JamieLogical

So I've hit an interesting place in my weight loss journey. I am now exactly one pound below what I weighed when I had plastic surgery back in August 2011 after having lost 90 pounds "on my own". When I had my plastics done, I'd been maintaining around 180 for about 8 months and I was very content at that weight. I had hoped to maybe lose a bit more, but my body seemed happy and once I had my plastics, I was very happy with the way I looked. Now that I am back down to this weight again post-sleeve, I'm finding it challenging to motivate myself to loose the 25 more pounds to reach the goal I'd set for myself. I chose a goal weight of 155 because that would put me right in the upper end of a "healthy" BMI. My nutritionist set a goal weight of 165 for me prior to my VSG. So even going with the more lenient goal of 165, I still need to lose 15 more pounds. I'm just having a hard time convincing myself that I really need to lose 15 or 25 more pounds! I am once again pretty happy with the way I look and feel comfortable in my skin. I am working out 5-6 days a week, finishing up Couch to 5k with the intention of running a 5k in the second half of may, doing strength training.... I feel fit and strong and like I am continuing to get fitter and stronger. But to lose these last 15-25 pounds, I will have to remain very diligent about my eating and that has been slipping some in recent weeks. I'm still getting in all of my Protein, but I have splurged on some chips and ice cream recently. Not a ton and nothing unreasonable really for 8 months post-op, but enough to where it might have a detrimental effect on my weight loss. My loss has already been "slow" by most people's standards being very strict about my food, so I know it will slow even more if I become too lax. It's definitely just a philosophical/psychological issue right now. If I am happy with my body and it is working well, should I be so focused on the scale? I want to say "no", but then there is part of me that just thinks I'm using that as an excuse to be more lax about my eating. "I don't NEED to lose anymore weight so a little ice cream can't hurt, right?" Those are the sorts of thoughts I'm struggling with right now.

The lipo-suction just causes bruising all over, so that's what it feels like. Imagine you whacked yourself on something and it left a bruise that was tender to the touch. That's what my liposuctioned areas felt like. It took several weeks for the bruising to go away completely. For me, the muscle repair of my tummy tuck was BY FAR the most painful part of the whole thing.

In the first few weeks post-op, it was very challenging to drink. With every TINY sip, my body would go through this whole ordeal where first I'd get a constriction of my esophagus, causing pain right in the middle of my chest. The I would have this gurgling coming up from my stomach into my throat. Then I would usually have to burb. It was a chore to keep sip, sip, sipping through the first few weeks. Once my swelling from the surgery was better and I was healed up, it became easier to physically drink. Then came the challenge of timing drinking around eating, remembering to drink, and drinking enough. I was told to stop drinking 5 minutes before eating and not start again until 40 minutes after eating. So getting the timing right was challenging. I also just found that I didn't feel thirsty as much as I had pre-op, so I didn't remember to drink as often, whereas pre-op I had Water next to me all the time and drank it without really thinking about it. Post-op I had to intentionally drink. And finally, I had issues with water temperature. I had no problem with very cold water or hot beverages, but room temp water just seem to sit really "heavy" in my stomach and make me feel gross. I got a double-walled thermos-style water bottle that kept my ice cold all day long and that REALLY helped. Now I am approaching 8 months post-op, I have no trouble getting my water in. I can take big gulps of water and several gulps in a row. I usually drink right up to the time I eat (instead of stopping 5 minutes before), but I don't have any trouble waiting the 40+ minutes after, because I'm so full from my food, I wouldn't have anywhere for the water to go and I just don't start drinking again until that full feeling subsides, which is usually a good 45 minutes after eating (sometimes more).

Not for me, but I had no medical history to indicate it would be necessary.

I honestly don't know 100%, but I don't think she does, or didn't in my cast at least. I still had plenty of fat to lipo from all over my body, especially my legs. I had lipo from my upper and lower back, flanks, stomach, inner and outer thighs, inner knees, and calves. So there was plenty of fat to work with for my fat grafting. What would be the point of lipo-ing the intra abdominal fat? It wouldn't really affect the way you look, right?

