ssflbelle

Fantastic weight loss! Your looking really good. Keep going strong and don't let the haters get you down in any way.

I had the sleeve, hernia repair and gallbladder removal all at the same time. I went in on a Tuesday and was back home Thursday afternoon. I spent the day in my recliner and went to sleep in my own bed that night. It took me about 4 hours to drink my first protein shake on Friday. I was on full liquids for 2 weeks. The 3rd week I was able to eat 1 egg per day with the liquids the rest of the day. It took me about 3 weeks to get rid of the gas pain as I was wheelchair bound before surgery and was not able to walk. As for the other pain there was hardly any from the surgeries. I didn't have pain presurgery either. It sounds like my recovery was pretty easy compared to others who posted. Hope your recovery is going well.

I have a friend who weighs over 300 pounds who also works for Walmart in GA and recently was injured in a car accident. Due to the increase in pain from the accident she looked into the WLS and she was told the same thing. I believe she is doing her preop requirements in GA and will go to PA for the surgery. Check and see if you can do your preop in your state. In the mean time see what monies you can save to drive or fly to PA and stay a few extra days before coming back home. Good luck with everything.

Went back to work this past Tuesday and Thursday 6, weeks after PS. The staff was so happy to see me and stated I looked good. This was the first of four excess skin removal surgeries, so it will be a long process. My breasts were made smaller for the ME I will become, so right now they are not in proportion to the rest of my body. I didn't even fit into the B cup bra that the Dr told me I would be wearing. I spent the weekend looking for bra enchancers to put fill out the B cups. Even though they adhere to the inside bra side I do not feel comfortable with them in. However I do look better. I only work 2 days per week so during the other days I will not be wearing them. A few weeks before I returned to work I was out walking with my walker each day. I only used the electric mobility device to shop. Last week I walked into the WLS office with just my cane. He was so impressed. He figured it out that I have lost 89% of my excess weight. I am only about 27 pounds from goal and I told him I would have 100% gone by Jan 26 2018, 2 years after my 3 procedure surgery. When I went back to work on Tuesday I was able to use my cane several times while in the building to take short walks. Still used my electric mobility device for the longer walks as we have a huge building. The staff was surprised to see me using my cane. After work on Tuesday used the walker to go to Bingo and again on Wednesday to go to Michigan Rummy. Had to use the scooter on Thursday as I was all over the building. Come Friday I was extremely tired and rested most of the day. However for the PS I had being back to work a week earlier than expected, I think I did pretty good. I go back tot he PS this Monday for my 7 week followup. We will be discussing a few things I am seeing that I am not real happy with, but I am sure he will tell me things will get even better when the next PS is done. I just have to keep it in my mind that my body is still in the transition stage and the final outcome of what my body shape may not take place until late 2018. I am not a 497 pounder on a 500 pound limit electric scooter anymore. In fact the Vocational Rehab Department is in the process of trying to get me a smaller scooter as I the one I currently have is very old, and difficult to load into the van because it is too big and I don't need that big of one now. I shall continue to use my walker but will try walking more with just my cane, so by the time my next PS is over with I may not need the scooter any more. Some day soon I can say I am walking without any aids and I DID IT! Please continue to read my blog and celebrate that day with me when it happens.

CONGRATULATIONS! I am so happy you have a surgery date. Once you start to lose the weight I am sure your knees and back will feel so much better. I went from using an electric mobility device to now using just a cane to walk. I was 60 when I had my surgery and just 6 weeks ago had the first of 4 excess skin removal surgeries. Please keep me posted as to how you are doing.

Watched a few of the reviews on their site and the people seemed to have enjoyed these cakes and rolls. A sampler pack isn't too bad price wise so I might try them. I had previously tried something similar. Can't remember the name of the company but they were horrible and went moldy within days of receiving them. Thanks for the link.

From Oct 2016 until june 2017 I had to maintain my weight between 218 to 222 after having lost over 270 pounds. In June my insurance paid for a breast reduction. The Dr took off 6 pounds of breast skin and I have since lost another 9 pounds and am 27 from my goal. The Dr said the excess weight loss probably will not affect my breasts as he made them smaller than a B cup. I was told when I get to my goal weight the Dr would take the excess skin from the tummy which he is estimating to be about 15 pounds. I will still have arms and legs excess removal to go through as well. I suppose it depends on how far you are from your goal and how old you are. Being 61 it was unlikely my skin would shrink to normal.

Thanks hercrystal and shalanda for your encoouragement and comments. I went back to work Tuesday and everyone said I looked great and I felt great but I did have in the bra enhancers at work. I chatted with others on line and they said to give the breast more time to heal and after the rest of the excess skin is removed they will probably be a B. I just had a momentary freak out. I am doing fine now. Everyone Thanks for all the help!

