JulieNYC

I'm home! No more surgeries! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAA! OK, so this one wasn't SO bad. At least it hasn't been thusfar. They didn't start the surgery until about 3 p.m. yesterday and it took almost 6 hours, so it was 9 before I got to recovery! Since it was so late, they wanted me to spend the night, which was fine with me. Got to a room around 11. They'd taken the catheter our -- I don't even remember them doing that, but anyway, they kept pestering me to urinate, so I did, then settled down to sleep until about 5. I slept really well. So, we did quite a bit. We did the implants. I can't tell you much about them yet -- can't see the boobs at all because they're so wrapped up. They feel good, if that means anything at this point. By that I mean that they feel heavier but not too heavy -- kind of like a hug. I'm sure that makes no sense! Then we did a revision to my lower TT, combined with a mons lift. Can't see that either right now and have no impression of it. When he was marking me with a sharpie before surgery, it seemed like there was a lot of skin to take off there, so I'm hopeful. It's one of those things where even if there's just a modest improvement, it'll be a lot better. Oh, yes, and I got a low profile port while I was there. I think that's going to be GREAT. I'm sure there's swelling, but for the moment, I can't feel the port from pressing on my stomach, so I bet it makes a huge difference. TBD. Lastly, we did the inner thighs. OK, pals, this one is painful. The incision for me goes from the knee all the way up into the groin and at the top, it's quite painful. It's not HORRIBLE, but it's definitely the most tender spot this time.... So, pics to come in a few days once I'm feeling better. Take care all, and happy holidays. Julie

Annie, my father is a PS, so I don't tackle the insurance issues (believe me, I know how lucky I am). If I had to guess, no, I don't think any of it would have been covered. Possibly the TT, but not likely as I had no medical complications from the extra skin. Losing, yes, a PS can do the port replacement. Allergan will sell to them directly, as I just found out when we ordered mine last week (my backup plan was to have my uncle, who's a bariatric surgeon, order it, but we didn't have to go that route). Apparently our ports are nearly identical to ports used in other medical specialities (including breast reconstruction patents in cancer survivors who, apparently, have similar ports for something chemo related -- I'm not sure what the story is here, but Dad has no reservations about replacing the port, so I don't have any reservations in letting him, beyond my general fear of ANYONE touching my band, period.)

Mizboo, I have to say, I felt full throttle right at 6 weeks with the TT. I remember it quite clearly. Even in week 5, I remember thinking how tired I still was, even though I was feeling better during the day and wasn't in any pain, the fatigue was there. Then sometime in weeks 6-7, I really started feeling 100%. With the thigh surgery, it was much quicker. I feel 100% now and have for at least 2 weeks. I don't necessarily think it was an easier surgery -- more that I was in better shape going into it, plus knowing what I was getting into. I hope you feel 100% soon! Karey, I haven't gotten your package -- I haven't been to work this week though and I think that's the address I gave you. I'm in the office tomorrow, so I'll let you know. Thanks for sending it!

Ghost, those bananas are HYSTERICAL! Love it. Thanks to all....

Results in -- hematocrit 39 -- woohoo!!! The LAST surgery's a GO, boobs and all!! WOOHOO!!!

Officially back to normal food. Hated the low carb thing. Maybe if I'd given it a few more days I'd have gotten past the lethargy/headachy stage, but 5 days is all I had in me. I ate a zone bar (30g carbs, 20 g protein) for breakfast, went for a short run (4 mi) and I almost feel human again.

Yep -- I'm officially off the low carb. I was feeling like crap and couldn't put my all into my workouts. I know it's a great diet for some, but it's not for me. Back to the balanced diet I go....

Ugh. No scale movement today. I guess you can't expect it to move every day....So far, the low carb thing hasn't really paid off. 1 lb in 3 days and I have the worst headache. I'm going back to normal food if this doesn't work for me shortly. I can eat 600 cals/day in balanced food and feel great. But 1,000 cals of low carb and I'm all headachy and can barely finish my runs. Seriously, I'm not going to do this much longer. Dawn, do you have yak tracks for your shoes in all that freezing rain? I've been looking for some (we've been having bad weather too, proportionately), but the stores have all been out of my size....

