ksgypsy

Hello everyone!! I am one week post Tummy Tuck with muscle repair and they fixed a hernia while they were in there. I’m SHOOK !!
I got to take the bandages off yesterday (completely) for the first time and I don’t remember the last time I looked down and seen the, my know what without the big apron of skin.

anyway to those that are veterans how long did you stay swollen? My team said it varies so much with activity and wearing the binder ect….
Did anyone do the belly button training or will my cute little scabby mess turn out good with out it?
i feel super self conscious showing this picture but I think we can all appreciate our “before and after” photos at some point

I would think that's an unusual reaction. My Surgeon requires 60 minutes of exercise daily so he would think that you're doing very well!! As stated above- it is great for your overall physical and mental health. I admire your motivation and hope you keep it up! It's all about YOU and feeling your best!
Wishing you an excellent path!

This brought back memories from 40 years ago when I was going to school outside of florence, Italy. Wine at every meal.... Breakfast of Champions!! 🍇

Those who were in my February 2019 group will remember that I had essentially no problems at all. Well, not entirely true: I ended up with a leak after surgery that had to be repaired and resulted in a longer hospital stay than anticipated. After that, however, I had essentially no pain and no major challenges.
I actually felt guilty posting about my progress when some of the others who had surgery at the same time were struggling quite a bit. I'm happy to report, however, that all of us eventually ended up where we wanted to be. The journey is different for everyone, but the end result is usually the same.

Today is my 1 year surgeversary and despite everything going on in the world, its been a pretty good year. Since 12/31/2019 I am:
- Down 120 lbs from surgery (161.5 total)
- in the "normal" BMI range, for the first time in my adult life
- almost half of my weight (and will be when I reach goal)
My favorite NSVs
- My knees, what finally got me to have the surgery, feel SO much better
- I'm walking most days, anywhere from 1.5-2 miles and it feels so good both physically and mentally
- I want to be out and experiencing life again, v. being so tired at the end of the day and just wanting to sit on the couch
- I eat completely differently from before, and I have so much more energy
- Clothes fit so much better! From 2x-3x to a Medium in tops.
- Standard bath towels fit

I am down 21lbs currently, my first month is tomorrow. Yes i feel it has been slow moving for me as well.. My first 2 weeks I have lost 7lbs, then 3 lbs the last 2 weeks. Congrats on hitting 41lb weight loss. @ksgypsy

I mix @16 cups of Water with 2 large tea bags and 1 packet of Crystal Light Lemonade. Not quite as good as the bottled 1/2 & 1/2 mix in stores but still good without all the sugar.
Wishing you much success!

I mix @16 cups of Water with 2 large tea bags and 1 packet of Crystal Light Lemonade. Not quite as good as the bottled 1/2 & 1/2 mix in stores but still good without all the sugar.
Wishing you much success!

Friends,
I had my surgery back in Nov of 2013. It was a huge decision for me at the time and I anguished over it. All the information on this website was super helpful, both before and after the surgery. One thing weighed heavily on me was the long term effects of the surgery, so I committed to giving annual updates on my experience back to this forum. This is my seven year update. Posted below is my last update, with the previous nested within.
I weigh about 205 right now and my weight continues to fluctuate within about 10 pounds. I would really like to weigh 190, so like most normal people I'm working on losing a few pounds. With that said, back in 2013 I weighted 275 and was headed for 300+ quickly. I have zero doubt that without having the surgery, I would be in very, very bad shape today and have no regrets about the decision.
Positives:
I've been able to enjoy a "normal" weight life style for the last seven straight years. I'm off all meds. I fit comfortably in coach seats on the airplane. I shop for clothes in regular stores and it's easy to find a size that fits. I'm between a L and XL for shirts and have a 36 waist. My bones and joints don't ache. I can exercise, play golf, ski, etc. comfortably and enjoyably. I happily and naturally eat "normal" size portions and have no "trouble" foods. My meal (whatever it is) basically fills on a salad plate. Two eggs and a piece of toast is a full Breakfast. lunch could be a regular sandwich with nothing else or a half sandwich and a small side. dinner could be a tiny 5 oz steak and a small portion of potatoes and veg. Importantly, these are all full portions for me and totally satisfying. I love food and definitely look forward to eating (head hunger) but I rarely experience physical (stomach growling) hunger. I used to take omeprazole daily for heartburn, but it's unnecessary now. Occasionally, I'll take a Tums but only a few times a month. Since 7 years have gone by, none of my real old friends even remember me as a big person or ask about my weight. Anyone that I've met since wouldn't even know to ask -- they just view me as a normal weight person. When I tell them I used to weigh 275 the reaction is always "no way!" Occasionally, the old pictures come out and everyone gets a chuckle. I don't see myself as a fat person. Negatives:
I'd still like to loose 15 pounds. Even with the gift of not being able to eat much, my ideal weight of 190 requires more work. Reducing snacking, sweets and more exercise is what's required and WLS does nothing to help on those fronts. I'd say WLS solves 80% of the challenge but the last 20% goes back to the basics we've heard all of our lives. If I overeat or eat way too fast, I will need to throw it up. This happens about once a month. It typically occurs when I eat something that's really good and I gobble it down too quickly. About 2 minutes later, I will feel pretty uncomfortable. I can wait it out and eventually it will go away. But more often than not, I just head to the bathroom and get it out. It's kind of gross to be honest. I have always liked to drink alcohol -- beer, wine, whiskey, mixed drinks and so on. IMO, drinking doesn't have any increased impact as a result of WLS -- I'm not more of a "light weight" than I used to be. But, as a practical matter, I do believe that it's easier to over drink following WLS. If I'm out to dinner with friends, they have starter courses, main courses, desert and so on. It's pretty easy for me to pour another glass of wine or order another scotch, while they eat through the evening. I would caution folks that like to drink to pay extra attention to this tendency following WLS. (BTW, I'm doing "dry January" right now:) That's about it. In sum, the sleeve was the best decision of my life. I hope this helps folks that are wondering about how things play out way down the line. If you have questions, you can DM me and I'd be happy to share thoughts. Good luck and look for another report from me next year.

