Scamp

I was a G cup before. I had a breast reduction after my weight loss and I chose to not have implants and I am happy with my 'itty bitty titties' LOL No longer do I have back pain - No longer do they get in the way - I love em :-) I asked for a B cup and he said he might not be able to do that as he has to work with the body etc After the Op with swelling I was a D cup - Then I was a C for a year or so and now I am a B - Just what I wanted.... The reason I chose to not have implants was mainly that I heard about how Implants don't last for life and I really didn't wanna hafta go in and get them redone... I just wanted to be 'Me' and not have to think about being 60 odd and being forced to go under the knife again - I am still not sure if what I heard was right that they only last ten years or so and then hafta be replaced? But - As I said - My 'itties' I am happy with :-))) (Sorry for butting in and not answering the initial question at all - Silly me. lol) I hope that whatever you decide to do - That you are as happy as I am :-)

I am so glad it is not as bad as you feared. Hopefully the scars will fade well and you will be very happy with your results :-)

I am so sorry that you are going through this. I hope someone can help you to make the scaring less. All I know is that using the micropore tape for 12 (yes 12) weeks makes the scars flatter and finer for a stitched scar so maybe it woudl flatten and support a staple scar? I guess it is worth a go if nobody else can offer any help. 3m micropore tape is cheap and you just cover the scar with it - Remove it to bathe then put back on again new after you get dried. http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3MC3SD/Wound-Care/Products/Wound-Care-Supplies/~/3M-Micropore-Surgical-Tape-Tan-1533-1?N=6232+4294925624&rt=d After the tape comes off use something like E45 and massage the scars - I massaged mine every day twice a day for five years! (Then suddenly I started forgetting = No idea why) It kept the areas moist and comfortable. It says here http://www.emaxhealth.com/1024/66/29393/some-simple-things-do-minimize-scars.html That the scar continues to mold and change for two years... So you can work on them - All is not lost yet and I hope you can make the scars in to less invasive ones.... Apparently the quicker they are removed the better they will scar and 7 days is pretty quick I would think..... I really hope you can find a way to stop the scarring you are wanting to avoid. Maybe when they remove them they will tell you of a way to stop any scar coming from them - I do hope so and hope you can find a way past this.

Hi Bronco0605 - If you click the picture of the picture above (like an oblong with a kind of sun and mountain on it) That will bring up another window - You have to upload a picture somewhere else like photobucket - Get the url and post that in to that box and wahey - Your picture arrives...... That is always the way I do it anyways :-)

When you say you wore it the whole time....how long did you have to wear it? My answer is - I wore mine 24/7 (well apart from showering etc) I think the Embrace stuff looks great. But as I didn't know about that back then I just used the paper tape that I believe supported the scar whilst it healed so it was more supported and I know as I only did this for Op3, 4 and 5 - That the scars after I kept the tape on are much finer etc

Yes I also wore the design veronique compression garment for the whole time - Kind of felt like my protective armour. lol When you have the hip to hip it's easier to keep the tape put - As you can go round you in one circle and overlap the ends..... :-)

I am so sorry this has happened to you, you are NOT a monster - You are a survivor! Is there any way at all you could get any help from them to counteract the problems they see that could occur? They say you are a high risk factor, and they think you might die - But - If this were not a cosmetic surgery - They would (the Doctors) most likely find a way to do it. My Mother was told earlier this year (different op but they still said) They said 'If you don't have this operation you will die - And if you do - You might die also' Fact was it was - In her words 'the best operation she has ever had' Of the 4 previous ops for differing problems... If they are concerned you may become septic - Why is this if you don't mind me asking..... I know things are different here in the UK.... But surely there is a way for you to not become septic? I know there are tons of shapewear to support the skin, and I can feel how disheartened you are :-( I do hope that you can find a way to get through this problem, and maybe find a way round it.... I do believe that this is a serious challenge, but I also do not believe that any challenge is completely insurmountable - It just takes careful planning, and - Of course adhering to a different regime.... If you went on a long term course of antibiotics would that help? If you had some of that special hospital wash that they use would that keep them pesky bugs away? If anything I said above is upsetting - I do not mean to be - It would be great if a Dr was able to help you and to get you past this problem - Obviously alive and well! I would as is said above - Get a second opinion and ask what steps could be taken to alleviate the problems that could possibly happen. If they say that this is a 100% definite then yes - You would avoid the surgery but if they say they know of a way to get past possible problems then that is something to look in to... If you are unable to get past the risks - Then - You are a survivor and you are still an amazing person who has lost so much - I do hope that you can find some answers... You are amazing - Be proud of your achievements!!! We are all proud of you :-) Huuuuugsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

