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UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE: It has now been a few days over 6 weeks since my LBL. If you want you can go back an read some of the highs and lows but todays notes are to let you know about getting moving again. Almost 2 weeks ago which would have been a few days prior to 5 weeks post op I met with my surgeon and he asked….."what are you not doing that you want to do?" Obviously my answer was…."I want to start my workouts again". He said that he was clearing me to do whatever I wanted to do but realize that my body could fight back with another round of swelling OR it just might be fine. There was only one way to know, and that was to workout and see what happened. My thoughts was……..screw that!! I didn't want to risk swelling again so I just tried to keep my weight in check by keeping the diet clean. Well I did that for a week and a half and I continued not to experience any swelling!! Yesterday, 1 day beyond my 6 week anniversary, I hit the treadmill. 30 mins @ 3.5mph and a 1% incline. Obviously nothing like my workouts prior to surgery but I wanted to see how my body would react…..drumroll please……I was fine. No swelling! Woke up today and hit the Concept 2 rowing machine for 30 mins and almost 6000 kilometers and then some strength training (Chest, Biceps, and Legs). That was almost 6 hours ago and fortunately no swelling. I am hoping, cautiously, that my issue is behind me. Moving on…. At my last appointment the doctor also said that I could begin to treat the scar in an effort to begin the visually healing process. His recommendation was to use the silicone strips, he felt in his experience they provided the best results behind laser treatments. I am using the Oleeva brand by Bio Med Sciences. I bought the shapes product, one was the abdominoplasty and one was for brachioplasty. The second was just a straight piece to bridge the gap on my back where the abdominoplasty piece did not go all the way around. I have been using them for a week, and it does appear to me as though they are working. The scar does seem to be lightening. I did buy 2 sets, that should last me around 12 weeks. Regardless of how the scar looks at 12 weeks I will be done, meaning, I will not continue to treat it beyond that. The process is kind of a pain in the a$$. Binder: The doctor said the more you wear it the better. I continue to wear it essentially 24 hours per day. I will be seeing my surgeon again in 5 weeks and at that time I think I will ditch it. The binder has never bothered me. I have been wearing spanx for men for so long that the snug feeling of the binder was no issue. I continue to wear the spanx as well. I really feel as though compression garments (top and bottom) have really controlled all facets of the swelling. Leg Compression Garments: Still wearing them and probably will continue while working out is new….. Workouts (part 2) I plan on taking it easy the next 2 weeks. My plan is to only walk for the next 2 weeks and then I am starting a 15 week Half Marathon Training routine. The race is the weekend of 5/17/14 so I think that will give me plenty of time to get ready. MY PERSONAL OPINION: A few people have mentioned that they were thinking of doing Mexico for plastics to save money. I obviously did not do that, I paid for both my VSG and LBL out of pocket. I saved for my VSG (18k ) and paid 4.5k out of pocket for the hospital portion of my plastics and put the balance on CareCredit (using their 18 month 0 interest plan) which is GE Bank. In hindsight, I see no problem with the VSG in Mexico but with everything I have experienced and pictures I have seen of patients that have had plastics done in Mexico I would NEVER go there for that part. I am not passing judgement and if that is your decision, I wish you nothing but the best. I compare what I look like versus others and there is no comparison, not even by a long shot. In addition, if you do have complications, getting the right care at home may be difficult. At that point you might be wishing you had paid more!!! Please feel free to reach out or post any questions, I would be happy answer any questions!!

meagain3, i plan on giving a full update when i have time but i wanted to let you know my swelling has not come back, it has been 2 weeks today since it has subsided. during those 2 weeks i have done everything i could to make sure it didn't. meaning, rest when i could, compression garments, feet up, and a Water pill a few times a day. i just got finished with my first cardio in over 6 weeks so i am watching myself very closely this morning. my upper pubic area is still slightly swollen but doing much better than before so since i see the improvement i am chalking that up to typical swelling its funny that you described it as a waterbed because that is exactly what mine looked and felt like. here is what i will tell you…..we are all so different and don't get discouraged that you are having these issues. many people that i talked to did not have the issues with swelling that i did. while they tell you that it is possible to swell in other areas than typical not everyone does. and since we are 2 of the people that have experienced swelling it will go away on its own time and different for each of us. keep doing what you are doing and you will do nothing but help it go away faster. don't get discouraged!!! it gets better…..and it look FABULOUS BKA

