salsa1877

The doctor did call me back and I am going into see here in the morning. She believes that it is a combination of heat and low sugar levels. I haven't been eating much cause I haven't been hungry so everything that I have been eating has been HIGH protein. So she things that what happened is that the heat (it was 100+ here today and we dont have AC), being wrapped in the binder and the lack of carbs/sugar in my diet was a bad combo. So I am ordered to eat a VERY high calorie diet. She doesn't want me below 2500 calories for the rest of the week. I have to have a fan on me at all times and I have to put a cool cloth on my forehead and wrists every hour. We are going into see her tomorrow morning and she will do a reevaluation then. She said that if I pass out again or I get shortness of breath or start throwing up that I have to go to the ER immediately. We live MAYBE 2 minutes from the hospital so we are good on that front. I will keep you all up to date tomorrow.

So I had the scariest moment of my life about 2 hours ago. I went in to take a shower and DH was in there with me until I sent him out to get a clean towel from the cabinet. In the 20 seconds he was gone I passed out in the shower. I have a nice bruise on my left shoulder and the middle of my back from hitting the faucet. As soon as he heard me hit the tub he rushed in and I was sitting in the tub. I don't remember anything between the time he left and the time he came back in. Then as he was turning off the water and holding my head...I passed out again. I guess I was only out for a split second that time but when I came too I felt like I was in a tunnel. My vision was blurred with starry images and my hearing was very distant. Seriously scared. Then I was afraid to look down. I feared that I was going to be sitting in a red bath tub...but alas I was not. I didn't split a single stitch but I think I almost pulled out my drains. My stomach doesn't hurt at all but my drains hurt like a B!TCH. I called the doctor but she hasn't called me back yet. I was feel really good today. A little tired because we went to the store to get some Kashi cereal that was on sale today, but we walked slowly and it wasn't very long. When we came home I laid in my chair and listened to my book because I was kind of tired. I got up, took some pictures and then went to take a shower. I felt great. The whole passing out thing was kind of a shock! I am feeling better now except for my sore butt and back. Plus I have gained an extra shadow. DH won't let me go anywhere or do anything without him being a shadow. I guess it is a good thing. He is making dinner right now and telling me that I have to eat, eat, eat. He is convinced that I am not eating enough. He could be right considerng that after eating today I stepped on the scale and I was down 5.5 pounds. They only removed 4 pounds of skin so I have lost weight since surgery. So between now and Sunday I am going to eat whatever he feeds me and not ask about calories. Doc still hasn't called so I will have DH call here on her cell phone. I want to make sure that there is nothing that I could have done internally.

So I had the scariest moment of my life about 2 hours ago. I went in to take a shower and DH was in there with me until I sent him out to get a clean towel from the cabinet. In the 20 seconds he was gone I passed out in the shower. I have a nice bruise on my left shoulder and the middle of my back from hitting the faucet. As soon as he heard me hit the tub he rushed in and I was sitting in the tub. I don't remember anything between the time he left and the time he came back in. Then as he was turning off the water and holding my head...I passed out again. I guess I was only out for a split second that time but when I came too I felt like I was in a tunnel. My vision was blurred with starry images and my hearing was very distant. Seriously scared. Then I was afraid to look down. I feared that I was going to be sitting in a red bath tub...but alas I was not. I didn't split a single stitch but I think I almost pulled out my drains. My stomach doesn't hurt at all but my drains hurt like a B!TCH. I called the doctor but she hasn't called me back yet. I was feel really good today. A little tired because we went to the store to get some Kashi cereal that was on sale today, but we walked slowly and it wasn't very long. When we came home I laid in my chair and listened to my book because I was kind of tired. I got up, took some pictures and then went to take a shower. I felt great. The whole passing out thing was kind of a shock! I am feeling better now except for my sore butt and back. Plus I have gained an extra shadow. DH won't let me go anywhere or do anything without him being a shadow. I guess it is a good thing. He is making dinner right now and telling me that I have to eat, eat, eat. He is convinced that I am not eating enough. He could be right considerng that after eating today I stepped on the scale and I was down 5.5 pounds. They only removed 4 pounds of skin so I have lost weight since surgery. So between now and Sunday I am going to eat whatever he feeds me and not ask about calories. Doc still hasn't called so I will have DH call here on her cell phone. I want to make sure that there is nothing that I could have done internally.

