will be motivating to you and maybe you'll lose it quicker than a year. A year is an awful long time to wait for something you so badly want! CowgirlJane...yes, I believe we all have some form of body image distortion or allusion and that's how a lot of us got where we are today. You need to do what YOU feel like you need to do. Do not go by your BMI or what your family and friends are telling you. Take a good honest look in the mirror, naked and clothed, and ask yourself if you are thin enough or not. Try to be as objective and honest with yourself as you can. You already know the answer....you just have to TRUST it! Good luck on your journey!

I feel awful for you! I had such a horrible time when I first got home too. I hated the taste of everything, food and liquids. About the 4th day after surgery a good friend of mine came and took care of me to get liquids in me so I wouldn't be hospitalized. If it hadn't been for her I would have been admitted. She cooked a turkey for me! I couldn't eat the turkey right away but the broth!!! OMG! It tasted wonderful and I literally lived on the turkey broth for the next following 2 weeks! The point of me telling you my story is to let you know that you need to just keep trying different things until you find something that you can eat or drink. TRY, TRY, AND TRY SOME MORE! You are going to be just fine....Good luck on your journey!

Hello MsVetRN! I'm very interested in knowing the doc that you will have doing your facelift. I think that's what I want done next (thighs or facelift). Would you mind sending me a private message telling me your surgeons name? I had my VSG and my TT both done in the states via personal recommendations but I don't have any recommendations for a facelift. I would greatly appreciate it! Please keep up posted and would love to see before and after pics of the facelift!!!

Yes, ultrav!olet, it has definately helped to boost my self esteem! BUT...it also makes the other areas that need tucked and lifted stand out to me. One of my friends asked me the other day if I thought I would ever be happy with the way I look and stop having cosmetic surgeries. My reply to her was "Absolutely! The way I look at it is I did a huge disservice to my body by all the abuse I put it through over the years of gaining weight, losing weight, gaining weight and losing weight. I need to do one lift and tuck to every major area (face/neck, tummy, butt, boobs, thighs) and then I will be done. I will have corrected, as much as possible, all the wrong that I did." Then I told her one last thing...don't be jealous! None of this is free or painless...it is all coming with an extremely high cost to my finances, pain/suffering, and time lost. Thank you to ALL OF YOU for your support and thoughtful responses to my pictures. You make me feel great!

WOWEEEEE lara0280! You look fabulous!!! Your doc did a great job! Good luck to you with the rest of your plastics and please keep us posted on your progress!

Once you hit "reply to this topic" and the text box comes up...at the bottom of the text box you will see the button to "Post" or "More Reply Options", choose "More Reply Options" and another screen will open and it gives you an option to attach photos.

The good, the bad and the ugly! Pictures posted as promised!

Yesterday, Day 19...there is still some swelling just above the incision and down the middle of my stomach. The belly button is healed but the muscles are still so tight that there is a crease down the center of my stomach which will relax soon. Still can't stand up completely straight and sometimes my stomach muscles tighten up and don't release for awhile which makes me even more bent over until they release. Bikini bathing suit time is almost here!

Day 6 after TT surgery.

Pre-TT, the night before.

I wish you all the luck in the world and pray for your safe and quick recovery! Godspeed!

I know how excited you are! CONGRATS! The only tip I have is to stock your pantry and refrigerator with many DIFFERENT kinds of foods. There were so many things that I couldn't stand to eat or drink! My tastes changed dramatically after surgery. I lived off of homemade turkey broth that my girlfriend made for me since I couldn't find anything that I could eat or drink that tasted edible. The most important tip would be to have a protein drink that you like already picked out. My favorite is Syntrax Nectar and in particular the Chocolate Truffle flavor. Good luck and keep us posted on your journey!

CONGRATS! You're almost there! I know exactly what you mean when you say that you are excited, nervous and scared...in fact...I would venture to say that most of us on here felt very similar to the way your feeling right now prior to our surgeries. You will be just fine and keep thinking positive. Your journey to a new you is about to begin so hip hip hooray!!! Please keep us posted on your progress.

Hello FAWife! I have found that certain foods make my body have a dumping syndrome reaction and I have no other symptoms either. I'm not exactly sure if maybe I've become a little lactose intolerant too because certain dairy products give me the same reaction. My dumping problem has certainly lessoned gradually over the past year, thank goodness! Everyone's body reacts differently and yours is introducing itself to you!

Yes, lara0280, I've heard some horror stories too! That is FANTASTIC that you can almost stand up straight already! Wow! I am still a little bent over but I'm almost there. My doc told me not to "try" to straighten up...just let it happen naturally. Geez, as sore and tight as my stomach muscles are the doc doesn't have to worry about me pushing myself to stand up straight! CONGRATS on your progress and keep all of us posted on the continuation of your recovery!

You got it, Butterthebean! I'll take some more tonight and then I have to get the pics downloaded to my computer so I'll post them tomorrow!

