Frangipani & TexasBecky get Reconstructed

[Frangipani 1]

Hi All,

I know it has been forever since you have heard from me. I didn't realize how much time had passed!

Shalee, thanks for remembering me and sending me that PM and raising me from the dead !

Well, since I last logged on in November of 2008, a lot has happened. First of all, I fell into a bit of a funk when the wound fell apart. The scar was extremely ugly and I had absolutely no idea how long it would take before the revision, but the Dr. estimated that it would be about six months after closure, which would have put me into May of this year. The whole idea of waiting that long was frankly, depressing, and I guess I just sort of drifted away from here. I'm very sorry about that, as you have all been such wonderful, supportive friends.

The good news is that I didn't need to wait nearly that long. Dr. M felt my pain and came to the rescue when I made a follow-up visit to Miami in December. He told me that theoretically he should wait the six months, but that since everything had closed up, he thought I could have the revision done in January -- which I did have on January 29.

The revision surgery (3 hours) was done in the hospital, but I'm happy to say that all went well. I was required to stay overnight, but I felt just fine and within minutes arriving in my hospital room, I had my lipstick, mascara, and nice robe on, and that ugly, old hospital gown off!

This time I stayed in my hotel as much as possible for about one good week after surgery. I did develop a bit of a drinking problem during my recovery, since the only fun thing to do was to sit around the hotel and drink, but I'm happy to say that I am clean and sober once again! (Though I am enjoying a small Baileys cocktail as I write this)

My results turned out to be even better than after the first surgery and I am very, very happy. In fact looking back, I actually consider myself lucky to be able to have a second shot at this.

I did have a little "flap necrosis" on the right side, but the Dr. thinks we can even that out with some fat injections. At any rate, I'm not too concerned about it. It's really not that noticeable unless you happen to be staring at my naked backside -- which people are not really lined up around the corner to see yet, but I hope they will be soon :tongue2:

Here's my problem now:

Now that everything is fixed up, my inner thighs look horrendous. I kid you not! So, I will need to do one more surgery -- medial thighs, which I plan to do very soon -- within one month.

As you know, I have pretty much faced my surgeries head on and without much fear, but the medial thigh surgery is scaring the S#%T out of me. Not so much the surgery, but I am fearing the results and the scars. The Dr. plans to do the groin incision, but I have concerns -- a lot of them....

If there anybody out there who has had the medial thigh surgery and would like to give me some feedback, that would be wonderful! Primarily I am interested in knowing the following:

1) Are you happy with the results?

2) Would you do it again?

3) Do you feel that the scar from this procedure is (was) an acceptable trade-off for the improvement you gained?

My concerns about this surgery are keeping me awake at night, so I would be most thankful for any feedback.

Well, this has turned into a novel and you are probably all nodding off now, so I will stop. It will take me a little while, but I will catch up with everyone's threads. I am sure you are all looking hotter than hot.

I will be back..........

So good to be back on the board with all of you wonderful ladies (and guys) talk to you soon!

[luluc 6]

frangi - thanks so much for the update, i've missed ya!!!

[Shalee04 7]

Frangi,

Glad to hear from you, and that your PS got you all fixed up. I know exactly what your saying about falling into a funk. It took my wound almost 4 months to heal and I am left with a not so pretty scar. It also didn't heal exactly from the inside out as it was supposed to only, It healed outside to inside along the edge of my wound and also from the inside up, But becasue it took the inside so long to heal the outside was long healed and well I am left with a "Butt" looking scar at the bottom of my almost flat tummy. Yep I have 2 butts it seems..

Good news is we are doing a revision and my Dr like yours feels my pain in waiting 4-6 months to do the revision so I will talking to him this week for the date to do it, Probably April though.

Anyways glad to hear from you, was worried since we hadn't heard from you in so long.

Kelly

[sexylips 1]

:thumbup:frangipani,you are ozzzome, its great to hear stories like yours, my question is what where you eating,to loose 114 pounds in only 7 months? that is soo wonderfull and you having the courage to have cosmetic surgery afterwards its a terrific lapband story. mine not good at all so please share how you did it and stay ozzzome.

I WANT A HAPPY STORY LIKE YOURS:wink2:

[Frangipani 1]

frangi - thanks so much for the update, i've missed ya!!!

Hi Lulu,

I've missed you too! How are you doing?

Frangi,

Glad to hear from you, and that your PS got you all fixed up. I know exactly what your saying about falling into a funk. It took my wound almost 4 months to heal and I am left with a not so pretty scar. It also didn't heal exactly from the inside out as it was supposed to only, It healed outside to inside along the edge of my wound and also from the inside up, But becasue it took the inside so long to heal the outside was long healed and well I am left with a "Butt" looking scar at the bottom of my almost flat tummy. Yep I have 2 butts it seems..