I was very much helped by people on this site before my surgeries and - Paying it forward I am happy to share what I have learned with others :-)

Just in a straight line along the scar. If you go in a circle round your waist, a little tighter leaves a finer scar but obviously on the T part of some TT scars you just do the straight line. I believe this just supports the skin either side of the scar whilst it heals together again. I noticed in my first Op - Where I took this tape off after a couple of weeks those scars are not as fine, and are a little raised, my second op (TT) the scar stretched a bit and it is not as fine, though it is flat... My third Op - When I knew of this trick - Is much much finer and in comparison to the previous two lots of scars - It is amazzzzzzzzing... So - For the final Ops, I always kept the tape on for ten to twelve weeks and the scars are much better for it - Once the tape was of I massaged the scars, and that became a habit I did for years - Then as suddenly as I started the masage with E45 type cream - 5 years (yes 5) from Op1 - I started to forget, lol That was approx 3yrs after Op5 so all the scars had a good deal of massaging over those years :-) Sometimes you might hafta secure the end of the tape with a crossways bit, but the one that went around my waist I could just stick one end to the other end and it stayed put till changeover time The reason the hip end of the TT scars are great and fine is because - When I had Op4 - Butt Lift - The end of the scar removed the first TT scar - By then I knew to keep the tape on and thus the middle of it is not as fine as the hip ends which are fabulously fine... :-) Hope that helps

I think you are. If you do not have ultimate trust in your surgeon, then why would you entrust yourself to them. I have seen some horrific pictures online of poor people who have been left looking dreadful. I had to do my surgeries in parts - It took years from start to finish. Trust your gut as they say - I think you made the right choice.

Before... After... Sorry they are so fuzzy - My old camera back then was horrid.... And as I said the scar runs down inner thigh.... I must admit it didn't do all that I thought it would - But I guess you cannot have it too tight in there if you ever wanna be able to move your legs normally again - LOL

I think the inner thigh lift is the most common procedure for removing thigh laxity and skin excess - It lifts and removes the skin that is in inner thighs (Like drawing a line from groin to inside of knee - though some of them do a shorter incision not as far down as the knee) Like - Back then if I lay on my side and lifted one leg up a bit - The skin would still touch the opposite leg...

I had an inner thigh lift in 2011 It was the hardest (for me) of all of them I had - When I first stood up it was very painful - BUT - The moment I got in to my compression garment - Like 30 minutes later - All pain was gone and I felt fine again! This one I had but in black = http://showcase.designveronique.com/designveronique/zippered-above-knee-girdle.html Something I did not know before that I obviously do now - Is that when they do the inner thigh lift they do like anchoring to the fascia, info on that here = http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3399559 Which apparently anchors the skin UP and stops it falling.... In saying that one of the sides is not as UP as the other and I really should have gone back and had it fixed, he did offer - But I was so freaked out after the only Op that really hurt that I said no - I do wish now all these years on that I had actually said yes but - It's no biggie and it (The scar line that would be in groin groove) is only a little lower than the other leg and would only show if I ran around in a bikini flinging my legs all over the place I guess, lol.

Can I ask, how was the pain and recovery for you? You asked me...... I did not have the stomach muscles done due to a previous hernia surgery - The only pain (not even pain really) I had was not being able to stand up straight for about 5 or 6 days. I think most of the pain comes from the muscle stitching which you would probably have no matter what incision you have - And that has nothing to do with the Inverted T incision.... My waist would be smaller with that - But - That is no biggie as I reckon it's pretty OK as it is lol If I went back and made the choice 10000 times - I would have the Inverted T - I am 47yrs old and even at age 17 I did not have a belly like this! - Hell I have never had this! lol But the trade off is the scar which might bother alot of people - Personally the 6 inch scar from the hernia surgery I had was unsightly and this one is a hell of alot better looking than that one was (even with the belly button that resembles a cats butt, lol) I guess everyone has to make their choice as to whether they can live with the scars or not - If I could go back knowing what I know now - I would keep that paper tape on the scar for at least ten weeks and my scar would be as fine as the hip to hip one is - But - You live and learn eh....

I wish I had taken alot more before pics of me. It is hard to show your after when you have no record in pics of the before.... lol I have lots of pics starting just before Op1 - But of me back in the day of being twice my size.... I have very very few...

