I'm still here

Karey ~ It would be on my hips and thighs . . . I am scared to death! Not of death, but to death . . . I am afraid if I don't have the lipo then I'll be disappointed, but am afraid if I do have the lipo and have saggy-skin then I'll be disappointed. I don't want to be disappointed . . . Dr. Heller said that just doing the TT would create a 'dramatic' difference and he doesn't think the lipo would be worth it in terms of extra operating time, recovery time, expense, etc. . . .

I guess I should too . . . I'm 'tenatively' (sp?) scheduled for Feb. 19th

Ohhh . . I hope everybody there is feeling better! I am fighting a little sinus-junk right now myself and it is no fun. I am glad to hear you are staying busy - that is the key for me. I need to work on this house too, the one thing I don't want or need is to get all stressed out about the house right after the surgery. I will admit I am a bit of a 'neat-freak' so I imagine that will be an issue for me. Amy - you should call me sometimes when you come into town to see Dr. Adam. I live in League City - maybe we could meet for lunch or coffee or something . . . PM me if you're interested and I'll send you my cell phone #

Is there anyone on here (besides me) who is seriously considering having Plastic Surgery in the near future ? I had originally thought I would have a Tummy Tuck and maybe some lipo done much later in the year, but it is all coming together very quickly and now I am getting really nervous . . . Your thoughts my banded buddies ???

Thanks Kim . . .

Kim - I have not heard of that doctor, where is he or she located? Well - I just got off the phone trying to schedule a second consult with each Dr and was surprised to learn that one of them doesn't do second consults . . . I was like, 'Are you kidding me - I've got more questions now than I did when I first came in.' She reluctantly scheduled an appt for me but the other doctors office was like, 'When would you like to come?' I have a feeling I'll be using him . . . My gut tells me if you have trouble seeing him before the surgery, you will probably have trouble after the surgery too. Where is AMY ???

Hi again Ladies, I saw Dr. Heller on Friday and really liked him too . . . Now I am faced with having to chose one of them to do my surgery. Dr. Heller seems a little more conservative than Dr. Lo Monaco as he (Dr. Heller) only wants to do the TT with no lipo. While the idea of less 'down-time' appeals to me, I am worried that if I don't have the lipo done at the same time then I'll wish I had when it is over. But, I am also concerned that I may end up with sagging skin if I have the lipo on my legs and hips, and as it is right now, I don't have saggy skin . . . Dr. Heller said that he will remove a significant amount of skin and tissue with just the TT and that the difference will be very noticeable. What do you ladies think? Would you have the lipo done too, or just the TT? I am looking at doing this much sooner than I had originally planned - maybe like in a couple of weeks with the idea being the sooner I do it, the sooner I am recovered . . . :eek: Amy - are you getting excited ??? Not much longer - yay for you!!!

I go for my second consult tomorrow and I am really thinking I am going to 'just do it' . . . Even if I am down for a while, it won't last forever and I will be thrilled to have my flat stomach back. I suspect when all the dust settles, I will be glad I did it. Thanks for your replies . . .

Yay Julie !!!

Thank you Julie . . . I hope you are feeling much better today.

Yay ! I'm glad we 'met' . . . I just sent you an email. Thanks, Lynn

Thank you for responding HarleyNana ~ I am really looking at just doing it, even though I am totally grossed out by the idea of the drains. I am trying to wrap my mind around the idea of having a flat tummy again and know if I did, the drains and the pain would be a small price to pay for that. May I ask how long you needed someone 'with you' following the surgery? My husband's schedule is not very flexible, so I am trying to figure out if I need to ask my mother (the biggest worry-wart alive) to come and stay with me. Part of me knows I'll need the help, but the other part of me thinks the stress of having her here 'fretting' over everything would be worse than being alone. I actually have a list of questions - would you mind if I emailed them to you? I have them in a word document and have no idea how to attach them here. Thanks, Lynn

Sooooo . . . you'd do the tummy tuck again ??? I am in the researching phase of my TT and am asking everyone I can find who has had one if they would do it again, if it was all worth it . . . The pain, the drains, the downtime, etc. Thanks, Lynn

Chin up Julie - I am sure you just need time to recover from all you have been through. You have done more in the last year than most folks do in a lifetime, so don't push yourself too hard - give your body time to heal and take good care of yourself. We are all here, rootin' for you - come back and talk when you feel ready.

Oh! I must have made that sound bad . . . I was the one showing him my roll - he didn't want to acknowledge it was there before I handed it to him.