I know you didn't ask me this, but I've been hanging out on BP for several years. A lot of people (although I obviously can't speak for alissajs specifically) choose the sleeve because they feel it's less invasive than the bypass. Although I think they both could be considered pretty invasive - cutting out 80% of your stomach and throwing it in the trash seems pretty radical, too - at least to me...

I think a lot of people also know about horror stories from 30+ years ago, when they used to do severe intestinal bypasses. The RNY is actually a gastric (stomach) bypass, so it's not the same "bypass" surgery they did years ago. They DO bypass part of your small intestine in an RNY - but we're talking about maybe a foot (to do the "Y"). Years ago, with those old intestinal bypass surgeries, they used to bypass many feet of small intestine (and the stomach wasn't bypassed at all - so very different surgery). No one does those anymore....haven't in a really long time. Anyway, a lot of people who had those ancient surgeries got very sick from malnutrition - and some died - and I think some people are remembering those and think that's what they're doing now with the RNY. But they're not..

So don’t bariatric surgeons, bariatric nurses, and bariatric staff need work just like the rest of us? If they weren’t doing these procedures, what would they be doing to put food on their families’ tables? Are they supposed to become infectious disease specialists now just because of Covid? Docs gotta eat too! 😄

Don't worry about being selfish, or taking resources away from the pandemic - if they need to cancel/postpone your procedure because they need the staff elsewhere to deal with the pandemic, they will do so. There was a time early on when it was "all hands on deck" in many places to help deal with the overload (while in other places many were twiddling their thumbs with nothing to do because all the elective procedures had been cancelled out of uncertainty as to how the pandemic would evolve, but hadn't hit their region yet and they had nothing to do.)
Many hospitals are in financial distress these days because they haven't been doing many of the elective procedures that pays their bills (in the meantime, the insurance industry is fat and happy because of all of the "elective" treatments that have been put off.
I have a nephew who works for a bariatric clinic, and their surgeons started lobbying the hospital in the early summer (or before) to let them start working again, as the bariatric business makes very little impact on the critical side of the hospital - they rarely have need for the ICU, and their patients are short term, a day or two, so if COVID cases did ramp up such that the hospital needed the capacity, they could easily shut down the WLS procedures and empty those beds within a couple days to make room.
So, actually, you are doing them a favor and helping the health care system by having your procedure and helping to use the capacity that would otherwise go to waste.

It seems like when someone is a general hater, anything you do will be unnecessary. I had plastics at the beginning of the pandemic and someone pathetically attempted to shame me about it. Ignore them all and live your best life

I just had plastic surgery during Covid, so color me selfish!! LOL!!!
Seriously though, people will say things on anonymous message boards that they would never say to someone's face. That's why I don't read the comments on political articles, etc, b/c it makes my blood boil! Stick with people who lift you up...which is pretty much everyone here!!! HUGS!!!

Thank you for this! You are 100% correct! I hope you don't mind, but if this subject happens to come up...I am going to quote you! This is perfect!!

Oh, indeed! I am certainly going in with my own feelings/research and you are right...there are WAAAY too many judgy-mcjudgers out there. I think it is just a form of ignorance, unfortunately.
I was just really wondering if anyone had experienced this recently when they went in for surgery, but again, you are right... it really doesn't matter.
Thank you!

My weight loss surgery and nearly 4 stone weight loss so far means that I am considerably less likely to require intensive medical intervention if I contract Covid, so reducing the potential burden on hospitals. It has also meant that I have come out of the diabetic level which I was just about in, again reducing potential healthcare demands. Elective surgery can save lives. Some people are just unpleasant and probably at the moment don't have anything better to do than troll others online. Just ignore them!

Please ignore the naysayers, do not even engage with them, its a bit a like religion and politics, we aren't going to change their stance and they aren't going to change our stance.
There will be some who believe we should be open and tell our weight loss surgeries to all and sundry, be an advocate for it. That is not our responsibility, our responsibility is to our own well being, and if that means keeping it private to ourselves and/or trusted family or friends so be it.

