Kris

Hi All, Hard to believe it's been almost 3 years since I had my sleeve gastrectomy! My lower body lift surgery is scheduled for Monday, December 9th. I'm going to Cosmed Clinic in Tijuana with Dr. Quiroz as my surgeon. I am having a lower body lift (includes brazilian butt lift) plus lipo in my arms and thighs. I will be staying at the recovery hotel boutique in the Cosmed facility for 8 days following surgery so that I'll be well taken care of by round the clock nursing staff. Part of me is excited and the other part is filled with dread over having to undergo another major surgery (I had a breast reduction done on July 1st, which to tell the truth was WAY more painful and slow recovery than I had anticipated, and as well I had a major post-op complication that will likely require reconstructive surgery next year). I just want to get this procedure over with, though, so the lower half of my torso is in line with my new perky ta-tas. I know I'll need a thigh lift and arm lift in the future as well, but one step at a time.... I did a lot of research and know there were some complaints about Dr Quiroz, but also there are many fans of his, and the Cosmed Clinic is state of the art. I do know he knows how to deal with bariatric patients, and I really liked him during the phone consult. So far his staff has been really great, too. I'll post some pics a few weeks after the surgery. Wish me luck! If anyone has had surgery with Dr. Quiroz or at the Cosmed Clinic and has advice for me, I'm all ears! Best, Kris

Thank you so much for sharing! This is so helpful! I just had a phone consult with Dr. Quiroz in Tijuana earlier this week; I thought I needed a tummy tuck and thigh lift, but he said based on my pics I needed a lower body lift with lipo in thighs and arms (I will need a separate inner thigh lift and brachioplasty later). These pictures really give me an idea of what I'd be in for! I was planning to stay in the recovery hotel for 7 nights, but should I stay longer? I don't want to have to take out the drains myself, or have anyone else remove them. I could stay up to 2 weeks if needed (might just do that to take the pressure off my family for having to try to care for me those first couple of weeks post-op). I also contacted Dr. Sauceda's office several days ago for a consult but have not been contacted by anyone, which is disappointing (Dr. Quiroz called me the next day after I sent the pics). However, I've read some people have been really unhappy with Dr. Quiroz and Dr. Sauceda seems to have the best reputation for surgeries of this type, as far as I have been able to tell (lots of hours spent researching online).

OMG, I hate my turkey neck! I swear it adds 20 years to my appearance. I work with 60 year old women who have much better necks than mine. i am planning to get a neck lift/lower face lift within a year. I'm debating between getting that done first or the tummy tuck. I'm really self conscious about my neck so I think that will be next and defer the tummy tuck till next year sometime.

Hi All, I had breast reduction surgery on July 1st. I thought I knew enough about the surgery before going into it, but unfortunately I've experienced a rare complication (ischemia, which is loss of blood flow & oxygen to nipple/areola) and it has been a very scary and uncertain time for me the past week as I've tried to educate myself about what my condition is and what will happen next. My plastic surgeon has been very responsive and reassuring, but there's only so much time in a day he can spend answering questions, so I have taken it upon myself to learn as much as I can about this situation. In my online researching, I found a really useful website, www.breasthealthonline.org, and I've learned tons about the breast reduction procedure on that site. I only wish I had known about this site before having surgery ... I am sure I would have been better prepared for what to expect after surgery, and possibly heal better. The site not only covers breast reduction, but also breast lift and breast augmentation, and even a section on tummy tucks (since many people have a combo breast and tummy tuck procedure). They are very big into using a "healing diet" which helps people recover faster (it basically is a very sleeve-friendly diet, lots of greens & fruits & vegetables & lean protein) and share lots of info about nutrition on the site. There is a section of the site where you can view pictures of people who have had various surgeries. It does cost $25 to access it but I would really recommend it because you can get an accurate view of what your incisions/scars will look like at various points in time following surgery. I paid for the picture access so that I could better understand what happens to women who have the complication I've experienced, but even if I'd had a perfect recovery I still would have liked to see the pictures. I'm now nearly 3 weeks out of surgery, and honestly my pre-surgery expectations of what the healing process would be like after this surgery were WAY off. In my experience, the VSG procedure was a walk in the park compared to breast reduction surgery. I'm still really babying my incisions, need lots of rest, and my range of motion is still fairly limited. But, this is very typical (I know now) so I don't feel so badly about it. I just thought I'd share in case you are contemplating having any cosmetic surgery involving your breasts. Oh, and BTW, even though I'm dealing with a serious complication, I have to say I still love my "new" breasts and know when I'm all healed up I'll be even happier. And I know that eventually I *will* heal up completely; it just may take a bit longer than I had anticipated. Best, Kris

Hi Ballermom, thanks for your encouragement! My plastic surgeon is Dr. Phillip Kierney, based in Puyallup, WA. Here is his website: http://www.washingtoncosmeticsurgeon.com/ My breast reduction surgery cost $6,200, in case you're interested in what I paid.

