February/March 08 plastics

[I'm still here 0]

Thank you ladies for your replies . . .

LJM, if I didn't know better, I'd think your pic was of me! That is exactly what I look like and I am thinking it probably doesn't help that I've still got about 6 of the 8 pounds that I've gained post-op hanging on. I am sooooo hoping this will go down some more - the wierd thing is, I didn't really notice it right after the surgery - it seems to be getting worse instead of better - ??? Whats up with THAT!?!!!

We are in full-swing tournament baseball (and still doing Little League too) so it is entirely possible that I am over-doing it. I'll let y'all know what my PS says on Friday after I see him.

Karey you always seem so 'level-headed' . . . That is good for me. Thank you . . .

Sorry to scare you Steph - I didn't have any 'work' done 'up there' either and I am worried that my watermelon may be my 'guts', you know, organs and other important stuff - gosh I hope not. It may turn out that I am gonna need to lose 20 more pounds instead of 10. Grrrr.

I promise I will do my best to get a CD of my pics from my PS on Friday. I am so completely ignorant about how to load them onto the computer and don't have the slightest idea how to get them onto here, but I am hoping if I can get them in CD format, one of you sweetie-pies will help me . . .

Good night friends,

[I'm still here 0]

I can't believe she could make a mistake like putting in instead of taking out! I guess you'd be mad! I sure would be. You sound like you'll do fine without the fill.

I agree with Steph - pardon me for saying . . . DUH!

Did she not know the difference in an unfill and a fill ??? Grrr . . . :confused2:

Sorry - I think I am especially cranky tonight (Did I mention that I got a terrible sunburn at the baseball tournament yesterday ? Wah wah wah - but it HURTS!) so I probably should sign-off until tomorrow when I have had some zzzzz's.

Good night ~

[StephC 0]

Lynn I'm one of the few that the ps wanted me to lose more before I had the surgery "for the best results". The reason it scared me is that my ps was pushing and prodding at that fat under my ribs and said the lower stuff he can cut off but theres nothing he can do about that, so I'm kinda freaked about it anyway. Then he said about if I continue to lose weight after the tt the results won't be as good... all that makes me nervous but I was so disgusted with the apron that I had decided if insurance would pay for the pannectolomy and that was it then thats all I'd have done, just cut this extra flap of skin off me. But they are paying for a full tt so I am expecting it to be better then just the panny. So when I say its gotta be better then what it is now I mean it. It scared me but not enough to not have it done.

[salsa1877 10]

My PS told me that she would be able to get some of the top fat roll off too, but it comes at a price. My top roll is really the worst for me. That is what gives me more problems that anything. I have 2 very distinct rolls with a nice TIGHT section across my belly button. So what is the price that I have to pay you ask? I have to have a vertical "t-incision". So not only will I be cut from mid-hip to mid-hip, but will also have a vertical incision that after my skin is stretched will run from groin to breast bone. My guess is that your top belly was not as bad as mine and therefore your doc felt that the visable vertical incision would be worse than leaving some of the extra fat up top. For me I had the option but she said I would look kind of like a smooshed accordian with rolls on the side after surger without the t-cut. I opted for the vertical incision since I don't plan on wearing a bikini any time soon!

[StephC 0]

I had a friend who had a tt years ago - like 18 or 20 years ago - and she had the vertical scar - I haven't seen her in about 5 years so I'm not able to question her but I wonder if that was the norm back then. I am obsessed with makemeheal and the pics - I go through them and when I find one that has a simular shape to me I put in her stats and see if we are simular in bmi. I'm nuts I know. Totally nuts.

[salsa1877 10]

I had a friend who had a tt years ago - like 18 or 20 years ago - and she had the vertical scar - I haven't seen her in about 5 years so I'm not able to question her but I wonder if that was the norm back then. I am obsessed with makemeheal and the pics - I go through them and when I find one that has a simular shape to me I put in her stats and see if we are simular in bmi. I'm nuts I know. Totally nuts.

No you are not nuts. I mean think about it... we go into surgery and come out looking totally different. That freaks me out a little. I want an idea of what I am going to look like. My thing is that I have never found anyone that is similar to me. I know what a t-cut looks like after surgery (though it took HOURS of searching), but I have never found anyone even remotely similar. Doctors don't usually post the vertical cuts on their before and afters because frankly they don't look as good as the other kind because of the long visible scar. Can't blame them for that...they want to show their best work. My doc showed me before and afters, but said I can't compare them too much because I have a VERY unique body type. I carried ALL of my weight in my tummy (I had sculpted thighs and calves at 250 pounds!). So you are not nuts...I would think you were nuts if you DIDN'T look! I am excited for you...just a few days away!~

[losingjusme 12]

well, i think you're nuts, but not cause you look at MMH pics ... :rolleyes2::wink2:

[StephC 0]

well, i think you're nuts, but not cause you look at MMH pics ... :wink2:

:thumbup: Those who know me best would agree!

