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.

I agree with oldbriannnomore the sore throat thing is very common. Eat sugar free popsicles and that will help you. The reason it's so sore is because during surgery they put a tube down your throat to help you breath. When they put it down or take it out it can cause irritation. Mine lasted about a week or so. It will go away. Aahhh yes, the dreaded liquids and Protein the first week. So, I will tell you that I couldn't get fluids down. I just couldn't do it and I ended up in the hospital for 3 days due to dehydration which is very dangerous! When I got out of the hospital I put a timer on my phone and every time my timer went off I took a drink. Once I reached my 64oz of Fluid I would stop drinking for the day. My surgeon was more interested in me getting enough fluid in vs. the protein. Once you get out a few weeks then you can worry about the protein but right now the fluid is the most important thing. If your surgeon is a stickler about the protein too you can try a concoction that I made up: 8oz of Isopure ready to drink 8oz of Powerade Zero the same color as the Isopure 8oz of Water Mix all three together and use that as your liquids. 1 bottle of Isopure has 24oz in it and 40 grams of protein. So once you make 3 of those drinks you will have 40oz of protein and 72oz of liquid in so you will have met all your requirements for the day Also as the days/weeks go by it won't be as hard to drink as it is now. I was never really a drinker before surgery either so trying to get in 64oz after surgery was very difficult for me. But if I stayed true to my timer and drank on a regular basis I did fine. Good Luck to you and know we are here if you need us!

My hubby did something similar prior to surgery. He got really frustrated with me and made a smart remark about surgery. We ended up discussing it later and he said that he is really nervous that I am going to lose the weight and get a smokin hot body and then leave him. I'm 9 months post op and down 72 pounds. I haven't left him yet. I am scheduled to have plastics next month and the same monster is rearing it's head again about how I will leave him. I believe it's just his insecurities about how he looks that is causing him to act this way. In my opinion I have a HOT husband and I find him incredibly attractive - he is in good shape and is very active. I will tell him when he acts up that I want to get to the real reason for why he is upset and lets deal with that instead of him taking his S#it out on me. After we talk for a while we can usually get to the bottom of it and move on. I would try to talk to him and see what is really causing this issue.

Elode, what types of clothes did you wear right after surgery? I was at first thinking leggings or yoga pants but then thought they might rub the incision too much. Did you wear compression garments right away?

@@sharkgirl We are very similar in a lot of our stats. I am 5'7 and have lost about 72lbs since my surgery in August 2015. If you don't mind my asking what size of miss me's are you buying? I have been right around the 28's lately. I do have a pair of 30s and 29s but they are a little too big in the waist (perfect in the legs though) lol.

I fit into this category... sort of. My WLS was in August 2015 and my plastics are on May 25th 2016 so 9 months later. I am currently 164 and my goal weight is 145 (so about 19 pounds from goal) I have discovered a few lumps in my breast that the doctor is concerned about and she wants to go in and take them out. During my consultation for the lumps she asked me point blank if I ever considered a reduction. She set me up with a plastic surgeon (which I researched and she is awesome) anyway the Plastic surgeon, breast doctor and I decided that we would do everything at once because I didn't want to be out of work or put under 2 different times. So on the 25th the breast surgeon is going to come in and take the lumps out then the plastics doctor is going to do a breast reduction/lift and a tummy tuck. Yes, they said try to lose as much weight as you possibly can prior to surgery because if you gain or lose more than 20 pounds after surgery it can affect your breasts... however.... they also said that they don't believe that 145 is goal weight for me. They think 150 - 155 is more realistic for my body structure. So with 155 as a goal weight I am only 9 pounds to goal, lol. Just thought I would share

Yes, you will be able to eat all the good foods you love again with an emphasis on Protein. I eat pizza - just the toppings - maybe a bite or two of crust if I have to have it. I ate spicy chicken the other day... burnt my tong but my tummy loved it Don't tell anyone but I even ate 3 deep fried pickle chunks the other day.. heavenly.

YAY ELODE!! So glad things are going well for you! I have my scheduling appointment on Monday and I have been thinking of pushing it because I have heard that it hurts so bad after surgery. After hearing your experience I am going to go to that appointment and nail it! LOL

Feels so good to get there! Congratulations!

I didn't get the foamies but have heard of a lot of people getting them. Certainly check with your surgeon to make sure everything is alright. As far as the shakiness... It's your body going into starvation mode. You are depriving your body of all it's nutrients and this is how it's reacting. I went through the exact same thing. For me it got really bad, I had the shakes, then the foggy brain and utter exhaustion along with the hormone dump which made me cry non-stop. My recommendation would be to find a clear liquid with Protein in it. There were 2 that I personally used: Isopure Ready to Drink - Mix 8oz of Isopure, 8oz same color Powerade Zero and 8oz of Water. Sip that throughout the day. It has roughly 13g of protein in it. There was another one I used but the name of it escapes me now. I bought it at the Holiday Gas station as recommended by my surgeon. It's a flavored water with 7g of protein in it. It's a clear liquid so it was ok for me to drink. Even if you choose not to do the clear Proteins once you start on full liquids and can drink Protein Shakes again the side effects you are feeling should go away. It's just your body's way of telling you it's not happy with you trying to get healthy