Forgot to tell you all that the incision is all scabbed over now and my belly button is even scab free now! My doc had used the medical super glue on my belly button and everyday it was peeling more and more and drying up and falling off and now it's glue free and looks great! Only the last drain hole is yet to scab over and is still soar. There was literally no bruising anywhere on my stomach. Only had bruising from the IV. My stomach is still VERY tight and doesn't look like a normal stomach yet but I can tell that it's going to be SEXY when it's completely healed (SEXY is defined by my "perception" compared to what it use to look like)!!!!!

I'm back! I can't believe that the last time I posted my recovery status was on the 14th. My apologies to anyone that was following my posts! Today is day 19 and I had to return to work today. It's a bit uncomfortable trying to sit for 8 hours but it is definately doable. I had to take a few days off from posting due to family issues. You think that once your kids are out on their own that you finally no longer have "kid" problems...WRONG! Oh well, a Mom's job is never done! I've also been in a huge slump...depression maybe...going back to work blues...I really don't know. I think it's also been because there has been no big change in my daily recovery to report. I still can't stand up straight so I'm telling everyone at work that I pulled a muscle in my back...I can't take the risk of anyone finding out about my TT....HUGE gossip circle at my work. "lara0280", I'm so glad you are finding your TT to not be so painful! Everyone's experience is sooo different. I saw a lady on Youtube and it was the day after her TT and she was walking out of the hospital standing up completely straight like nothing had ever happened! Of course, that could never be my experience as I have no luck at all! "It's all new", yes, I have a gob of advice to have ready for after surgery. I wear nothing but sweat pants that are one size too big and a cami top. Make sure the cami is a long one that comes down over your hips and then put the bindings on over the cami. It protects your skin from blistering from the bindings rubbing on your skin and your skin will be so numb that you won't feel the rubbing. No panties either as they are only a hassle when trying to go to the bathroom (sitting down is a feat in itself, let alone trying to pull down panties with drain tubes in the way!)(I had to go to the bathroom in a complete standing position for the first 3 days..not fun or attractive!). On my bedside table are my prescriptions that I picked up prior to surgery, my alarm clock so I can see the next time I can take my meds (Tylenol/painkillers in particular!), small gauze pads that you will need in order to cover the drain tube incisions once they are removed, Bacitracin to put on the gauze pads, paper tape (2 rolls) to tape on the gauze pads, scissors to cut the gauze pads, two 3-panel waist binders (I bought them prior to surgery and took them to the hospital so they would use mine and not charge me an arm and a leg to buy theirs, approx. $25 each)(you will wake up with them already on you), kotex pads to lay on top of the incision to keep the cami and binders from rubbing directly on it (doc had me stop usng the pads after 1 1/2 weeks so the incision could breath more), a stool softener (I didn't think I would need them since I have NEVER had to use any BUT I sure needed them), my daily vitamins, a pen to log in drain measurements on a log sheet that your doc will probably give you as mine did and a notepad to keep track of what time is your next dosing for the different meds you'll be on, I keep an "EZ Reacher and Grabber" next to my bed and it is probably the BEST thing I could recommend (You will not be able to bend down to the floor easily to pick things up and shouldn't per my doc and this thing has been more helpful than anything else...you can get one from Amazon.com for under $20 and I'm still using it!), I have two small step stools (one a little taller than the other) next to my bed to help me get up and down from my bed easier (It's very painful to get up on the bed and get in to position for sleeping/resting), instead of pillows...my bf took my livingroom ottoman and removed the legs and put it up on the bed to elevate my legs...it's a perfect height and I don't have to keep messing with pillows, make sure that there is something on or next to your bed that you will be able to grab a hold of to help pull yourself up to a sitting position to get out of bed...my bed has some ornamental iron on the headboard that has worked perfect for me to pull up with (you will not want to use your stomach muscles as they HURT more than the incision itself...to me). That about sums it up! Would I do it again...YES!

Day 12 !!! No big change. I'm real sore at the areas where the drain tubes came out. The incision looks real good and I am just so pleased at how low it is. Even with all the complaining that I've been doing over the past 12 days...I've already started looking in to my next procedure. Sound crazy? Maybe...but maybe it means the TT must not have been THAT BAD afterall OR maybe it means the end justifies the means...?

OMG, Kwindham! Your surgery is just around the corner! I'm sooo excited for you! You are very wise to research as much as possible to learn everything you can prior to surgery. I thought I had done alot of research but there was still so much more that I didn't know and that I've learned only through the experience. One thing I didn't do was pay attention to the DIFFERENCES in the experiences from different people. Everyone is different and every experience is going to be slanted slightly different and I was just sort of focused on the overall procedure and after effects. For instance, I had no idea that my stomach muscles were going to hurt so bad. I thought the incision was going to be the major source of pain and it doesn't hurt at all. I also ran out and bought a used recliner before surgery and had no idea that I couldn't sleep in it until my drain tubes were removed. Of course, that restriction was from my doc but it still goes to show you that everyone's experience is going to be different but the more you learn now the more you won't be surprised when or if it happens to you. I sure hope you fair better with the anesthesia this time! The last thing you are going to want to do is to use your stomach muscles!

Thanks for your concern, Ultrav!olet! I had some company for a couple of days that took up my time. It was nice to see someone besides these walls! I never thought in a million years that I would look forward to returning to work but I really do miss the socializing and being around people!