Oak Park Lorena

Thanks for the info! I'm a very bad scarer, I know that the scar is the price of admission to the land of no bat wings, but I want to do whatever I can to minimize it!

OMG, I so want to do this! Are you doing just simple squats or are you using weights?

I'm not sure what you're referring to, there is something called Venus Freeze that employs radio frequency waves to stimulate the production of collagen which then results in tighter skin. I've had it done on my face and neck. There is empirical data that supports its use, but I can tell you that while I am happy with the results, it works best on skin that is only slightly loose, it would likely have very little effect on the very loose or saggy skin a lot of us have on our arms, tummies and thighs. In my area, it costs about 1500-3000 per area depending on the size of the area--that includes multiple treatments.

Yes, I understood that, I would also pass on that as well, would look very odd indeed!

Yes, thanks! I've seen pics of the zig zag that you mentioned, what a nightmare! I'm sure that there's some medical basis for it, but I would definitely pass on having that!

While I don't want to seem like a jerk and contradict you, studies show that Vitamin E not only does not help the scar formation/healing process, it can actually make your scar worse. Most knowledgeable dermatologists will tell you that you should NOT put Vitamin E on scars. http://www.inviciblescars.com/vitamin-e-scars.html#c. Massaging can certainly help break down adhesions that might make a scar worse, but I don't know that it will reduce the size or redness. I am a terrible scarer, have had several surgeries and have done extensive research on the topic. Unfortunately, there really isn't anything topical that has been shown to improve scars. There is some research that suggests that eating an anti-inflammatory (i.e., cut out all sugar, flour etc.) diet a month or so before and after surgery may improve healing and reduce the chances that your immune system will over-react (which is in large part what causes bad scars).

Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but you mentioned something about the surgeon having a choice of incision placement "behind the arm." Could you explain what you mean by "behind" and also explain what other options the surgeon has for the incision. My understanding is that there is the typical procedure wherein a large incision is made along the underside (i.e., the portion of the arm that rests against your body) of the arm. There is also a newer procedure in which smaller incisions are made in the arm pit and on the side of the body rather than along the underside of the arm. I understand, though, that this "minimally invasive" procedure is only for people with very little excess skin (i.e., not your typical post sleeve person!) and that the recovery time is very, very long and may permanently prevent you from doing things involving raising your arms (like playing tennis or golf). Is this what you mean when you're talking about the surgeon having choices for the incision? Thanks!

I don't think that there's anything special about a scar from abdominoplasty in the sense that if you are a bad scarer in general, your TT scar will be bad; if you don't scar badly, you probably will end up with a nice little white, faded line. I am a terrible scarer, but I knew that going in to the TT (which I had 8 years ago) and while I don't like the scaring, it's certainly better than a big jiggly tummy! I just think that ANY time you have a procedure like this, you have to be very honest with yourself and ask yourself if you're going to be okay with the scar or not. Also, it's not just the hip to hip scaring that is an issue, if you are having a full TT, you will lose your real belly button and the surgeon will fashion a new one for you. I think my surgeon did a very nice job and gave me a cute little belly button, but it ALSO has a scar, so you need think about that as well. As I said, I scar very badly, they are always raised and stay purple/'red forever. In addition, my hip to hip scar got very wide. You may not have the same experience, but go in with eyes open! Here's my belly. Note the scaring on the fake belly button and how wide the incision scar is! Also note how raised and red my incision from my sleeve is just to the right of my belly button, it's over a year old.

Hey, and thanks! I pretty much lost most of the pounds in the first 9 months. I haven't lost a thing in six months, but I am definitely firmer and certain parts trimmer because of working out. I don't know that I'm addicted to the exercise as much as I've just made a part of my everyday life. My primary motivation for having the surgery was to be able to return to the activities that make me happy--things like playing tennis, hiking, skiing. I will say that the running is almost more of a mental thing than a physical one in the sense that it gives me a tremendous mental boost. Pilates has done wonders. I have a great instructor who pushes me way beyond what I think I can do. I also am just much less sedentary. I moved from a house to a condo that is centrally located in my town so I can and do walk to everything. I even bought a cheap little grocery bag wheelie thing from IKEA and walk to the grocery. I think adding a few miles of walking each day also makes a huge difference. Thanks for the nice post