I got a call from the hospital about my pre-op testing, I'm scheduled to go tomorrow at 9am. Now I've been scheduled for a month and they call yesterday and want me to move it to Friday. I said no. I said I requested Wed off of work and I know I can't take Friday off - half truth bc no one would care but I know I have the newsletter to send out on Friday and its an all day job - so she hemmed and haa-ed and said they'd get back with me. I said if you want to move me to later in the day I'm willing to do that but I can't switch days. So they called me this morning and said they would just move me up to noon. I'm thinking good grief theres a whole days worth of testing and I'm the only one who can move? Am I being bitchy? My dh said its those damn old retired people. LOL He was joking bc I said theres probably half of them on the schedule that dont' work and they call me?

[kareyquilts 1]

Steph: Hospitals can be frustrating, but, my goodness, you're almost to the flatlands! Are you going to start a thread? How are we going to keep up with you after your surgery?

[losingjusme 12]

karey,

here's her thread.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f12/stephc-s-ps-journey-i-got-approved-54975/

[StephC 0]

thanks Christine - Yep Karey its getting closer and I'm fricking excited! My husband won't even come near the computer, all I do is look at tt's. Trying to figure out how mine will turn out. I guess I'll know in about 9 days!

[kareyquilts 1]

Steph: I know how you feel, before my surgery I would grab my stomach and try to imagine all that skin gone. You're going to love it! It's worth the cost, pain and inconvience. You're going to love it!

[I'm still here 0]

Hi again everyone ~

I saw my band doctor on Wednesday of this past week and had another small fill. They say I am now back to where I was before the unfill a couple of weeks ago, but it does NOT feel like it. I can eat things I would not have even attempted before and I feel hungry all the time. Grrrr.

My band doctor also looked at my stomach while I was there and said he thinks it looks great. I don't think it looks great - my upper abdomen looks pudgy, especially now compared to my very tight lower tummy.

I saw my PS yesterday and according to him, I am doing wonderfully. He said that he pulled it as tight as he could without causing compression problems for my organs (that I of course didn't want) and said several times that I could walk down any beach in a bikini and no one would ever think I'd had a TT. But - when we were taking pictures I casually said to the photographer, 'Shouldn't this part be flat too?' and she said, 'Yeah, it usually is.' Man I wish I'd never asked her that! So then my PS came back in with the pictures and showed me how only a certain 'envelope' of fat and skin can be removed, and said only if he had done the 'T' incision could I have had a 'tighter' result.

So . . . I need to just wrap my mind around the fact that this is what I ended up with and move on. I am going to try to lose between 10 and 20 more pounds and bump up the exercise to see if that helps get me to where I wanted to be. It seems maybe it would have been a good idea for me to wait until I was at goal to have my TT.

I have a really stupid question - After a TT, can you still improve your abdominal area with exercise? If so, I am going to have to take that approach to get the final result I wanted.

My husband has now decided that I have 'a very distorted body image' and I am starting to wonder if he is right - ???

Edited April 26, 2008 by mommi-hammi

[kareyquilts 1]

Lynn: Really need pictures to see what you're talking about, but you probably do have a distored body image. It takes time to get use to the new body. I find it very helpful to look at my before pictures and than I feel a lot better about my results. I'm a bit pudgy in the upper stomach also and I'm hoping that a bit more weight loss and exercise will help. That was a thoughtless remark on the photographers part. Maybe she should get naked in front of you and you can comment on all her imperfections! LOL. I want to look perfect too, but it probably is an unreasonable goal. I'm looking at doing my backside and arms. When I lose the last 15 pounds if the PS can do some revision of my tt and get the upper stomach tighter, I will do it. Another thing to consider is that you still have swelling which goes to the upper stomach? I know I still swell alot, especially since I've started exercising again. You know I think it would be really helpful, if we could see more people naked in general. Don't you? I think we'd find that really there aren't too many perfect bodies out there. Now hold on to that thought for a while!

[losingjusme 12]

i agree with Karey ... i look fine (ok, damn good) clothed - compared to 2 months ago...

naked, not so much, but who cares? there's only 1 (maybe 2 if my DD walks in on me yet again after a shower) person who sees me nekid ... if DH didnt get repulsed at 400 lbs, now's gotta be a walk in the park... :smile2: