frumpynomore

Yes, Butterthebean, my VSG directions were very similar. It just kind of stinks but knowing it will increase the possibility of healing quicker than I will certainly put up with it! Today was much better than yesterday as it seems to be the pattern. My friend that has been coming during the day and helping me had a job interview today so I actually was on my own the whole day for the first time since surgery. I did fine with no problems. I can get up and down from bed with little pain now. It still hurts doing it but the stomach is less soar and I've got the technique down on how to position my body and how to pull up on the headboard to lift myself up and lower myself down. I found that it's just much easier to stand up while eating. Sitting just hurts the stomach and it feels like I might split a stitch or something. I just stand at the breakfast bar leaning over of course. It's also better because the food goes down easier. The binders really restrict food passage especially sitting down. The nurse emailed me today telling me that I can now start taking the drain tube Fluid measurements twice a day instead of three times. That means that the drainage has reduced enough that I don't have to keep as close track of it. YaY! Drain tube removal is just around the corner. The best part of the day is changing your clothes in the morning. After wearing them and sleeping in them all night your body actually aches from the binders being in the same place so long. It feels so good to remove them and put them back on. Since I'm in bed 90%of the day I just wear sweat pants and a cammy that is long enough to pull down to the top of the thighs. You really want your shirt to be that long so you can wear the binders without them rubbing you raw or giving you blisters. I have to wear two "3 panel" type binders and one has to be wrapped around the groin area and the other overlaps the bottom one and goes up under the ribs. With all the stretching your stomach is very numb so the binders can give you blisters without you even knowing it. The day after surgery you can take off the gauze or bandages. There is paper tape covering the incision. So that the binders don't rub the incision raw or open I use 2 thick generic maxi pads. I wear the sticky sides out so they stick to my cammi and hold

the pads in place. Their a lot cheaper and fit just perfect. Well, another day down and one more day closer to a bikini swimsuit this summer!

I personally wouldn't trust any doctor that runs a sales special and advertises it! In fact, my cosmetic surgeon doesn't advertise at all. His website doesn't even advertise it just shows a picture and his phone number and address. My doc says its because a good surgeon doesn't need to advertise...they get more business then he can handle by word of mouth he said and to always beware of a doctor, lawyer or dentist that advertises!

Yes, I've asked him 3 different times now. I explained to him before the surgery that I have a high tolerance to painkillers due to being on them for various operations and for long periods of time. His reasoning is that they keep you too sedated for his liking. He wants his patients alert and aware and not sleeping all the time. He said he wants movement, not alot, but enough to also prevent blood clots and he said that his experience is that his patients heal faster and get back to normal daily activity if they are not on painkillers such as Darvocet or Demoral. He wants me to get up out of bed every 1-2 hours and just walk around for a little bit. So, it's hard to understand right now but it makes sense and I am coming along pretty good so maybe he's got it right. I am getting plenty of rest though since he also requires me to lay down most of the day. It's just that the sleep is on and off throughout the day and night for short intervals. I don't feel tired really just would like to sleep some of the pain away...

I actually had correspondence with Dr. Sauceda and got a quote for various procedures. After many emails and questions I had I found out why Mexico docs are willing to perform MANY procedures at one time. I was told by the doc that he would do a full body lift, a thigh lift,and a boob lift with new implants all in one operation for $16k. I then went to 3 stateside doc consults and 2 of them would only do one area at a time and the third would do 2 at one time. This made no sense to me so I emailed Dr. Sauceda back and asked how is it that in the states docs don't want to do more than one or two at a time because of the time you will be under general anesthesia but he is willing to do everything at once which will keep me under for 10-12 hours??? He emailed me back and told me they don't put you under general anestesia!!!!!! They give you a local twighlight that puts you in a twilight sleep so you are NOT completely out and you CAN wake up in the middle of it. I'm sorry but I'm just not willing to take that chance! I've heard alot of good about Dr. Sauceda though if someone is brave enough!

WOW! First I want to tell you that you look FABULOUS! CONGRATS on your weightloss and how quickly you have done it! Your apparent dedication is inspiring! I just had a TT but I didn't have real loose skin or scarring above the belly button. I have seen on Youtube and/or other websites some TT's that were done with excess loose skin and scarring above the belly button and although the new tummy was not perfectly smooth it still looked GREAT and the bottom line was the patients loved it and they no longer had to deal with the extra skin issues. None of us will ever have a bathing suit models belly but does it really matter? We are REAL people that have experienced real problems and issues that we have OVERCOME AND DEFEATED and have come out the other side as better people. Trust me...you will be happier with however your belly comes out looking after whatever plastic you decide on. I'm still healing from mine and really don't know what the final outcome is going to look like but I can tell you that as long as it is flatter and I don't have the loose skin issues to deal with in clothes then I will be 100% satisfied as I , like you and all the others on this blogsite, are already WINNERS! Good luck on your journey!

I started noticing light Hair loss around 6 months and at 7 months there was no denying it. Everytime I showered the drain would clog up with my hair and the Water would be just over the top of my feet due to nondrainage. Tehn when I combed it out another handful would come out. At 10 months out I noticed there was no more pooling of water around my feet. There is still a little but not enough to clog the drain. I'm almost 13 months out and haven't noticed any regrowth yet. I'd say I've lost 1/2 the thickness of my hair. I bought a wig but it hurts my head to wear it all day so I rarely wear it. I just fix it the best way I can to limit how thin it looks and hope for the best. I'm holding on to what everyone says about it eventually coming back!

No luck with sleeping more than a couple of hours at a time. It must be due to the way I have to elevate my legs...flat on back with no pillow for no head elevation, knees straight up from hips and feet straight out from knees. It doesn't allow for any movement so when you unconsciously need to move in your sleep you physically can't so I think that's what wakes me up. I wake up with the worst back ache and have to get up out of bed and move around for 5 minutes or so and take this time to use the bathroom too. Getting up and down from bed is the most painful part of moving. You CANNOT physically do it alone for the first 3 days. Yesterday was my first day that I could hang on to the headboard with one hand pulling myself up at a partial slant to the side while my other hand pushed down on the bed behind me. Very painful to do but I must be able to conquer it by myself completely by Wednesday because I will no longer have anyone around during the day to help me. I hired a friend of a friend that just happened to have gotten laid off from work not long ago to stay with me during the day to help me out while my boyfriend is at work. Her last day is today, Tuesday, my day 5. I've been paying her $75 per day which sounds expensive but it includes her helping me with everything from the first horrible couple of days when I had to do a standing squat over the toilet to urinate and she

had to hold me up and then clean me up and the floor, give me my meds empty the drain collection cups, prepare my Breakfast and lunch and fix dinner before she left. She has had to run to the store for me and does the topical daily house cleaning. She has been a godsend and I couldn't have done it without her! Nobody will be able to do this alone and don't even think about trying it alone! I can do everything myself now just very slowly and movement is still very uncomfortable

BUT again it gets a little better everyday. I made a grave mistake in not taking into account the amount of max strength Tylenol I had left last night! I woke up a couple of hours ago and it was time for my meds, Tramadol and Extra strength Tylenol (Celebrex every 12hours) and I am out of the Tylenol. You are probably saying to yourself that Tylenol isn't much of a painkiller anyways but when all your doc will give you is Tramadol, a very light painkiller, the Tylenol becomes extremely important to help with the pain. So, needless to say the pain will not completely go away and I'm holding my breath waiting for my friend to get here to run to the store for me. Overall I still feel better than yesterday. Progress...day by day.

WOW! You look like the little sister to your old self! Beautiful transformation you have made!

CONGRATULATIONS on the first day of the rest and BEST days of your life! I just had my 1 year anniversary on. Dec. 13th and yet it seems like it was just a month ago. The next year is going to fly by as you will be so consumed with the day to day positive changes in your life. So glad to hear that you faired the surgery well. Best of luck on your journey!

Today is day 4 and it is amazing how much better I feel today! I'm still on all the meds but the pain has definately dropped to just a level of discomfort. It's easier to walk and can stand a little bit straighter which has taken a lot of the pain out of my back. I showered for the first time this morning and I guess do to more movement and lack of energy I got real dizzy and neauseous. I was fine again after I rested for a bit. Today just seemed like a real turning point in my recovery. I only had two small naps and have been awake most of the day with very little pain. Eating still feels very restricted due to the binders but because I can sit up for about 10-15 minutes longer its allowing the food to go through my stomach more making lying down more comfortable after eating. Drain tubes are producing much less today. The right one only had 18cc's for a total today which is close to nothing. Hopefully it will be removed soon. Called the doc because I still hadn't had a bowel movement by this morning and he said to take a stool softener. I did and everything is fine now and working. Hopefully I'll get some sleep tonight. Changed my binders today and took another good look at the tummy and WOW! It has relaxed some more just overnight and it is looking fabulous!!! I am soooo happy with the outcome so far! The TT was so worth the pain! If the worst is over then 4 days of hell was NOTHING compared to the loose skin I had to look at, work to hide, and live with

before! Just for the record i am following all the docs orders and lying down 90% of the day with legs elevated from the hip. I want to heal correctly and as expediantely as possible so I'm taking no chances. Also, as far as the scar goes...I was worried that the scar would be so gross and unattractive and actually thought that the loose skin might look better than a nasty scar BUT BELIEVE ME the scar is nothing but a line from hip to hip and the whole rest of the stomach is beautiful whereas the loose skin was the WHOLE stomach and there was nothing that I could begin to call attractive. Tomorrow is another day down and another day that I will feel even better! Thanks again for all the support and hopefully in some small way I can help someone make a clearer decision on whether or not to get a TT by giving a real life day to day account of the recovery process.

Here it is...2:45 am and awake again. I wish I could sleep for more than 3 hours at a time! Pain killers have worn off and everything is hurting right now. Got to sit up and take my meds. Damn how I hate trying to sit up and trying to lay back down again! I'm getting real tired of the constant pain. Yes, it's different levels of pain and discomfort but I am getting weary of it at any level. I don't think I've mentioned how terrible it is to eat. The binders restrict the amount of food you can eat at one time and you can't stay sitting up for any great length of time either. So, you sit as long as you think is safe which is never quite long enough for the food to leave the tummy so it keeps coming up the esophagus siince you have to lie flat on your back and you keep fighting to keep it down. I've read that docs have different restrictions and some want your head elevated but my doc says no head elevation at all if I want to insure no seromas. You must eat very small quantities at a time each time you get up to go to the bathroom which for the first 2 days seems to be quite often from all the fluids they pump into you during the TT. Anytime You have to use your stomach muscles there is pain so I have my bedside table as close to my bed as possible so I cqn reach everything lying down. My boyfriend built this contraption for me that he attached to the bed much like the arm that hangs over a hospital bed that holds a little T.V. But mine is to hold the ipad I'm using. Since I have to be on my back the ipad hangs upside down over my head so i just look straight up and type lying on my back. It's been extremely helpful and made it possible for me to continue to communicate whenever I want. Well, I'm going to try and go back to sleep and hope this pain subsides soon. Still lots of pain but longer times in between the real painful moments but still NO REGRETS!

Had a little mishap tonight... My boyfriend was trying to help me sit up from a lying position and instead of pulling me up to a seated position he pulled me up too far and i slid off the bed on to the floor. It felt like every stitch inside and out busted open!!! For the past day my right drain tube's liquid has been a yellowish/orangeish color but a few minutes after the slip there was red blood in the tube. I watched it for awhile and it never amounted to much in the bulb so it seems to be o.k. I guess I probably busted a few inside stitches or something but i'm fine now. GEEZ! As if I didn't already have enough pain! I just keep telling myself...tomorrow I'll feel better! I want everyone to know that through all my trials, tribulations and pain that i have been through I would do it all over again! When I changed my binders today I actually felt good looking in the mirror! I am so happy with the way my tummy looks! I have NO REGRETS!

Thank you for your well wishes! Before my surgery i searched for information on someone's day to day real experience with a TT but there wasn't much available so I figured I will do a day to day blog for anyone who really wants to know. Today is my third day and it really does get a little better each day. I walked to my kitchen alone and made my Protein Drink, drained my tubes and took my meds. That was about all the energy I had so laid back down and fwll asleepmfor 2 hours. My back hurts all the time like back labor pains and it's from lying on it all the time and the position you have to lye in. My doc says no pillow or elevation of the head at all, the knees have to be straight up from the hips and then the lower leg straight out from the knee. It also doesn't help that you have to stand and walk bent over from the hips. Still no bowel movement so may have to take measures soon for that. The incision still looks good. I hope the pucker right down from my belly button goes away. I showed it to my doc yesterday and he said we are just concerned about healing at this point and we'll worry about what I don't like once it's healed which didn't give me a warm fuzzy. Will post again later!

Had to meet doc at his office to look at my left drain that has not drained a drop since surgery. He removed the drain stitches and about another inch in and found that there was a manufacturer defect in the tubing. There was little plastic tabs that were inside the tube so he cut them out up to the point that he could get to and thank god it started to drain. Doc said he has used the brand for over 10 years and inserts them 8-10 times a week and has never seen any defect before. LUCKY ME!!! Had to get about 10 shots of Lidocaine in the hip area so the doc could work on it and that was the most painful part. All is good now. Still have pain and taking meds religiously. Still can't sleep more than 2-3 hours at a time due to the pain waking me up. I can walk better and get around on my own better now. The most painful part is the back. Incision still looks really good. A few puckers but doc said they will go away with the swelling. Another day down and every day i feel a little better. I'll keep you posted!