Yeah I still need to get my breasts done coupled with a reverse tummy tuck to remove the last of the skin that she couldn't get rid of. However, I am not in any hurry to get that done. The pain hasn't been overwheming but I can't say it has been a piece of cake either. Today was a rough day. Not pain wise, but I have had the shakes and dizziness that really sucked! Sleeping has been the worst for me. I just cant seem to sleep at night. Last night was the first night I got more than 2 hours of sustained sleep. then today...all I did was sleep. This is the longest that I have been up since this morning. I agree that Frangi must be from another planet. I cna't imagine driving right now. My mind just doesn't function very well!

So I will start the plastic surgery thread. There was a comment/question about waiting a year after to get plastic surgery. My doc said that used to be his recommendation but he feels now after seeing both results that there is no difference. If you have a lot of skin it is not going to go away. If you have minimal amounts of skin, it might. He feels that sometimes it is better to have it sooner because people can get so discouraged with their extra skin that they start gaining weight. I am going to post my belly pictures so that you can see what I am dealing with. I look at myself in the mirror and think DAMN you look good. Then I take my clothes off and feel like a total failure. I know MESSED UP, but just wait until you see the pictures.

Karey - the showers were awful. I got the shakes really bad. In fact today I am feeling a little ugh. I am not in pain but all I have done all day is sleep. I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing seeing that I haven't been sleeping well for about the last week (even before the TT) but I am feeling really light headed today. If it doesn't go away I will call the doctor tomorrow. When I get up I get the whole body tingling feeling and my vision narrows and gets blurry. I start sweating and have to hold on to something. My apetite is slowly coming back though not as much as the doctor would like. She really wants me eating at presurgery levels but I am just not that hungry. She said at minimum I had to get 100 grams of protein a day. I seem to be able to manage that with careful eating and protein bars. I took the binder off for about 20 minutes today so that I could look at my tummy again. I still cant believe what it looks like. I feel like a paper doll and that someone has cast an illusion over my belly. I am waiting to wake up and see it back to normal. The whole weightloss/PS thing does crazy things to your mind! Tonight we are going for a walk around the block. I have been given permission to walk 15 minutes a day at a pace that is just slower than comfortable. She doesn't want me to push myself. she said that when the body is forming new blood vessels through the muscle that any extensive activity can sheer them like what would happen if you were to fall and skin your knees. Everytime that happens then it takes longer for the blood vessels to reform. So I am listening to her! Thank you for all the comments. I do believe that she did a wonderful job!!!

Thank you for all of the compliments. I am feeling pretty good. There is not a lot of pain, though last night I did have to take some pain meds. The worst part of the incision are the ones on my hips. We had to move the binder up a little because it seemed to be digging right into those incisions and it hurt. Otherwise...I feel pretty dang good. I did finally get some sleep last night so that really helped. BBK as for the brusing..I don't know how I got away with that one. Even the doc commented on the lack of bruising!

The doctor removed 4.1 pounds of skin.

Thank you...but the thighs are all mine! I had sculpted legs at 250 pounds. I literally carried all of my weight in my stomach and my chin! The chin went away quicly...but the tummy had to take a bit more convincing. I will post more tomorrow. I am swelling up like a beached whale right now I am going to go to bed.

DH says he can cut you a group rate one the recovery. The pouch isn't bad and like she said earlier...it could actually tighten on its own. She was concerned about the quality of my skin early on, but she said she was pleasantly suprised at how well this turned out. She said it was MUCH better than she thought it would be. Boy oh boy I am swollen tonight. I fell like I am trying to squeeze a watermelon into the binder with me. I had a busy day today. We went to the doctor and then to the store so I walked a lot more than normal. I was given the clearance to walk 15 minutes a day starting tomorrow as long as I wear the binder. I am so thrilled with my results. I can't imagine how good it is going to look when the swelling goes down and it all smooths out!

DH says come on up and he will take care of you! She really is fabulous...and she does everything so whatever you need she can do. She was so worried that I wasn't going to be happy because of poochiness at the top of the tummy...but I think I look great. It is still hard for me to wrap my brain around. I of course still look in the mirror and don't recognize myself. As for the pain...there really is very little. I have been in very little pain. In fact I haven't take pain meds since this morning. I am going to take some tylenol PM tonight in hopes of being able to sleep.