My hubby and I did this diet for 6-8 weeks earlier this year (February to March or April). He lost about 15 lbs. and I lost about 7. After about six weeks, I found I pretty much stopped losing weight, which peeved me to no end, so I ended up going back to "normal" eating. I think once my body figures out what the diet is, it seems to devise ways to stop losing weight (arggh). So yes, I'd say try it to see if it breaks your stall, and if not there's no harm. I have to say that being sleeved is a big plus for this diet. I found I could get by pretty well on ultra-low calories as long as I took in plenty of fluids throughout the day. I have numerous posts about the 5:2 diet on my blog, if you care to read them (I included links below to the intro post on the diet and the first day I did the 5:2 diet, and you can continue reading on from that point if you're interested): http://curvygirlwellness.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-52-diet.html http://curvygirlwellness.blogspot.com/2013/02/52-diet-first-day-fasting.html I am just now recovering from breast reduction/lift surgery and want to lose another 5 lbs. later this year, and I would definitely do the 5:2 diet again if I need to drop a few lbs.

Southern Sleever, thank you for sharing! It sounds like everything is going great, yay! I am sure you will love your new body once you are all healed up! Congrats on your transformation!

Hi all, I created an album of before & after pics of my breast reduction surgery. In order for it to not be open to the entire VSGTalk universe (I'm a bit modest) It's only visible to "friends," so if you would like to see it just request to be my friend and I will accept and then you should be able to view the pics. Fluid every day and the left breast wasn't; also, the nipple/aureola on my right breast are dark purple and scabby-looking, while the nipple and aureola on my left breast are normal looking (light pink) with only scabbing on the edges where the incisions were done. The plastic surgeon is monitoring this on a regular basis and I'm seeing him again on Monday. From what I understand, a giant scab has formed over the nipple/aureola and nature has to take its course with the scab (i.e., it needs to fall off naturally) and then hopefully at that point it will look like the other nipple/aureola. I also have very limited sensation in that nipple (again, I think due to the scabbing) and I also have had more discomfort in that breast overall. So, for whatever reason, the right breast did not accept the surgery as well as the left. I'm still taking the optimistic view that this will all resolve in the next several weeks. Fortunately, none of my incisions has opened, and I've not had any infections. So, I am hoping the scabbing is the worst of my issues. So far, even with the issue with the scabbing, I have to say I am really thrilled with the results and am very happy I had the surgery. I am able to drive my car for short distances now (though mostly my husband drives and I only drive when absolutely necessary) and my range of motion is better, but still limited (I am still babying my incisions). I am still sleeping on the recliner each night, which is actually pretty comfortable. I bought a foam wedge to use to prop myself up in bed, but I find I can only lay in bed for about 30 minutes before my incisions really start hurting, so it's clearly still too soon for me to sleep in bed. I worked about 6 hours a day last week and this week I'll see if I'm able to do a full 8 hour day (if not, my boss is fortunately very understanding and has let me be flexible about when I start/end work). My energy level is increasing every day, though pretty much every day I am still taking a 1-2 hour nap. I get out for a short (less than 1 mile) walk each day but find that I still have to take it easy and not overdo it. Drats, being middle aged is not fun! Nice extra bonus from surgery: I lost more weight this week -- over a pound. Yay! I think it's a combo of a lower appetite and my body is no doubt burning up a lot of energy trying to heal. I'm now back down to my lowest post-op weight. I'm going to do my best to keep the weight loss going, and see if I can get into the 130s (3.5 lbs. away -- I think I can do it!). Once I get the green light to start exercising again, I'm going to really focus on strengthening my core and arms, so I am strong for the tummy tuck surgery which I plan to have in about 5 months.

Hi all, If you've had both a breast lift/reduction and a tummy tuck, which would you say was the worst pain of the two? I have been very surprised at how hard it has been to recover from my recent breast reduction surgery and am wondering how bad the tummy tuck will be in comparison. I'm assuming it will be much worse pain, since there will be more cutting into muscle, but I want to get a better idea of what I'm in for if possible (can you compare the pain discomfort of the two procedures on a scale of one to ten, with one being not bad at all and ten being the worst imaginable pain/discomfort?). I admit, I sure didn't expect recovery from my breast reduction surgery to be as difficult as it has been (at least as bad as getting sleeved, or actually probably even worse). In some ways I think being overly optimistic about how a procedure will go is just as bad or worse than being overly fearful.

