wannabthinagain

wow Niki, you are doing awesome! you LOOK awesome too! can i ask how tall are you, and what was your weight before surgery? what size were you before the lift/implants, what kind of implants and what size? what size (once they are settled and not swollen) did the Dr. say you would end up with?(i'm still trying to decide on what size to go with) Your before pics look A LOT like me (except my boobs point even farther south than yours!) did you have muscle repair too (tightening)? sorry for all the questions! I'm having the same thing (except, i'm not doing the thigh lift) as you....TT and lift w/implants. so it helps to 'see' what things may be like! you gave me hope that i wasn't expecting to feel better too quick! what ages are your kids? I am starting to worry about missing them, when should they come home, and when can i care for them on my own....

i have 4 kids, 2 of which are toddlers (2 & 3 YO). they will go to my moms for the first 2 weeks, then come back home. I'm trying to arrange to have someone come here while hubby goes to work for 8-4 that week, so far i have ONE day that someone is coming. my older kids get home around 3...so it will be 8-1 or so that i will have to handle them on my own (if i don't find someone for the other 3 days). I am hoping that i can nap when they nap. Hubby will take off the Friday because i have a follow up appointment (almost 3 hours away). The following week he works evenings and has personal development days that he can take off if necessary. I hope i didn't think i was going to be superwoman and in reality won't be able to take care of them! My aunt will be starting chemo after they come home from my moms and my mom wants to be able to be with her, so as of now, it's not an option that they stay there. sorry, i rambled. i guess i'm now doubting my plan!!! yikes! 20 days to go!

I asked about having mine moved also. Where the surgeon wanted to put it, i was concerned (in between the breast area) because someone told me there's sticks out there. i don't want mine to be noticable, and i was afraid that when the belly in flat, it will stick out. My lapband Dr. is not in the same town as my PS surgeon (if he were, he would go move it himself), and he really doesn't want anyone else touching it in fear of causing infection in the port area. I finally decided that i'm leaving it were it is at. IF it shows really bad, and they can do it without making another scar (because the only scar that you can still see is my port scar, and it will either be cut away or pulled so far down, no one would see it (it should end up right at my TT scar, if not removed).

this is my fear of not getting some taken out. My band is VERY unpredictable! after not having a fill for 4 months, one day i had to have some taken out. had half of what was taken out, put back, only to have to go back for HALF of THAT taken out. I have some days that i still feel like i should have some taken out (but it usually only last for half a day or so), and others that i want more put in! JUST INCASE i have swelling, i'm still going for some to get taken out the day before we leave for Houston. I do NOT want to be stuck out of town and not know where to go or trust someone that doesn't know how to handle the band if i'm super nausous (i get nausous very easy!), throwing up, or super tight! I just need to figure out how much to get taken out. i don't want to go too extreme and gain weight after PS because i'm able to eat anything and everything!!

congrats on the weightloss and (hopefully) upcoming PS! i WISH my ins. would pay for any part of my PS. NOPE...nadda...none! i'm fortunate we are able to pay for me to have PS. i think i'd pay on a loan for a LONG time if i had to, just to be able to finish this part of the journey!!

Hey Josie! i've wondered were you have been! WOW!! lots of good things going on for you!! CONGRATS! is there a date? the time is FLYING! things are all coming into place. We still have some things to do and get together. this morning, all the financial stuff was finalized.... woohoo! we will be booking our hotel today or tomorrow. (you didn't stay in a hote, you went home, right?) I have my phone consult on the 25th, my pre-op appointment on April 6th, and my surgery April 7th! i'm excited about the booty transfer...i've NEVER had a booty and even if it helps just a little, i'll appreciate it...so will my PANTS! LOL we will be picking up a wedge pillow, and we have TONS of extra pillows here. we are requesting a recliner in the hotel room and we have one at home already. We will probably go the plastic lawn chair route with the shower chair. we have a big shower, so it shouldn't be a problem. we have a shower handle that comes off to a hand held type, so that should work out good too! one of my questions for Dr. Adam was when could i shower. in all the paper work, i read anything from 24 hours after surgery to 3 days later....depending what surgery form i was reading. it's good to know he allows it after 1 day! I felt when meeting Dr. Adam that he was very proud of what he does and he wants to be just as happy with the results as i want to be! I cannot WAIT to see what he can do!!! THANKS!!!LOL I actually thought the other day that it would be something if i had to call you to come rescue my hubby at the hotel!!! he had to walk out of lamaze class when they just TALKED about the changes in a women's body while pregnant...i cannot imagine how he is going to handle seeing drains and stiches and me in pain and everything else!!! i'll keep your number on speed dial on my cell! LOL maybe we could get together the day before! I cannot imagine NOT being happy even if i don't end up with the best i can imagine...it will still be MUCH better than what i have to look at right now! do you remember if you get a list of things you will need after surgery? I'm concerned that they give me a list the day before surgery (since my pre-op is the afternoon before my surgery) and then i can't find something i will need. Since i won't be at home, i want to make sure i'm prepared with everything at the hotel. Hubby won't be able to leave to go get anything since we won't have anyone around to stay with me while he's out....unless he speed dials YOU! LOL We are going to be at the hotel until Saturday because I'll have an appointment on Friday, most likely later in the day since that's one of his surgery days. We don't want to have to check out if my appointment is much later than that. I'd be miserable waiting around anywhere, then having to drive 2 1/2 or so hours home. THIRTY days!!!!! :thumbup: 2 weeks until my phone consulte, no more drinking or medicine days.... then 2 weeks after that.... SURGERY! I feel like a nesting mom!! feeling the need to get everything ready for the 'big day'!!

