nina874

If ETT means extended tummy tuck then they are basically the same surgery but with an ETT they take the scar round much further so it ends kind of where your thumbs are if you put your hands on your hips. My PS wasnt sold on them ( I asked for one at my final consult) BUT I have seen some amazing results with them, I think they kind of give you an outer thigh lift too. Hope I am right, if not ignore me! Nina x

Ahhh *blush* you are too kind! When I was in with Pascal he was asking me what final look I was after and eventually he got what I was saying and said (in a very strong French accent) 'Ahhh I see, we are to drive your 'usband wild with desire' and I was like 'yup thats the mission' LOL I can hardly imagine though and in some ways I am frightened to in case I end up disappointed, you know the secret picture that you have in your head, the one that you know will never be you but none the less you aspire to! At the moment I am just thinking 'flat tum and waist, flat tum and waist...' What do you think of when you think about it?

There is something just glorious about atkins isnt there, if you like french food you are laughing, all those cream sauces!!! I know what you mean about it cant come soon enough, we both said when we were there that we would do it tomorrow if we could! The ear actually feels fine now I am just deaf! He was a bit shocked that I wasnt rolling on the floor in pain when he looked in it, I hope that bodes well for when I have the op!! You are right I guess that I should tell them really, after all it is 3 weeks to go, I am only on the tablets 3 x a day for a week so that will give it plenty of time to get out of my system.Flamin typical though isnt it!

Too right!!! And damn fine is how you will look hon!!

Love your way of counting!! That means I am down to 19/20!! I swear to god I look like an emaciated baboon in my garment, I cannot even begin to imagine getting it on/off AFTER sx it took me ages when I was able bodied! How are you going on the diet front? I am doing pants, the best that I can say is that I am avoiding the crap......most of the time.... what can I say I am weak.... I see that the lbs are coming off but is it hard work? I know it is always hard,but some arent as painful as others. I went to the docs about my ear, I have got a small perforation and because I left it 3 days beforer seeing him I have also got a mega infection, so I am on donkey strength anti-biotics, do you think I should tell my PS's office? Nina x

Losin - I wish you were hon!! It was a great experiance, but I am sure that I will have other things on my minds when I am there next! As for how tight are the garments... picture a very fat fish thrashing around on the shoreline and you have the correct image of me trying to get into mine,if I just wore that forever I wouldnt need a flamin tummy tuck or lipo!! How are you chickydee? It s getting ever closer!! I have kicked up the exercise but my band has defiantley loosened off, oh god its all down to will power....!! Neal - I know, I just keep thinking it will be here before we know it, have you been fitted for your pressure garments yet? Nina x How are you doing?

Oooh Harley, I suppose you could look at it that you got away with feeling ok fir a couple of days...... (((hug))) I have read about the backache before on make me heal, have you been walking straight or are you still kind of hunched over?Loads of the women on there say that the hunched walking gives them really bad back spasms. Can they give you stronger painkillers? As for the pressure garment I was actually thinking of painting my arse red so that the bit sticking out looked even more like a flamin baboons! I am glad that you managed the solo shower, but can you not have them at night when DH is around to help you in and out of the garment? I have heard that day 3-6 are the worst and after that you really turn a corner, I hope that you start to feel better soon ((((hug)))) and you know that when you get that first WOW moment it will all be worth it! Nina x

I know exactly what you mean, some of the reconstructive jobs that I have seen have been quite frankly horrific.Its as if they are just there to remove skin and bugger the final look of the job, how arrogant to assume that the patient should be grateful for any improvement when they have worked so hard to get where they are already!!! I would say ask to see a lot of their work, if you look on my PS's site he takes equal care with both, though I appreciate that for some patients the job is going to be much much tougher. One of the ladies that he has on his site he is showing there when she was still a work in progress, she had to have a series of operations, he showed me the end results and it was an OMG moment. You arent going to be in that category though hon so I wouldnt worry too much. I would say start having consults now, it may take time to find one that you are happy with, and for me once I had it in my sights it was a definate motivator!! Nina x

Oh and I forget to say, the anaethetist wanted me to unfill, but when I pointed out that I was going to have another fill when I got back on Friday she agreed that if I didnt get that fill she would let me leave it as I am now! Does that make sense???

