sjfink

First, congratulations on your great weight loss & having a date for the next step! If you're just having a panniculectomy and not a full tummy tuck, the recovery shouldn't be too bad. The muscle repair they do in the TT is the most painful part! You'll definitely want to get up and move around frequently, just like after your bypass. Drains are uncomfortable, but caring for them isn't bad. I'm sure you'll do great!

My surgeon gave me Valium to help with the lower back pain (who knew it was good for muscle spasms?) & it saved me! Once I was able to walk upright again, my back was better. So glad you're having a pretty easy recovery! Hope it continues to be uneventful!

I'm in maintenance and fluctuating between 145-150. 149.8 today, goal is to stay in range (preferably at the lower end), so let's call goal 145. FYI, I'll be on vacation for the 7/14 check in… but I'll remind you the week before. Hope you're healing well & feeling good@Dashofpixiedust8!

Number one piece of advice is to find a good therapist (ideally well before surgery)! Number two is trust the process. Even if you're a slow loser, if you follow the rules, the weight will come off!

I was very fortunate that the surgical center where I had my sleeve also had a plastic surgeon that specialized in post weight loss skin removal (he also assisted on my sleeve surgery, so I had an existing relationship). I thought about having additional consultations, but I had absolute faith, so opted not to see anyone else. I was 100% self pay for all of my surgeries, too, so I did contemplate going to Mexico, but ultimately, I was more comfortable staying close to home even if it was going to cost significantly more. From everything I read, it seemed like most people who were unhappy with their results, went in with unrealistic expectations. In my consultation & in my pre-op visits, I made sure that I understood what he was going to be able to do… and each time, the results were better than I expected! When you go for your consultation, be clear about what you want most as it's possible they'll recommend more than one surgery. Make sure you understand what is included in the price they quote. Does it include follow up visits? Will they correct dog ears or scar revisions if needed? Everyone heals differently, so if time off from work is an issue, I suggest planning for a long recovery (I'm big on hoping for the best but preparing for the worst). Make sure they're going to be available to you if you have more questions after your consultation… you really need to feel 100% comfortable with your team! Best of luck to you. It's expensive & the recovery is rough sometimes, but it's totally worth it!

Glad you're doing well! Count me in for the challenge. I should be cleared to exercise in a couple of weeks, assuming my groin incisions continue healing. Excited to see what I can do with my new body!

@Dashofpixiedust8 check in & let us know how you're doing!

@ssflbelle I've been told by my surgeon that my experience with recovery is not typical, so I'm probably not the best person to ask! My breast lift was hands down the easiest recovery. I took the day off for surgery and was back at work the next day. I was pretty uncomfortable until the drains came out at my 1 week follow up, but no real pain. With TT/LBL, I was hurting from the muscle work in my abs for a few days, then mostly lower back pain from walking around hunched over. Again, getting the drains out at 1 week made a huge difference. I was back at work 10 days post op (ended up working 10 hour days for 12 days straight, so it's a good thing I had an easy recovery from that one!). My thighs are definitely the most uncomfortable. I'm about 2 1/2 weeks out now & still feeling pretty tender. I'm really glad this was my last procedure. All that's left is getting the dog ears fixed on my sides from my breast lift, but that's just a simple in office thing. Best of luck to you… it's totally worth it!

Best of luck with your surgery! Wishing you a quick & complication free recovery!

Final weight for this challenge is 146.6. A bit of swelling this morning, so not too concerned. Looking forward to being healed & cleared for exercise again… 4 more weeks!

Very exciting! Good luck!

Here's hoping for smooth sailing from here on out!

Well, I got my official pre-op pictures from my surgeon. The post-op picture is 12 weeks post TT/LBL, 5 weeks post breast lift & 1 week post inner thigh lift. Hard to believe it's the same body!

Thanks… I feel pretty great! As for decisions about how many surgeries, my surgeon won't schedule a surgery for more than 6 hours because it's safer for the patient. I've seen people who've had a lot more work done as a single procedure, and I imagine it comes down to what the surgeon & patient are comfortable with. I can definitely understand wanting to do as much at once as possible, but having had multiple surgeries, I think that was the best decision for me. Honestly, I can't imagine recovering from the thigh lift at the same time as my TT/LBL!

I've had 2 surgeons for all of my surgeries. My primary surgeon told me he does that to keep total surgery time as short as possible. Even with 2, it was 8 hours for my TT/LBL, 3 hours for by breast lift & 4 hours for my thighs. I'll definitely share more after pictures when I get my before pictures! Hope you get your new date soon!

My body was a disaster before my surgeries! I tried to have realistic expectations, because at almost 50, I just wasn't sure how things would end up. When I was at my follow up, the pulled up the before pictures they took… and it blew my mind! I've asked them to send me the pictures & I'll share them here when I get them. All I can say is find a surgeon who specializes in post weight loss body contouring that you trust. I have no idea if my results are typical… but if nothing else, I'm proof of what's possible!

Had my follow up today. I spit a stitch where the vertical & groin incisions meet on my left thigh, so there's a small (about the size of a pencil eraser) opening that I need to pack with gauze. Other than that, things seem to be healing well! I'm still pretty sore on the left, so hopefully getting that nasty stitch out will mean it stops hurting soon!!

145.2… swelling is going down

I lost about 2lbs a week, which isn't particularly fast. I don't think losing slower would've made any difference. Like you said… my skin was just worn out! Just glad to finally have it gone… I'll take scars over skin any day!

I was pretty shocked by the results, myself!

Sadly, none of my skin removal was covered by insurance… but absolutely worth every penny!

Here's a side by side of pre-op vs 4 days post-op. Can't wait to see how they look once the swelling goes down.

Got on the scale for the first time & I'm up .2lbs, but my body fat is super low… so I know I'm not imagining the swelling! I'm supposed to go back to work on Monday, but I may work from home, depending on how much the swelling goes down between now and then. Super fortunate to have an understanding boss & the ability to be flexible with my work schedule! Considering I took almost no time off with the first 2 procedures, I don't even feel a little guilty about needing time for this one!

4 days post op and super swollen! No drains this time, which seemed weird, but considering how uncomfortable they are, I'm not complaining! So far things look ok with the incisions & I'm hoping it stays that way! I feel like this one is the most uncomfortable recovery… or maybe I'm just forgetting how I was feeling after my TT/LBL! June 5 is right around the corner… I'm sure you'll do great!

Sorry for the late weigh in. I had my last skin removal (inner thigh lift) this week & I'm still swollen. 149.2 this week.