I colored my hair regularly (every 6-8 weeks or so) after getting sleeved. You're going to have some hair loss no matter what and I don't think the hair coloring exacerbates the issue too terribly much. I do recommend you get your hair colored as close in time prior to getting sleeved as possible, because for sure the 4-6 weeks following surgery you're not going to want to mess with things like that (if you color your own hair).

Glad you made it through OK, I was very close to having an enema when things finally started moving. I wouldn't wish that pain/suffering on anyone, either!

Thank you for the feedback! What you described was exactly what happened to me (blockage lower down caused the extensive cramping I'm sure). Next time I'll be stocking up on the prune products for sure!

Yesterday was my fifth day post breast reduction/lift surgery. And OMG, it was by far my worst day since surgery (excepting the day of surgery itself, but for that day I was massively doped up and really out of it). The reason for the horrible day: constipation. I had been warned by both my plastic surgeon and the attending nurse that between the anesthetics, antibiotics, and painkillers, I would probably be constipated and was told to faithfully take a stool softener each night to help keep me regular. I did take the recommended stool softener each night, but I think because I was eating so little most days, there just wasn't a lot of food to process, so I didn't have a BM regularly. Most definitely since my surgery my appetite has been extremely low, and I've eaten less than half of what I'd normally eat (some days a lot less than that). Most of my diet this past week has consisted of cherries (which I thought would also help keep me regular; they normally do, anyway), watermelon, Club Crackers, and beverages, with the odd can of Soup or Protein bar thrown in there; I can honestly say I've not eaten even 1,000 calories per day since surgery (most days 700-800 calories or so, I'm guesstimating). So when I hadn't had a BM after 3 days, I wasn't particularly worried (although I was starting to feel uncomfortable). However, by day 4 the discomfort was growing, and then by day 5 I was starting to get worried -- I was very constipated and my body was not responding, even though I'd been taking stool softeners each evening. So, yesterday morning, I decided to throw some laxatives in the mix, and eat the one food known to get my stools loose quickly: kettle corn. After I woke up and could not have a BM, I took 2 laxatives and ate a bunch of kettle corn and waited for the BM to come. I don't know if it was the combo of the laxatives along with the kettle corn, but basically the entire afternoon I was in pure misery: hours of violent cramping, torturous BMs, and that horrible sick/clammy feeling you get with diarrhea (except in my case most of the time it wasn't diarrhea, it was not being able to have a BM, although later in the day I did have some diarrhea too). Unfortunately, yesterday was our 17th wedding anniversary, and we had to cancel our dinner reservations because I was too sick to leave the house. It was a completely exhausting day; I feel asleep around 10 pm and slept for nearly 12 hours, and am still a bit groggy today. I really don't know what I could or should have done differently, except possibly to have drunk more fluids in the early days and eaten more fruit (although I ate what I could manage, which just wasn't a lot). I think the next time, if I don't have a BM by day 3, I will use suppositories to start a BM, because I never want to go through that kind of awfulness again. Just a heads up to you if you're planning plastic surgery, do not let 5 days go by for a BM! You will regret it!

Hi all, thanks for the well wishes! Today I ventured out a bit with my mom at lunch time. She drove me to get some Pho (Vietnamese soup) which I swear makes you feel 100% better when you are under the weather (I'm tapering off the Vicodin now, which I hate because it makes me feel so groggy). The Pho made me feel much better. Also, I put on my post-surgical compression bra for the first time today. On the day of surgery I was bound up in Ace bandages, and yesterday at my first post-op appt. they put this mesh tube top on top of my dressings, which felt OK at first, but by today I was hating it as I was not feeling like I was getting adequate support. The compression bra does make a huge positive difference in how my breasts feel (they feel much more supported). With clothes on I'd say my figure looks very similar to what it did before surgery -- very hour glass figure-ish. However, with clothes off the difference couldn't be more extreme ... instead of needing to wear both a bra and a sports bra over the bra to keep the girls lifted & minimized, I now only need to wear the post-surgical bra; the girls are quite perky on their own. I do feel my panni/stomach are much more noticeable now (the old boobs used to drape down and hide the belly, LOL). Also so far this week my appetite has been extremely light, which makes me glad, as I'm hoping to "re-set" my sleeve if possible to be happier on smaller portions of food. I haven't weighed myself since the day before surgery, but I'm hoping this surgery will have taken a few lbs. off (the surgeon said he took nearly 2 lbs. of skin/tissue when he did the procedure). That would be nice!