Awkward or not - YOU are the important one - This is YOUR body. And in all essence they are working for you and you are the BOSS As without you they might hafta sign on unemployment LOL

I can feel your confusion - I guess you hafta weigh up the pros and cons etc If your surgery is scheduled - You can always postpone it or cancel can't you ? Until you feel comfortable with your decision?

I didn't have implants - Just a reduction and I love my new Boobs! Scars so tiny they are like Invisible. Do you have any pics of you? (The Tummy area lol) Maybe we can all say what we might do if we were where you are. In the end you have to do what your heart tells you to..... Could you just do part of it - Like just the TT and not the boobs? Then save up for Part2? That's what I had to do - Borrow from family etc Good luck

Hope it goes well....

This is the paper tape - Bought it in the chemist store http://www.bonanzamarket.co.uk/listings/3M-Micropore-Brown-Surgical-Paper-Tape-1-X-10-yd-1533-7-EBS12/279214797?gpid=18283950120&gpkwd=&goog_pla=1&gclid=CLne0qn72MgCFQUewwod4zMMlg I am happy with vertical scar as without it I would not have a defined waist etcMy Plastic Surgeon said I would look 'boxy' without the Inverted T incision - My family said to me that it wouldn't hurt any more to just get it all done and we talked and I thought about it and thought if I had done it the other way - I would have wanted it re-done with this incision as I would have had excess skin still there upsetting me..... I think it is better to just get rid of as much redundant skin as possible...... I have a load of scars now - They are all part of what makes me 'Me' and I am not unhappy with any of them... They are like a road map of where I have been and the Journey I have taken to get where I am - And kinda to who I am - Today (If that makes sense) So I would do it all again....

Here's two pics of myself... Not long after surgery in 2010... And very recently... My scar stretched a little - If I had the op again today I would keep the paper tape on for three months (yes three) to support it as it heals and stop the scar stretching, my other scars are much better than this one cos I kept the tape on for longer... See that hip to hip scar is much much lighter and finer? That's cos I had a butt / outer thigh lift a couple of years after the TT and by then I knew to keep the tape on longer - So I did and I got a very very fine scar by doing that...

Personally (And being in Uk we do not have to wait for approvals etc we just hafta pay urselves) But...... Something seems odd... I would feel very uncomfortable entrusting my body to someone who cannot give me some of his TIME and treat me like an important person not just a piece of meat. It should not be a fight to get information. You should be treated with the utmost respect and an open and honest Dr is an important thing. I had an operation some years ago - Privately - For a Hernia. I went to see one Dr who told me this n that and I felt so uncomfortable that I never returned (Then I got a letter from him saying how I shouldn't ignore the hernia, how he cared - When I was in tears in his office he didn't seem to give a 'pahoohah' about my fears etc... and could I pay his bill - Which I had already paid on the day of seeing him!) I think that personally I would not be able to go into theatre without more nerves and fear when you have no Dr-Patient relationship with this Dr who is going to be hacking in to your body (Yeah bad way of putting it sorry) I was so scared before my TT - It was hard to keep my eyes on the prize. But I did have trust in my Dr. I feel that is important. As said above - This does seem very odd and I would go for an opinion with someone else, it could very much help you to find someone you are comfortable with. :-) Take Care

I was below goal when I had my tummy tuck (Muscles untouched due to previous hernia mesh op) I only lost 2.42lb (1.1 kilos) - Which surprised me.... As i really thought I would lose more than that but - As I said - It was only skin and no fat beneath it really. I have a fantastic result (Inverted T op) and 5yrs on I am still happy with it :-) I did not focus at all on how much weight would be lost after - The only reason I asked how much was because I noticed the moment the swelling was gone my weight was exactly what it was before the op - Minus the amount removed so it made me know when the last of the swelling was gone etc..... Good luck - Even all these years on - I am still so happy I did this. I am a new person and had I not been down this journey I really feel that psychologically I would have never felt anything like the happiness I do today :-)

I have had many surgeries and The Tummy Tuck (No muscle repair) was not painful at all - Just the feeling of being pulled forwards for maybe a week - So I really hope you have an easy time after your op A poster here said to me 5yrs ago ''Eyes on the prize'' and I carried those words with me all the way thorough - Those few words helped me to keep my focus - I told my son to say them to me if I ever had a wavering moment of fear pre-op etc It really helped and I will always be grateful for those words.... I do hope all goes well for you and that you keep your eyes firmly on the prize that will be the new you!

Tummy tuck - I am so happy with mine - Even with a scar that stretched a bit.... I did not have my muscles done tho cos of a previous hernia surgery.