Scout1234

UH OH!!!! Drain Alert So there I am minding my own business emptying my drain at is normal 12:30pm time slot and I notice the bulb will not hold its seal. After I squeeze the air from it, immediately it re-inflates. I assume that there is a crack or slice in it and I look everywhere, submerge it in Water and I can find nothing. No idea why, I look down at where it enters my body and I notice the stitch holding it in is a good 6 inches away from my body. IT IS NO LONGER ATTACHED!! With mild panic I slowly (and painfully) slide it back into place and tape the tube to my leg. Squeeze the bulb and bingo, it holds the suction. I call and talk to my nurse and find out the following: 1: Happens all of the time 2: If it falls out again she said just to pull it out 3: I am not a doctor but I think I could play one on TV My only concern is if it comes out again this drain has averaged 30 cc per clean out 3x per day so I am way over the amount that they would just take it out. The nurse said that if it does come out and I swell they will reinsert it…..that sounds like it will hurt. And the drama continues.

I am 2 weeks post op so this is fresh in my mind: This is what I had with me and comments on each: Cell Phone: To stay in touch with loved ones Ipad: Your favorite Movies / TV / Music (I put a lot of time and effort into downloading stuff to entertain myself and didn't even open it because I was so out of it Kindle: Same as above, never left my bag Slippers: Don't bother, they put anti slip socks on me at the hospital Clothes to wear home: oversized sweat pants or shorts (climate dependent) to accommodate drains and tubes / oversized tshirt or sweatshirt (climate dependent) to accommodate drain bulbs. You won't need underwear (because of the drains & tubes) I was given the advice of buying a sweatshirt that zipped up the front so you don't have to put anything over your head. I hate those types of sweatshirts but I bought one because it seemed logical……it wasn't necessary at all so if you are not a fan like me its not necessary Pillow and Blanket: For the ride home, came in handy because I had a 2 hour ride from baltimore to philadelphia Sneakers: you will want something comfortable to wear on your feet that you also feel very stable in. I walked out of the hospital from my room because when the rolled the wheel chair in I did not even want to attempt the following: 1. Get out of bed (painful) 2. Sit down in wheel chair (painful) 3. Get up out of wheel chair (painful) 4. get into the car ass first, swing legs into car (painful) Not to scare you about the pain, it really wasn't so much the pain as it was being so deliberate about moving because of the incision!

Not exactly sure how to respond to that question but my mindset at the time of that post was….. I was just sliced and put back together at my midsection and could barely get in and out of bed and consider I pee standing up I was deathly scared of having to "sit" down when nature eventually called. So to answer your post on a very basic level….I "used" the bathroom both sitting and standing, before and still.

no different than the sleeve procedure, its amazing how many different instructions we get from our surgeons. i have been told under no terms am i to shower till the drains are out. i was at my surgeons office yesterday to have another one out and i asked about the lanyard that a few folks have mentioned and they simply said…..NO merry xmas to you all…..i have no shot at getting another drain out prior to next week. i am just going to try and rest and let the swelling go down (hopefully) over the next few days before we get busy as a family surrounding christmas. good luck right???

UPDATE: Another drain GONE!! 2 down….2 to go!!

So Butterthebean and I were emailing earlier today and I was telling him how I felt like a caged animal and really want to get back to my "normal" routine…..and because I have been feeling so good I have started to do a little more. Well…..I paid for it this afternoon. After I got home from running a few errands which included getting in and out of my car probably one too many times I went upstairs to clean up a bit and looked at my legs. Well now I know why they were a little sore……THEY WERE SWOLLEN ABOUT 3 TIMES THEIR NORMAL SIZE. Lesson learned……11 days post op is too early to try and get back to "normal" I called my surgeons office and was told to get in bed an elevate my feet. Still swollen but hopefully by morning they will be back down again. Patience is something I clearly don't have!!! :-)

QUICK UPDATE: 10 Days post op and doing well, I had one of the four drains removed today. Not really that big of a deal but it was clearly towards the rear because the tube was REALLY long. Did not hurt at all, just a very weird sensation. One of the many I have been feeling lately. BigHappy, I hope you read this because I owe you an apology! I kinda snickered at your idea that your "junk" could swell after the procedure well on Saturday night it happened to me!!! I was VERY freaked out but by the time I woke up on Sunday morning it "all" was back to normal. During my procedure they did make a cut straight down toward my genitals to remove the excess skin in that area and the Dr. said that leaking into or swelling is absolutely normal……."normal" ??? Not when you were not expecting it. I jokingly said, might be a good idea to give people a heads up on that one!! LOL Still have 4 drains so being 1 down does not feel like a victory at all. I can tell I feel very good! Everyday I get more range of motion and less pain. No longer taking pain meds just Motrin if I feel a little ache TO BE CONTINUED!

