hollyr

Hi, I wanted to follow up with you about the fold above our belly buttons. My surgeon told me Monday it is from being a bariatric patient and the loss of skin elasticity. When we shrink as we loose weight our skin sags both vertically and horizontal. When the do the lower body lift, they can pull the skin down to make it smooth and initially it all looks flat bc of the swelling. As we heal the swelling goes down and we see the crease. People who have a midline incision initially won't see it bc their skin is pulled both was the first time. But that's not a pretty scar. So I still have a spot on my left side that's healing as well as my belly button. I go back in two weeks. At that visit we are going to schedule my revision to fix that crease. Technically you can wait longer to do it. But while I am still off my Humera and hormones, not to mention I am not able to return to working out/ boxing I told her that we can do it soon. I don't want to resume my normal life, take the time to get back to working out only to stop again in a few months. I know myself well enough to know I won't take the time for the revision later. While I didn't ask exact details on how she will do this revision she said I will be back to full restriction afterwards. Boo. Monday I was super swollen bc I did too much Sunday. I had cut back on wearing my binder too. But she said until my incision is totally healed I have to wearit. It really does help with swelling. Luckily it's getting cooler out and I can wear sweats. It looks like it will be my garment of choice until 2016. And no working out/ boxing until after the revision heals. Also 2016. I'm bummed but want this to look good. I paid right at $15 thousand. To me that's a lot of money. Hope the explanation helps. Take care! Holly

Thank you. I'm very happy with the results and overall how it's healing. It hasn't been easy but I would do it again and do not regret it. My dr has stressed from day 1 that I have to be careful about wrinkles on my stomach and how they can make it heal that way. I've had a piece of stiff foam that goes from under my breasts to the top of my public bone that I wear under my binder to keep my skin smooth. It's helped so much except for that area above my belly button. Honestly I'm glad to hear it's not just me who has it. If I stand up really straight it's minimal but let's be honest, my posture isn't that good lol. I see my dr today, I was going to ask her about it anyway. So I'll share what she says.

My plastic surgeon is in Fort Worth. She is awesome. Very much a perfectionist and wonderful dr. She did surgery on one of "The Biggest Loser" contestants. She's been in D Magazine as top docs several years. Dr Candis Lovelace in FW/Keller. I consulted with multiple dr and she won hands down. I'm a nurse at one of the hospital she uses and the OR staff think she's great!! Even her office staff is incredible!! I just posted 10 weeks post LBL pics on another thread. I'm happy to share. Good luck! Holly

My plastic surgeon is in Fort Worth. She is awesome. Very much a perfectionist and wonderful dr. She did surgery on one of "The Biggest Loser" contestants. She's been in D Magazine as top docs several years. Dr Candis Lovelace in FW/Keller. I consulted with multiple dr and she won hands down. I'm a nurse at one of the hospital she uses and the OR staff think she's great!! Even her office staff are incredible!! I just posted 10 weeks post LBL on another thread. Good luck! Holly

I'm like that w the bed, laying flat in bed pulls on my incision. Plastic surgery post op rules vary by docs just like weight loss surgeries postop rules vary. So long as we all get to the finish line, it's ok if we took different paths. I do not want to offend anyone, I will post a few "10 weeks" pics. 1. Left Side: I purposely took this to show the minor incision issue I have there. It's almost healed. Very superficial. The backside one is pinpoint now. I couldn't take a good pic lol. 2. Front view 3. Right Side: the little bump is actually testosterone pellet implant I totally love the results. This is my body that I was meant to have all of my life. Holly

All of my stitches are the self dissolve kind. I've actually popped 2. One was about 3-4 weeks postop. I raised my arms up to get something and didn't realize how far I stretched. The second was the weekend I was on my feet too long. I swelled but also slept in my bed instead of the recliner. I tried to get up by myself and too fast. Just fluke things. So I still sleep in my recliner most nights. It's something about laying flat I can't do yet. ???? So my belly button is superficially open inside. I've been doing wet to dry dressing and new skin is growing in. She is going to revise my scar later. Not that it bothers me lol.