How funny!!! I did something like that just the other night . . . I had gone in for my TT consultation that day and my husband was not happy about it . . . I was sitting on the couch and had work out shorts on - he walked by and I said, "Come here" - He did and I grabbed the intertube (sp?) around my lower stomach and said, "Feel this - I am repulsed by THIS" . . . I honestly think before that moment he didn't know what I was talking about. He is still not happy about it, but is not going to keep me from doing it. I am shooting for early May so that I can be functional by the time school gets out (my kids are 9 & 14). We will have an active summer of baseball so I want to get this surgery behind me if I am going to do it.

JulieNYC - I just wanted to let you know that I had my first consultation for a tummy tuck this past week, in large part because of the education I have gotten from you . . . Thank you again for sharing your journey. I am in Houston and am so excited about the possibility of actually doing this! I am worried about the 'down time' (and the DRAINS! yuk) :cursing: because of my kid's very active lives, but really want to do this for ME . . . Julie - how long were you 'down' after your TT? I will be doing an extended TT with lipo and the doctor said I wouldn't be able to drive for about 10 days, does that sound about right? How long did you have someone with you around the clock following surgery? I will probably have the surgery on a Friday, spend the night in the hospital and then be home on Saturday. I am looking at doing it in early May so that I will be fully-functional by the time school gets out. My son plays baseball year-round and will be starting the All-Star and select season toward the end of May. It is very important that I am back to myself by then, but I can't do it any sooner because of my daughter's club volleyball and track schedule . . . I am afraid I am going to bug you to death in the next couple of months Julie, so if I start to get on your nerves, please just let me know . . .

Hi Ladies ~ Well, I went on Thursday for my consultation with Dr. Lo Monaco and am now really excited about the possibility of actually doing this! I have another appointment this coming Friday with Dr. Heller and then I'll probably move into the planning stage. I think I would like to have the surgery in early May so that I will be fully-functional again by the time school is out - I have two very active kids. Amy, will you be spending the night in the hospital? Dr. Lo Monaco keeps his patients in the hospital for one night and then you go home with a pain pump for three days. The only thing that really freaks me out are the drains! I can't wrap my head around having those things in me considering how much I hate IV's . . . I am sure it will be fine, just not enjoyable. I am also a little worried about the compression garment. I don't really like things tight on my stomach since I was banded . . . But, those things are tolerable and I am sure in the long run, will end up being no big deal. I couldn't believe my husbands reaction - basically 'do it if you want to' which is the only green light I need. I knew he wasn't going to be happy about it, but I expected more resistance than I got . . . He wasn't happy about the band either, but has seen how much it has helped me so maybe he figures this will end up being a good thing too.

Hi enterprise01 ~ I just wanted to check on you . . . How are you doing? I am going to try to make it to the support group on Tuesday night, are you going? I have an appointment with Dr. Heller this coming Friday for a tummy tuck consultation and I am terrifed at the thought of actually doing it . . . I hope I can get the nerve, but have tons of anxiety because of my kids very active lives - they require a taxi service almost all of the time so I am worried that after the surgery I won't be able to do what I need to do to keep my family on tract . . . But, I want to do this for ME and know that my friends will help me get my kids to their next activity. My husband's job doesn't allow him much flexibility to help with that part of our lives, and he is not in favor of me having a TT anyway, so I'm not sure how much help he can or will be . . . Lot's of questions - I just sent Wanda an email, hopefully she and I can visit and she'll be able to answer alot of my questions. Let me know how your doing . . .

Does anybody on here know anything personally about either Dr. Lo Monaco or Dr. Heller in Houston ??? Thanks.

Hi again Amy~ YAY! I am excited for you, I will be following this like a hawk! :-) I haven't heard anything about Dr. Adam, just his name. I have two friends who have had TT's and they used different doctors - one used Dr. Garcia in Webster and the other (actually her mom and dad, not her) used Dr. Cohen at St. Joseph's downtown. I called today and made two appointments for consultations. I am going tomorrow (I hope I don't freak out and cancel) to see Dr. John Lo Monaco in Houston and then next week to see Dr. Lior Heller (who I have heard Dr. Spivak likes). My original appt with Dr. Lo Monaco was mid-March, but I called back and asked for one sooner and he had just had a cancellation for tomorrow. It is a little bit soon, but I may as well jump right in! As it is now, I have no idea what is in store for me, so I am anxious to find out what will be recommended. I haven't even discussed PS with Dr. Spivak and I feel like I need to before I do anything. I am terrifed it is going to mess up my restriction (that it took a full YEAR to get right) and am also totally freaked out about the drains - no idea why, just the thought of them I think. I am the patient who begs and tries to bribe the nurses into taking out my IV even before the doctor says it is okay . . . I hate the thought of something being connected to me! My friend who had her TT in November had her drains for 2 weeks and then had to go back and have Fluid removed several times after. She looks great though and says it was worth it. She said the fluid removal didn't really hurt because the area was still numb from the surgery. I had a c-section 9 1/2 years ago and the feeling never returned completely, so my fat-roll is sort of numb. Another name I hear alot around here is Dr. Polsen. I don't know anything about him personally, but have heard his name in conversation many times - probably because he is in my neighborhood. I actually live in League City. Have you attended any of Dr. Spivak's support groups? I went one night when Dr. John Long, a Plastic Surgeon was there and he shared some good information. I actually called his office today to schedule a consultation, but the lady who answered the phone did not impress me, so I didn't make an appt. I will post again after my appt tomorrow.