Tomorrow is my 1 Year Anniversary 1. Can't believe how much my life has changed 2. 210 Pounds Lost (Started at 377) 3. 1 Week post op from complete lower body lift 4. 54 pants to 34's 5. 4x shirts to Med The best money I ever spent

thanks everyone! i feel like singing happy birthday since it truly is a birthday!!!!

Had the binder off for only the second time just a few mins ago to take a "shower". With the drains "shower" means cleaning up with a bar of soap in the sink! It feels very weird……the sensation along and around the incision is tingly and numb. Standing up is not an option, there is a strange tightening. The visual is still hard to get used to, it almost is like looking at someone else in the mirror. All in all, I am thrilled with the results and am anxious for the healing to continue for a couple of reasons. 1, to get back to normal, and 2, so I can get used to the "new" me!!! The above is a physical but also a mental update because don't kid yourself…..this procedure is both a physical and mental one!!!

feeling great, I have a post under the cosmetic surgery forum keeping everyone up to date on how that is going. i have to say, it has been quite an experience!!!

LOL….I have not heard or experienced that at all!!! I would say NO, that is not something to be worried about at all. If it makes you feel better, discuss it with your surgeon but I am fairly sure they will tell you the same.

Surgery Update! Looks like 2 of my 4 drains are really slowing and if all goes the same for the next day the will be at the parameters they need to be at to be removed!! That is very exciting!!! For those of you contemplating the surgery….they need to produce less than 30cc's of drainage for 3 straight days before they can be taken out. There is an asterix!! Even if that happens in the first week they won't take them out….it has to be after 7 days!

Drumroll please......

Here are a few pics separated by about 13 months of my progress. Notice how much more of the door in the background you can see !!

Not sure if this worked but I am in the car on the way to my appointment so figured I would try a few pictures

Let me tell you what I think is the most difficult part!!!! After close to a year of working out at least 6 days a week…..sitting on my caboose not doing anything is HARD!! After the snow slows down I am sending my wife to Dicks Sporting Goods to get a gripmaster so I can workout my grip and forearms while laying in bed!! Its a disease and I have it BAD!!

Butter, I have been wearing the man version of Spanx for the last 6 months so the binder really hasn't bothered me yet. Of my 4 drains I have one already that is producing well less than 30 cc per day so I am looking forward to dropping one pretty quickly. The others really vary….one 4 hour period will be only 20 cc then the next it will be 60 cc so I expect to keep them a while!! Sorry to all if I repeat myself but I am doing most of this typing while on pain meds! I am enjoying my time off the treadmill because I was going at it so hard prior to surgery. I know that will only last for a while and I will really start to get bored not doing anything. I am really tracking my food intake to control my weight while I am off my feet. The surgeon told my wife that he took 5 pounds of skin off of me!! I will keep you all in the loop as my experience progresses

BigHappy, Yes, same thing. It will address your upper thighs very slightly…..the thigh lift as it was described to me is a very intense operation with many more risks than the body lift. The chest would also be another procedure. You should meet with a few surgeons and get opinions and decide who you are most comfortable with. That is what i did, I met with 3 different surgeons and spoke to a few of the patients of the guy I finally picked.

