smbergie200

I am living proof that VSG is a miracle! Wherever you are on your journey don't lose hope. You will one day be posting pics just like mine. Now for the pics - First of course is my before pic - 377 pounds of misery. 180 pounds strong and fit - ready to take on my first 5k. Thats me on the top - at 377 pounds definitely would not have made it. Finished the 5k - got the medal - and added my first 5k to my bucket list. Looking forward to many future adventures in life with my new healthy body!

I LOVE Before & After pics so here is my contribution.

So much has happened to me since I had my VSG 3 years ago. I look back at the man I used to be with sadness in my heart. I used to hate myself. I was sick and tired of well .. being sick and tired. I had no energy so I slept all day. When I wasn't sleeping, I was thinking about what tasty treat I could devour to sooth the pain of my existence. I hated my job and hated socializing with people. I simply wanted to stay home in my protected bubble full of various electronic entertainment devices and a fridge full of goodies to dull the pain. At the time I was married for a total of 8 years. During those 8 years I continued in my lazy slothful and selfish ways. It is impossible to truly love someone if you do not love yourself. She has forgiven me, but sadly we have peacefully went our separate ways. There comes a point in relationships when too much damage has been done and no amount of effort can fix it. During those 8 years I had aspirations of becoming a Pharmacist. Year after year I talked about how I was going to go to college but never took action. As the years passed, the weight continued to pile on making my dream fade away. Deep in my heart I knew that if I could conquer my weight that the rest would follow. I was desperate and willing to try anything to get thin and healthy. After tons of research I came across the information regarding the VSG and knew without a doubt that this was the answers to my prayers. I began my fight. The first step was to figure out how to pay for it. After some investigation I found out that my insurance from work covered VSG after a 6 month required waiting period of seeing a Doctor and nutritionist. Of course I ended up gaining weight while waiting which luckily didn't affect my approval. Finally the day had come for my procedure. Everything went smoothly and I woke up in not too much pain. I remember it feeling like I did 1 million crunches and was super sore but not in agony. I did have very bad gas pain after the third day, but after lots of walking the gas was gone. I was now on my way to the promised land of the skinny. I followed all the doctors orders and dietary recommendations. I followed all the do's and the don't s to a tee. I was not going to risk screwing up this last chance at a new life. I picked my high school weight as my goal weight since I didn't really know which number to pick. After about 6 months I lost most of the weight. About 6 months ago I decided to really kick things up a notch and finally get to goal. I already exceeded my goal and weight 180 now. I did get an extended tummy tuck as the icing on the cake after all my hard work with my weight loss. I really wanted to be able to hit the beaches and not be ashamed to take my shirt off. Honestly the tummy tuck was MUCH more painful that the VSG. It was a pretty rough surgery indeed. I really recommend you not only reach your goal BEFORE getting any plastic surgery, but also be stable at your healthy weight for at least a year to make sure you can keep off the weight. Trust me - you do not want to have to endure a second tummy tuck - not fun. While my results look awesome I did lose most touch sensation around alot of my stomach especially near the bellybutton. I was a little dissapointed, but I have no regrets and was more than happy to accept the tradeoff. So now for the latest update. I have been attending college for more than a year now. I will be graduating from community college in August 2016 and will start Pharmacy school the following year. I have exceeded my goal weight and currently weigh 180 lbs and wear a size 32 waist and Medium to Large shirt depending on the style. I have experienced so many NSV's (non-scale victories) that I have lost count. I now have high self esteem and confidence in myself. I know that now that I have defeated Obesity in my life, I am an unstoppable force filled with drive and passion. There are no ladies in my life now, but I know one day I will attract the lady of my dreams. Matters of the heart cant be rushed. If you are debating whether or not VSG is worth it - for me it was a second chance a life. Embrace the VSG blessing and enjoy the incredible journey and absolutely life changing miracle that this surgery is. And now here is some before and after pics for you. - Be inspired - Shayne

5 months out from tummytuck. Its recommended to weight at least a year after you reach goal before you get cosmetic surgery.