Good news is we are doing a revision and my Dr like yours feels my pain in waiting 4-6 months to do the revision so I will talking to him this week for the date to do it, Probably April though.

Anyways glad to hear from you, was worried since we hadn't heard from you in so long.

Kelly

Hi Kelly,

Don't worry!!!! Your Dr. will clean everything up beautifully once you have the revision. My scar healed very unevenly too -- and it never filled in completely after the wound dehisced.

I thought about posting photos of the whole ordeal (I definitely have them), but to do so I think might just create some unnecessary fear, as I strongly believe my case was rather extreme due to my (boneheaded) flurry of activity post-op.

Unfortunately for me, my excellent tolerance for these surgeries and nearly complete absence of pain worked against me. I learned the hard way, though, and my number one piece of advice to others is to REST, REST, REST, for several days after surgery -- even IF you feel just fine!!!! The wound needs time to pull itself together before you go putting a lot of stress and strain on it.

That said I look like a new woman after the revision, and the scar is just beautiful (if you can describe a scar that way......).

This whole plastic surgery journey is really a process though and I'm realizing that when you have this much work done, it is often not a "one shot deal" -- and that you might indeed end up needing to have things tweaked here and there........

So great to hear from you sweetie! Big hugs to you!!!

:thumbup:frangipani,you are ozzzome, its great to hear stories like yours, my question is what where you eating,to loose 114 pounds in only 7 months? that is soo wonderfull and you having the courage to have cosmetic surgery afterwards its a terrific lapband story. mine not good at all so please share how you did it and stay ozzzome.

I WANT A HAPPY STORY LIKE YOURS:wink2:

Thanks for the lovely compliment Sexylips!

I had my Lap Band placed in August of 2007, and while I did (and still do) eat carefully and exercise hard 5-6 days a week, it took me about 10 months to hit goal and a little over a year to reach my current weight. The plastic surgeries were responsible for approximately 15-20 pounds of my total weight loss.

Hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks everyone -- talk soon :smile::scared2:!

[kareyquilts 1]

Frangi: Yeah! So glad that you like your revision. I too had a funk after my last surgery and then knee surgery. I feel like I'm just getting out of it. These things take their toll physically and mentally. I hate my inner thighs also. Doc says surgery is the only way to correct them, but unlike you, I'm just not ready for it. I'm still doing a lot of physical therapy for my knee and need to get it stronger before I rest from exercise for a month. I also am just getting back to weight lifting and pilates and I think this is helping me mentally. I am so interested in this procedure. I would also have the groin incision. I think I may do it in the fall. I am probably havins so more Lipo on my arms and maybe a few other choice spots in April. After my brachioplasty, the ends of the incisions are a little pointy and lipo will supposedly fix that. I love my Tummy Tuck revision. It looks better than the first time around, too. It's just amazing what can be done if you can tolerate it! Glad you're feeling better. I'll be watching how everything goes for you. Thanks for keeping us informed!

[Frangipani 1]

Frangi: Yeah! So glad that you like your revision. I too had a funk after my last surgery and then knee surgery. I feel like I'm just getting out of it. These things take their toll physically and mentally. I hate my inner thighs also. Doc says surgery is the only way to correct them, but unlike you, I'm just not ready for it. I'm still doing a lot of physical therapy for my knee and need to get it stronger before I rest from exercise for a month. I also am just getting back to weight lifting and pilates and I think this is helping me mentally. I am so interested in this procedure. I would also have the groin incision. I think I may do it in the fall. I am probably havins so more Lipo on my arms and maybe a few other choice spots in April. After my brachioplasty, the ends of the incisions are a little pointy and lipo will supposedly fix that. I love my Tummy Tuck revision. It looks better than the first time around, too. It's just amazing what can be done if you can tolerate it! Glad you're feeling better. I'll be watching how everything goes for you. Thanks for keeping us informed!

Thank you for your kind words Karey, and you look incredible!

It is amazing what can be done -- isn't it?

I'm trying to get myself psyched up for the medial thigh surgery. My purpose in fast-tracking this whole thing is to get this body done and healed up in the shortest period of time possible, because frankly, I am getting tired of hospitals, and bandages, and flesh and wounds.

In a perfect world, I could probably benefit from an arm job as well, but once I'm done with the thighs, I plan on calling it good.

