MichiganChic

There's a lot to be said for positive thinking! My lower abdomen and back are quite numb. I only notice it if I get an itch there, because you can't relieve it by scratching. Drives me nuts! My skin on my abdomen looks great - better than it ever did. My belly button also looks great. At first she thought I might have more scarring, but it's not bad. The actual scar around my lower torso isn't that great. I had a small area of necrosis in the front, so that's a red scar, and I had an area open in the back that's much wider, and all the drain spots are also bigger. It's still red, too. I'm 8 months out from my lower body lift. The skin on my thighs didn't perform as well. I still have a lot of cellulite, and still some fat in my outer hips which pulled things down. My upper posterior thighs looked better at first, but now have a fair amount of laxity to them. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about all that. Either way, they are better than before! One of these days I'm going to post a picture....

@@Rovobay funny! Love those funny clips.

Hey Jane, I have so greatly relied on this forum for camaraderie, and to help keep me focused. It's really been wonderful. But lately I've been finding things slowing down, and as there is anywhere in life, some people are getting on my nerves, lol! So, I made a conscious decision to back off the boards a little. I used to wonder why people didn't stay around long. I didn't know how they could lose interest, or how they could possibly succeed in maintaining their weight without BP! But now that time has gone on for me, I'm starting to see what maybe they saw. Newbies who might be a little over zealous, have an opinion or idea that they want to force on others, people who have seen the light and now KNOW IT ALL, people who split hairs and find reason to disagree, and those who love to stir others up. The same topics over and over, and after a while, it's just more of the same. Maybe that's why some enjoy the controversy? I have a pretty stressful job, and I just want some peace in my free time! So, I think @@Alex Brecher is right. It's the way these forums are. People come and go for a variety of reasons. Some just go quietly, others just drift away, and others leave making a dramatic exit. I don't think there's a way to prevent it. Adding the vets forum was good, and there are a few of us who post there routinely. This lounge is good, too. After all....I saw it and it dragged me back in

Hello....I'm a VIP??

There's more to obesity than calories in/calories out. Science just does not have all the pieces yet. I've seen enough "known fact" be proven wrong over the years as more knowledge is gained, and I think there is much more to learn in the area of obesity. So, to the OP statement, yes, I think we would be a good study cohort. I should do that Just not sure what my hypothesis would be.

Pretty soon it will be a distant memory. I don't blame you for wanting it over, and I bet you'll heal really fast. You sound like me, going to work with a hole in my leg. Geez, it would be nice not to have to do that, wouldn't it? Once you have this done, you might wonder why you didn't do it sooner. I messed around getting it drained for weeks, but once she cut it open and left it open, it healed in a month. The scar is a little wider there, but not bad. I still have swelling in my foot, but it seems to be getting slightly better, and I'm praying it's temporary. Once that swelling goes down, I'll still think this was worth all the trouble. One thing about being numb - none of this hurts that much! You'll get through the drain phase and be on your way to feeling and looking good very soon! Hang in there - you are almost there!

I agree, there is a lot to be learned about obesity and weight loss with us. Because you don't have malabsorption with the sleeve, you really do a get clear picture of what it truly takes to lose weight. I find it fascinating (not in a good way) how the known, accepted, scientific math does not hold up - at least for me. It doesn't even matter if I ate too much Protein - I'd still gain. Carbs definitely make it worse, but I need a steady deficit (about 800-900 calories/day) to lose, and only a slight increase to gain. It sure explains why I was so fat. It's true - I was obese because I ate more calories than I burned. And while I'll never say I didn't eat much or ate so healthy, I couldn't lose weight on a 1400 calorie diet. At 325 pounds, that's absurd. The sleeve helped me eat under 900 calories a day, which is why I finally could lose. The amount we can eat and lose or maintain is unique to each of us. It was a real eye opener for me.

Chicos has short sleeves that go almost to the elbow. They were great for hot weather before I had my brachiolplasty. Long enough to hide the loose are skin, but not 3/4 length. Lots of great colors, too.

Good Job! But I thought you wanted to weigh less than 100 pounds, lol!

@@Bandista well, let's see!