I'm 10 weeks out LBL. My dr told me no cardio until 8 weeks and keep on wearing my binder. At 8 weeks bc of 2 small incision issues and popping a belly button stitch, I got grounded again and no cardio. I go back Monday to see her. I see a big diff in swelling when I'm too active. It's amazing. So I try to be careful. Drink lots of Water, rest and wear the compression garment. I started back on Protein shakes 1-2 daily as well.

Hi! I am 8 weeks post op lower body lift. I had two drains, one that drained from the front and one that went to the back (their entrance on me was side by side). I'm a nurse. They are typically always JP drains which looks like little bulbs. There shouldn't be any foul odor from them and they are low maintenance. Initially you usually empty them often to make sure their output is a certain amount decided by your doctor. My back side drain was removed at 2 weeks. My front side was pulled between 3&4 weeks. Hopefully you can have someone help you if it grosses you out. While I could empty my own, initially my 2 daughters did it for me. One is a nursing student and the other is truly grossed out by medical stuff but she emptied them like it was nothing. Besides, for me, two drains was not a big deal, after my sleeve I had a leak and ended up with 8 drains and a feeding tube in my belly. In fact, I asked my plastic surgeon to leave my feeding tube scar. She had never had anyone ask her to save a scar lol but it reminds me of how far I've come????. I promise you, I tell people almost daily that all the pain, drains, long healing time etc is SO WORTH how awesome my body looks now and what it has done to my self esteem!!! Good luck!! I hope it all works out for you. Holly

Hi! Some doctors have their own requirements as far as how long you have to be at a stable weight before plastics. My doctor wanted 3-6 months and truly closer to 6. She weighs patients teach visit too. Last year I had been at 160 for over 6 months then decided I wanted to drop more. So I did and now go between 130-135lbs. I had a lower body lift 8 weeks ago today. It hasn't been an easy recovery. I still have a minimum of 4 weeks official recovery to go. I'm waiting for the green light to start light cardio but I have 2 areas on my incision that opened up. They're healing but cardio would cause excess friction. My dr would not do other procedures w the lower body lift and after having it I'm grateful that she didn't. I'll get arms and boobs don't next year. I will say, even though I'm still swollen the results are amazing and make me cry. It's worth it all to see myself the way I always imagined I could be. Good luck!! Holly

I used to wonder that as well. Today I am 7 weeks post lower body lift. With the binder I have to wear I can't wear a bra or underwear (sorry if TMI). But you can't tell by the clothes I wear. So today after my shower I tried on for the first time some low cut panties I bought prior to surgery. I truly started crying because they fit like they should on my newly flattened tummy. I always had a large roll that caused a gap and the tops of panties would roll under my "roll". This was not an easy surgery or recovery. But for ME it is worth all of the money, time and pain. Even though I had to apologize to all of my good friends for the pic I took and how I elated I was when I texted it to them! ????

Absolutely wonderful!! Thank you so much for sharing!

I saw my doctor yesterday. I'm 6 1/2 weeks out. I asked if I could start mild cardio but was denied. ????. I have 2 small areas on my incision that opened up. One was 2 weeks ago and is almost healed. The other opened a week ago. The spot on my back is more like a seroma. I had been on my feet a lot one day. That night my low back swelled a lot. One area was about the size of an orange. The next day it was half the size. I knew it was Fluid. It was still uncomfortable to try to sit/lay. So I took a warm shower and let the Water hit that spot. It opened up and all that yuck came out. Felt so much better. But now it's got to close back up. I'm doing wet to dry dressing on it. So I can't do anything cardio /exercise until it's healed. ???? I was really bummed but the dr said it's common in bariatric patients for this to happen even this far out. I just really miss working out. But I don't want to cause more problems. I get tired easily as it is. Hard to believe I was working out 2-3 hours a day prior to surgery. So my lesson to learn is "patience". ???? Good luck!