Thanks Everyone for all the compliments and suggestions. I wore the bra enchancers today. I had a weird moment trying to figure out which way these enchancers are to be worn. I think I had them in the wrong way for a few hours but they still looked good. My close friends said I looked better. I even felt better. I am a single 61 year old who is not even dating. So I guess I will fake it till I make it through all the surgeries. Berry I kind of think you were right on with my thoughts. I really felt that it was the shock that I wasn't a B that threw me off emotionally. I am usually a positive person. I will just have to be patient and see what happens when the rest of the excess skin is removed. Who knows they may pop out more and look great on the new body.

Never heard of crop top bras. I will have to enter that into a search engine and see what they are like. Today I wore the bra enchancersI bought yesterday. A few close friends thought I looked a lot better with them in based on the size my body is now. These can be removed if my natural breasts are in more proportion to my body n after the other surgeries.

Jess Thanks for the additional info. It sounds like we are alike in that 70 I was my largest. When the weight came off mine were also long down to my belly button. I rolled them into the 46DDD bra. What are the implants you have? Are they under the muscle. My concern is leaks and the plastic pouch or whatever it is made of. It is good to know they can't pop. That is odd that they are still 32DDD but they are perky and where they should be and not hanging down any more, right?. Did your insurance pay for them? I doubt that my insurance would pay for them so I am going to have to wait and see what happens after the tummy is taken care of.

Thanks for the link. I looked at those Shapeezz and they look very similar to the bras I was wearing before the reduction. I think I need to wait it out a while longer before I buy any more bras to see what happens.

Thanks there is one in my county I will check them out.

Thanks Ladies Yes this is a scary process for me. Having come from a 70 I down to a 46DDD and now who know what, but not a B I am freaking out a bit. I told the Dr I didn't want any implants. I don't mind things being taken out but putting foreign things in my body is kind of a turn off to me. I do plan to see my surgeon on the 14th for a 7 week followup and we will be discussing the inverted nipple, uneven breasts as the left seems smaller than the right, the incorrect size and excess skin under the armpits and around the back. I thought I was happy until that B cup bra went on. The tops of the surgical bras are showing with the blouses I wanted to wear therefore I was trying to go with the type of bra I use to wear just a smaller size. I did some research last night and found out Penny's has bra enchancers. I bought two diferent styles and when I put them in the bra and when I put the blouse on it looked so much better. I have to wear both styles in the left cup and the one style in the right cup.

Thanks for this info. I looked at them but since I still have a lot of excess skin under my armpit/breast area and around the back I don't think these will work now. Maybe later when all the excess skin is removed as they do look like nice bras.

Outsidematchinside yes I know we have discussed the likeness and differences in our shapes. I measured a 43 so I got a 44 band. The difference between underband and across the breast is only 2" bigger which should be a B cup. B is too big. Thanks Jess for the link. I have used the reddit method for the past 15 years. It was this method that helped me to finally find a bra that didn't cause indentations in my shoulders and got rid of the bulge in back and under my arms. So I know I measured correctly. I have always had a huge band and even after losing 290 pounds it apparently must still be huge for my weight.

Since I have been on BP for over 2 years feel comfortable enough to share something that has been bothering me lately wth hopes that discussion about it might help me and others. This is geared to those whom have lost a huge amount of weight that have or had a lot of excess skin. As most of you know I lost so far 290 pounds. I had my first of four excess skin removal surgeries 5 1/2 weeks ago. It was a breast reduction from DDD cups to what the surgeon told me would be B cups. Yesterday when I tried on the new bras I ordered the B cups were too big, which means I must be an A. The lower half of my body is now bigger and sticks out more than my breasts. I am hoping with the excess lower skin gone I will be more in proportion. However that will not happen for quite a few more months. I am really having a difficult time with the way I look especially when I am not dressed. My self esteen is usually pretty good but this bra/belly situation has hit me hard. Yes I am healthier and happier but now have a whole new set of self esteem issues, which has hit me rather hard. I am becoming very embarrased by the way I look now. I am wearing my oversized tops to try to hide my belly and boobs. I bought bra enchancers to fill out the B cup size and spanx. to try to press down the tummy. How did you emotionally and mentally handle the excess skin and changing body shapes as you went through the excess skin removal process? I feel like I need some self esteem help. Do any of you have any articles that might have helped you or even people in person or online that you were able to turn to during this time. I am sure when all 4 surgeries will be over that my self esteem will be back 100% but right now I am almost too embarassed to be seen and want to get over this self esteem issue. Also at these various WLS conferences I see being advertised is this a topic that is discussed and is there anything posted anywhere that might help me and others with this type of self esteem isuue? Thanks so much if you read all of this posting and I hope some good discussion and advice will come from it.