Are you following your surgeon's nutrition plan? If so, I don't know how/why you are eating beef and carbs only one month post-op. You should definitely steer clear of the carbs! Most carbs are slider foods, meaning they move through your sleeve quickly and easily and don't fill you up. You need to be eating denser proteins to feel full. Also, carbs make you hungrier. The more carbs you eat, the more carbs you'll crave. It's a slippery slope and one you should be avoiding this early post-op!

Back in November 2009, my sister-in-law died of a pulmonary embolism at the age of 41. The theory is that her high weight and sedentary lifestyle led to the blood clot. Her death was the most devastating thing to every happen to my family and was a real wake-up call for me. I was 270 pounds at the time and I realized that I did NOT want to put my family through something like that again, so I resolved to lose weight. Throughout 2010 and 2011, I lost 90 pounds "on my own". I had plastic surgery in August of 2011 to remove my excess skin. Then the weight started coming back on. The problem is, I thought my diet was over and once I had my plastics, I was "done". I gained about 40 pounds and realized I needed to do something, so then I lost over 20 pounds. Then I gained another 40 pounds. Then I lost 40 pounds. Then I gained.... you get the picture. Jump forward to this past summer. Fourth of July weekend, I was back up to 260 pounds! Only 10 pounds less than my heaviest weight. I knew I needed to do something and losing and regaining AGAIN wasn't going to cut it. I needed a permanent solution. So I began researching WLS and found out about VSG. I knew that was what I needed to do in order to maintain my loss this time around. So I scheduled surgery for Sept. 1 and now, I'm approaching 8 months post-op and I am 1 pound below the weight I was at when I had my plastics! Still hoping to lose another 25 pounds or so, but if I don't lose another pound and just manage to maintain my current weight, I'll be thrilled!

A lack of water is probably the culprit here. A liter of fluids a day isn't enough. You should be getting a minimum of 64 ounces. I had a rough time getting my water in early on as well. I found it was easiest for me to drink VERY ice cold water or warm liquids. I didn't do well with room temperature water. So maybe experiment with different temperatures? I found it easier to sip, sip, sip while marching in place. I had a lot of issues with constriction in my esophagus and gurgling/burping with every sip and marching in place seemed to make that a bit better. The good news is, that only lasted about the first two weeks.

It was definitely worse for me the first few days, but the whole thing was really NOT fun. I eventually had to stop exercising in the second week, because I was just so weak and had NO energy. Just hang in there. It's only temporary!

Have you discussed follow-up care with your PCP? Mine was on board with my surgery and had me scheduled for an appointment and bloodwork for one month post-op to make sure I wasn't developing any nutrient deficiencies or having any post-op issues. I had an appointment with her at 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, and next week at 8 months just to check in and make sure everything is going well.

I can completely understand dreading the pain and potential complications, as well as the down time from work and exercise. But, I do want to mention that all of that is only temporary. I am approaching 4 years out from my plastics, so all of that is a VERY distant memory and I am still enjoying the results of plastics every single day. It's sort of like WLS itself. It's VERY rough going in the beginning, but once you are through the hard part and just enjoying your life, it is SO worth it!

@@virgogirl67 @cmhueto Good luck to both of you! Sounds like you have done your research and feel confident in your choices. @@virgogirl67 it's awesome that your PCP is on board and being so supportive. Mine was too. She pre-booked me for an appointment and bloodwork for 1 month post-op and has been great about my follow up care!

I think it's natural to be nervous. If you are confident in your decision to have the surgery and your choice of surgeon, then try to focus on things you can do to prepare for your trip and your pre-op diet. Just try to keep your mind occupied.

