frumpynomore

Boy! Can I relate and I can't stop! I've been weighing myself EVERYDAY since my VSG 14 months ago! Just can't help myself! For some reason if I don't weigh myself then I give myself an unconscious approval to eat whatever I want! I've tried having my BF hide the scale and it just drives me crazy! Whatever works for you...that's the bottom line. Good luck on your journey!

Thanks for the sweet compliment Readyforachange! I also wrote about my day to day journey for selfish reasons. I really needed emotional support and every member that wrote me, sent me emails, and the ones that just followed my posts gave me a feeling of not being alone. The support on this site is phenomenal! I don't know what I would have done without this site through my VSG and TT!

Quick update: Today is my 39th day since my TT surgery so just a little over 5 weeks out. I can finally stand up straight!!! On the 34th day is when I noticed I could stand up straight but to really hold my shoulders back and walk as straight up as I could took until yesterday, Day 38. My incision is almost completely healed. There are just a few very tiny places that still have a little scab. It's still a little swollen on top and bottom of the incision. I still can't wear jeans because it hurts for pressure and something rough and rubbing on it so for now only soft material pants. I still have some original steri strips on the incision but it's mostly paper tape now. My doc told me to put paper tape on the incision when and wherever the steri strips come off. My next follow up appointment with doc is in 3 months so everything is going great! Thank you EVERYONE for all of your support!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm 13 1/2 months out now and here's what I've learned about the VSG: Everyone is different, every NUT had different directions, everyone experiences stalls at different points in their weightloss journey, everyone experiences different levels of pain and anxiety. What you are going through is completely normal. I have had MANY stalls but everyone of them was just a stall. I'd get all depressed and worried and then BOOM I would start to lose again with little to no adjusting of my calorie or carb intake. I know that it gets discouraging at times but try not to let it get to you. This site and all the people that have posted their journey and advice has been such a godsend for me through my journey. Try to keep positive and don't worry. Before you know it...it will be a year down the road and you will be a shadow of your current self!!!!! Good luck!

WOW! You look fabulous! Your outlook is so positive! CONGRATULATIONS!

I am 13 1/2 months out now and have RARELY ever felt a restriction. I never had any pain at all after the VSG surgery but I had the one incision through the belly button which might have had something to do with that. I don't think I have heard of anyone yet on this site that had the one incision. Yes, you are just one of the lucky ones!

My hair started falling out lightly in month 6 and then by month 7 it would clog the drain in the shower so bad that I would have a couple of inches of standing Water before I was through showering. It finally stopped at month 10. It is sooooo thin! I am 13 1/2 months out now and don't even see any new Hair growth. I too believe it's a luck of the draw. I've always gotten in more than the daily Protein recommendation and taken many Vitamins and minerals. I sure hope my hair comes back!

I've had my implants for 17 years and have lost approx. 80lbs with my VSG. They are not real bad but bad enough that I will be having a lift and new implants soon. If my implants weren't so old I would not have a lift as I don't think they look bad but since they are old...why not get the lift done now while I can still enjoy them?!

Its really going to be different for everyone. You'll just have to wait and see how yours end up.

Just being honest...the TT is so much worse than an abdominal hysterectomy where the incision is vertical from belly button to pubic bone! My doc said it to me like this..."I'm going to fillet you like a fish on the operating table". His explanation is exactly correct! You not only get the hip to hip incision but the painful part is the stomach where your skin is removed from your body up to your boobs AND your muscles are all retightened which causes a lot of the pain too. I'm 3 weeks out from my TT now and still can't stand up straight and still uncomfortable. Yes, everyone experiences pain differently but overall in general a TT is considered to be one of the more painful plastic surgeries BUT i would do it again in a second as the outcome is more than worth the pain!

OMG! Standing totally naked in front of the 3 cosmetic surgeon consults I went to for a TT was one of the worst things I have ever had to do!!!! I also had an email consult with a mexican doc and I had to email him all kinds of naked body shots! That was just as horrible! I just crumbled inside and grinned and beared it!

CONGRATS on your weight loss!

Lara2080, when and what type of bariatric surgery did you have? How much have you lost? Who was your doc? I see that your a new member...welcome and please tell us about your journey.

Yesterday was Day 21 and I did much better at work. I stood most of the day again and didn't have near as much pain as when I sat for long periods at a time. The steri strips are still well adhered to the TT incision. Both drain holes have healed over now and I don't have to tape on the gauze pads anymore. I was suppose to have my 3 week check-up yesterday but I cancelled the appointement until next Thursday as I am still trying to catch up at work and just don't need to be taking off another day so soon after taking off 12 days. The nurse said that I can start to wean myself off of wearing the binders. I asked her what she meant...stop for an hour a day or 2 or 3? She said most people don't feel comfortable without wearing them and it takes them awhile before they feel like they don't need them anymore. Not me!!!! It feels so much better without them! Today is the first day that I'm not wearing them and I'm at work and I feel a lot better!!!! I've already had two work associates come up to me this morning and tell me that I look like I've lost weight! One of them said I look like I've lost 20 lbs! OMG! The feeling is just so amazing to get compliments on my body! GETTING THE VSG AND TT WERE THE TWO BEST DECISIONS THAT I HAVE MADE IN MY LIFE THAT WAS JUST FOR "ME" IN A VERY LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG TIME!