I'm feeling great, Paulax. Yes, my incisions have been healed over for quite a while, but for one TINY place right in back. It's healed over in that it doesn't bleed, but it's still kind of white and yucky. It's only about the size of a pencil eraser and it doesn't hurt, so it's not a big deal -- I just wish it'd hurry up and scab over. I'll be 5 weeks out on Thurs. I'm a little more tired than normal, but I actually think that's because I've been low carbing more than because I'm still healing. Might have to quit that. Don't know why I put so much stock in an arbitrary number on the scale. I'm sure I could find a scale somewhere that said I weighed 136!

Well, for better or for worse, the bloodwork is done. We'll have the results tomorrow. COME ON 36!! The scale flickered on 139 this morning before settling back into 141.0. Usually when that happens, I drop within a couple of days. Can't explain it -- maybe my scale has premonitions. Losingjusme, surgery is December 20th, if I get the "go ahead" (knock wood). Juli, you're welcome to wonder about my boobs any time -- full disclosure on this forum! I'm quite curious too to see how they're going to turn out myself. haha. Hopefully I'll be getting them next week. CAN'T WAIT.

We're getting "gummi" gels, 250 cc's. That's not very big -- I'm only looking to be a small C (I'm down to a small B/big A). Dad (ok, it's weird to say that, but whatever!) really thinks I should go 300 or 325, but I just don't. I want to stay small, just fill them out a little.

5 to go! Come on, goal!

I keep getting "You are gaunt -- quit losing weight" from my father (the plastic surgeon). It's just not possible that I am gaunt. I am still 5 lbs overweight by the charts. I'm not quite 5'2 and I weigh in the 140s! That can't possibly be gaunt. A guy friend at work, whom I date a little from time to time, but nothing serious, took me to lunch a couple of weeks ago to tell me I was OCD about weight loss and should really stop losing. He's right in that I am OCD about weight loss, but geeze, look what I've gone through to get this close to goal. GOAL IS MINE, darnit. Yeah, it's annoying. On the flip side, there's a secret thrill to me for people to worry about me getting too thin. But I don't think that's a real problem I have to worry about in the 140s at my height.

First of, WOOHOO Betty for being on track even while in Vegas! 2 lbs is awesome. Yes, Betty, all I'm eating until I get to goal is low fat protein and low carb veggies. Today I had 2 lattes (I'm an addict), a can of tuna with LF mayo, pickles and broccoli, a 100 cal pack of almonds (not so low fat, but I needed them for my run), and 2 packs of string cheese. I also ran 14 miles. Goal is MINE, darn it, MINE. COME ON GOAL. (Of course 3 days ago I ate 2 donuts, so it's not a perfect system, but I'm trying to hang in there as long as I can with this low carb thing).

For those of you who don't follow my PS thread, I can't stand it not to post this pic for added self-motivation (I guess I think I look hot -- haha!)

OK, here we are, FIVE POUNDS TO GO. The low carb helped me with a pound and a half overnight (I completely know it'll come back when I start eating carbs again -- I don't care -- I just wanna see 136 even if it's just for a second.) Dancing bananas for every pound. :Banane25::Banane45::Banane22::woot:

Went out tonight. Never thought I'd have thighs that could pull off this style dress.... Dad said the magic number is 36 -- whatever the blood test is, we want the result to be 36 or above to be able to go forward with the surgery a week from Thurs. Come on, 36!

OK Guys, pardon my "French" but SCREW THIS MESSING AROUND. I'm going for GOAL and I'm going for it NOW. I've decided to low carb it for a few days and see if I can take off these SIX POUNDS I have until goal. I've never low carbed before, so I bet my body will respond to it (with water loss if nothing else). And it's the weekend and even though I have to work, I can get in a LOT of cardio over the next few days. GOAL GOAL GOAL. I'm going to get there in the next 2 weeks -- mark my words! So, ladies, what are we going to do to celebrate when I make it?? Are we going to have an e-party??? I need something to look forward to!! Woohoo!!! Cheer me on. SIX MORE POUNDS!!!!!!! Hell, I'm giving MYSELF some dancing bananas for motivation!!! :Banane10::Banane10::Banane20::bananajump::eek::Banane18::Banane28::Banane28::Banane17::Banane17::Banane49::Banane49::Banane48::Banane48:

Honestly, Karey, I love the arms more than anything. I really thought the scar would bother me and I almost didn't have it done -- my Dad really talked me into it. I felt my arms weren't THAT bad, all things considered. And, bad as they were, I could have lived with them the way they were. I wasn't that self conscious before. Well, at least I wasn't until I got my marathon photos back where I was sleeveless and running and my arms literally had WAVES of skin on them, in motion. That freaked me out a bit. Anyway, I'm so glad I had them done. The scar is kind of cool, almost, and where it's placed I almost never see it. You really have to try to angle your arm just right -- it kind of falls in a shadow. I would wear a sleeveless dress with no hesitation. I'd have to hold my arm in an awkward position for anyone to really see it, and even if they did, it's not so bad. I can tell (knock on wood) that when it flattens out in a few months, it's going to be no big deal at all. I guess I'm warming up to scars in general, which is good since I'm going to have so many of them! Well, I think I'm going to LOW CARB for a week (or until my surgery on the 20th) and see if I can get to "goal" -- goal being the "normal" BMI of 136 that the charts say. It's almost become a game for me. I'm bouncing between 142.8 and 143.2. I've never low carbed before, but I don't care if it's water weight or real weight -- I just want to see the numbers go down 6 lbs. I can't believe I'm SIX POUNDS from goal!

Of course you can come to Barney's! I can't believe I've never been. One month today was my surgery, so here are some pics. More to come on the thigh lift. I couldn't figure out the angle to take the butt shots and I didn't have time to give it. 2 weeks from today I get rid of the crepe skin on my inner thighs, assuming my bloodwork clears on Monday! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I eat 1/2-1 cup, usually closer to the 1 cup. I find if I'm making the right food choices, I can barely get in 1,000 cals on that. I don't know how I'd do it on 2 oz, but I support anything that works!

Eficka, For what it's work (probably not much, haha), I'm totally with your doctor. Lower your calories. Increase your cardio. Trainers get it wrong when they encourage the formerly morbidly obese to eat more. Low calories and high cardio leads to the very best weight loss in 99% of us. Woohoo! Go Eva!!!

If that's the way you feel, then book the panniculectomy and do it NOW. No sense in waiting. By the time you recover from it and are ready to run, you're going to feel so great that my true opinion is that you're going to wind up setting a lower final goal anyway. So you'll do panniculectomy, then arms, then LBL. I know you think you're going to be happy in the 180s, but my opinion is that you'll get there and the 160s will call your name. I've seen that happen to so many people, including myself! I truly thought I'd be happy at 160. That wasy my firm goal. Now, the 30s call my name and it won't surprise me one bit if I'm not satisfied until the 20s (keeping in mind I'm much shorter than you, of course). Go on and do it. Getting rid of the pannus is the best thing ever (as long as you truly recognize the esthetics aren't the same as a TT -- but the flapping will be gone, which is what I think you're after). Check out lots of pannus vs TT pics, ok?

MimIN, Oh I SO KNOW what you're going through. I promise it's going to change. You may not come out quite as curvy as you like, but at about week 3, your body will completely change again, if it's like mine. I think my waist was swollen from the trauma, so it made it doubly bad in terms of feeling boxy. Now, my butt is definitely flatter than I'd like. That's just part of the deal with massive weight loss, I think. But the curve of my hips and thighs came back in week 3. Hang in there. I remembered the transition period of not being happy with the results when I had my TT, so I was prepared for it with the thigh lift I just had and I'll be prepared for it again when I have inner thighs in a couple of weeks (she says to remind herself).

If the doctor supports it, and if your expectations are reasonable (meaning, you get that this is almost certainly an interim step) I say go for it. In all reality, losing, you'll need the LBL at goal anyway, you know? The issue is really whether you think it's worth the money and surgical risk to get rid of the pannus now. It WILL make the LBL easier, so it's not a complete loss in terms of surgical efficiency. The only other thing to consider is recovery time. That is important. Meaning, you're only 50 lbs from the weight you could do LBL, correct? You could buckle down and lose 50 lbs in 3-5 months -- you really could. You'd have to sit out of running for at least 6 weeks and probably 2 months before you're back to full steam with the panniculectomy. So option #2 is (1) go on and set a date for the arms that is 2 months out. You can lose 20 lbs in that time. By the time you're recovered from the arms, you'll be able to lose 20-30 more lbs within 3 more months, which takes you to LBL time. What do you think? I'm starting to think the latter makes sense, but I support you wholeheartedly with whatever you decide.