[kareyquilts 1]

Frangi: In a perfect world our damn skin would go back the way it's suppose to!LOL! I'm tired of surgeries, too! That's why I'm not getting the inner thighs done right now. I just can't make myself do it right now, but I probably will. Looking forward to your surgery though. (I think that's another LOL). You're going to look freakin fantastic and I don't think you'll be sorry because after it's all said and done your legs and EVERYTHING else won't bother you anymore and you're going to look just great. I'm sure that living on an island and wearing a bathing suit is also highly motivating. In Utah (it's snowing right now), I can hide the skin. Keep us informed about how it all goes.

Edited March 5, 2009 by kareyquilts
left out a thought

[Frangipani 1]

Frangi: In a perfect world our damn skin would go back the way it's suppose to!LOL!

LOL Karey -- isn't that the truth!!!

Frangi:You're going to look freakin fantastic and I don't think you'll be sorry because after it's all said and done your legs and EVERYTHING else won't bother you anymore and you're going to look just great. I'm sure that living on an island and wearing a bathing suit is also highly motivating.

Thank you for the nice comments!!! Yes, almost everything here socially revolves around skin-baring activities year-round -- such as beach parties, pool parties, boat outings, etc., etc., and it can be very awkward if you are wanting to cover yourself up all the time.

I am still avoiding the beach because I don't like the way my legs look, but I just had a long conversation with Dr. M and he assures me that he can get me all fixed up. Because he is a very careful and cautious type who usually doesn't give such strong assurances, I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing now.

My goal is to be able to confidently wear a "skirted bikini," which I figure will give me decent coverage for any potential scars. I emailed Dr. M a photo of what I'm shooting for and he tells me that my goal is realistic and doable.

Trust me, I will be VERY happy if I can wear that type of a suit and I don't see myself ever wanting anything more than that............

Edited March 5, 2009 by Frangipani

[kareyquilts 1]

That's great. I'm definetly wearing board shorts with my bathing suit, but maybe by next summer!

[Frangipani 1]

Hi Karey,

Hope you're have a great weekend!

I keep forgetting to ask you.....

Did you have end up having Lipo around your knees done? If so, are you happy with the results?

My Dr. thinks I will be happier with the groin incision as opposed the vertical incision for the thigh lift BUT he tells me that the trade-off is that I (might?) still have an issue with a bit of saggy skin around the knee area after the lipo -- so I was just curious to hear how yours turned out.

[kareyquilts 1]

Frangi: Yes, I did have Lipo around the knee area. It looks much better than it did. From some view points, it almost looks concave, but when standing the knees look much thinner. It's been 4 months and the area is still a little tender. I sleep on my side and I have to put a pillow between my legs so my knees don't touch. It's not unbearable or anything like that, it's just tender. I would do it again and wish that lipo would fix the rest of my legs!

[renewedhope 4]

Frangi, I had a inner thigh lift with my extended Tummy Tuck. I don't think I would say the thighs are worse than the rest for me. My incision was in both groin areas and down the inside of both thighs. Until my scar fades a little more I won't be wearing Daisy Dukes, but I am pleased that I had it done. I have very muscular legs and they actually look kinda HOT without all that skin hanging around. I keep saying I am going to take current pics. I will try to do some close ups of my thighs when I do. The scar on my right thigh is just a little crooked, but not bad. I would do it again and am pleased. Yes, the scars are a little more noticable, but not more noticable than all the loose skin was. You are one tough cookie. You will do fine!

[kareyquilts 1]

Lynn: I would love to see some pics also. Glad to hear that you are pleased and would do it all over again. I'm meeting with my ps next Wednesday and will get his recommendations. Glad you're still doing well!

[Frangipani 1]

Frangi, I had a inner thigh lift with my extended Tummy Tuck. I don't think I would say the thighs are worse than the rest for me. My incision was in both groin areas and down the inside of both thighs. Until my scar fades a little more I won't be wearing Daisy Dukes, but I am pleased that I had it done. I have very muscular legs and they actually look kinda HOT without all that skin hanging around. I keep saying I am going to take current pics. I will try to do some close ups of my thighs when I do. The scar on my right thigh is just a little crooked, but not bad. I would do it again and am pleased. Yes, the scars are a little more noticable, but not more noticable than all the loose skin was. You are one tough cookie. You will do fine!

Hi Lynn,

Wow! Thanks for that feedback!!! I've been thinking of you. I looked for your thread the other day and couldn't find it -- I'll look for it again.

SO glad to hear you use the word "hot" regarding your legs. Hot is good!!!

Posting pics is tough for me -- although I do have a few up.

If you are up to posting a few pics of the legs, however, I would love to see them.

Thanks -- it's really good hear from you and to see how happy you are with your results :mad2::smile::wink2:!