Nope the drains are still in. I am going to have the right one taken out on Monday of next week. She said even though I am only draining about 12 cc/day she doesn't like to take them out this early. She said the swelling to her is worse than the drains. Also she said the drains will help to tell me if I am doing too much. She wants to keep the drains as clear as possible. When the draining is really red it means that I am doing to much. She said she won't take out the second drain until the following week. With that being said she told me that if either one of the drains STOP draining to call here and she would take it out. I am okay with them. I am not doing much anyways. I did go to the store today after the appt and it kind of wiped me out. That and the shower. I can't say that I was all that excited about the shower. It felt good in between the waves of nausea and feelings that I was going to pass out. I have also started to wean myself off the pain meds. I am going on just tylenol. She said I could take some tylenol PM at night so that I can TRY and sleep. Last night was better but I still woke up several times. Overall I am feeling great. It was nice to see my tummy!

Here is the picture collage! Tummy tuck collage 4 days post op.bmp

Here is the picture collage! Tummy tuck collage 4 days post op.bmp

I just got back from the doctor and YEAH I can take a shower today. When I take my shower I will take pictures and I will post them. The plan is to take my shower around 3ish so I should have pictures up by 5. My tummy looks really good. There is a fair amount of loose skin towards my breasts but it still looks a million times better than it did. I was so excited to see my belly button. I will post more later.

I just got back from the doctor and YEAH I can take a shower today. When I take my shower I will take pictures and I will post them. The plan is to take my shower around 3ish so I should have pictures up by 5. My tummy looks really good. There is a fair amount of loose skin towards my breasts but it still looks a million times better than it did. I was so excited to see my belly button. I will post more later.

I don't think that I am going to get a fill. I am hoping that I will be able to maintain without it. Once I am healed I am going to be training for the Eugene Marathon in May so I will be back to running long distances again and if I can't eat enough calories I contuniue to lose. I have thought about getting just a tiny fill to keep me from getting hungry but I still get stuck so I really don't want to risk it. Right now I don't have ANY appetite and I don't know how long that will last. I have not been very good today with calories. I have only had 620 calories and 45 grams of Protein. I still have to have another Protein Bar with my antibiotic tonight so that is another 20 grams and I will probably have something more for dinner tonight so hopefully I can get over 1200 calories. Right now the worst thing is the gas. HOLY COW I am full of gas. I have been taking gas-x but it doesn't seem to be doing much.

I don't know when I can take a shower. We will discuss that at my post-op tomorrow. Most of the time you can't take them until the drains are out. The only specific thing that it said was no baths until after 4 weeks. I think I am just glued shut. I don't think I have external stitches...but I don't know. I can't see the incisions. DH was able to see a little bit of it and said it looked like glue but he couldn't be certain.

Good morning. Pain is down to almost zero and my appetite is back a little. I actually wanted to eat this morning. I stepped on the scale this morning and it read 145 but that is will all the bandages on and all my clothes on. So I am definetly lower than that. The draining has slowed WAAAAAY down. In fact I am hoping that the right one wil come out tomorrow at my post-op appointment. However...the ITCHING IS KILLING ME! Did anyone else have incredible itching. I feel like I have bugs crawling underneath my binder. I didn't have lipo so I don't know why it is so unbearable. I am actually itching everywhere...but under the binder is awful. I had my first experience with a bowel movement yesterday and that was NOT fun. I have been taking stool softeners but it didn't help yesterday. So I doubled what I was taking for future encounters! Again I hope to post pictures tomorrow! I did sleep much better last night. Still not sleeping through the night and I will ask the doc about that tomorrow, but I slept for longer periods of time and when I woke up I didn't stay up as long. As for the Kashi...I live on that stuff. I do eat the one with "twigs" in it and I mix it with dannon lite and fit yogurt since I can't do milk. I love it. It keeps me very full. The go crunch stuff I mix with my fruit at night for desert instead of granola. The Kashi waffles are good too. 160 calories for 2 of them. Then I add some sugar free syrup. Well I need to post on my blog and then we are going to go walk around the building once. I haven't been out of the house since the day of surgery and I am getting a bit of cabin fever. I will check in later.