No matter what you do, there will be someone who thinks you shouldn't. Just live your life the best that you can. Good luck with your surgery!

Technically, any surgery not done emergently to save your life is classified as "elective." I could live without having my cataract surgery but I'd be blind. I could live without my hip replacement but I couldn't walk. So yes, technically WLS is elective, but necessary, to restore health as the one's named restore health.
I am also a nurse and work with several nurses who have had WLS. We all agree it's one of the best decisions we ever made. The decision is only up to you! Don't let anyone else influence your decision!
I have only had support from people that know about my surgery. What they may be saying behind my back doesn't matter.

Ok. I dont want to offend in any way, but technically WLS is elective surgery.
But even with that said, the decision is up to the hospital (and maybe even your state?) to perform elective surgeries. If the facility and surgeon deem it safe to perform, then it is safe to perform! If it wasn’t, then they wouldn’t.
I hope any decision you make to go thru (or not) with the surgery is based on your own feelings on the matter, and NOT from some judgy-mcJudger who slaps on a “selfish” label and presumes to know better than your surgical team/hospital.
Good Luck! ❤️

I've enjoyed reading everyone's plastic surgery threads, and since I'm 3 weeks out from surgery, I thought I would start my own! I'm going to make up for all of the WLS mistakes I made (not taking "before" photos or measurements), and plan to track my PS progress much better!!
So here's where I am to date! I originally planned on having a CTT (circumferential Tummy Tuck, also known as a lower body lift) along with a BR/BL/BA (breast reduction, lift, and then adding implants back in for fullness). Plans have changed slightly since then, and I've also changed surgeons. The original surgeon I was going to does great work, but the surgery center he works for is very unorganized. I was initially willing to put up with the chaos to get that particular surgeon, but there was story after story of women getting their surgeries canceled at the last minute, and it was adding too much stress to what I want to be a really fun and exciting process.
The new surgeon suggested a different approach, and I really like her thoughts on it. Instead of a CTT she wants to address only the front of me (tummy and breasts) so that she can remove more skin from my tummy and leave me in that post tummy tuck hunched over position. With the CTT she wouldn't be able to take as much off the front b/c of the posterior incision. So my goal for round 1 is to look great from the front! LOL!! I really like how she explained it, and am excited!
Also I'm now down to a 34D, and the lift itself will reduce a little bit, so now I'm just a BL/BA (no more BR).
I've completed my pre-op testing (mammogram, chest xray, EKG, bloodwork), and will head down to Florida next week. I covid test upon arrival then report to the office on 1/6 for my pre-op visit. Surgery is on 1/12, and she wants me to stay in town for at least 4 weeks, but better yet would be 6 weeks after surgery.
Since I'm working from home due to Covid anyway, and have a place to stay in Florida, I'm 100% on board with the stay requirements! Something good to come out of Covid!! LOL!!!
So that's where I am for now, and look forward to updating with my progress as the weeks go by!!

Congratulations on your smooth experience and having a supportive spouse! I had a rough 1st month with 2 readmittances to the hospital. I'm fortunate that I also have a very supportive husband & was a fabulous care giver while I needed it. I have found sf popsicle to be a saving grace- for hydration and the crunch!
Wishing you all the best on your continued success! 😊
I don't know if all do.... I did feel full on liquids but could drink about 8 oz of Soup before I felt full so I was concerned it was too much. Now on 'regular' foods- I definitely feel it at about 1/2-3/4 cup depending on the food.

I've been lurking here and reading for several months. I had RNY 12/14/20. I had saved leave time to cover my recovery so I was able to take a full 4 weeks off. That was a good decision as it allowed me to fully focus on liquids, Protein and recovery. I returned to work this week. It has gone well but does require me to plan what I am going to take to work for food and drink. While I was home, I was able to simply choose from whatever appropriate choice was in the frig. My thoughts and observations so far:
I have not had one single problem. I've had no pain, no nausea and have not needed any of the medication I was provided for those. I have no problem meeting liquid or protein goals. I am going with my program 100%. At this time, I do not feel any hunger (I know that will return). I also don't feel fullness. I realize that is because I am sticking to the suggested amounts. That is a learning experience for me. I was used to eating way beyond full all the time and feeling overstuffed and uncomfortable after a meal.
I don't generally sit and watch extended TV. But being off work and while recovering, we binge-watched a lot of shows. That was another learning experience. My desire was to much on something salty and savory as that has been my past behavior. My husband was very considerate and did not munch. I fully recognized that I wasn't actually hungry but was simply trying to revert to old behaviors. My saving grace was popsicles. They provided crunch and froze my mouth as well. As expected, surgery removed the hunger but not the desire and comfort of previous behaviors.
Returning to work has given me more structure in some areas but also means I have to be more proactive in planning.
I know people are more likely to post when they have problems but I wanted to be the voice of someone who has so far, experienced no problems. Now the hard mental work begins..................

I had an RNY and was specifically told not to eat strawberries and to avoid seeds and skins on food like potatoes and fruit. As all say- so many different diet requirements....

Best of luck!