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If you like The Stand, try Swan Song. The author's name has slipped my mind, but he also wrote Boy's Life. Both are excellent! Robert McCammon is the author!

I've read it and am a huge Faulkner fan. I love the classics!

1st picture at goal weight, 120 lbs. You can tell I had a really large pannus. 2nd picture day of surgery. I have some in panties too but they are on my camera. My stomach is even smaller now and I wear a 0 or 2 petite. The shorts I have on in the 1st picture are a 6. I average between 110 to 112 lbs now. I can try and do a selfie to show scars but I'm only 3 months out so they still aren't perfect. I love my new shape tho and don't care.

I only have a couple before pictures. But could take and after. I have one from right after but I am still wrapped up. Are you looking for before or afters?

I am a viking girl too but I have a little Pfaff I bring on trips or class when needed. I am a quilter and don't enjoy making clothes but I do have to hem almost everything I buy because I am short. If you are wanting to make clothes straight stitch with a good button hole should get you what you need. Husqvarna / Viking are the best imo.

Bless your heart! You may need to be home a bit longer. Is that an option for you? I had some serious blood pressure drops in the beginning but it has gotten better. I still use the pillow because it takes the pressure off of my back incisions and slightly pushes me forward. Make sure you take care of yourself. This surgery is no joke and we need to remember to take care of ourselves first.

Mine almost is hard by the end of the day. I think it's all fluid but it does get better over night and returns to normal. I have been trying to only wear my compression garmets in the evenings and that helps with the swelling.

Agreed! I ended up taking 7 weeks off and wish I would have gone 8. How long did you wear your compression garmets? I went from 5:30 this morning until about 7 without them on and my mons pubis is really swollen tonight. I put it back on for the night but now my skin feels tight and I'm 10 weeks out now.

my first 1.5 weeks back to work was brutal. I am a hospital administrator, so I am in a lot of meetings. When I am in my office, I sit on a pillow and when I get home I rest. I had an incision split at Christmas and when back to work on 1/11. Be prepared for low energy and I swear my brain still isn't completely working like it did. I asked a neurologist who I know and she said that many hours under anesthesia takes a toll on short term memory but it will come back. Keep the area clean and use it as a sign you may be doing too much too soon. My surgeon said skin that was obese does not heal the way other skin does and we are prone to those. Luckily I only had the one on my hip. It is completely healed and everything looks great now. Hang in there!!!

Hi Junies! So, I never thought I'd have this problem but I'm having a hard time not losing. I really wanted to maintain at 115 and am having a hard time staying over 110. I am petite so it doesn't look bad but still. Anyone else struggling with finding their sweet spot to maintain or even gain a little? I miss the interaction on here!!

I agree about discussing with your doctor. Ultimately, I think both surgeries will get you to your goals, both have benefits and negatives so it is important you discuss all of the variables with your qualified medical personnel. Having suffered with the band, there was no way I was going to the sleeve but I have friends that have done extremely well with it as well. We are all individuals with different bodies.

I had a lower body lift and my back is the heart shape. I elected to have some of the extra skin used to make my tush less flat. My surgeon did a beautiful job and I'm thrilled with the results! I slept on my back without any issues. I am only two months out but love the way things are looking and my new hot body. I wish I could do my inner thighs too but probably will not do any further plastics as insurance paid for the lower body lift and I doubt lightening will strike twice for me. Plus this recovery is bo joke and being in my mid 40 I'm not sure I care about the extra skin in my thighs like I did in my abdomen. I was blessed in that my arms look completely normal and I never got the bat wings. My highest weight was 267 I am 5'2" and I weigh 110 to 112 depending on the day now. My surgeon is a mayo clinic physician and they are world renowned. I wear cute little bikini panties and my scars are completely hidden.

No goal from my doc but at my one year check they all said I exceeded their expectations! Yay!