Just Wanted to touch base with you regarding my extended tummy tuck results. Its been over 5 months now and I can finally say I am feeling closer to feeling normal again. I still have very little sensation around alot of my stomach and upper thighs. From what I understand it can take Years to resolve since sensory nerve regrowth is very slow according to my doctor. I finally feel comfortable lifting weights now. I still avoid crunches because it still feels tight and uncomfortable to me. My Scars are healing and fading wonderfully. The side scar and back scar are higher than I would like, but I had already been prepared to accept a scar before I had the surgery so I have accepted that. I went to a followup visit last week and discussed scar revision. The back of my scar is a little jacked up and puckered looking where the drain tubes came out. I also asked if he could lower my side scar and he said he could if I wanted him to. I get my scar revision in October so I am very excited about that. The only dissapointment I have is that when I started running on the treadmill my butt jiggles. I have excess skin on my butt and thighs which really need to be removed if I want a super tight jiggle free body. I probably should have gotten a lower body lift butt I couldn't afford it. I might get my backside and thighs done in a few years to finish things off. I will see how much I can firm things up with the gym first. Overall I am very satisfied with my results. My doctor did an awesome job. Ok - heres some pics for you guys.

Thanks for the heads up on the strip. I think thats the one my doctor recommended but it was 99 bucks so I decided not to get it. Right now I am using nexcare paper tape. I also found some silicon tape called Mepitac and it is only 25 bucks for a bunch of it. I think Im gonna give it a shot. 100 bucks for 3 weeks of silicon is a ripoff to me. Thanks for the input - much appreciated.

Thanks to the magic of my extended tummy tuck I was able to slip on a pair of Size 34 Waist Slim Old Navy Jeans paired with a size MEDIUM Florida Tourist shirt - My smallest outfit yet! The gentleman to the right is wearing Size "TENT" shorts along with size "TENT" Shirt. Depending on the clothing I am a size 34 or a 36 but either way I am pleased with my new size. I must say it is such a wonderful feeling to not have to deal with a muffin top anymore. I had to wear at least a large shirt and a 38 jeans before my tummy tuck to allow my muffin top room to breathe. I just thought to myself today what an awesome feeling it is to be able to find clothes in ANY store now. Gone are the days of BIG and TALL stores and total frustration finding anything in "normal" people stores. I no longer have to worry about something fitting because EVERYTHING fits - its amazing. Now that I have accomplished my two main goals of losing the weight and getting rid of the excess skin I am ready for phase 3 of the new me plan. Building some muscle on my new skinny body. Let the fun begin. P.S. On the fence about getting a tummy tuck? JUST DO IT - its definately worth it!

Havent had a followup with my surgeon recently to ask him since hes located so far away from me. I do know the sensitivity thing is not a guarantee. I know someone who is 6 years post op and still dont have all the sensation back. Im crossing my fingers I will not have the same issue. If you mean sex by functionally I couldn't tell you because Im not in a relationship right now, but everything "works" fine. Upper thighs have most sensation back which is good. I dont feel up to lifting weights but I would feel ok doing cardio. Im only going on walks for now. I do still feel the need to wear my binder during the day time. I still get a little swollen if I don't and it is just so darn uncomfortable without it. It feels so tight and weird without it. Hope you got the answers you were looking for.

Check out the end of my youtube video. Pretty recent updated pics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXpt1clmay4

Mark Broudo was my plastic surgeon - Awesome results and very caring doctor. I did not get my sleeve done here.

@mistysj - I have to disagree at least partially. first of all the stomach is blind. In fact it actually is referred to as being blind when the procedure is described. I do know the blind stomach continues to secrete lots of grehlin which is another problem with RNY. You are right on stomach acid still being released to aid in digestion so the stomach does do something. So basically no food enters the detached stomach and it sits there doing nothing but producing hunger hormones - sounds pretty blind to me though. http://www.dsfacts.c...DS-and-RNY.html Quote: RNY A pouch is created at the top part of the stomach to restrict the amount of food you can eat. The bottom part of the stomach that is no longer used is called the "blind" stomach. Food passes through the anastamosis (connection), or stoma, created between the pouch and the small intestine, which is deliberately made quite narrow to keep food in the pouch longer, thus making you feel fuller longer. The pylorus is at the bottom of the "blind" stomach and is no longer used to control food moving into the intestine. For some patients, food with a high sugar or fat content hits the small intestine rapidly causing "dumping end quote Secondly the blind stomach can be scoped but not easily. It requires patients to be cut open both externally to get the scope in then internally on the actual stomach to get the scope in vs simply sticking the scope down the throat in a VSG patient. Quote: The blind stomach can be scoped, by placing the patient under anesthesia, making a small incision on the abdomen, and advancing the scope through the incision into the blind stomach. End quote: extra tissue for stomach repair - ok Ill give you that one, however being you can actually live without a stomach its not life threatening if your stomach for some slim chance is 100 percent damaged. Not to mention you still have the vertical length of the stomach with lots of tissue so technically it could be shortened with the damaged part of the stomach removed. By damaged I mean cancerous tissue or something horrible like that.

Belly buttons definitely do change during your weight loss journey. Just wanted to share mine in pictures.