My plastic surgeon and VSG doc said plastics are o.k. At one year out. Just had my TT this past Thursday and i've taken 2weeks off from wirk. I hope I'll be able to go back by then!

Hello Butterthebeans, yes, i had the surgery done locally in Roundrock, TX. My doc's name is Dr. Troy Thompson. He does not advertise including no website other than showing his name and phone number. I went to 4 consults. Dr. Thompson came highly recommended and very reasonable. It cost about $6,000. There were many reasons why I chose him. He is truly a COSMETIC doc compared to docs that just do it for the money and herd people in with little concern as to what the tummy will look like when healed. Dr. Thompson is very tall with real long hair and is definately a hippie in his day. I think he is 48 yrs old and performs a TT with his own special technique wherein he tightens up ALL the muscles from the sternum to the pubic bone. most docs just tighten belly button down. The three other consults all said i needed a full body lift. Dr. Thompson took pics of my backside and said there is no reason to do it because there's not that much skin. He could of told me i needed one and taken the money but he was honest.

LOTS AND LOTS OF PAIN! This hurts worse than my open heart surgery and my vertical up the belly hysterectomy! I just took my first pain pill, Tramadol, just can't take the pain anymore. I keep falling to sleep but wake up every 2-3 hours. No, insurance did not pay, all out of my own pocket. I saw the incision for the first time and it is very nicely done. I have never seen a TT with an incision this low before and it's a very fine line. I think it's going to be beautiful! I'll keep you all posted.

Came through the TT just fine at 7am and in the car to go home at 12:30. The actual surgery was 4hours long. I'm hurting real bad but still not one painkiller. Doc doesn't want me to take the painkillers until it's absolutely necessary. I take extra strength Tylenol and Celebrex. My back is killing me because I have to lay on it with neck flat on bed and no pillows until he removes the drain tubes. I can't wait to see the results! Thank you all for your support!

My surgeon said that a TT only takes off minimal weight. The doc said only 3-5 lbs. Oh well,better than nothing. I will post before and after pics soon. Thanks everyone for the support!!!

Just wanted to reach out and tell someone that can relate to my feelings right now that my Tummy Tuck is scheduled for tomorrow morning, Jan. 3, 2013, at 7am! I'm soooooo excited but getting nervous and anxious. I was doing o.k. until the anesthisiologist called me a minute ago. I am not at goal weight which was originally set at my personal want of 140lbs. I really don't think I can maintain 140 as the last time I was that weight was 10 years ago and prior to my open heart surgery, full hysterectomy, hypothyroidism and Hoshimoto's . I could probably get there if I tried extremely hard but I know that realistically I won't be able to maintain that weight and if I could it would be a constant struggle. I'm at 157 and my plastic surgeon believes that 150 is a more realistic and maintainable weight for me since for the past 4 months I have maintained from 153 to 157 (I'm 5'71/2"). Therefore, since I'm within 10 lbs of my goal weight my surgeon says it will be perfectly fine for the TT operation. My VSG was one year ago on Dec. 13th.

I've already ordered the silicone sheets for after the scabs have fallen off to help the scar look better. If anyone is curious or wants more info. on them go to silon.com. I bought the abdominoplasty shaped sheet that is made for TT's or C-section areas. I watched a Youtube video where a woman had a TT and used the silicon sheets and her scar came out beautifully!

Wish me luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I PRAY SOMEBODY RESPONDS TO YOUR QUESTION! I'm 11 months out and down 83lbs and have been at this weight for about 2 months now! Honestly...I don't have the best of diets but I also don't eat horribly either. I think I know what to do and that is to really get serious and buckle down to eating nothing but healthy again with no snacking but it's soooo hard! Maybe after Thanksgiving I can get a grip again....GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

OMG!!! CONGRATULATIONS! I'm crying with tears of happiness for you right now! Your story touched my heart and I can tell that you and Merrick are going to be very loving parents. Please keep us informed on your new journey with Lil Bean!

My prayers are with you...you are going to be just fine!!! Godspeed!!!

BEAUTIFUL!!! CONGRATS!

I'm sooooo glad to hear all of you are going through the same thing as I am!!! Just 2 weeks ago I finally had to get rid of some of my clothes and that was when I hit 60 lbs loss!!! I wear nothing but dresses to work and sundresses at home so I understand it's not the same as pants but 60lbs! Are you serious? It took me losing 60lbs to drop a dress size???!!!! I have been so discouraged until now. Thanks for the posts!!!