Where are you all????? I am all alone........:girl_hug::biggrin2:

LOL I dont know what is worse! I have the memories of mammorys!! I must admit I am quite freaked out by the initial scarring immediately post op. I have always hated my tum so I don't give a rats ass about that, but I am very fond of the puppies and just want to bring them back to their former glory. I looked at some pics on makemeaheal.com and it freaked me out a bit! Hmmmm I think I am going to have to talk more to my PS about it.......

I just discussed boobs with my PS and he said that if you are after the fullness at the top of the breast that you had when you were young, a lift alone wont do that.It will lift them higher but it cant create tissue where there is none. Thats why most people end up doing both. I was more bothered by my tummy that is why I am getting that done first!

If you go onto www.makemeheal.com and look on the breast augmentation board you will see that a lot of people have a lift at the same time as they have them augmented. If you have under the muscle placement it take a few weeks - sometimes months- for the implants to drop down to where they will eventually end up, so I for one will be getting it all done at the same time. Nina x

Wow the peace corps! In what capacity? I have never had a flat tum even when I was a lithe teenager!! I had an appendectomy that went horribly wrong when I was a kid and left me with very bad adhesions that put paid to any hopes of a flat tum. The chips and cakes of course didnt help!! What sort of job would you be looking for if you dont go into the peace corps?

How long do you reckon until you are solvent again? It would be a hoot! I must admit it is the thought of the surgery that has spurred me on and is keeping me away from the chips at the moment! God I hope I get my waist back, I used to be such an hourglass.... What do you think that you would want to do? LBL? FTT? The possibilities are endless!!!LOL Nina x

Laurend I booked my tummy tuck BEFORE I booked the band!!LOL The way I look at it is that it will give me such a huge boost when I see that enormous change that it will spur me on to lose the rest. I worked out that if I lose 7lb before tx and he takes 11/13 lb then at the end of it I will only be about 10lbs from goal!! Your BMI is about the same as mine, have you thought about getting a consult yet or are you going to wait til you get to goal? Nina x

Ehem *looks embarassed* It does include the week in hospital, but unfortunately not the hotel bill, though I will be splitting it with my friend and we negotiated a 50% discount cos we are staying so long. I am toying with seeing if I can put it through expenses as my friend also happens to be one of my companies top customers, would it count as a business trip??LOL Feel free to come and join me in May hon and I will show you the sights!

Hi Dr Lo, Welcome aboard and thanks so much for taking the time to come on and answer questions. I am going for a High Lateral tension tummy tuck in 3 weeks and I am worried that with the lipo that I will be having to my thighs and hips that I wont acheive as much of an hourglass shape as I want ( the one advantage to having a big butt is that it makes my waist look smaller!) Is there any way to avoid the straight up and down and get more definition to the waist? I have already been told that underneath all the fat and skin I have really good abs so I wont be having MR. One more question I am having a breast lift/augmentation in May but I am worried about the scarring round the nipples and the change in sensations, also I have seen someone on this board who had a wedge lift that didnt involve the scar running down from the nipple.Is this a common procedure and how successful is it? Do only certain people qualify for it? Thanks in advance for all your help. Nina

Jelbel - the surgery and drugs,nurse coming out and all that sort of thing is 12,000 euros Karey - I rarely allow myself to look at anything other than the picture in my mind of where I want to be, I have been very successfully repressing anything to do with how I am going to get there!!! We are hoping that if we make it as fun/comfortable as possible it wont be too unpleasant an experiance. I am going to take my laptop with me, but there are no connections at the hospital,so it will be a week before I can report back.We have agreed to take cameras so that we can take pictures of our progress so hopefully I will be able to get them up once I am in the hotel. Anyone here know anything about eardrums? Flamin sure I've ruptured mine.....! Nina xx

