bosteph

The last drain was removed today!!! :thumbup::thumbup: The nurse told me that I am a poster child for plastic surgery. She said that she can't let me talk to other patients because my results have been so much bettter than the usual reality. I have no numbness, loss of nipple sensation or pain from the breast reduction. I have been sleeping in my bed since Friday and last night I slept on my side all night. That was awesome! :ohmy: The swelling is not picture perfect. It is sheer hell by the time I get home each day. Today I decided to be brave and post the before and afters of my boobs. much of my reduction was actually under my arms. (remember to click on the image to enlarge) Work has been fine this week. Tonight I folded some laundry. My stamina seems okay compared to the experience of others. I got cleared to swim in my pool this weekend (no public pools or lakes). Plus they gave me some samples of Mederma with 30 spf. I have another follow-up appointment with the doctor next week.

I mean that he said that I don't need to wear a bra at night and that I don't have to wear them at all if I don't want to in the future. I am not allowed to wear underwire bras for a least 6 weeks. I did not get implants. I had a lift and reduction. I have done my time with DD breasts. I just wanted normal C's. It's nearly unimagineable to me but these are the perky high school girl boobs I never had...

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I have been extremely busy... Friday morning 3 of my 4 drains were removed. YAY! (I still have one but it should be gone by Wednesday) We had some friends come in from out of town and we all went to the Texas Rangers vs. Philadelphia Phillies game Friday night. Saturday we got up early and went to Six Flags. I rented a scooter and rode around all day. (no rides ) Sunday I went shopping with my DH for essentials and got home 5 hours later. Today I went back to work. I feel really great. The only bad part is that around 2 p.m. each day it's like someone pulled a rip cord on me. I blow up like a Macy's Thanksgiving balloon. I must be patient about the swelling (keep repeating) For those that inquired about the cost....I paid $12,650 (including surgery center) I have lost 14 pounds since last Friday (10 of which was the actual removal). I weigh approximately 10 pounds more in the evening than the morning. My boobs are the best! My doctor told me on Friday that I don't have to sleep in my bra and really don't have to wear them again ever, unless I want to. All is well. Thanks for the concern. I have pictures to post but I want to wait until I don't look like I'm wearing "meat" panties. I just look hacked up.

Thanks Karey! I did have the muscle repair plus a hernia repair. I'm pretty sure that 3 of the 4 drains will come out tomorrow morning. Those things are much more than a pain to deal with - there is actual pain. The way that they twist and pull when you move just kills. :Angel_anim: I am still very swollen. At this point I don't even look smaller, except for my chest. :smile2: Impatiently waiting for the results...

Becky, how are your thighs? Mine are killing me. Very tight and swollen. Were or are yours? I am just on OTC pain killers (by my choice). Now I am getting twinges of pain everywhere - my guess is that everything is "waking up". Was that your experience too? If you have any pearls of wisdom that you haven't already shared (Becky or Frangi) lay them on me.

I don't know that I could have handled one more procedure. I really needed my arms since that was pretty much the only thing that didn't hurt. TxBecky told me that the thighs hurt the worst and boy was she right. Those things are still hurting and I can't imagine when they will stop. Every time I stand, sit or move - a sharp twinge takes my breath away. All in all, I am very happy that I had the guts to get through this. Truly the first 48 hours are the worst. After that, it's not that bad...

I had a breast reduction, medial thigh lift and abdominoplasty on Friday. My surgeon removed 10lbs.

I went to the doctor today. Good news - he is very pleased with my progress. I am walking upright and off the pain meds. Bad news - no drains were removed today. I am going back on Friday and he believes that 2 or 3 of the 4 will come out then. I got my work releases and stopped by my office. I am working from home for the rest of the week. I will be returning to the office on Monday. I am relieved that my initial plan is working out. My sister is returning to Las Vegas in the morning and that makes me sad. She just bought a new house and has to get back though. A few points to consider... If you can't get the "extra high" toilet seat, the blow up ring in the pharmacy (for other "butt ailments" :sad_smile:) works great. I did high Protein liquids for two days before my surgery to limit the bowel issues. I believe this has helped tremendously. I did have a BM today and it went very smoothly. :w00t: I cannot stress enough that you need the softest sheets that you can find. Don't spend big money on sets if you don't need them but single sheets (get at least 2 so that you can always have a clean one) are a MUST! You are going to be sweaty, sticky, itchy and grimy. Sponge baths, followed by baby powder on your backside (no incisions should be powdered) are the BEST! A quality caregiver is a primary concern. Even though your husband loves you very much, he may not be the best qualified candidate. :tt1: (My DH helped my sister sneak in from Vegas as a surprise - god bless him and her!) My pain meds were two pills every 4 hours. I took one pill (broken in half for easier swallowing) every 2 hours. I think that it helped with the pain roller coaster. Stock up on liquids to get you through the first week. I cannot imagine getting something stuck on top of the surgery pain - YIKES!!! :thumbup: Back to the post lap band comfort stuff - popsicles, Jello, pudding, Soup, etc. Looking back at my instructions that were given to me before the surgery, I have to laugh. The pamphlet actually says that "sexual activity is discouraged until at least your first post op appointment." Dear god, if anyone feels up to sex right after this surgery I bow down to their physical superiority. :laugh: Thanks for everyone's happy, happy, healing thoughts. I promise that I will post before and afters soon. Right now I look like the Michelin man. :tongue:

I'm not ready for before and afters yet. Soon, I promise. It looks like they must have really hacked up my breasts but they made them beautiful and perky C cups. I don't have that much bruising either. If you click on the picture it should open in a bigger window.