Hi Ladies I had a breast reduction 5 1/2 week ago from a 46DDD to what I thought would be a B cup. WRONG! Just today I received the bras I ordered on Monday. They are a 44 B cup bra and they are too big in the cup. The right side cup is too big by at least 1 inch of excess material and the left cup by 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches of excess material. It seems to me that the right side is still swollen and there will be even more excess material when the swelling goes down. I am suppose to go back to work Tuesday. I had been wearing the surgical bras that were provided by the hospital but was told when I went back to work I could wear a regular bra. Ladies please help as the two 44B bras I bought from a catalog do not fit. What stores should at go to, to find 44A bras? I went to Walmart and couldn't find any. Their bras were bigger than B cups. Should I not be wearing a cup bra but more of a seamless bra? If so what size would I wear as the ones I have seen in the catalogs don't go by band they are labeled s, m, l, 2x/3xL, etc.. I need front closure as I have a bad shoulder and can't get my left hand behind my back. I have heard of Breast cutlets that could be put into bras to fill them out. However I don't know what store to go to, to find them. I never expected to have such difficulty finding a bra to fit my new reduced breasts. I still have the 3 excess skin removal surgeries for the rest of my body. Right now these breasts look and feel very small and I wonder when the rest of my body is taken care of will these breast be in proportion to the rest of my body? I never expected such a hit to my self esteem but this has taken me into a deep depression. Any suggesstions would be greatly appreciated.

I take gabapentin and have been taking it before I had the sleeve surgery and have lost weight not gained. As for the Dr freaking you out you might want to do as the previous 2 posted suggested. Don't rush into the lapband without additional research. I was going to have that surgery done in 2008 as my insurance at the time would pay to put the band in but would not pay for all the saline fills that are needed until you get to what they call your sweet spot. I couldn't afford the fills so I didn't have that surgery. Fast forward to 2015 when I came onto these boards and researched about the sleeve as my insurance was willing to pay for that surgery. I read lots of posting from people who had the band removed and had the sleeve surgery. Seeing those postings I was so glad I didn't have the band put in. Please take the time between now and your scheduled surgery to do more research.

Oh yes the walking and bike riding I am doing now is around my community. I also have a Gym membership I would like to be able to use again. The circuit at this gym also works out other muscles. Will just have to wait 11 more days to see if Dr will allow my return to the gym and also swim in my community pool after the 14th.

hercrystal Thanks so much for the compliments. Congratulations on getting approval for your final surgery. Would love to hear the details as to which one this is and the ones you have had already? When is the surgery scheduled for? Yesterday I was finally able to get back on my tricycle and went 2.71 miles in 98 degree Florida sun. I also went for a .31 mile walk so I got in about 55 minutes of mild exercise. I am hoping when I go back to the PS on Aug 14th he will allow me to start swimming and maybe go to the Gym. I am only 8 pounds away from getting into the 100's and so want to be to my goal by the time of my next skin removal surgery. Will find out on the 14th more about the procedure it will be and start the insurance porgress. I am hoping for sometime in Oct. Ths huge apron is really getting to me now that the boobs are so small.

I started my journey weighing 497 pounds. Following 2 weight loss programs I lost on my own and through exercise down to 317. At that weight I had the sleeve done in Jan 2016. That helped me get down to 210 and now I am only 30 pounds away from my goal. You have to follow the high protein, low carb program you are given, exercise when the Dr says it is ok to do so and have the right frame of mind. I have not regretted the surgery at all. You can do this! Many have been your weight and lost. I found that going to support groups, joining forums like this and the special forums for higher weight losss on this site and a lot of other weight loss sites and private facebook groups to be very helpful with encouragement and support. I worked hard to get this weight off and with all the excess skin hanging the hard work doesn't show, so if my insurance pays for those surgeries I am getting them done as well. One month ago I had the first of four excess skin removal surgeries. I didn't regret that surgery either. In the Fall I hope to have the excess skin on my tummy removed.

I weigh my foods after they are cooked.

Hi all I don't think I posted in this thread before. Forgive me if I have. I had my 3 procedure surgery on Jan 26th 2016 at the age 0f 60. In addition to the sleeve, I also had a hernia repaired and my diseased gallbladder taken out. Three weeks ago I had the first of four excess skin removal surgeries. I speak for myself when I say this yet it may apply to all of us. If this surgery is truly what you want GO FOR IT! We may take a bit longer to heal because of our age but age shouldn't stop us from getting the surgeries and living the remainder of our lives without all his excess weight and skin. I know I am happier and healthier for having done this.

3rd week followup and I am doing so good the Dr doesn't want to see me again until Aug 14th. The FNG looks great and the mounds are being to take shape. After all the excess skin was removed the Dr said I had enough tissue to give me a nice B mound. Had three more stitches removed from the right breast. The swelling was down as well as the pain from last week's visit. Overall the Dr and I are very happy. I can finally sleep on my side, lift more than 5 pounds and ride my tricycle. So thrilled to be able to do those things again. The walking and bike riding will help get my strength back so maybe I can return to work on Aug 8th with just the walker and may not need the scooter any more. That would be fantastic to finally walk around the agency.