Thats great for you…... I had to pay for both my sleeve and my plastic surgery. In the last 12 months I have about 35k wrapped up in this makeover. The way I feel, I would have paid double! UPDATE: The Exparel shot (72 hour slow release) really only lasts 72 hours. It hurts this AM, big time! The drains are down big from yesterday, that is a welcome sight but I understand that they will fluctuate before they really end. First follow up is tomorrow, I will try to snap a few pictures to share with you all

INSURANCE: Nope, and I am not sure that any insurance pays for plastic surgery unless it is medically necessary…..in this environment (meaning healthcare) good luck proving plastic surgery is medically necessary. COST: All in around 15k….10k went to the Surgeon and 5k went to the hospital CIRCUMFERENTIAL: Simply means that they went all the way around….360 degrees

I had my sleeve done December 13th 2012. My highest weight was in September of 2012 at 377, the morning of my surgery I was 349. This morning I weighed in at 168!!!!! I have lost 209 pounds…..I pinch myself everyday. There is no secret to my success, my sleeve has been my greatest tool. I would have never gotten to this point without it, I know that! However, the 3 other legs of the stool to help me achieve this have been: 1) Myfitnesspal.com 2) Fitbit 3) Exercise, Exercise, & more Exercise The sleeve did not fix the cavernous space between my ears. Even with the sleeve I would not have lost the weight if I was not ready to tackle the reasons I overate the way I did prior to surgery. I was finally mentally in the right place to take on this challenge, the sleeve was the extra edge I needed to stay on track. I can guarantee failure if you are not ready to combine mental toughness along with a life dedicated to exercise. I fear it everyday, fear that i will give up on my exercise routine and let a few pounds sneak back. I use that fear to force myself out of bed and on to that treadmill, or elliptical machine. Many days I workout twice a day. Many of us are in the same place for the same reason….lack of will power, poor genetics, and we can be just plain ole lazy. Those things DON'T go away….they just lay dormant and you have to fight to keep them where they belong: buried deep inside of you. I see my surgeon this coming week and I can't wait to see my lab work, I am really looking forward to see how much it has improved since prior to my surgery. I had high cholesterol, high fasting sugar levels etc…. In two weeks from today I will be in my hospital room recovering from my circumferential body lift. I am so anxious to let the healing begin and get back to my workout regimen. I have a 10 mile race under my belt, I finished in just over an hour and a half. Mind you, when I first started my workouts back in January I was barely able to walk at 3.5 mph for 30 mins. Now I run twice a day for 40 - 60 mins at a time and average 6.5 mph in preparation for my plastic surgery. In 2014 I have scheduled a half marathon and a full marathon, they are things I would have laughed at back when I was 377 pounds and because of this life altering procedure they are a real possibility. If you are reading this and thinking of surgery or just had it completed or have had it and things are going well, know that it is tough. The sleeve is a tool and that tool is only as effective as the owner of it. This is not popular…..you can cheat the sleeve. You can put weight back on….you can eat more and more over time. It is up to you to use it properly and rehab your mind, train yourself to be mentally strong in your fight against food addiction and abuse. I do not deprive myself of things…..I have had……pizza, ice cream, french fries, and diet soda. I just don't have a whole pizza, I have half a slice and a small salad. I have a spoonful of ice cream instead of 2 pints of ben and jerry's like i did prior to surgery. I steal a french fry or two from my son instead of a super sized order from mcdonalds with my two big macs and two cheeseburger with a large regular coke. You can do it! But, you have to be ready to do it. I wasn't ready for 13 years! I gained almost 200 pounds from 1999 to 2012 when i had my procedure. just about every monday during that time i started a "diet" and by thursday afternoon i was done. I had some success a few times losing close to 75 pounds at one time but it didn't last long. i wanted to take time to let anyone know who wanted to listen that this is not the end all be all to your success. you are the key to it working!! i wish you all nothing but good luck in your personal journey, it has been my greatest accomplishment in my life. there are so many things we are expected to do and do well: be a loving and caring spouse, be the best parent you can be, work hard to provide your family what they need. you don't have to be healthy, you WANT to be healthy but it is not a requirement so when i look back at what i have done, i truly feel its my greatest accomplishment!! good luck everyone!

I can't live without diet soda and my surgeon said that as long as I can tolerate the carbonation it is fine. He said there is no data that links it to the expansion or stretching of the newly formed stomach.

was sleeved 12/13/12 by Dr. Boorse at LVH and have lost just over 200 pounds! Great guy, great hospital. Easy for me to say because everything went smoothly the entire way. Not one single complication or annoyance....I can't say enough about my experience there. My insurance did not cover any of the surgery and the hospital was wonderful to deal with to work out payment schedules. I hope this helps anyone just starting the process.