I used Dr Lickstein at the Cosmetic Surgery Center of MD. I would highly recommend him, he was fantastic and his staff tremendous. I had to call him on a Saturday and he called me back in 8 mins (it was at 7:30am) and he called me New Years Eve afternoon. A few people I told that to said he should consider what you paid and I get that but it still was refreshing! Their number is 410-296-0414

yeah (in a sarcastic voice)….at 2 weeks light aerobic activity will mean walking around your house and light travel to the grocery store. i wish you nothing but the best…feel free to reach out at anytime

I was not retaining Fluid prior to surgery I was not drinking enough Water, I started when my swelling was at its worst as well as eliminated as much sodium as possible to combat the swelling it does make sense, what i learned is that we are all different and while yes they can give you typical and possible side effects of surgery the only way to know is to have it done and monitor yourself. my surgeon was very surprised that my legs swelled like they did ask anything you want, its still fresh in my mind!! not sure if i mentioned it earlier (don't feel like reading back) the other real inconvenience was the fog i was in the week after surgery which was blamed on the amount of time i was under (6 hours) anesthesia

not sure what you are having done but most likely your drains won't even be out at the end of 2 weeks!! I hear you, at first I was like a caged animal but you really want to make sure you heal…..make that your first priority!! Keep your diet clean, that will keep your weight in check….plenty of time to exercise, trust me. good luck

I will be 6 weeks tomorrow and have not resumed working out……I was cleared just prior to 5 weeks to get back to working out but since I had my swelling issues in my legs I decided to give it a little more time. I plan to start on Saturday, just at a slow pace. Thank you all for the compliments and also like was said in one of the posts above……it was not easy but I would do it again tomorrow!!! There were highs and lows getting to my 6 week anniversary but the feeling of not having the extra skin is just plain tremendous. I have started using silicone strips to treat the scar. I have only been wearing them for a week so I can't report anything other than they are kind of a pain in the ass but if it helps I am all for it! Oh, and they are expensive!! I paid the hospital portion of my bill in cash which was about 4k and the rest went on care credit with 18 months of zero interest…..it was like buying a sofa Memorial Day weekend!!! lol

absolutely, you will be able to find someone to help you within your budget. I paid 14k for a complete lower body lift.

Started 9/12 @ 377 Now 1/14 @ 170 GONE 207 and never coming back!!

You are correct, this is strictly at belly, butt, and pubis area fix. Your chest and inner thighs will not see any help from this procedure at all. I asked my surgeon about my inner thighs as well (which were not that bad but I wanted to get the most down at once) and he told me that it was not worth the risks.

I don't leave the house without wearing a compression shirt…. When I went to the Spanx Store the girls told me there to buy the compression shirt in the same size as the shirt you are wearing. So if you are an XXL then buy the Spanx that is XXL. I took her advice and she was dead on the money!! I started wearing them at XXL and am down to a L and as I lost weight I kept the Spanx the same size as my tshirt size and it worked perfectly! Good luck

I AM CAUTIOUSLY HAPPY TO REPORT: since the height of my swelling on New Years Eve I am down almost 17 pounds!!! That is some serious swelling!!! As I mentioned in a previous post the remedies for me were as follows: 1. Rest with feet elevated 2. Water, Water, water which leads to pee, pee, pee 3. Clean diet (little or no sodium) 4. Compression clothing from just about head to toe (I even wore the compression socks they gave me after surgery) 5. I took an over the counter water pill also When I weighed in I knew it was going to be high because of the swelling but follow this math: Morning of surgery 168 Weight of skin removed 5 Net 163 New Years Eve 190 (I will admit…I almost broke down in tears because I felt defeated) Total Gain 27 Weigh in this AM 173.8 Lost 16.2 TO GO 10.8 (I really don't need to be at that weight) It snowed here last night but I am not budging, I am NOT pushing myself and if I could give anyone a piece of advice I would suggest you don't either. That is the easiest way to set you back. I know, I know, you feel great. Feeling great does not mean you body has healed completely and TRUST ME…..it will fight you back if you push it!!!!

meagain3, butter is dead on the money…….TAKE HIS ADVICE.

skiddles, good luck to you and your husband, i hope you get a volume discount!!!