My breast implants are Allergan brand and under warranty that is honored here in the US. I am in need of a revision (my drastic weight re-gain and re-loss cause my left implant to become malpositioned) and had a consult with a US doctor who told me that Allergan would replace the implants for free, even though the malpositioning has nothing to do with a defect of any sort! As for my post-op complications, I had swelling of the soft tissue in my lower back. My surgeon and my PCP communicated directly about my treatment. It was my PCP that provided documentation for me to be able to miss additional work, but my surgeon stayed "in the loop" the whole time. I had discussed the surgery with my PCP prior to going to Mexico, so she was prepared to handle any follow-up care. You should definitely do the same. And as for drains, I stayed in Mexico a two full weeks post-op and had my drains removed the morning of my flight home.

I'm surprised you already paid for the surgery in full... most surgeons only charge a deposit prior to surgery. You could contact the Almanza's office and find out if there is any chance of a refund or partial refund. If you put the amount on a credit card, you could talk to your credit card company about disputing the charges. May 28 is still far enough out that you might be able to schedule with a different surgeon that same day and not have to change your flight plans. I'm sure you could work with the people here on BariatricPal and see if any of their surgeons have openings for that date. Or you could contact some of the other reputable surgeon's offices to see if they have availability.

I agree that it is reckless to cut corners with your health by not doing proper research. How anyone makes a decision THIS BIG without researching every aspect of it is beyond me! I did a TON of research when deciding whether to have surgery then a ton MORE research when choosing a surgeon. We are talking about your LIFE here, people! Take the time to get it right!

Am I failing at math here? Wouldn't four laps of 1/4 mile be 1 mile?

Glad to hear everything is working out. It must be scary to have chosen a surgeon and then not have things go according to plan. Hopefully it's all for the best, though, and your surgery and care will go very well!

I don't think it's that BariatricPal doesn't "support" him, just that they haven't partnered up to offer special pricing to BariatricPal members. Not all surgeons are going to pursue those sorts of partnerships.

I never crushed my meds. I was allowed to swallow my tiny pills (birth control and PPI) immediately and resume my whole larger pills (multivitamin, calcium, etc) at 7 days post-op.

I had my surgery 3.5 years ago, so prices may have changed somewhat since then, but I had all my work done, plus a two week stay in the Beauty Care Recovery House (24/7 nurses and all meals prepared) for about $10,500.

Ha! That was so me after I lost my initial weight if you look back at those August, 2011 photos I posted. That padded bra is the only thing saving me at that point! Now that I have my implants, I can't imagine that I ever lived without them. I see old pics of myself (I have some nude pre-op pics as well) and I want to cry that my breasts were ever that pathetic!

I used Dra. Laura Carmina Cardenas from Beauty Enhance in Tijuana. The pain was bad. Not gonna lie. She does an incredibly tight muscle repair with her tummy tucks, so it was a while before I could walk without a walker. Then I had a complication where I had swelling in my lower back. My PCP called it a "lipoma"... an area of soft tissue where Fluid was collecting. The incision for my extended tummy tuck is almost circumferential... there is about a 3-4" gap in it above my butt crack. Since all the lymphatic channels are severed during a tummy tuck, that little space was the only area where fluid could move between the upper and lower halves of my body. Then with the fat grafting to the upper part of my butt, I think that may have "blocked" some of the fluid as well. So everything collected at the base of my spine and I had a lot of swelling and pain there for months and months until new lymphatic channels were established. Now though, that's all a distant memory and I am THRILLED with my results. I'm especially thrilled that they held up through my weight re-gain and re-loss. It's kind of like WLS... it's rough going in the beginning, but the long term results are so worth it! Edit: It occurred to me that you might have been asking just about the pain of the fat grafting. If there was any specific to the fat grafting, it didn't even register compared to the pain of my muscle repair. General pain and bruising from the lipo, of course, but it was minimal.

For any sort of impact or plyometric exercise, the decreased weight makes a HUGE difference. Running now is SO MUCH easier on my knees than it was when I was 240+ pounds!

Yeah, I was only allowed juice in the early stages because it's so hard to get ANY calories in the clear liquid phase, but told to stop juices and any caloric beverages (G2 for example) once I was onto full liquids.