lellow

Juli, have been thinking of you and sending healing vibes your way! I'm 4 days post op and really happy with everything so far. I'm sure you will be too! Can't wait for you to update!

Hi all! I'm typing this at 8.30pm while sitting up on my hospital bed. I'm about 4 days post-op. The surgery went very well! I haven't had the dressings changed as yet as they've remained dry and clean, so haven't had a look at what my scars look like. But from what I CAN see, it's beautifully neat and I can't see one stretchmark in sight! I'm a little boxy from the swelling but even so I can tell that my tummy is flat. And even with the swell, I already have a decent waist, and my butt is not the least bit sagging. It's tight and all I feel when I touch it is muscle and bone. NO fat! My PS removed 3.5kgs of tissue, and since my op has insisted that I eat well at every meal 'to aid my recovery'. So I have, and haven't felt guilty about it. But tomorrow, my lapband surgeon comes round to refill my band up to 80% of what he removed 2 weeks ago, and as of that point, I'm back on the wagon. I had 4 drains put in at surgery, and two were removed the day after surgery. Another was removed yesterday and now I have one that's unfortunately still draining a bit, so it's staying for the time being. I was on a pain pump for two days but it made me nauseous and so yesterday morning, my PS agreed to take my IV out and now I'm only oral pain meds only. So all in all, I'm feeling great! The pain wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm now in a compression suit and can even get myself on and off my bed, and around my room on my own. Still hunched over, which is a killer on my back, but having an adjustable hospital bed helps heaps! I'm staying in hospital until at least Wed and then will hopefully get to go home to recuperate. So just wanted to let everyone know I'm alive and well, and so happy I did this! I'm just going to concentrate on recovering now. I promise I will post pics once I'm home, upright and my dressings are off!

Thanks everyone for posting your good wishes! It's 7.30am here in Western Australia and I'm about 6 hours away from surgery now. I've just had Breakfast (my last meal before surgery) and am about to take my reflux pill. I've got 3 hours before I have to be at the hospital. Have finished my huge list of things to do late last night, so basically, except for needing to have a shower and get dressed, I've got plenty of time to sit here and obsess about the upcoming surgery. Actually I'm surprising calm about it. I looked at my belly this morning and said a fond goodbye! I won't be able to post about how I fared until either my DH brings my laptop in to the hospital on Saturday, or until I get home 7 days from now. But as soon as possible after that, I will try to get on and let you all know how it all went. Thanks for all your support ladies! You've made this so much easier for me to deal with. Not sure what I would have done without your wonderful encouragement and advice! Juli, good luck for the 6th!

I went through this. I really wanted a tummy tuck about halfway through my weight loss - about November last year. I too thought that if I just lost my tummy, I would be happy with how I looked at that stage. I was convinced that it was the best idea. It was actually Dr Schulman who reminded me that if I lost more weight after the tummy tuck, that I'd likely need even more surgery later because the 'effect' of it wouldn't be as good as if I waited until I was closer to goal. So I waited. I figured at about 7-10 pounds a month weight loss, I'd only have to wait another three months before seeing a PS. So I rescheduled my PS appointment for Jan 09. When I saw him I was 8lbs from goal, instead of 25lbs. He scheduled me for body lift surgery (it's today actually, in about 6 hours!!) and as of today I'm below goal. So I would say that it may be an idea to wait. Even if it's only for 2-3 months. You only have 25lbs left to lose according to your ticker. What's 2-3 months in the scheme of your whole life? And the results will be much better if you wait just a little bit longer.

You're laying groundwork for us, Jeni, so please do ramble all you want! I'm hoping that I'm back exercising as soon as you are! I'l a cycler, so am hoping to be back at least on my stationary spin bike within a couple of weeks. I just had 2 weeks off exercise because of a strained muscle, and it was a loooong two weeks. I can't imagine not exercising for longer than that! You're a super woman! I hope to heal as well as you when I'm done!

