AvaFern

@@NewSetOfCurves The swelling I experienced was mostly gone within 3 months...I think my final result without any additional swelling was around 6 months.

Woohoo, nice stomach! I completely agree with you..the TT is a fabulous surgery to have. I check out my new stomach probably everyday in the mirror and it's been over 14 months since my surgery.

I drove myself both to the hospital and home. There is no reason you can't drive yourself to the hospital, although as someone else mentioned, then you get stuck with one car there. I was in the hospital for three days and declined narcotics after the second day. I was fully sober, so to speak, to drive myself home on day three. I felt pretty crummy and it wasn't the greatest drive ever, but physically it was possible. If you're only talking about driving yourself to the hospital, there would really be no issue with that.

Ok, I have to say I really hated it when people threw encouraging words to me while I was running as the fatty. I understand that they are trying to be supportive and kind and I appreciate the gesture, but I alwasy wondered....do you really say that to a thin person? Turns out, they do. I run most days and I am now well within the range of being a thin person and people still do periodically say "good job!", "good for you for getting out here", and "way to go". In fact the other day an old man said something along the lines of.."it must be hard running everyday, good for you for trying". I was sort of offended at first because when I was heavy I would have assumed he meant that it must be hard for my fat butt to go for a run everyday when I am so out of shape. I'm not fat anymore though so now I take it as probably the way it was intended...it is hard to get out and get a run in everyday with all of life's obstacles, and good for me for getting it done. So, good for you for running...not because you might be heavier than other people on the track, but because running is a pain in the butt, it is tiring and hot and I really don't think anyone actually enjoys running until they are done with it. Good for everyone, fat, thin, tall, short, disabled, old, young....everyone...for everyday they get in a workout. There is a reason the prefix is "work" and not "fun".

I've been a runner since my teens, but when I was at my heaviest, around 237, my feet would swell horribly when I ran. Changing my shoe didn't help because all of the pressure on my feet is what was causing the problem. Do you have a gym nearby that has a pool? You can get a great workout in by just jogging up and down the lanes (deep end you can wear a floatation device). This limits the strain on your feet significantly and still burns a lot of calories. I taught aqua aerobics when I was in college and a lot of people who had issues with their knees really enjoyed the classes.

I used the scar sheets for the suggested 12 weeks. After that point they really don't help much. You can probably stop using them now, lol. If you go on vacation though and you might be laying out, having them on during the first year helps keep the sun off of the scar, which is important.

@@proudgrammy Haha, yes three scales! I write the weight down for each of them every morning. Usually they're pretty consistent with a gain or a loss, however sometimes one scale will show a big gain of a pound or two and the other two don't. If I see that the other scales aren't showing a big difference, the weight on one scale doesn't bug me as much. Of course on the days all three go up, then I know I better get a run in and watch what I eat until they go back to normal.

It really sounds like there is a major problem with one of those scales- you shouldn't fluctuate 21 pounds. Different scales read differently, but not that much! As an example, I weigh every morning on three scales. One is the scale I got when I had surgery 2 years ago and I have weighed on it every single day since then, one is an older Tanita that I've had for 10 years and it does fun little measurements outside of weight, and one is an Aria Fit that syncs to MyFitnessPal. The Tanita and the scale I bought before surgery are almost always within 0.2 points of each other and the Aria is almost always 1.2-1.4 pounds more. At the doctor's office, since I'm not weighing without clothing on like I do at home, I usually weigh 2-3 pounds more. I tend to weigh myself at other people's houses on their scales, on the gym scale, on the scale at the grocery store, and sometimes on the one at the BP stand in the pharmacy...they never vary by more than 5 pounds in any direction even with clothing on, so a 21 pound difference is very much a problem with one scale.

My doctor made me wait 3 months between different procedures, but I had the front half of the 360, and the Tummy Tuck done at the same time as the breast lift and augment. I had no problem healing with that surgery. I ate the same as usual, although honestly I probably ate more junk than usual during the first week after surgery. After that I just focused on eating the usual- Proteins in a variety of forms. You will love your new body- the TT and boobs are still my favorite plastics procedures.

I have never followed that rule. I decided from the start I wasn't spending my life with a dry mouth everytime I ate. I am 26 months post-op and have been at goal for almost 6 months. The only reason you are told not to drink and eat is so you don't flush food down your stomach faster. If you're paying attention to how much you eat, you can drink at the same time.