My binder is very similar to the pic from Amazon. The breast area of mine is built into the garment. I'm still swollen a few inches in my low back and bikini line area. But I like the support from my garment. It's itchy but it's summer time in Texas so anything would be lol. I don't have to wear it after 8-9 weeks but probably will until the full 12 weeks is over.

Hi! I had a lower body lift 6 weeks ago (on Thursday is 6 weeks). I have UHC and am from Texas. My insurance would not cover anything. Regardless of history of rash etc. So I paid out of pocket. You may want to check on any FMLA/ short term disability. I looked into my plan a few months before my surgery. I was told verbally that this procedure would be cause for me to get the actual disability money and FMLA. So I planned accordingly and even cashed in PTO to help pay. My dr submitted the forms as requested the Monday before my surgery that was on Thursday. On Wednesday I received a call from my disability company stating my procedure was not covered. I had already paid my procedure in full with no refunds. I was so upset. Luckily I had a month of PTO still to use. But they also denied the part that protects my job. So frustrating. I have a great boss and now started working again from home. Even this far out there are so many physical things I cannot do myself. Good luck! Hopefully your procedure will be covered. Holly

I was wondering how you were doing! I'm 5 weeks post lower body lift today. My recliner has been my best friend. I've yet to sleep in my bed. My doc says to move/ change positions every 2 hours to prevent too much pressure on one single area of the suture. So pillows to go under my hip has been really helpful. And let others turn you, don't try to do it by yourself. It takes a while to get your appetite back. I'm still not "hungry" feeling even now. Because of complications post sleeve I don't eat much anyway except Protein bars. But that gets your nutrition in and isn't too much. I think the binder adds to that restrictive feeling you get when you try to eat. Hope your recovery goes well!! Rest, rest, rest!!!

Lol. I understand. My family has been supportive but at the same time scared bc it's such a long procedure. But my mom really couldn't say much because she had a facelift 2 weeks before my surgery. ????

I love the look on people's face when I casually say "I have a 360 degree incision like a belt" haha ????

I know a lot of people go to Mexico and are very happy w their results. I went to several plastic surgeons in my area and found one I just love. Like I said, my sleeve did not go well. I became septic immediately after bc of a leak and spent 2.5 months in the hospital. The plastic surgeon I picked was extra thorough because of that. I had to get clearance from 3 other doctors and she has been even more cautious since my surgery. I go back today for my 4th post op visit in less than 3 weeks. As she put it "this is an elective surgery and not worth dying over". I'm excited for you! The morning of my surgery I took my own "before" pics that only I will see and am amazed how different I look. Next year I will do the upper part to have better breasts, arms and upper back. This is the biggest and most complicated surgery and I'm glad I chose to do it first.

That's great that you will have help. I don't think anyone could do this on their own. Before this surgery I was super active and seldom home for long. But you really have to take it easy or you will hurt yourself. And if you paid cash for this like I did, you don't want to mess it up.

Hi! I had my lower body lift (360) on July 16 so I am just under 3 weeks post op. The first few days were really painful and I opted to stay a second night in the hospital to get stronger pain medicine. Now that I'm home I'm still taking my pain meds every 4-6 hours. But I can stand up straighter now. I used a rolling walker for almost 2 weeks bc you have to stay bent over initially. I also got a shower chair and still use that bc I get tired easily. My swelling has gone down but the dr said I am still swollen several inches. I wear a garment provided for me by my dr that looks like a crotchless wetsuit. That way you don't have to take it off and on so much to use the bathroom. I'm used to it but it does get itchy. My dr was very up front that this would hurt and she didn't lie. Also I'm not allowed to use any core muscles which includes using my arms to get up and down. My family helps me every time I need to get up and/ or turn every 2 hours to prevent incision from opening up. That's around the clock. I have slept in the recliner since I got home. My girls (19&23) take turns sleeping on the couch. We set alarms to turn me every 2 hours. My appetite has been really low and I've been really nauseous. My sleeve had complications so my stomach gets unhappy easily. Plus the garment is really tight and eating just isn't comfortable. I will take some more pics tomorrow and post. I've been taking them daily but they show a lot lol. Oh, one surprise is that my "lady part" got a lift as well. Lol. Even though I'm still swollen I can see a huge difference on how I look and I absolutely love it!! I workout 6-7 days per week normally and the extra skin was making frustrated that I didn't look how I felt. My dr removed about 6+pounds of skin. Stats: Pre weight loss wt 275lbs Pre plastic wt 135lbs I weighed last week 130lbs I'll be curious where my weight settles once the swelling is gone. I don't really want to lose any more. Yesterday was my first day to venture out of the house and go to a movie and walk around a few stores. I was exhausted when we got home and more swollen today. The hardest part is getting in and out of a vehicle. My husband is really strong and can easily lift me but he's on crutches w a broken leg bc we had a motorcycle accident 2 nights before my surgery. Stupid plan to go riding so close to a non refundable surgery lol. I'm lucky I have adult kids to help me. Good luck! Holly