Juli, Today is my last day at work, and tomorrow I'm packing my hospital bags and cooking up some meals to freeze for DH and my sons. Thursday, as you know, I'll be going in for surgery (and coz I'm in Australia, it'll still be Wed night for you when they start working on me!) If I don't get to speak to you again between now and when your turn comes, please know I'll be thinking of you on the 6th of April, and sending lots of good wishes your way. Good luck, matey! You're going to look absolutely WONDERFUL!

I'm very very nervous Jeni! I keep thinking only two more sleeps then get the worst butterflies in my stomache! Also had a heart attack about half an hour ago when the anaesthetist's receptionist called to say that I hadn't pre-paid for his fees, and if I don't get the money to them by tomorrow morning, the surgery on Thursday would be cancelled. NO ONE told me I had to prepay his fees, otherwise of course I would have ages ago! It takes about 24 hours for money to transfer from my investment account to savings account and there was no way I'd make that deadline so I was close to tears! I called my PS's nurse in a panic, and she told me not to worry, that she'd sort it out. She must have because I then got a call from the anaesthetist's rooms saying, it's cool, you can pay as late as Thursday morning if you want to. Phew!! Not really happy about driving 45 mins to pay his bill on the day of surgery, but it's better than having the whole thing cancelled! Also had a huge 'farewell and good luck for surgery' lunch at work today and I ate the equivelant of 2 days worth of banded-life food in one meal, so feel HUGE. I can't wait to come out the other side now. How are you going, Jeni? Feeling better? How are the scars healing?

Actually it was never my goal to only lose 60 or 70% of my excess weight either. I always intended to lose 100% of my excess weight. My Dr set my goal weight. I wanted to be 65kgs (same as when I was 14 and where my BMI would have been 25) but my Dr said he thought I would ideally weigh around 70kgs to look and be a 'normal' weight. So 70kgs was my 'official' goal weight, but I'm a little below that, and I actually think I'm at my ideal weight now. I will lose some more with my body lift, anyway, but I like what I look like now and would prefer to not lose anymore bar weight of the excess skin that's being removed.

Lol I'll admit I'm pretty scared of the pain as well. But not so scared that I'm prepared to live with this 'skirt' of skin forever! Not everyone has to be unfilled prior to PS. My PS wanted me to be, mainly because he was worried about the obstruction the band would cause if I get sick from the anaesthesia and need to vomit. But I'm getting re-filled 4 days after surgery while I'm still in hospital recovering, so it's not so bad. Thanks for the good wishes. I promise I will update on how it all goes!

My Dr set my goal weight at 70kgs (BMI= almost 27). He asked me initially what I wanted to get down to, and I said 65kgs (BMI =25). When I started losing, I got to 74kgs and he said at that point that I only looked like I needed to lose another 4kgs tops. So he revised my goal weight to 70kgs then. I'm now 68.6kgs, and with my body lift surgery happening on Thurday this week, I'm expecting to lose another 3-4kgs in skin, so that should take me to around my desired goal weight of 65kgs after the swelling subsides anyway. Though tbh, my Dr is probably right. Right now, my ribs are showing, my collarbones stick out, but I still have my bum and breasts, and I don't want to lose those things, so I personally am pretty happy with where I am now, and just need the excess skin removed!

It's like a tummy tuck, but with a whole 'belt' of skin taken right around your body instead of only from your tummy. :thumbup: I've got a 'skirt' of skin hanging over my hips, tummy and (a little bit) on my back now I've lost 100% of my excess weight, so I'm having it removed!

Congratulations cutiew/booty! That's something to Celebrate indeed! It's also nice to see you back posting. We've missed you!

Heartfire, what an excellent idea! I hadn't thought of that at all! It's been years since I changed the batteries on those scales. Maybe 4 years? Lol! Will definitely give that a go. Thanks, you may have saved me a packet! And thanks to a bout of gastro, I'm losing again. Dropped a lb this morning because I'm barely eating anything. Everything I eat comes back out. Not sure this is the way I'd like to lose weight. And I'm hoping I'm better soon, as surgery is only 4 days away!