The doctor I selected is in Baltimore…..it was very difficult to find a surgeon that had experience with men let alone one that specialized in male body work. Mine certainly doesn't specialize in just men but he gave me 2 references of men that he did the same operation I was looking for. One was done 3 years ago and the other was done just a month prior to when I spoke with him. Both were very helpful an obviously helped me make my selection. It certainly has been slightly inconvenient for the followup appointments but the decision you make about who is going to do this for you is largely based on trust. I am not saying its easier for women to make a decision on what surgeon to use but it was very hard for me as a man to find someone I didn't think did nothing but facelifts and boob jobs!!! lol!!!

Been a while since I gave an update and there is a bunch to bring you up to speed on……. As I posted on the 28th I had to remove my last drain because the suture came loose. Sunday night I had massive swelling in my legs so I went on Monday afternoon to my surgeons office to be seen. They tried to aspirate in a few places in an effort to relieve some of the swelling pressure. After many needle sticks and much pain they were not able to get anything out at all. The thought at that time was they were just sticking me blind and not able to "see" if they were coming near the Fluid. They did this at my incision, my pubis, and my thighs. So they tried to get me right in to a radiologist they use for situations like this for an ultrasound and replacement of drains if necessary or another shot at aspiration while using the ultrasound to see what they were doing. Sounded like a great idea to me so I went along. Unfortunately, they were booked solid and couldn't take me till the next day. Another 2 hour trek to Baltimore from suburban Philadelphia on New Years Eve to get an ultrasound and who knows what else!! The ultrasound showed the following: Small pockets of fluid that the Dr said was not big enough to either aspirate of reinsert drains No worry of blood clots, they used the ultrasound to rule out any DVT Lots of tissue edema which in their opinion was causing the swelling No signs of seromas My surgeon called me later that afternoon and said that REST would be the best thing and see how my legs reacted. Almost as an afterthought he said to wear compression pants if I had a pair like Under Armour. I went right out to a Dicks Sporting Goods and bought a pair that was a size too small and squeezed my thunder thighs in them. NOT EASY I am happy to report that after a day and a half of laying in bed wearing my sausage casing like pants my swelling seems to be in check. My plan is to continue this process for the next 4 days to really make sure that I have this under control!! Leg swelling does NOT happen to everyone but apparently the trauma of the surgery can certainly cause it to happen. I mentioned in an earlier post that the recovery from this surgery was as much mental as it is physical and I can't emphasize this enough because on new years eve as I was having the tests done and how swollen I was…..I was really down mentally! It was very depressing!! Overall and considering what I have had done to myself I am healing well, considering what my routine was prior to surgery I am like a caged animal to get back to it but I know if I were to push it I will swell like the Pillsbury Dough Boy!!!! Good luck to you all, and please don't hesitate to ask any questions if you are considering this type of surgery. That is why I am taking the time to journal my experience, I hope it helps. And before you ask….."would you do it again?" The answer is………….ABSOLUTELY!!

i think you are early also….i was 51 weeks post op from my VSG but I had been at my goal weight for 3 months and I didn't have another ounce of weight to lose. you could argue that i should be 10-15 pounds heavier than i was the day of my LBL. I did my surgery at this time of year for work reasons as well, i am very slow for about 6-7 weeks so it is perfect timing for me so i get where you are coming from. here is one thing i will tell you…..you DO NOT want to lose weight after you have this surgery…..you don't want to spend the money and then have loose skin again!!!