Good morning. Pain is down to almost zero and my appetite is back a little. I actually wanted to eat this morning. I stepped on the scale this morning and it read 145 but that is will all the bandages on and all my clothes on. So I am definetly lower than that. The draining has slowed WAAAAAY down. In fact I am hoping that the right one wil come out tomorrow at my post-op appointment. However...the ITCHING IS KILLING ME! Did anyone else have incredible itching. I feel like I have bugs crawling underneath my binder. I didn't have lipo so I don't know why it is so unbearable. I am actually itching everywhere...but under the binder is awful. I had my first experience with a bowel movement yesterday and that was NOT fun. I have been taking stool softeners but it didn't help yesterday. So I doubled what I was taking for future encounters! Again I hope to post pictures tomorrow!

Good afternoon. Not much to post. We are going to take out the pain pump later today. I am in a lot less pain today. I was able to lie down in my own bed this afternoon and get some sleep. I still am not able to sleep for more than about an hour at a time. If it doesn't get better by Monday I am going to ask her for some sleeping pills. I am still draining quite a bit from the left side, but not a whole lot from the right. Still don't have much of an appetite. DH went to the store to get a rotissarie chicken as there was nothing in the house that I wanted to eat. I am at 53 grams of Protein right now so I will get higher with the chicken. I will then eat a Protein Bar or a sandwich tonight when I take my antibiotic so I should be close to 100 grams again. I am trying to eat more...I am just NOT hungry.

Good afternoon. Not much to post. We are going to take out the pain pump later today. I am in a lot less pain today. I was able to lie down in my own bed this afternoon and get some sleep. I still am not able to sleep for more than about an hour at a time. If it doesn't get better by Monday I am going to ask her for some sleeping pills. I am still draining quite a bit from the left side, but not a whole lot from the right. Still don't have much of an appetite. DH went to the store to get a rotissarie chicken as there was nothing in the house that I wanted to eat. I am at 53 grams of Protein right now so I will get higher with the chicken. I will then eat a Protein Bar or a sandwich tonight when I take my antibiotic so I should be close to 100 grams again. I am trying to eat more...I am just NOT hungry.

Good morning! I feel much better today. I got a couple hours of sleep last night. More than I did the night before! Steph- yes I do get tight when I run. That is why I struggle to get in calories on my long days. Even though those are supposed to be free days I barely get above 1500 calories because I am pretty tight. I don't think there were many fireworks around here. I kept dozing on and off last night so I didn't hear too many. When I was awake I was listening to my book on tape so I wouldn't have heard them. Well i wanted to check in but I am going to try to nap again.

My husband is not working right now so he is home all the time with me. He is the greatest! Doesn't even flinch when helping me with the drains. Actually he does all the work with the drains. He says there is no point in having me do it when he can do it for me. I did sleep a little bit better last night...and I feel better today. My muscles are not as sore this morning. My neck is really hurting though. How long did you have to walk hunched over? My back is pretty stiff. My post-op is on Monday so I figure I would stay pretty hunched over until then, but I just wondered how long you all stayed bent over. I did make sure that I got over 100 grams of Protein yesterday. I just kind of force myself to eat and only eat Proteins. I think I got to 1200 calories yesterday. Thanks for the heads up about the incisions. I will see them in the doc's office on Monday and I wouldn't want to break down in tears. I can't wait to see my flat tummy. Well I am going to try and sleep a little bit more.

Janet I feel you on being bored. This is killing me! All I do is sit here and watch TV. It sucks. I tried to read but my eyes get to tired...just not tired enough to sleep. I haven't been able to get more than about 20 minutes of sleep. The pain is a little worse today, but not by much. I feel like I have done about 300 too many situps. We took the binder off to see what I look like but I am totally covered by a bandage so I won't be able to see anything until the doctor changes the bandages on Monday. We will take pictures at that time. I have been drinking a lot but I am just not hungry. I did get over 1000 calories today and I am hoping to eat a few more in a little while. I just don't have an appetite. I am making sure that all of the foods that I am eating are all high in protein to aid in the healing. The worst part of all the drinking is all the peeing! I swear I am going to the bathroom every half hour! Speaking of which I need to go there now. I know TMI!!!! Steph I am glad to hear that you were not dissapointed with your time. I know that I always get the post run runs!!! I haven't had the issue during the run but I usually have to go right away when I am done running. Alright...enough bathroom talk. I will try to check in later