Hello all! I was sleeved in August 2013. I haven't lost the pounds that I hoped to (lost 85), but I have to say that I am pretty happy with the results and have no regrets about having the sleeve. I started running back in March and have run a 5k and was a member of a Bourbon Chase relay marathon team--I ran over 13 miles. Needless to say, I wouldn't have been able to run a mile before my sleeve-induced weight loss without feeling I was going to croak! I run 20-25 miles every week, I take a pilates class (on the reformer) and I regularly attend barre and stretching classes. I do exercise every single day. So, am I a skinny little size 6 with a tiny butt? Nope, but I am a very fit size 10/12 and feeling pretty, pretty good! Like most people who've lost weight, I've got quite a bit of the old hanging skin on my upper arms and inner thighs. I'm having a brachioplasty (arm lift) in about a month and plan to have the thigh lift early next year. Yes, the scars will be ugly, but hanging and swinging skin is not hot either! Here's me before and after--the before is Christmas 2012, the after is a few days ago.

I totally understand what you're talking about. I broke up with my bf of 7 years a few months before my surgery, moved out of my house, quit smoking and started my own business. Needless to say I have a pretty high stress level! Not being able to turn to food for comfort (nope, you just won't be able to stress eat anymore as hard as you might try!) has been a challenge. I replaced that urge to feed with walking/running. I bought myself a pair of very good running shoe and some Dr. Dre Beats. When I feel that stress coming on and that panic feeling that i need something, food, nicotine, instead I put on some really good tunes, my running shoes and just head straight out the door. It's working so far

I do something every day and I like variety. I run 4x a week now for a total of 26 miles a week. I play in a tennis league. Now that the weather is nice I go for bike rides or kayaking on the lake with friends. Sometimes I do Zumba/Bollywood dance class (which is total blast!). I do a pilates reformer class 1x a week. I bought a kettle bell and do 20 rep sets of swings at least 4x every day in my living room (you don't have to do them all at once, hours apart is still just as good!) I also have the good fortune to live in a quaint village wherein I can walk to everything including the train that takes me into the city for work, so I probably am walking at least 2-3 miles every day on top of everything else. Personally, I think the key is to find at least one thing that you actually enjoy. If you go to a gym and some trainer gives you a work out to follow and it's not stuff that you like doing, you probably won't stick to it. I also think that just adding a little extra here and there--take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator, walk to the store instead of drive, park your car in the far away parking spot and walk the distance--all of those little extras really add up over the course of weeks and months. And there's no law that says work outs have to be boring and in a gym--running/biking/hiking/kayaking are all great exercise and you get to enjoy the outdoors!

So, I started out wanting to get down from my 265 to 160 and then to 145. I had visions of skinny-dom flashing in my head. Here I am now, just over 9 months out. I've "only" lost 86 pounds (my ticker says I started at 254, but it was really 265 because I managed to gain 11 pounds between my first appointment with the surgeon and the day I had to start the pre-op diet!). I'm still technically "obese" according to the BMI gods. But I'm a size 10/12 now. I was a 20/22 before, though I squished into 18s to delude myself into believing I wasn't really big! I'm running now, over 25 miles a week. I run up stairs. I go to the store and can try on "normal" size clothes. I can walk in the 90 degree heat in a skirt without having lube my thighs up so that they don't chaff. I'm still technically "fat," but I have to say, I'm kind of happy where I am. Even with a bit saggy skin here and there, I have to say I look damn sexy, even naked! My health stats--cholesterol, BP, inflammation--all stellar, A+. So, what's the problem, you ask? I'm having a hard time letting go of the idea of getting down to that weight, that skinny person weight. Don't get me wrong, I am not at ALL disappointed with my results, it's been life-changing and wonderful and I have no regrets--none. So, I'm thinking of modifying my goal weight, maybe 175, get down 4 more pounds and call it a day. Anyone else in the same boat? Did you revise and smile? Am I giving up too easily? Tell me your story!

Seriously? You've done great! Remember that even losing 80% of your excess weight is considered a major victory--you've surpassed that! Moreover, while there are stats and general expectations, this is a highly personal journey along which we each get to decide for ourselves whether we've succeeded or failed. It's not for your surgeon to tell you what you could have done or not done. If you were way outside expectations, like you'd only lost 20 pounds in a year, then maybe, but that is certainly not the case. Let your hard won success be yours to enjoy--don't look to other people decide for you if you've succeeded! If your surgeon is anything less than thrilled, that's his problem, not yours. My surgeon is awesome--he always greets me with a huge smile and will listen endlessly to my tales of how much happier and fitter I am. I hope it goes well!