Hi Christy, I haven't been on this forum for a while but was so glad I got on and found this thread as well. I am post VSG from November 2012 with major, major complications. So the ideal of another elective surgery has taken a lot of thought and prayer. Even at that I will be chatting with my therapist in the next few weeks. I just feel like this is what I need to complete my journey. My highest weight was 295lbs and my pre surgery weight was 275lbs. I am 132-134lbs now and everyone tells me I need to gain. But I don't. I'm just very toned and I like how I feel at this weight. I am scheduled for a LBL July 16. It will be a 9 hour surgery for me. I am a workout junkie like many of us on here. The thought of not working out is very scary and sad but I know it's temporary. If anyone has more words of wisdom they would like to share, I'll certainly listen. I am going to look for more compression garments prior to my procedure. I thought only the abdominal binder was helpful. Good luck and I hope your recovery goes well. I will try to post my plastics journey. This will be the first (and hardest) of three. Holly

Hi Everyone, I am 2.5 years out and still losing weight. I had major complications the first 6 months so my journey was not typical. I started off at 275 in November 2012. By April 2014 I was around 160-164. I stayed at that until August 2014. I had convinced myself that the excess weight was skin. ???? well I had a full body scan like they do for bone density and it shows how much of your weight is Water, fat etc. I was in for a reality check. That was fat in my belly not just skin. So I did a 6 weeks of dropping my calls to 500/day and lost 12lbs. From there my metabolism and psyche kicked back in. I've been a gym rat from 6 months post op. But I changed it up and started boxing and kickboxing. I'm addicted. So fast forward to today. I go btw 132-135lbs and I feel so great. Those last pounds are finally off. And tomorrow I start consulting plastic surgeons. I had a follow up bone scan and now what's left on my belly IS mostly skin. The fat amount is super small. I don't want to lose any more bc I know I'll drop a few pounds when the skin is removed. I have met every goal. I set them in 5lb increments when I started losing again because I really didn't know how low I wanted to get. But you can reach your goals no matter how far out you are from surgery. It took years to get overweight and may take that to lose it. Good luck. Holly

I hope things are still going well for you!!

This has been a roller coaster for my husband and I. He didn't want me to be sleeved bc he worried something bad would happen and it did (leak post op which almost killed me). It took us months and months to get through that ordeal and even now I'll never be a "normal" sleever as far as what my belly can handle. It took him a long time to realize I can enjoy going out to eat by nibbling or just keeping him company. I think he felt I was being deprived when I didn't eat and he did. It also was really weird for him when I lost so much initially. He told me he didn't like it bc I didn't look the same and he loved me how I was. Fast forward to today. Instead of food partners we are now gym partners 5x week. Both of us much healthier and happier. He loves helping me pick out new clothes to buy. Bless his heart, he thinks he is my fashion consultant. lol. While I am 15lbs from goal he's perfectly happy how I look now but he understands it's how I feel and what I want to achieve. So he's very supportive. So I guess to sum it up, we've had our ups and downs specific to my sleeve but it truly has brought us closer together. ????

I can't do the bread. I will occasionally get a salad from there or just eat the meat off a sandwich.