Hi Amy, My name is Lynn and I think we have alot in common. Dr. Spivak is also my doctor (don't you LOVE him?) and I live in the Clear Lake area also . . . I was happy to discover your thread. I have heard of Dr. Adam and am anxious to follow your progress. I am about 10 pounds from goal and KNOW I am going to need / want a TT in the near future. I am curious if you interviewed other Plastic Surgeons in our area and if so, what your thoughts were on them. I have a friend who recently had a TT using Dr. Jan Garcia and so far has been pleased. I am just beginning to look seriously at the PS part of this and like you and others have said, my husband thinks I don't need it. But - I am the one who is repulsed by my stomach everytime I look at it, so I am going to get it fixed!!! :-) Thanks for sharing your story . . . Lynn

Me too! That is even what we call it.

Describing how this feels is wierd . . . it's almost like I just know when it is time to stop now . . . I mean, I have thrown up enough times that I should know, but never really did before now. It is like - when I take a couple of bites and it gets tight in there, (not really miserable right away -that happens if I keep trying to eat) I know to stop. Another bite and I will lose it all. I have even figured out to just 'spit it out' if it is time so stop. Gross, but better than the alternative for sure. I know that I am not going to be able to eat much at a time, so I think my head may have finally caught on. That said, I still order at restaurants like I can eat pre-band . . . That makes no sense! In fact, now - I would be perfect with a salad and a couple of bites of whatever either my husband or one of my kids are eating. Ordering an entree is the biggest waste, because I can't eat enough of it to get my moneys worth. I still want to eat when I first wake up in the morning, but in reality - can't. If I try to choke something down (out of hard-headedness) it usually comes back up. God forbid I try to eat and drink first thing in the morning together. Before I could sip something with my meals - now not at all! In fact, if I drink within a pretty good while (maybe 30 minutes) after eating, everything is prone to come back up. I don't do well with most meats. I think the problem is with my not chewing enough though. I have found that some days I am able to eat a little more than others, with the big word being 'little' - even on those days, I do not eat much. I spent the first year thinking if I could eat then I was eating too much and needed a fill or if I couldn't eat then thinking I was too tight and needed to have some taken out. It is a wonder we haven't all lost our minds . . . Sula - being where you are is so hard. If I had to chose between being able to eat vs. not (which can be the difference in TINY bit) I think I'd opt for not quite tight enough . . . Being physically unable to choke anything down is so miserable, and I lost NO weight during that time. Talk about disappointed! I also had a tremendous amount of 'social anxiety' when I was so tight because I knew I wasn't going to be able to eat and it was just a matter of time before our friends started wondering what the heck was going on. (No one knows about my band). So, where I am now is perfect for me! I don't feel like I have been much help, these are just my (rambling) thoughts. The main reason I haven't posted much is because I haven't felt like I could add anything, but hopefully now I am on the right track, I don't know how much I eat, I just know it is not much, and I am finally okay with that. Good Luck to all of us !!!

Oh Tonya, I feel for you . . . I have been there and it sucks!!! The really GOOD news that I found out last week is that the difference between not enough restriction, too much restriction and JUST RIGHT can be as much or as little as a couple of DROPS! Long story short - I was way too tight and had to have an unfill like you. I then had two fills trying to get it right after that disaster and couldn't seem to . . . The third one was too tight, but not causing problems like before when I was way too tight. So, I stayed in that bind for a month. I went in last week - I had not been restricted enough at 2.3 but was too tight (couldn't get much if anything down) at 2.5 and after doing a fluero, Dr. Spivak said that everything looked okay, but that he needed for me to be able to eat. Sooo . . . he accessed my port and took out about 3 or 4 DROPS - not even a measureable amount. The difference is unbelievable! I had almost given up on the idea of ever finding the 'sweet spot', but I now believe I am there ! YAY !!! I went a full month too tight this past time and didn't lose an ounce. After this tiny adjustment, I lost 4 pounds this past week and felt totally satisfied with the amount I ate. I tell all of you this to say "HANG IN THERE SISTER!!!" I didn't think I'd ever get here and I finally did . . . Like you, I have had at least 8, maybe 9 adjustments in the last year. I hate those needles with a passion!!! Good Luck! Lynn