Yesterday, the boobage clock rolled back by about 35 years -- I had breast reduction surgery! I call them my boobs version 2.0. Woo hoo! I cannot believe the difference! I still have the dressings on so can't show off the new profile quite yet, but will post some before & afters here once the dressings are off next week. Suffice to say, my boobs went from very saggy & long with nipples pointing south to very perky and nipples pointing straight ahead -- like they were when I hit puberty several decades ago. They feel very firm too. I know there is a lot of wrinkling around the nipples right now, but that will straighten out over the coming weeks & months. At my post-op appt. today, the surgeon said everything looked good. So far the only thing that is slightly amiss is that I am lacking sensation around my right nipple/areola, but I've read that this happens and over time it should resolve (sensation is very good on the left nipple/areola). I asked the surgeon to keep my breast size proportional to my hip size (i have big hips!) so I think I'll end up around a size 38C/D after things settle down a bit (pre-surgery I was a 40DD). It doesn't sound like a big difference on paper, but in the flesh it's an amazing difference, due to the breast lift. My surgery lasted about 3 hours, and I was so out of it afterwards that I have zero recollection of being in the recovery room or even getting home. I won't lie, yesterday was a sucky day (I always have a tough time with nausea after anesthesia), but this evening I am feeling much better and am already tapering off the vicodin, and am hoping tomorrow will be even better. The one thing I really don't like so far is having to sleep in an elevated position; combined with the nausea yesterday I had a tough time getting decent rest. Today the nausea has pretty much abated so I'm able to rest more comfortably.

Hi all, Thanks for the feedback and an especial thanks to mylifeinpink for all the info! I am now only 10 days away from surgery (it's on July 1st), and doggone it I have not lost any weight. Grrr. I'm stuck in the high 140s. I think I'm just going to end up here forever. My body seriously does not want to let go of any more poundage. I think it would take a military boot camp or something to get any more lbs. off. I had my pre-op consult on Monday. I had to get the "before" pics taken, which was embarrassing but at the same time exciting because I know soon my "girls" will look so very different and SO much better than they look now. My breasts are very pendulous and deflated looking, and painful (almost all the tissue is at the bottom of my breasts, with the top half of my breasts being really not much more than very loose skin, so when I take my bra off each night my breasts hurt like crazy). I really am excited to have my surgery done. I'm currently wearing an overflowing 40DD bra size (I'm sure I'm a 40DDD really). I told the surgeon I want to maintain proportion to my hips (which are about 40") and he said he thinks after surgery I'll be at about a 38C, which is fine with me ... I think after I get a lower body lift and remove the loose skin and fat my hips would be 38" or so and my waist would be 29" or 30" or so -- very Marilyn Monroe-ish (those were my stats when I was a young thang before I got married and I would be thrilled to get that shape back!). Based on Mylifeinpink's results, I am really determined to get the rest of my plastic surgery done in Mexico. I had my sleeve done in Mexico but freaked out a little about having plastic surgery there; but now I regret not doing the plastic surgery there too. I could have saved a bundle of $$! Well, I still have LOTS of work to get done after the breasts ... I need a neck lift/face lift to remove the turkey neck, a lower body lift to remove the fat and skin from my torso and thighs and butt, and an arm lift to remove the bat wings. And I am definitely not combining the arm lift with the lower body lift though! I'll share my before and after pics once I'm a few months post-op so you can see the transformation. Wish me luck!

Mylifeinpink, OMG what an amazing transformation! You look HOT! Congrats to you!!!! I'm a mere 10 days away from having my breast lift/reduction surgery, which I'm having locally. I am TOTALLY going to Mexico for the rest of my plastic surgeries (lower body lift, face lift, and arm lift). Dr. Niebles here I come!!!

Hi, I am using Dr. Kierney who is based in Puyallup (near Tacoma, in case you're on the north end of Seattle and not sure where Puyallup is!). Here is a link to his website. http://washingtoncosmeticsurgeon.com/ I found him through Angie's List (he was very highly rated) and I liked the consult he gave; he made me feel at ease (trust me, NOT easy to do when you have to take off nearly all your clothes in front of a total stranger!). I thought his prices were reasonable. I got to see lots of before and after photos of procedures he's done and am comfortable he will do good work on me. He spent a good hour with me and told me exactly what the risks/benefits/likely outcomes would be. Also, he was very very low pressure. I liked that a lot.