Today was Day 20 of recovery and I feel like I've got a little more stamina. It was my 2nd day back at work and it went a lot better than yesterday. I apparently sat too long yesterday at work because last night I had nerve or muscle spasms in my lower abdomen area that felt like labor pains! It wasn't fun and it happened all throughout the night. I knew it had something to do with me sitting too much because I was very uncomfortable all day so I tried to not sit for long periods at a time today and got up from my desk and walked around every now and then. In fact, I spent more time standing than sitting today. I've had a few pains tonight but nothing like last night. If I had a choice I would have taken this week off from work too which would have made a total of 24 days of rest before returning to work and I think I could have handled an 8 hour day better. I'm sure tomorrow will be even better than today so I'll be just fine

Thank you livinglifeout for the nice compliment! It feels really odd to get compliments, especially about my body! Wow! What a feeling!

WOW, Gmanbat! You look great! You should be very proud of yourself! ONE MORE POUND! FANTASTIC AND CONGRATULATIONS! I can't wait to see your before and after pics!

Wow! Yes, PLEASE!

I agree with kyllfalcon! 20 lbs from goal weight is certainly close enough to get a TT!

Go for a consult at least....if the surgeon says you need to lose more than it will be motivating to you and maybe you'll lose it quicker than a year. A year is an awful long time to wait for something you so badly want!

CowgirlJane...yes, I believe we all have some form of body image distortion or allusion and that's how a lot of us got where we are today. You need to do what YOU feel like you need to do. Do not go by your BMI or what your family and friends are telling you. Take a good honest look in the mirror, naked and clothed, and ask yourself if you are thin enough or not. Try to be as objective and honest with yourself as you can. You already know the answer....you just have to TRUST it! Good luck on your journey!

I feel awful for you! I had such a horrible time when I first got home too. I hated the taste of everything, food and liquids. About the 4th day after surgery a good friend of mine came and took care of me to get liquids in me so I wouldn't be hospitalized. If it hadn't been for her I would have been admitted. She cooked a turkey for me! I couldn't eat the turkey right away but the broth!!! OMG! It tasted wonderful and I literally lived on the turkey broth for the next following 2 weeks! The point of me telling you my story is to let you know that you need to just keep trying different things until you find something that you can eat or drink. TRY, TRY, AND TRY SOME MORE! You are going to be just fine....Good luck on your journey!

Hello MsVetRN! I'm very interested in knowing the doc that you will have doing your facelift. I think that's what I want done next (thighs or facelift). Would you mind sending me a private message telling me your surgeons name? I had my VSG and my TT both done in the states via personal recommendations but I don't have any recommendations for a facelift. I would greatly appreciate it! Please keep up posted and would love to see before and after pics of the facelift!!!

Yes, ultrav!olet, it has definately helped to boost my self esteem! BUT...it also makes the other areas that need tucked and lifted stand out to me. One of my friends asked me the other day if I thought I would ever be happy with the way I look and stop having cosmetic surgeries. My reply to her was "Absolutely! The way I look at it is I did a huge disservice to my body by all the abuse I put it through over the years of gaining weight, losing weight, gaining weight and losing weight. I need to do one lift and tuck to every major area (face/neck, tummy, butt, boobs, thighs) and then I will be done. I will have corrected, as much as possible, all the wrong that I did." Then I told her one last thing...don't be jealous! None of this is free or painless...it is all coming with an extremely high cost to my finances, pain/suffering, and time lost.

Thank you to ALL OF YOU for your support and thoughtful responses to my pictures. You make me feel great!

WOWEEEEE lara0280! You look fabulous!!! Your doc did a great job! Good luck to you with the rest of your plastics and please keep us posted on your progress!

Once you hit "reply to this topic" and the text box comes up...at the bottom of the text box you will see the button to "Post" or "More Reply Options", choose "More Reply Options" and another screen will open and it gives you an option to attach photos.

The good, the bad and the ugly! Pictures posted as promised!

Yesterday, Day 19...there is still some swelling just above the incision and down the middle of my stomach. The belly button is healed but the muscles are still so tight that there is a crease down the center of my stomach which will relax soon. Still can't stand up completely straight and sometimes my stomach muscles tighten up and don't release for awhile which makes me even more bent over until they release. Bikini bathing suit time is almost here!