How big are you now? I revised from band to RNY 19 months ago and wasn't very big at the time of the revision. I had similar issues with the band, reflux, heartburn and for me leading to eating disorder. Since my revision, I haven't experienced any of that and eat healthy meals. I hit my goal weight, feel fantastic and don't regret it at all! At my revision I was 215. I am 112 now but had skin removal surgery in November. Prior to that I had bottomed out at 123 and was maintaining. The last ten lbs was from the lower body lift. Good luck on your decision!

I would do it again in a heartbeat! I am 42 years old and my highest weight was 267. I got to 123 and in November had a lower body lift for the excess skin. At 123 I was in a 6 or 8 petite and everyone said I was small but I didn't see it because of my pannus. My plastic surgeon took 7 lbs of skin and I am now a zero or two petite. I feel like me and am thrilled with the results! If I hadn't done the plastics I still would believe it was worth it. This just gave me the final push! In terms of health and co-morbities alone, the benefits far outweighed the risks for me. It has been life changing!

Mine told me the same thing. The only problem with the spanx is when you have to pee! Lol. I can't get them down fast and have learned to build time in.

The swelling will get better! I am 2 months out and still swell. At 2 weeks I could be as much as 6 pounds up at the end of the day. Now I am running about 3. I wear my compression during the day and leave it off while I sleep. Just started that last week. How long does your doctor recommend you wear yours? Be careful about buying clothes too soon. You will continue to go down. Feel better!!

Ok now I'll be a hipocrite because that is my newest pet peeve - people telling me I'm too thin. I am like when I was 267 at 5'2" no one said anything then. My response is I am in a healthy bmi and quite happy with my new shape. I wanted to comment only because our height and weight is so similar and having just gotten the lower body lift. Oh and my loving husband of 18 years said I was bordering on concentration camp survivor when I was 108 (I was recovering from an infection, surgery and did look terrible but still). Trust me, we had a little chat after that comment. I think people are just getting used to our new shapes least of all ourselves. I for one love my hot little body and feel great so anyone else can eff off.

I am 5'2" and had a lower body lift in November. Day of surgery I was 123 and now I run anywhere between 110 and 112. My surgeon took almost 7 lbs of skin off. I went from a size 6 or 8 to a 0 or 2. Amazing what 7 lbs of skin does!! Just be careful to get too thin beforehand because I can say I looked really gaunt at 108 which was my lowest a couple of weeks ago. 110 to 115 is my new 5 lb range.

My plastic surgeon said I could start using silicone gel tape for scar treatment. He said brand doesn't matter so I'm curious what people on here used for their tummy tuck or lower body lifts? I had a lower body lift and it is mainly my hips and back that are red. My front is already looking pretty darn awesome! !

I had one in my 20s, it wasn't too bad. I had a lower body lift this past November and it was 10 times worse. I am only now starting to feel like me again. But the reward is well worth it on both! I now want a thigh lift but I am sure insurance won't pay. A girl can dream...

I have gotten " how many more Mary Kate Olson's are you going to lose" from a close friend who knows about my surgery. It made me laugh so hard so now when rude people ask me how much I've lost I say a Mary Kate Olson. You do the math. I get a lot of blank stares but it stops them in their tracks.

Two pounds a week adds up to 104 lbs in a year. Don't get discouraged with steady weight loss. I was a two lb a week loser, in fact the most I ever lost in one week was 4 lbs and that was the week my mother died. I hit my goal after 16 months and weigh 112 lbs now wearing a size 2 petite. Moral of the story: it can be done, just follow your plan, move as much as you can and don't compare yourself to others. Remember weight loss is a personal journey and no two people will do the same thing. Good luck and enjoy the journey! !

I was approved through insurance today!!! I still can't believe it because they never approve. I am so excited!!

I can relate completely! My markup didn't take very long either it was just nerves. Plus I know my surgeon really well as I work at the hospital he practices at, that made it ten times worse. My husband said he looked at me like I was a piece of clay and doubts he even 'saw' me. Lol I'll see him professionally for the first time since surgery next week.