I think we've all been there - especially the fear that you've lost that last pound you are going to lose - ever! I thought that from the start...all the way to 140 pounds lost. The thing about the sleeve is that you don't lose super fast, or at least most people don't. Ignore the "I lost 100 pounds in 6 months, at GOAL!" posts. That is the exception, not the rule. You'll see just as many post about slow loss. I almost never open those fast loss posts , lol. Good for anyone who can do that, but the hard cold truth is, we just can't control the rate at which we lose. We CAN control how we eat, making sure we follow the rules and doing our part. I have tons of great advice for people, (because I'm like that ) but the most important thing I can say is that you just have to stick with it for the long haul, and it will work. It's not magic. Just do the best you can every day, and know you need to do this indefinitely. You are not failing, you are just living.

So funny. I had the same experience as a morbidly obese woman with my friends and colleagues! I could not understand how that was (we are health care professionals) but they just didn't put me in that same bucket. Must have also been my other lovely and impressive qualities that blind-sided them

My doc used doxycycline, which really hurt, but I didn't get much good from it. She had planned to do it a second time but then changed her mind. I don't think that thing would have ever healed. I'm with you, I wouldn't have wanted to go on much longer with it. I hated having it cut open, but so glad it's over!

Good choice. You should never take on a major risk like this without really understanding it and how you would feel about it. I always tell people the risks are low, but if you have a complication, you have it 100%. It's not for everyone. I would not have had this surgery if I was at or under 200 pounds. I am surprised at people who have a BMI of under 30 and are having WLS of any kind to prevent further weight gain. In my opinion, that is a not a case of benefit outweighing risk. Good luck to you!

Her approach probably wasn't effective, but she has a point. Maybe consider she actually has your best interest at heart. Or just give it back to her - if she can dish it out, she should be able to take it.

I had 5 incisions....but since then I had a tummy tuck and they were mostly cut off. The one larger one that was above my navel (it was about an inch) is now just above my pubis. The others were so small you can't see them even looking for them.

@@Oregondaisy I added up my calories on Easter, and it was 3000! Yikes. I know with certainty I can easily weigh 300 pounds again in a year. No problem. All I have to do is eat candy and cheese cake and pick all day. So glad I am able to get right back on my usual diet after a day. That is something the sleeve either gave me or helped me learn - that one bad day or meal shouldn't become reason to continue. I sure hope that never changes.

I had thin hair to start with, and lots and lots of hair loss. I feel like I was a worse case scenario. I got all Protein in every day and labs were fine. I lost for about 8 months total. However, I had a lot of weight to lose, and it took about 14 months of severely restricted calories to do it. It took a full year to come back, and it's still improving. I'm almost back to where I started, thank goodness. So, even in my worst case scenario, I didn't go completely bald. I think most people lose less, and for a shorter time, and it grows back quicker.

You can see from the picture I posted mine was raised and red. It would flatten when she drained it. Glad for you that you don't have that. It was pretty miserable having it removed IN THE OFFICE! Yeah, not fun lol. Funny how sticking that needle in you doesn't even bother you, isn't it? Is your lower abdomen still numb? Mine is, as are my outer thighs. I'm not sure I'm ever going to get feeling back. I keep thinking she could probably do the liposuction to my outer thighs with no anesthesia and I wouldn't feel it, haha!

Clearly that is true. Made me laugh!

I can drink about 1/4 to 1/3 of a bottle at a time if I'm totally empty. Some days a little less but I have no trouble getting water in

Wow, number three is super insulting. That is pretty judgmental. I agree, the guy sounds clueless, and I think people give the most insight into their true thoughts and selves when they least realize it. At least you know where he is coming from.

Any chance you are pregnant?

It is irritating, but there are a hundred people lined up in front of you doing the exact same thing. It would be like line jumping, lol. They have a process and everyone has to follow it, most likely. You'll get there before you know it!

I was going to chime in and say exactly what @@AvaFern said. I've had a LOT of plastics, and I do look way better than I did, but obesity and age have taken their toll. Having said that, most of the population are not VS models, or any other kind of model. That's why they get paid the big bucks - it's rare. We have such an airbrushed society that even smart, educated, and reasonable people like me sometimes forget that most of us have a different version of beautiful bodies. We all have flaws. Once in a while I start thinking I need to fix this or that, and then I remember I am so thrilled to be a normal size and have the worst of the dripping skin removed! I tell myself to just get over myself and be thankful for what really matters....and a perfect body is not really it...just the fact that it's as good as it is, is a miracle!