@Elode Reading your post gave me my own little anxiety attack, lol. I know exactly how you feel. Only my three best friends knew I had surgery because I have fragile feelings (haha) and I knew if everyone else knew they would spend the rest of my life critquing what I eat and saying I cheated on losing weight. As it is, just being thin after losing weight people who aren't my good friends like to comment on my food. I think I have a mild stricture so I tend to barf a lot, but when I go out to dinner I generally get so nervous about the fact that I'm going to get sick from the food, that I eat next to nothing, which then of course sparks conversation about how I don't eat, which then makes me even more conscious that everyone is watching me eat, and then I really want to eat nothing, lol. I am terrified of regaining the weight. A lady I knew from work had lapband, got super skinny, and I guess she's now about 5 years post-op and she's just as large as she originally was. I feel bad for her. I also think that the only reason I have stayed thin this long is because every single day is a battle. The second I stop paying attention to my weight, and relax about what I eat and how much I exercise, I will regain it all right back. Knowing that the rest of my life is going to be about the stupid scale is a bummer, but it's way less depressing than knowing the rest of my life could be about being fat.

I have never had a flu shot, and then last year I got the flu. It was not fun. Despite that, this year I did not get the flu shot because I'm really not around people who frequently have the flu. If you are around kids a lot, a flu shot sounds like a really good idea. You are probably fine to get the flu shot now, but why wait until December to ask? Call your doctor and ask on Monday, or depending on your time zone, now if they haven't closed for the day.

@@Spiceyfrog I had to get mine from my doctor because they weren't for sale online now, but it looks like you can buy them online now. My boxes look a little different than the kind that is on the webiste, but the price is the same and the actual way you put the strip on looks the same, so they must have just changed the colors on their box. Below is the link for the product. https://www.embracescartherapy.com/arm-lift-scars/

Mizuno! Lol, I have tried Brooks and didn't love them, but a lot of runner's swear by them. I like Mizuno because the stability shoe they make for flat footed people like me is really light weight and comfy. I've been running in them for probably the last 8 years or so and before that I used Adidas. The best idea is to go to a shoe store and have them fit you. Then go buy the shoes online and save like $30 because specialty running stores are expensive, lol.

I was freaked out for about two weeks after surgery. I also puked for about the first 48 hours straight. I distinctly remember calling my best friend, one of only three people who know I had the procedure and crying that I had ruined my life. The anesthesia makes you feel weird for awhile, you can't eat anything to feel better either physically or emotionally, and Water tastes bad. I am 26 months post-op, I have maintained within 5 pounds of my goal weight (in both directions) for the last year and I would go back and do it all over again. The misery in the journey is worth the joy in the destination.

Wheat thins and granola bars are my slider foods. Mmmm, buffalo flavored wheat thins. I can sit and eat them and eat them and those jokers just slide right through my stomach, never making me full. They are so good for days when I am stressed, bored, and feel like getting fat all over again, lol. I know my slider foods and I make a point to not keep them in my house. The further you get out from surgery, the more you will recognize which foods you can munch away on and never feel full.

Good for you! Have fun!!

My arms were one of the things I had done. Check out realself.com and look at the pictures on there. I am almost exactly a year out from my arms and I really could not have asked for better results, both in terms of contour and scarring. It really does take almost a full year to heal though. Also, consider looking into the Embrace strips for your arms. At the time I used them, I didn't think they were worth the price, but a year later I don't know if I feel the same way. I had an awesome doctor, so he gets the credit for my very pale, very thin lines, along the back of my arm, but I do tend to wonder if the Embrace strips helped a little bit because I have seen a lot of people who have really bad spreading of the scar. Amusingly just yesterday I was in the store and I picked up some Dermablend. I am a little self-conscious about my arm scars. They are the only scars you can see when I am wearing normal clothing and while most people claim they don't notice them, I feel like it is an instant red flad that I was fat before. With the right makeup (Dermablend is designed to cover tattoos) I can now make it so that my scars are almost invisible...if you know to look for them, you'll see them, but for the most part they are very, very hard to see. I was most concerned about the scars...but compared to my wings, the scars are SO much more preferred. Although you didn't ask about boobs, you will love the results of that too. I was concerned because I needed a lift, but the lollipop vertical scar is so faded now at 14 months out I can't even see it. Also, you only need to be within 15% of your goal weight. I was 153 when I first had my boobs and stomach done, 137ish when I had my arms and thighs done, and 134 when I had my butt and back done. The first surgery still looks perfect and I am now just over 20 pounds less than I was then.