You guys are so positive, and that counts for so much in this journey! Set ambitious goals and now that every lb lost is that lb gone forever! Now my stats: Start 158.4lbs Goal: 150lbs Now: 151.6lbs Lost: 6.8lbs To go: 1.6lbs I normally would have been somewhat confident of making that goal in the time we had left, but with being completely unfilled now, I'm struggling to not gain (and am exercising like a demon so as to not stack on any weight), so will most definitely NOT make my goal this time. Oh well!

This is my last Friday weigh in for a long, long while as I go in for my Body Lift surgery next Thursday! I also got completely unfilled on Tuesday so have been trying hard not to gain now, let alone lose. I can definitely eat much more, but am trying to control portions, and I seem to be constantly hungry. Obviously my stomache hasn't 'shrunk' much from having so little food in it the last 7 months! But by Dr's scales on Tues, I'm down from last week, so that's what I'm going by. My scales at home are all over the place so I haven't bothered weighing myself on them lately, and will buy a new set after my PS. So! Last week: 69.1kgs (152lbs) This week: 68.9kgs (151.6lbs) Loss of about 0.4lbs. Wish me luck for Thursday!

My surgeon says it's wise to have a small fill every 6-8 months once you reach goal. But I'm going to wait until I feel I need it before I go back.

I went to autology again yesterday and my blood count has dropped to 110. It's at the very bottom of where it should be for them to be comfortable for me to go into surgery. Not great news for me personally but at least surgery is still going ahead. It just means that I couldn't donate any more of my own blood and will have to use blood from the red cross on the day. Saw the anaesthetist as well and he's given me a tablet for reflux to take on the morning of the op, and has ordered for me to have a sedative 1 hour before I'm wheeled into theatre. I think I'm going to need it! He's also confirmed that I will have a pain pump in hospital until I'm ready to come off it. Juli, I hate being unfilled. I can eat so much more now and it's hard to stop myself from eating too much because I'm constantly hungry. Plus the pathologist kept telling me yesterday that with one week to a major operation, it's 'no time to diet', so I'm torn between eating normally or going on a liquid diet to try not to gain. Luckily my lapband dr is visiting me on the ward 4 days post op to put some fill in!

My husband asked me about this today and I have to admit I haven't thought about it too much. I assume that under your compression garment, you wear underwear, right? My garment will look like a body suit - under my breasts down to my groin area. If it's as snug as they say it will be, what is the most comfortable sort of undies to go under them?

The scales I've been addicted to, I just found out have been lying to me! Lol! I've had a frustrating few weeks because my weight has been fluctuating up and down on different days, by as much as 3lbs from one day to the next. Then I went to see my Dr on Tuesday and found out I weighed less than my scales ever said I weighed, and that was just after lunch and fully dressed! I went home, got completely undressed and hopped onto my scales again and it STILL said I weighed almost 3lbs MORE than my DR's scales said I did just 20 minutes earlier. So I don't trust my scales anymore. In fact I think my relationship with it is over. :cursing:

I apologise for not clarifying. I'm having a lower body lift with a vertical incision. I guess I could go without undies. I'm just worried about when my TOM arrives (it's due about a week after my op)!

Thanks Jeni. My local health food place reckons they have it, so I'll be going round tomorrow. Well, today I get unfilled in preparation for the surgery next week. :rolleyes2: I feel like I'm losing my security blanket. I will not gain, I will not gain, I will not gain......

Great news on getting those drains out Jeni! I've got 4 weeks off with a possibility of another 2 weeks if I need it. I expect unless I'm feeling really badly, I'd prefer to come to work! I have a desk job anyway, and work is pretty fun, but we'll see how I feel.

Happy bandiversary emma!