February/March 08 plastics

[Esmeralda 2]

I had muscle repair and to be honest I didn't have almost no pain since I came out of surgery, I only took the pain meds for 2 day and I was walking straight almost right off, I had most disconfort comming from my boobs but no pain really. Today is 3 weeks for me and I have been back at work since Monday. I guess I am one of the lucky ones that really doesn't get any pain, I felt alot more pain when I had my tubes tied and thats because my doctor had to do it like a c-section because she wasn't familiar with the band and wasn't sure if I had scar tissue around my belly button because of my band.

[losingjusme 12]

I have a question for everyone that just had PS. For the ones that had muscle repair, do you think that made your pain worse? My doctor says that he is pretty sure I won't need muscle repair but won't know for sure until he gets in there. Do you think your pain would have been less with out the muscle repair? I am having a TT, BA, BL & Lipo of hips, thighs, back fat, and butt on June 3rd. I can't wait, just worried about the pain, especially if I need muscle repair.

hi, congrats on your surgery date... not sure how much pain i would have had without the muscle repair, but with it ... ehhh... not excrutiating, but it was there. i opted for the pain pump and glad i did. i had surgery on a Friday, took a few doses of the pain meds Fri & Sat and my last dose was Sunday night just to knock me out. as soon as i found out i could have tylenol PM, that was all i needed.

nina will tell you the lipo hurt worse than the tuck, my lipo didnt really hurt much at all... sore from the bruising but no real pain per se. i have found that those are the incisions that itch like crazy!!! and not much helps the itching. benedryl sometimes but that makes me loopier than normal, so i can only take it a few times ..

one hint i have for you - get your quads/thighs and arms in the best shape possible. do squats like there's no tomorrow cause it really helped me ... specially getting up and down from the bathroom. not sure how much mobility you'll have with your arms since you are getting the girls worked on...

One more thing, How may of you had unfills? My band doctor said that I shouldn't need one, the PS said I didn't need one, but after reading the posts from Kareyquilts I am wondering if I shouldn't get at least a small unfill.

i very begrudgingly got a complete unfill before my plastics. i am SO glad that i did. SO GLAD. i was rather tight after my surgery and i can only imagine how bad it would have been if i were filled (i had a great restriction).

good luck!

[Esmeralda 2]

My doctor told me that i didn't need an unfill so I didn't get one and I am glad because for some reason days after my surgery I was able to eat more than before not much but more than normal. One weird thing was going in I weighed 158 and 3 days later I was 164 it kind of bugs me because they took alot off me and to way more what the heck is that!!!

[marillon 0]

Thats holland for you... Will be long time before I have my port 'fixed'.

What are you guys taking for the pain. I can only take paracetamol because of stomach accid. Does not do much for the pain.

I had an morphine pump for an earlier cessarean and those things are GOOD.

My recovery goes sloow. Dont feel am making much progress.

Its nice to have an kinda flat stomach. But now I see how flappy and horrible my legs look! This was hidden for me and I could fool myself before. Now I see the naked thruth. Can only hope the next plastic operation will go better.

[losingjusme 12]

Its nice to have an kinda flat stomach. But now I see how flappy and horrible my legs look! This was hidden for me and I could fool myself before. Now I see the naked thruth. Can only hope the next plastic operation will go better.

i took hydrocodone (liquid) for pain, worked like a charm :banghead:

i know what you mean about seeing the thighs now ... OH dear!!! not a pretty site. but i will wait til i hit goal to have additional work.

[losingjusme 12]

seriously...

i feel like a freaking tree trunk... a WIDE tree trunk... my waist still hasnt gone back to normal... if you want to call it a 'waist'... :angry_smile:

at least pre-PS i had a nice curvy waist ... now... straight up and down ... i know its swelling and will go down, but this is just so frustrating!!! i have all these cute clothes (even pre-PS clothes) that just dont fit well cause my waist is ... gone ... :cursing:

Dr. P removed my stiches from my belly button yesterday. attached is a pic of my new bee-bo!!! its pretty cool looking - almond shaped.

yes, it's red, i took the pic last night ... still rather numb so i didnt feel 90% of the stitch removal.

[Esmeralda 2]

Nice belly button, mine is going to have to get fixed because its basically flat like if I didnt have one, when the doctor went in to repair my muscle he found a very large hernia and it was pushing my belly button so he had to remove it complelty and make a new one but to me it looks like I don't have one know, at my last appointment I talked to him about that and he said he would fix it just to give it time to heal and we could go in and make it a little deeper o my boobs are still rather high how long should I wait for them to drop, my doctor said it can take from 3 weeks to several months but I am so inpatient I want him to go and push them down a bit.