The bests solution is to wear tight clothing and a good sports bra. I remember after plastics how different it felt to run without my extra stomach flab, although I don't remember noticing it much before I had surgery- probably because I always ran in compression pants because it helped minimize any chafing.

I had the same procedure, although mine was done in two surgeries. My tummy tuck went perfectly, the back part was a complete and total b*tch and took a solid 6 months of recovery before I was fully bandage free. At three months you really shouldn't be swelling any more, however I ended up with an infection that resulted in swelling for several months after surgery. It all depends on how you heal. The muscle pain is probably normal, after all you had a nice break from the gym, but if the swelling hasn't gone down by tomorrow, I would call your surgeon just to see what he thinks. As a note, now that all the fat is gone from my abs, when I workout my core I can see visible bloat for a few days afterward if I haven't regularly been working my abs. Also, when I drink a lot during a workout, I can very much see my stomach get bigger. It's not swelling, just Water retention and it isn't oriented around my incision, so potentially not applicable to you.

I've had that experience, although for me it only seemed to work when I was earlier in the process. The first Christmas after the sleeve, I really couldn't eat a lot, but I did enjoy cake and cookies- I didn't lose weight but I didn't gain. The second Christmas after the sleeve I think I ate 30 bags of Peanut Butter m&m's and a plate of fudge. I actually lost a pound. Christmas is the only time I really allow myself to eat junk, but this Halloween I had a bit of a cheat day where I had caramel popcorn, buffalo chicken, and a few other things I rarely eat. I woke up 3 pounds heavier and it has taken well over a week to lose that weight. At over two years out from surgery I have to be VERY careful with what I eat and how much I eat or I absolutely gain weight almost immediately. I miss the honeymoon phases (and m&m's).

I was quite saggy after losing weight off and on throughout my 20's and the first guy that saw me naked when I was probably at my saggiest didn't say a word about it. We were friends before we dated and we are friends now and my flab-tasticness has never come up. I have since had extensive plastic surgery and the last person I was with started dating me shortly after I had the back part of the 360 body lift. I got lucky and got a huge infection and ended up with a fist size hole in my back which took over 6 months to heal. The entire time we were together my back was bandaged with a giant bandage, and he saw all of my other scars. He never once said anything unkind or even brought them up. If you're looking for a hook-up, what you look like naked matters. If a guy is looking for an easy score, he doesn't care a whole lot in the moment, but after that yes, if you're not cute naked, it matters. If, however you sincerely get to know someone, what you look like naked won't matter to them. I still sometimes wonder if my ex thought he could do better with a girl who doesn't have scars everywhere, but I know how he treated me and I know the kind of person he is and I recognize that those thoughts are just my own insecurities. When someone loves you, your physical flaws don't matter. Now....the getting someone to love you when you aren't attractive to them is the part I have always found daunting.

I can understand your frustration. A lot of things annoy me in life, lol, but other people's food habits regardless of their diet or surgeries isn't really one of them. I was a self-pay patient so I learned nothing about how I was supposed to eat. I had surgery two weeks after I went to the education session. I have learned over time how to eat to maintain my weight and the things that make me gain, but I was never a Protein first, veggies next, starch last girl. The entire time I have had my sleeve I have eaten what I want to in smaller portions. I don't eat junk food because it makes me sick, so that eliminates a lot of sweets and fats, but I have no problem going to Panera and having a cup of chili for lunch and taking home half a sandwich later. I try not to judge others for what they eat because I know there are plenty of times where someone could easily judge me. If someone wants to have chocolate for Breakfast, good for them....the only person they need to be accountable to is themself. In the morning when I weigh myself on my 3 scales...the only person there is me, not someone who had an opinion about what I had for dinner the night before. We all pay for our choices, one way or the other.

Do you need the letter so your therapist can submit it to insurance and hopefully demonstrate that plastics are medically required?

You look fantastic!