kranky813

@@Elode You look AMAZING!! For those considering plastics let me give you a little word of advice. I had my plastics on May 25th - TT and Breast Reduction and lift. I was a non-smoker and did everything that my plastic surgeon said to do but I did end up with a complication. My incision right on top of my pubic bone came open and left a hole in my tummy the size of a walnut in it's shell. It's just something that can happen sometimes because of how tight they pull the skin and stitch it. I am back at work now but still have the hole in my tummy that I have to pack with gauze every day and tape over. It is slowly healing but takes up to 3 months to completely heal. It doesn't hurt (just gross more than anything). Just wanted to throw that out there for you that are considering plastics. I certainly don't regret mine (love to look at my cute new ta ta's and body in the mirror) but did end up with an unexpected complication that sounds to be fairly common.

Ok, so as I have posted before I am having some image issues after VSG. I have lost around 70 pounds and have gone from a size 18 to a size 5/6 or 7/8 depending on the clothing I buy. The problem is that I still see the "fat girl" I still see the 240 pound girl that I was a year ago. Everyone I know has told me how awesome I look and that I don't need to lose more weight. The problem is that I don't see it. I know for a fact that I have lost the weight but for some reason it doesn't compute to my brain. I can't explain this and when I try to explain no one gets it. It's almost like I feel that they think I'm a mental case LOL. Anyway - question is, after you had your TT and got the flat skinny tummy (and possibly breasts for the women) did the image issues resolve themselves or did it still take time after that to see and believe you were skinny?

@@JamieLogical I am so incredibly proud of you!! Way to go Lady!

This sounds like a stricture. I would call your surgeon like the others said. You should not be feeling this way at this point post op. Keep us updated!

I was once asked a question that I had a really hard time answering and I am going to ask you the same question now. Why do you allow toxic people into your life? I have a very toxic mother who seems very similar to your father. The only thing I can recommend to you is to keep him at an arms distance. I was very affected by my mother for a very long time and one day after a friend asked me that question I took a lot of time to really think about my relationship and realize that it caused more harm than good in my life. Yes, I love my mother and she will always be my mother but that doesn't mean that I have to let her hurt me or make me feel the way she has the majority of my life. I am an adult and I am in control of the things in my life... not her. So I keep her distanced from me. I call her once every other week to chat. I make sure that I have some sort of plans so I have to get off of the phone in 15 minutes and I mostly let her talk. Might be worth a try.

@@Elode aaahh you look awesome! I am so excited for my surgery on the 25th of May!! I want to do it now, lol. Ok, so you have told me what to have on hand after surgery, and what to wear after surgery. It seems like at the 2 week mark you are out and about and doing great... (My surgeon wants me to take 6 to 8 weeks off of work. I don't think I will need that after watching you) So here's my questions... I know now to ask the surgeon to curve the incision down on my TT and to put the incision on the inside of my belly button... are there any surgery asks that you did or wish you would have asked prior to being cut open? Also I am worried about how the skin on my back and legs will look after everything. Do you feel like you "blend" together well or do you feel like you are tight in the front but loose in the back - LOL yes I know how it sounds.

