Chickie

Wheetsin ~ In many ways the recovery has been easier with the TT, than the band. Maybe because I am fitter, and healthier now. I don't know. And the drains while annoying, didn't hurt. Even when they were pulled out, no pain, just a weird sensation. NJChick ~ Surprisingly, I am not in any pain at all. I was not given anything stronger than paracetamol, and found after day 3 I was able to stop taking even that. My butt hurts more than anything - from sitting on it so much! I am not used to the inactivity! Thank you Telly. Thanks Jane73! You are dong really well with you band! Way to go!! Lett ~ Thank you. And good luck with your banding. Not too long to go now! Paula ~ Those two photo's side by side amazed me. I found it hard to believe myself how far I have come. I cried when I saw them. I do look very different, but I still have thunder thighs, and chunky arms, and no amount of PS will get rid of my strechmarks, sadly!!

There is little in this world better than cubed, roasted sweet potato, onion, parsnip and pumpkin, on a bed of steamed spinach, with crushed garlic and pepper in a drop of extra virgin olive oil drizzled over the top (drools)

:mad: I have PCOS, still battle daily with the hair, but have a perfect 28 day cycle, have no cysts, acne, hormones are normal, and the mood swings, (apart from PMS) are gone!

It took putting a photo of me as a naked pre op, with a photo of me as a naked post op TT'er to finally see the change, 18 months and 162lbs later. It takes time for the brain to catch up with the new bod. For sure.

That looks awesome!! I have to check that out. And Dawg is right. The police have only just started using mace/peper spary in the last couple of years. I will definitely check out Aikido ,Judo and JuJutsu. Thanks.

:cheer2: I am at goal, and maintaining. I lost from 297 lbs / 135 kg down to 134 lbs / 61 kg.

An interesting comparison; about 4 weeks post op lapband Vs 6 days post op abdominoplasty. I think I look healthier and more "with it" only 6 days after the TT, than I did a month or more after the band! How far my health has come is amazing!

:clap2:Congratulations on three years banded!! :clap2:

Thank you Alexandra. I am very happy I had the band, and now the TT. It's like I have my body back. It really is wonderful. I stayed home with the drains in, only because I could. I knew I only had to have them in for a week, and planned my life so I could do so. I had little fabric bags to put the bulb of the drain in, and I could have gone out, and not had anyone notice them too much. The drain removal. It felt weird. The PS just snipped the stitches holding the drains in place, the pulled them out. It just felt odd. I can't put it into words. It was just weird. I know everyone is different, and I might just have a really high pain tolerance, but I experienced no pain. PS was really pleased with how well I am healing, that I am standing up straight, and is just thrilled to bits with my results so far (but promised that I will look a hundred times better by summer!!) I will have DH take some new pics tonight.

Thank you Jq, Betty, aaamom, Kirsten, and Elisabeth. I am feeling pretty darn good. I am not in any real pain (not on any paracetamol any more) I am a wee bit uncomfortable where the drains go in, and they come out today with any luck, so I hope to be feeling a whole lot better again. I am up and about as normal (ish).I get pretty tired by the end of the day, but apparently that is normal. Boo Boo Kitty ~ In the photos, I have my drains in, not IV fluids, so I will go up in weight after they are out, sadly. I am still in a US 6-8 so, I kinda hope I don't go down any more sizes!! Susan ~ It is well worth the money, the pain, and the time! I was watching something similar on TV here in Oz (the night before my op no less) about a woman who had DS and lost 190kg / 418 lbs (maybe this is the same program re named for Oz?) And for me it was nothing like it. Nothing like it at all. The single most traumatic thing was, get this - using the bedpan - I hate using bedpans (they wouldn't let me get up because my BP was a little low) So I am off in about an hour to have the drains removed. This I am not looking forward too. From all reports this is pretty painful.

I think "they" say 6 to 12 months at goal before going ahead with PS. My belly was such a tranwreck, and there was so little hope that it would ever go back to anything like "normal" that I (and my doctors) decided not to wait We are in the middle of the Aussie winter, and the sores, and rashes are bad enough now, I couldn't imagine what it would be like in the Aussie summer. Thank you. I feel like a different person. No, the pain was nothing like I expected. It is more uncomfortable than painful.

I waited till I was at goal before I had my abdominoplasty.

Thank you Vera, Kathy, and Scribby! Jacqui - I was just being very over sensitive on Tuesday. I took what was said personally, when it was in no way directed at me. I am really sorry about that. Kel - I wasn't expecting much in the way of weight loss, because of what he took off. Just the flappy bit below my belly button. I can't imagine that would have weighed very much. Or would it? Did you lose weight during recovery? I ask because DH swears I am looking skinnier. I say BS, but he swears I do. And the links to the PS forums would be great, thank you. SugarPlum - Thank you!

I am packing my bag for hospital, and have packed a million pairs of underwear (Ok, 10 pairs for an est. 2-5 day stay) But do they even let you wear undies? That was one of the very few things I forgot to ask. :rolleyes

I am wearing undies for the moment, because they have me in this boob tube for the tummy thing. But come Monday, when the drains come out, I will be wearing a compression garment (thigh to bra line type) I am really looking forward to having the drains out!! Yeah, if you lose a lot of weight, and are referred by your GP, it can be considered re constructive. I do have top private cover, and it was covered (DH works in public transport, and we have Rail & Transport Health Fund - apparently they cover more than the average fund - I will be out of pocket by about $1800 - $2000 total by the time we have paid all of the bills. I had no bill for the hospital, and I was in The Wesley Hospital in Brisbane) PM me with the details when you get time, please. Thank you! It's not really as painful as it looks. My back and backside hurt more than my tummy (back from walking hunched over, and backside from sitting on it!) I do feel pretty darn good. I am housebound for the moment, because I don't want to be going out with blood filled drains on display!! But after Monday, I will be getting out and about again. Thank you everyone!

Not a problem. You look fantastic! :clap2: Way to go Margo!!

Here you go.

:clap2: Way to go Vera :clap2: You look fantastic, and have such cute kiddo's!! :biggrin1:

You will find no one really watches as closely as you may think. And if they do, tell them to bugger off :heh:

I posted some before and afters in my journal, Kat.

I am 2 days post op, and I have to say, thus far, it has not been as bad as I had expected. I am treating the pain with OTC paracetamol, and walking around the house a lot (bent over, naturally!) I agree with the drains being the pitts. If it were not for the drains, I could stop the paracetamol. They just bug me. Twitchy type pains. Nothing dramatic. (my drains are in cute little bags that I hang over my shoulder when I get up to walk around.) I forgot to ask how much was taken off (I will ask at my post op appointment on Monday) But I was at goal anyway, and any loss is a bonus at this stage. I am finding that the binder helps me feel secure. The pressure feels good. So my opinion is, it's not that bad, really.

Ryan's family are in my prayers.

Happy Birthday!!

All everyone seems to talk about is Protein Shakes. Am I the odd one out preferring not to drink Protein Drinks, instead finding my Protein in solids? I feel bad when I say in my posts "thanks for the suggestion, but I don't drink my protein".

Any advice on what to ask the surgeon? My appointment is 6th July. I want to be armed and ready for this :biggrin1: I know the basics of a TT, how it is done, ect. But is there anything that you wished you had asked before the fact? So far my list of questions; How many TT have you done on bandsters? Should I replace my port w/ a low profile? Cost (duh!) Expected recovery time Where to buy compression garment (if not supplied) How long to wear CG When can I resume exercise Pain medication What pre op tests will I need What can I realistically expect That is what I have for the moment. I am sure I will come up with more in the two weeks till my appointment, and any imput will be more than welcome.