Hi all, I was sleeved in January 2011, and my weight has been fairly stable for the past 14 months (unfortunately I didn't hit my ultimate goal, and am not likely to with the level of exercise/diet I am able to realistically maintain). I had been putting off having plastic surgery with the idea of losing the last 10-15 lbs., and finally I have decided to just schedule my first surgery (breast lift/reduction) because the weight is really not coming off despite diet and exercise. I'm going to make a big push to lose as much weight as possible this month (amping up the exercise and cutting daily calories down to <1,000 per day) before my surgery but don't expect to lose more than 3-4 lbs, max. I do wonder, though, what would happen to my results if I were able to lose that final 10 lbs. after having my breast lift surgery. Has this happened to anyone, and what did it do to your results? I obviously don't want to spend $6K on a procedure only to be unhappy with the results six months down the line. Realistically, I don't expect to lose 10 lbs. after surgery, but in case it happened I wondered how it would affect my ta-tas. Any experiences you can share would be greatly appreciated! I am really excited to finally have my first procedure and looking forward to the "next phase" of life after WLS!

Coops, congrats on your successful surgeries! You are beautiful inside and out and are an inspiration to so many people (including me of course!)! I'm having my first procedure (breast lift/reduction) on July 1st and am super excited about it. I'm going to wait 6 months for the tummy tuck. Did your surgeon have to do a vertical incision (I think it's referred to as a Fleur de Lis) in your tummy tuck? My surgeon told me it would be necessary to have a vertical incision remove the excess skin from my upper abdomen as well as the standard incision to remove the panni. I was taken aback when he said that, but apparently it's fairly normal for people who have lost a major amount of weight (and, in my case, the skin has like zero elasticity!). Thanks for sharing what life is like in the weeks after surgery; that is good to know so I can be better prepared for what lies ahead.

Queen of Crop, thank you so much for sharing! Congrats on your successful surgery! I just scheduled my breast lift/reduction surgery for July 1st and am super excited. I'm currently wearing a size 40DD bra, and the girls hang down nearly to my navel, and it's just a sad, ugly sight. I hope my surgeon does as good a job as yours! He is highly rated and his before & after pics were really encouraging, and he really put me as ease during the consult, so I'm hoping for a great result.

I just scheduled my breast lift/reduction for July 1st (woo hoo!). I am using a local plastic surgeon (I live in the Seattle area). It will cost $6,250. I also got quotes for a neck lift and tummy tuck and those procedures each run between $6K and $6.5K. I am planning to do two surgeries this year (breast lift/reduction and then at the holidays a lower body lift); next year I'm going for a neck lift and the arms. Altogether I figure I'm going to pay enough on plastics buy a car! LOL. I'm seriously thinking of going to Mexico for at least one of the procedures ... I had my sleeve done in Mexico and know I can receive outstanding care there, with the right surgeon, and it's true you can save at least 30% compared to US prices.

My go-to satiety food is beef Jerky. I am particularly fond of Costo's Kirkland Signature Steak Strips; 1 oz (2 pieces of jerky) is only 60 calories. 2 oz. of it and I am *stuffed* for only 120 calories. Also, for a no-calorie tummy filler, I drink a mug of hot tea with Splenda. I like fruity teas a lot (Republic of Tea Ginger Peach Green Tea, and Lipton's Orange Passionfruit Jasmine Green Tea are two current faves). I'm always struggling to get enough fluids in and so now each day before I eat anything I make sure I drink at least one full mug of tea, and when I want to eat but don't have the calorie budget, a mug of tea helps tame the hungry monster.

Coops, yay on your surgery! Glad it went well!

Gosh this topic is so interesting to me. I'm still 17 lbs over my ultimate goal weight, which would put me at the top end of a "normal" BMI. Anyway, it still throws me when people tell me I'm "tiny" or "skinny" (at a tight size 10P I am hardly either of those things). I know people are comparing me to where I was before surgery, and indeed I am quite tiny compared to then, but still, I don't feel great about my weight and keep pushing to get down at least 10 lbs more. My mid-40s body definitely tells the tale of 15+ years of morbid obesity. My breasts sag horrendously, I have the dreaded loose belly skin (with a map of stretch marks all over my abdomen, to boot) and my thighs are like granny thighs, with loads of cottage cheese thrown in for good measure. Still ... no matter what ... I am thrilled I got the sleeve and am truly grateful for the years of additional life I have given myself. I am sure I would have died relatively young, had I not had the surgery. BTW Cowgirl Jane, I have to second the compliment -- you do look FAB and lovely and healthy!