Hi Tami! I have to respectfully disagree with the people who say that loose skin is too much fat, if that were the case the amount would decrease as you lost more weight,not increase! Dont you dare question your decision, you are in amazing shape, far far better than I am, and I am happily trundling into surgery! Kudos on the 4" snowman did you get a picture? Hmmm chair lifts, I think that one may stretch my French to the max! I am more worried about how I am going to get in and out of my compression garment!!LOL I was like a dying fish thrashing around trying to get into it at the shop after I had been measured! I am very peeved at the moment cos I think that I have perforated my eardrum, it hasnt stopped hurting since the first landing when I couldnt get it to pop for ages and now there is blood coming out of my ear!!! Bugger I wonder if that will mean that I cant fly for a while??? Oh holy moly I dont want to have to drive to France Ninaxx

Tricky one, in the uk abortion is only legal up to 24 weeks for 'social reasons' which I think is quite right as you should have made your mind up by then. If the mothers life is in danger or there is a catastrophic disability discovered in the laste stages of a pregnancy then I feel that abortion should still be a choice for the woman. Hmm but then if the mothers life is in dangers why cant they perform a c-section? That would be my choice if I were in that situation. I know that some people dont get the pre-natal care that they should , so there is always a chance that something like anecephalic disorder isnt picked up, I dont know what I would do in that situation, but I think that the right to end the pregnancy should still be available. Nina x

Hi Mazie, thanks for asking :ohmy: It was a bit of a mad week! The consultation was fantastic, all of my worries that he would say the I hadnt lost enough weight were groundless! He made a huge fuss of me when he saw me, told me that I was 'tres jolie!' and wanted to take photos so that he could show me how I looked now compared to when I first walked in to see him. He also reminded me that when I went to see him I weighed 206lb and that since then I have lost 35lb!! I had forgotten that I lost weight before I had the band in so I have changed my ticker accordingly :biggrin2: It wasnt until he made me a collage of pictures that I could see where the weight has come off so it gave me a real spurt to keep with it! We also talked about my goal weight and I said that for now I am aiming for 140lb because I know that I can maintain at that weight, and I am worried that now I am older my face will drop if I lose too much! On to the important bit!! We decided that this time we are going to concentrate on my bottom half, he is going to lipo my interior and exterior thighs,knees, back and front thighs, love handles and saddle bags, he reckoned that if he takes 4kilos off I will have a nice pair of legs! I told him that I was worried if he took all of that off my hips I would lose the hourglass look so in addition to the tummy tuck he is going to lipo my waist, my abs and the small of my back:smile: He reckoned in total that we would be taking 5-5.5 kilos which is 11/12lb, if i can lose 7lb between now and then that will mean that post surgery I will only be 12lb from goal!!! We also did a quick consult for my breasts and he agreed to do them in May. I am having a lift, augmentation and upper body lipo of my arms, pecs and bra roll.We decided to wait until April when I have my pre-op to pick the implant size as what I would need to stay an E cup might change by then! I got fitted for my compression garment, my did I laugh!!! Like a cross between grannies undies and S&M gear!! I went to the hospital that we will be staying, which I have to say was my first 'OHMYGODWHATAMIDOING!!!!!!!' moment but I think more than anything it was the language barrier that threw me, in fact I will have to remind myself to ask green to send me a list of handy French phrases, like 'touch me again there and I will bite you' I seemed to be able to make myself understood with my schoolgirll french and pantomime gestures,but the key members of staff had some english so I reckon that we will get by. The hotel was gorgeous we have 2 bedrooms a kitchen and a huge lounge so all the comforts of home AND room service:wink2: They explained that after the op we are in hospital for a week and then when we go to the hotel they send a nurse round every day so that we can have a shower and she will change all the dressings etc for us. We have been told to start taking Iron and they prescribed Arnica for us!They would like us to stay in France until the dressings are off which they say could take 3/4 weeks:eek: I would say that my mood at the moment is very excited, with a tinge of blind panic! Nina x

Hey you know what chick, when you have your TT just think how much that body fat percentage will drop!!!! You will be below normal!!! :biggrin2::biggrin2:

I'm back!!!! Had a brilliant visit with the PS, though the whole trip was hectic. We tied down the final details, and he was very very pleased with my loss to date.He reminded me that when I went to see him I weighed 206lbs and now I weigh 171 which is a 35lb loss ( not much compared to most of you lot I know) but none the less I was thrilled.He printed off a collage of before and after pics to show me what I looked like when I first saw him to what I look like now, I can honestly say that I hadnt really noticed the difference til he did that! He decided to concentrate on my legs/hips for the lipo but he reckons he will only have to take 4/5kg to give me a decent pair of pins, he promised to lipo my waist as well and obviously the TT as well. The plan is that we stay in hospital for a week with a morphine pump,and then move to the hotel for a couple of weeks with a nurse coming out at the same time every day after we have our shower to change the dressings etc for us - luxury or what!! It was a bit of a reality check when we went to the hospital to meet the anaethetist, kind of a 'holy cow next time we are here....' My schoolgirl French combined with charade type means of communication caused much hilarity with the nursing staff, and I am sure that with the benefit of a morphine pump I will still be able to see the funny side even after the op! Nana - What size did you pick in the end?? Are you superwoman or what? :smokin: I cant believe you are up and posting already! How do you feel? Is it ok, have you had a peek yet? I hope that you are feeling fine hon and that you arent in too much discomfort, when do you see the doc next?We will all be watching your progress like hawks as you are the first one of us to take the plunge!! I will start harrasing you soon for pics :seeya: I am sending you loads of healing thoughts. LJM - Did you miss me?!! I missed being able to chat to you all It is getting more and more real now.I had my first ' what am I doing:eek::scared::eek: ' moment while I was there, I am sure that there will be more if them in the next couple of weeks! How are you feeling at the moment chick? Hope that you are in a better place. Neal - Just over 3 weeks now!!! It is going to fly by! I ill check out your page on the make me heal site. Tami - How are you doing? It is getting closer and closer now, have you had any reality moments yet? I thought about you when I was there cos you look so much like one of the before and afters that he has on his computer and the results are awesome!! Nurseamy - How are you, do you feel like you are on the countdown yet? Sheri - Have you had a consult yet? If so how did you get on? Elizabeth - Have you got a date yet?Let us know as soon as you do! Connie - How are you getting on? We havent heard from you for a while, come and join in the mad house! It is great to be back home again, my ears are really suffering though,I couldnt make one of them pop when we landed in England and it was really sore, then I had to do another 2 take offs and 2 landings to get home so it feals like toothache in my ear now.Have tried every method I know, Holding my nose and blowing,yawning, drinking, chewing you name it! It pops and then just squeaks and fills up with pressure again....anyone got any ideas? It is driving me mad!!! Take care all of you! Nina xxx

Hi everyone, This is my last post before I go and get on my first flight to manchester to travel on to Lyon, I have got a real mix of feelings even though it is only the final consult and pre-op. I am worried that he will have changed his mind - how mad is that! Elizabeth - It sounds to me that you will probably benefit from a full Lower Body Lift( LBL), that way you will do your tummy,butt and outer thighs all at once. Then that only leaves your arms!! I would research all the different techniques and options there are out there,before you decide what suits you. I still have weight to lose, but I had already booked this and there is no way I am putting it off! We are always around so if you want to ask questions or just chat this is the place. Sheri- It is a big decision to go for PS!!LOL Have you decided what surgeries you want yet or are you going to play it by ear when you get into the consult? It is tomorrow isnt it? Why dont you make a list of all the questions that you want to ask, for example my list had on it ; Can I see before and afters of your patients? How many cases of necrosis have you had? How often do you have to do revisions? Do you use the high lateral tension technique? Will I need drains How long will I be in hospital? What pain meds do you provide? If I need revisions who pays for them? What % have dog ears? What % have problems with a 'ken doll' Does the price include all fees meds hospital stays and follow ups? Just add any others you can think of. You might want to both take a look at www.makemeheal.com Go onto message boards and find the tummy tuck one, the ladies there are very helpful! Good luck with your appointment! Nina x