I'm going to add to the "it's going to get better" drum beat here, but I won't sugar coat it for you. I had a lot of pain, I mean a lot that first week. After that, I was so uncomfortable because of the gas and how unhappy my tummy was when I put anything in it and because even my tiny wasp sips of Water and just licking a little yoghurt off the back of a baby spoon threatened to send me straight to the toilet to barf. Every early attempt at adding things like eggs sent me right over the porcelain god. I said, to myself and out loud to anyone who would listen, that I'd made a horrible mistake, that I was so uncomfortable that I could not imagine how I could live in that condition. I was actually angry at myself, that's I'd maimed myself and made myself miserable. The only relief I found was walking. I walked like a maniac. I walked in the morning. I walked at night, midday, 3x, 4x sometimes 5x a day. I walked 5 miles a day, then 10 then more. I walked so much I lost two toe nails. It helped. The gas finally stopped, my stomach stopped being such a fussy baby and let me put solid Proteins in there. And now, I'm running, up to 25 miles a week. And I feel good. I still can't eat raw veggeis, salad and won't ever even attempt a bagel or Pasta or ice cream because I know how icky they feel inside the tum tum, but I've adjusted and kind of forgotten how much I used to love those things. It will get better. Slow at first, then fast. There's nothing wrong with you that you feel miserable. And trying to be "positive" when you feel awful is pretty much impossible. However, finding omething to distract yourself with, can sneak up on you and become something positive, and will help you to get your mind off the very real misery you are experiencing now. Best of luck, my friend!

Yeah, I think that giddy high of watching the scale plummet does kind of lose it's thrill, especially as it slows down. I'm over 9 months out and I only weigh myself once every few weeks or so. I focus much more on how I look, feel and how my clothes fit. I'm not as wowed to see I'm down a pound or so, but I am thrilled when I can wriggle into a smaller dress size or I feel much lighter on my feet when I run

I think that one of the hardest adjustments for me has been pretty much giving up salad and most raw veggies entirely. I'm over 9 months out and I cannot tolerate high bulk foods whether they are raw veggies or a bagel. I love all vegetables and miss them terribly, but it is what it is. I eat things like cooked spinach or mashed cauliflower (which is delicious!), but salad, no way! I have made the mistake of trying to eat bulky veggies or things like bread or Pasta and just paid the price over the porcelain god! it is possible that what you felt was something other than hunger, who knows. That said, you will feel hunger after the sleeve. There is some evidence that getting sleeved reduces the production of the hormone needed to create the physical sensation of hunger, but that does not mean you won't ever feel hungry or have your tummy rumble when you smell a food you like. It was at least 6 months for me before that hungry feeling returned, but everyone is different! Please don't assume that your sleeve is a failure because you feel hunger!

Hey Karen, I became single about 4 months before my surgery and started dating about 1 month post op. I did and still go on lots of dinner dates. I usually order either just an appetizer or an entree that I know will be okay to take home as left overs. Sometimes I tell my date about the surgery, other times I don't. My experience eating out on dates, or just eating out with friends, is that no one really notices what you are and aren't eating. If you're self-conscious about it, unless you point it out to people, they just don't seem to notice! Also, a lot of my dates are happy to finish my food for me Good luck!

I'm four months out and no period since the surgery. It is unsettling.

Same for me. Crazy pain first two days (in the hospital with the morphine and dilaudid) then only two days at home with the vicoden. Pain was intense, but passed quickly.

Okay, okay, I'm just whining here, I guess, but yesterday I started getting a sore throat, chills, feeling lousy. Worse today. I just can't force down much, just living on chicken broth, G2 and sugar-free popsicles. I don't know that being sleeved makes me feel any worse, but I am pretty weak from having so few calories. Blah! This just reminds me how important it will be to get my flu shot this year!

Here's a second for the Outshine bars! They are terrific. I can usually taste (and hate) that yucky fake sugar taste, but if you didn't know these were sugar free, you'd never know! They were a life saver for me during week two when it was nearly 100 degrees here and I could only take little wasp sips of Water.

I never actually pureed anything, was just too disgusting. I opted for lightly scrambled eggs, cottage cheese and yoghurt (plus protein shake to get to 70 grams/day). I don't think I've broken 400 calories a day yet!

Yep, I can relate. Out the other night and ordered a miso soup--my favorite. Could not even finish 1/8 of it!