[kareyquilts 1]

Valarie: The MR was the most painful for me, but it was only bad for 2-3 days. Now, 9 days out, I am getting up and down with very little pain. It's definetly worth it. Of course, everyone is different, my breasts haven't bothered me at all. Based on my experience, I would get a small unfill before your surgery.

MaryP: Glad you are doing better. Sounds like a very successful surgery. 14 pounds is a lot. Pretty expensive diet, huh?! LOL. Hope you continue to get better everyday!

Marillon: Patience is hard. Does socialized medicine cover things like plastic surgery and lap bands? I've had to pay for it all out of my own pocket, but at least I could get the care I needed, when I needed it. So interesting, do you get to pick your doc or are you assigned one? Sounds like with all your complications, you still had very good care. I'm so glad you survived everything that happened to you! Keep up the posts!

I'm feeling pretty good today. Since my unfill, I'm able to hold down food again and the nausea has gone away. I'll tell you that was such an awful feeling, I'm really glad it didn't happen any sooner, when the MR was so painful or I would have been in a really mess. Throwing up isn't easy on the stomach muscles!

[kareyquilts 1]

LJM: Your new belly button looks awesome!

[I'm still here 0]

I am curious if any of your doctors recommended using the silicone sheets and or gel to help with your scar.

Mine mentioned it, but didn't seem to have a strong opinion about it, but then I was talking to a friend last night who is a Nurse and she said that they absolutely help . . . She said the gel helps to soften the scar and the sheets apply pressure that helps the incision to heal flat. So, I guess I will be ordering some.

I am just curious if any of you are planning to use it . . .

[I'm still here 0]

seriously...

i feel like a freaking tree trunk... a WIDE tree trunk... my waist still hasnt gone back to normal... if you want to call it a 'waist'... :smile:

quote]

Me too! I look like a tree trunk too! I am really hoping it is going to correct itself so I have a little 'shape' . . . :biggrin:

[marillon 0]

LJM I look the same. Straight treeblock now after the operation. But it is all l liquid. Am sure when we rid of this liquid and healed your get your curves back! It already looks sooo much good. And after you are healed you can do special exercises to get an waist.

Nina- I had to pay for everything. Will pay for all else too. Fortunately I have a good job. I also going to loose my job and am getting paid a very nice amount of cash if I stay a few months extra's. I plan to use this money for that. Also in Holland its an taxdeduction so i get 52 perc incometax back on that. It is still a lot of money. Cost more than in the US I think.

I have a questions for you guys what do you eat now after the operation(S). Afterall this is now an time to heal not to loose weight. You do need an extra amount of proteines to replace blood and rebuild skin and musles. Its already hard to get an normal amount in. In my case as I have to replace a lot of red bloodcells I need to eat a LOT of proteine. At least 80 GR per day. I still cant eat more than 25 gram of meat. Half an piece of toast and 3 Beans. So even with eating all I want I never get enough proteine in without resorting to supplements. What are you guys eating to speed up your recovery?

[losingjusme 12]

glad im not the only tree trunk out here!

im eating what i want basically, but since i got my fill a few days ago, i have pretty good restriction, so its not much of anything really... i am concentrating on getting Protein in, but this was today:

b - Atkins shake caramel latte

s - Fiber 1 bar

l - 1/4 black and bleu salad from quiznos and 1/4 of the flat bread soooo good

s - choc chip cookie ... :biggrin:

d - ?????

[kareyquilts 1]

I'm a tree trunk too! Oh so flat on the stomach, but on the upper part of my stomach up towards my bra, I have a lot of swelling. Hoping that's what it is!

Marillon: I think the only way you can get enough protien is to supplement with protien shakes. That's what I do. The best time to supplement is in the morning, after a workout or before bed. At bed time I take a form of Protein called "casein" it is a thicker protein that releases more slowly and helps to regulate blood sugar and keep your muscles from cannabalizing themselves. I find it helps me sleep better. I hope you can find it in Holland!

Lynn: I purchased the silicone gel and the silicone stips. They are very pricey. I bought them on Make Me Heal. If you find a cheaper source please let me know. My doctor highly recommends using them. I figure I have a "huge" financial investment in this surgery, so I should see it through for the best results. Hope I'm right.

[Esmeralda 2]

I have kind of a dumb question, I work in an office and its been almost 4 weeks since my surgery are we allowed to wear heels?? I have been wearing flats but I cant stand it anymore because I always wear heels and I forgot to ask the doctor if I was allowed to wear them or if I had to wait a certain amount of time??