@@KittyCathy22 First off, everyone on here has great advice and insight into any trouble or issues that are going on with you so know that you have found the right place to get you through the darkness. 2nd I will tell you that I was EXACTLY where you are now. The first 2 weeks of my journey after surgery were complete HELL. I cried every single day. I mean that, it was EVERY SINGLE DAY. I would sob and sob and completely regret my decision. I would call my husband at work and cry to him. He would try to take all of the calls that he could but every now and again he couldn't because he had a job to keep. So I turned all of my time and attention here to these wonderful people that have been down this path before me and have so much experience to offer. So what I would like you to do is make an appointment with a therapist - I see that you were talking about doing it already. Please make sure you follow through with it. You have a lot going on inside your head and need someone to help you process it. Just know that I suffer from extreme depression and anxiety as well so I can somewhat relate to the mess up stuff that is going through your head. I will also suggest that you DO NOT read any of the complication stories of VSG. They will make your head spin. Every single hiccup will send you into a tail spin of possible complications. You need to read only the success stories and know that everyone is a little different in how they heal and how they cope. Losing the majority of your stomach is sometimes hard to cope with. It's like losing your best friend. The one that has been there with you through everything. It can be so depressing at first, this will pass. I promise it will pass. Now let's look at what's next. Let's look at the possibilities of what you have done. You must have gone through some sort of program. So you met with doctors and made a conscious decision to have surgery. At one point in your life not too far ago you thought that this was a good idea. Try to remember why that is. Remember why you felt that surgery was your best option. It will help you remember why you made this decision and maybe not regret it so much. I know that at first the program can be a bit hard. The first month is really difficult until you start eating again. But once you do start eating again you are going to feel wonderful. The weight is going to fall off of you so quickly that you aren't going to be able to buy clothes fast enough to fit you. Your self-confidence is going to blossom and you are going to remember who you are an how strong and beautiful you are and you are going to feel that you 100% made the right decision. You will get there. I know you will. It just takes time an patience and getting through the hard part first. Be patient with yourself.

@@Ruth1ess I totally agree with @jane13. Give it a day or two. Use some ice or heat on the area. Make sure you are resting and not over-doing it. If that doesn't work, call your doctor. I was in mild pain but nothing severe. I think I took pain meds for 3 days then was off all narcotics. I know that everyone heals at a different rate but I would certainly loop your doctor into what is going on.

YEP! Went from a 42DDD (probably should have been an E) to a 34 DD right now. Having plastics done the end of may and should be a 32/34 B/C when she is all done.

I remember feeling how you felt! Just take a deep breath and relax. BCBS of MN took about 30 days to get back to me so I am super jealous that they are getting back to you in 10 days!

Sip, sip, sip & Walk, walk, walk.... I know you hear it over and over and you have read it 100 times but it's the only true remedy.

I honestly pureed everything!! Anything I made for dinner for my family went into the blender and that is what I ate. Some examples are: chicken noodle Soup - homemade TaterTot Hotdish Any hotdish really... lol Taco Mean, Refried Beans and cheese together - YUM Lasagna Chicken Breasts with a sauce - BBQ, Buffalo, Honey Mustard One of my easy go to's was Ricotta Cheese, Pesto, Mozzarella heated in the microwave What I would do is puree about 1 Cup worth of food and then eat it 3 times a day until it was gone. Then I would puree something else up. I thought it would get redundant but it didn't. I was just so happy to have food after 1 month!

I had a really rough 9 days post op. It gets so much better. What I needed to hear when I was in your shoes is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel - because there is!! Just work hard at getting your liquids in as much as you can. It's miserable at first but it gets easier and easier. Eventually you will be able to drink without reminding yourself. You can do this!

I have a 9 year old and a husband that is sort of like a 6 year old so I hear you loud and clear. The first week was pretty rough for me. I didn't really want to do anything. By the 2nd week I was bringing my daughter to school and picking her up. I would run VERY short errands like a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up extra Powerade, etc... I will tell you that after 2 weeks of having a disaster for a house (I did a HUGE deep cleaning right before surgery) I couldn't take it anymore and hired a maid to come in and do a cleaning for me. It was the best present I could have given myself. I would try to arrange for a friend or relative to maybe come in and help with laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, etc.. since it will be a good month before you can do any of that stuff again.

I would evaluate your Protein and Water intake. Make sure you are getting at least 70g of protein in on a daily basis. The protein is what gives you energy. It's so important!! The other thing I will tell you is that sometimes it takes a while for your body to adjust. I didn't wake up after surgery feeling great. It took me about 2 months to get back to normal and to have energy again. Even though you only have a few little incisions on the outside you just had a major surgery. Your body and mind need time to adjust.