One word.......OUCH! I am done. I was in surgery for 6 hours and they removed 10 pounds of fat and skin. I'm happy, I think. Way too early to tell anything yet. I am going to lay down. I will post pictures later of everything that was removed. It's pretty incredible.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers everyone. My sister lives in Las Vegas but she surprised me last night by walking into the bowling alley (I bowl league on Thursday nights). She and my husband have been conspiring for several weeks. I am so happy that she is here. I will try to post again soon. We are on our way to the surgery center.

The date is closing in... I am scheduled to be at the surgery center at 8:45 a.m. on Friday. My procedure should start at 10:45 a.m. The time estimate is 3-5 hours. I am terrified. This is a surprise. I can't believe how scared I am about this. I have to get a grip. I have even thought of backing out. :cursing: I am afraid of failure, pain, disfigurement, success, etc. I can't even pinpoint the root cause of my fear. I am over-analyzing this for sure. I will try to post after I get home from the surgery but who knows...

Tomorrow is my pre-op appointment with Dr. Duffy. I am nervous, excited, anxious, etc. etc. My biggest fear is that I will wake up and still look fat. :thumbs_up: I may have to find a therapist to work with me on body image. I know that I look different than what I see in the mirror. I just don't feel different...

I have a date. June 20th. I am soooo excited.:eek:

I have before pictures. I will post them when I have the after pictures. I can't stand the thought of anyone seeing what I am hiding under my clothes. YIKES!!!:sad: Once it's gone, I won't care anymore. :eek:

Everything will be done at once. I am going to try to coordinate with my band surgeon for a low profile port at the same time.

I am very interested in others that have had this problem. I also have lost all feeling of restriction. I have nearly 4cc's in the 4cc band and can eat anything. I used to get "that feeling" like something was stuck and since my last fill I get nothing. I don't have pain and I still stay full for 3-4 hours but I do eat more at mealtime than before. I am not gaining weight but not losing either. I am exercising 3-5 days per week. I don't get it...

I did not have a catheter and was told that it is usually not required for the lapband procedure since it is less than one hour in most cases. I don't remember moving onto the table (or anything else for that matter ) but was told that I would be in a near standing position for the surgery. That being said, the metal jewelry will still have to come out (see the post about rescucitation). Save yourself the trouble and just do it beforehand. If the piercing is fairly new or needs to have something in to keep it open check out the clear plastic retainers. You can buy those at places like Claires, The Icing, etc.

I also have a needle phobia. I agree - Do NOT look around the room. There may be needles in plain sight. Just keep your eyes on your feet, get on the table and close your eyes. My doctor does fills under flouroscope only. I get to watch my insides on the monitor or look out the window. First there is a pin prick that feels very much like an ant bite. Then just some pressure from the fill needle. No pain but pain isn't my fear - seeing the giant needle is my fear. If I see the needles = :faint:

I have never heard of replacements every 5 years. I was just in Cancun with a few friends. One of the gals that I was with has had her implants for 19 years. She was considering having them replaced (bigger) but her surgeon told her that hers were in great shape and perfectly proportioned for her body. We already told her that but I guess she wanted a professional opinion...lol.

To some degree I was also scared. I don't think that I was scared of the surgery. I think that I was afraid of yet another failure. I just projected that onto the surgery process. The pre-op diet for me was very hard and it was emotional. Getting through it was a big victory because I had never stuck with anything. Good luck and keep your eye on the prize. I am sure that you will all be fine. I will say a prayer for each of you.

Ecco - pricey but worth it.

OMG.... This so reminds me of my infamous "chicken Nugget Thread". I haven't posted in a while but I am back for advice and renewed motivation. In my thread I asked a simple question - If you chew a chicken nugget and spit it out is that cheating on the pre-op liquid diet? Good gravy, what an uproar! I was a desperate, fat woman on the edge. All I wanted was a little moral support. What I got was a lot of sanctimonious crap from people who had forgotten what it was like to be in my position. Fortunately, a few kind souls laughed with me and helped me push through those tough days. This forum is like any cross-section of society. We get along with some people and we don’t get along with others. I made a vow to always remember how tough this journey is no matter how successful my weight loss and to support those in the good fight with me. I will not disguise cattiness and superiority as support. Carefully structured put downs are still put downs. Just because I have “seen the light” and have changed my life doesn’t make me better or smarter than anyone else. Now back to the subject at hand… I have noticed that my portions are creeping up. I feel like I am overeating even though I know that those around me eat far more than I do at any given meal. I have a fill schedule for Wednesday. Several mentions have been made of “stretching the pouch”. Is that easy to do? I will be paranoid about that now…

Shows like that keep me from eating... The psychological stuff is hard. I still use the dressing room in the women's department to try on clothes. I literally haul them across the store because that is where I feel most comfortable. Someday I will be brave enough to try on my 12's and 14's in the misses department. Maybe I will just wait until I am in 8's or 10's...

I don't think that you've ruined your surgery because you ate 3 breadsticks and a slice of pizza tonight. That being said... Really take a hard look at why you chose that snack. I think that somewhere down deep you feel guilty about your choice regardless of what someone else said to you. I know that changing habits is hard. The good news is that one time will not completely derail your efforts. It is important that you be honest with yourself about what you are eating. You stated multiple times that you ate "1 breadstick", but in reality you ate 3. I am not judging you, just restating the facts as you presented them for perspective. Now... Move on - the breadsticks are done and over. Get up and move to work them off. Make a commitment to yourself to make better choices. Sometimes you will and sometimes you won't - it's up to you. Don't let the misguided comments made by others impede your future success. You are the master of your own destiny. Take control.