I had a little lipo on both my hips…..three weeks out they still hurt….and not just a little. It really feels like a hockey player hit me with a stick on both sides. If that is the pain from the lipo, I would NEVER get that done on my neck. I also find it hard to imagine how they do lipo on your neck. I would have thought it would be an extensive facelift to tighten that up. Sounds like you lost a massive amount of weight

LOL…The drain tube was not the freaky part…..it was the clot that took an Iron stomach to yank out!! It was almost as long as the drain tube and at first didn't want to budge. Sorry if that is TMI but someone may read this and need to know!! Thanks for the tip on the binder, after I read your post I tightened it up a little…

Last Drain Update…... My 4th drain this morning succumbed to the fate as my 3rd. I woke up to find that the suture came loose and it lost its suction power. I called my Dr's office at 7:30am this AM (Saturday) and my surgeon called me back in 8 mins, very impressed. It had been producing as much as 100cc per day, which as you all know, much more than where 'they" like it before it is removed. However, my doctor said sometimes the body can just deal with the extra Fluid. So I yanked the sucker out!! They will have to use a needle to remove any liquid that might accumulate under the skin or if it is really bad a radiologist would aid them in inserting another drain. On a side note…….right now……I AM DRAIN FREE and it feels awesome!!! I am going to take it easy for the next few days and tomorrow morning (24 hours after the drain is out) take a shower that last about the same length….24 hours. Can't wait. My leg swelling is still annoying but it is what it is. The resting has helped. I will keep you all up to date on the progress of the premature drain removal

Drain Update: Butter, I was going to try an come up with a rogue elf that damaged my drain like your cat but I am not a very creative story teller!! In any event the drain tube started sliding out again so I made the call…..I just yanked the sucker out myself. Since my surgeons office is so far away and tomorrow is Xmas Eve I am going to wait till thursday to go there. The decision was easy because the drain was not collecting any Fluid so in or out it was not serving a purpose. Depending on any swelling I experience over the next few days will determine if they insert another drain. I really hope that is not the case. I can't imagine that is a pleasant experience! Right or wrong……I am only 1 drain away from a SHOWER!!!!

UH OH!!!! Drain Alert So there I am minding my own business emptying my drain at is normal 12:30pm time slot and I notice the bulb will not hold its seal. After I squeeze the air from it, immediately it re-inflates. I assume that there is a crack or slice in it and I look everywhere, submerge it in Water and I can find nothing. No idea why, I look down at where it enters my body and I notice the stitch holding it in is a good 6 inches away from my body. IT IS NO LONGER ATTACHED!! With mild panic I slowly (and painfully) slide it back into place and tape the tube to my leg. Squeeze the bulb and bingo, it holds the suction. I call and talk to my nurse and find out the following: 1: Happens all of the time 2: If it falls out again she said just to pull it out 3: I am not a doctor but I think I could play one on TV My only concern is if it comes out again this drain has averaged 30 cc per clean out 3x per day so I am way over the amount that they would just take it out. The nurse said that if it does come out and I swell they will reinsert it…..that sounds like it will hurt. And the drama continues.

I am 2 weeks post op so this is fresh in my mind: This is what I had with me and comments on each: Cell Phone: To stay in touch with loved ones Ipad: Your favorite Movies / TV / Music (I put a lot of time and effort into downloading stuff to entertain myself and didn't even open it because I was so out of it Kindle: Same as above, never left my bag Slippers: Don't bother, they put anti slip socks on me at the hospital Clothes to wear home: oversized sweat pants or shorts (climate dependent) to accommodate drains and tubes / oversized tshirt or sweatshirt (climate dependent) to accommodate drain bulbs. You won't need underwear (because of the drains & tubes) I was given the advice of buying a sweatshirt that zipped up the front so you don't have to put anything over your head. I hate those types of sweatshirts but I bought one because it seemed logical……it wasn't necessary at all so if you are not a fan like me its not necessary Pillow and Blanket: For the ride home, came in handy because I had a 2 hour ride from baltimore to philadelphia Sneakers: you will want something comfortable to wear on your feet that you also feel very stable in. I walked out of the hospital from my room because when the rolled the wheel chair in I did not even want to attempt the following: 1. Get out of bed (painful) 2. Sit down in wheel chair (painful) 3. Get up out of wheel chair (painful) 4. get into the car ass first, swing legs into car (painful) Not to scare you about the pain, it really wasn't so much the pain as it was being so deliberate about moving because of the incision!

Not exactly sure how to respond to that question but my mindset at the time of that post was….. I was just sliced and put back together at my midsection and could barely get in and out of bed and consider I pee standing up I was deathly scared of having to "sit" down when nature eventually called. So to answer your post on a very basic level….I "used" the bathroom both sitting and standing, before and still.