WOO HOO Goodtimes! you must be very excited to have a date and for it to be coming up soon! I am having my surgery (TT & BL w/implants) on April 7th and i'm counting down the days!!

from what the paper work says, i will either have one on when i leave the surgery center, or one they want me to wear will be in my bag that goes home (to the hotel) with me. My concern is to have an extra one or two, so that when one is being washed, i would have the other if i'm suppose to wear one 24/7 for the first 2 weeks (other than showering). I asked about an extra compression garment, and i'll be purchasing that the day i pay the balance of my surgery. i guess they will tell me what i have to wear and how many hours a day at my next appointment (which i'm doing over the phone to avoid having to travel 2 1/2 hours to get the rest of the info and pay the balance). The next appointment i have with the Dr. in person is 3:45, April 6th the day before surgery. i have a list of questions to ask on my phone consult, and if the nurse can't/doesn't answer them, i will have them printed to bring with me for the Dr. to answer at the appointment! 33 days and counting!!

w/implants (if that even makes a difference) what did your Dr. have you wear and for how long? I'm going to need new bras after surgery, and i want to have at least 2 purchased before hand so i don't have to go out shopping right away. right now i'm in a 36 C but was measured and told i should wear a 34 C. I had too much 'skin' hanging out so i got a 36 C and have to wear it on the tightest hook. I'm probably going to be a 34 D after surgery, so the bras i have now aren't going to work. They are also underwire. Does your Dr's say no underwire? only sports bra? (if sports bra, what kind? the uniboob kind or can it have cups, just no underwire?) and for how long before going back to whatever kind you want? if there is a thread already for this...let me know. i tried to search, but wasn't finding what i wanted to know. Thanks! 5 more weeks! WOO HOO i cannot wait!

oh wow...what a great thread to be brought back up to the top! i would love to see more people post there pics! I'm using the same surgeon Nurseamy used, my surgery is 5 weeks away and i'm so excited!! i pray my results are as nice!!

My surgery date is April 7th and i called yesterday to make my appointment for april 5th to get a tiny bit out. I have had a few mornings that my coffee was not going down as easy as normal (not bad, just not as easy as usual) and i'm sure it's hormonal. i don't want to take the chance of that happening worse after surgery and not being in the same town my band Dr. is in to get relief. I also get nausous VERY easy, and i don't want to hurt my band. AS SOON as i can walk comfortable and haven't had any issues with being too tight, i will go back to get my band filled to were i'm at now. your date is coming soon!!! i'm sure you are excited!!! can't wait to hear all about it!

for those of you who had tummy and breast done at the same time.... when did your surgeon say you could start exercising (even just stretching, walking, light weights, etc) when did you FEEL like exercising, and when did you really get back into it? Thanks!

my surgeon and band Dr. both say it shouldn't be a problem (to NOT get any taken out), but with my history of my band tightening randomly, i'm going to have some taken out the day before we leave to head to the surgeon (i live a few hours away from my surgeon, so we are sleeping in a hotel the night before and the nights following). as soon as i'm up to moving around and see how my band responds, i'll have a fill again.

thanks for the advice on getting the pillow and BB&B! we will go pick that up soon! AWESOME NEWS: unless hubby's leave is denied for that week, APRIL 7th is my date!!! 61 days away! woohoo!

wow Allie! I'm so glad you on your way to recovery!! I'm sure once you are all healed up you will think it was all worth it....even if right now you're thinking 'why did i do this?' lol

Last night, we looked at JCPenny's for some thing for me to wear after surgery and the days after that would be comfortable, easy to get on, and have pockets for my drains. we found these : spa robes that are regular $36 for $8.49! i got three of them! I'm short so they fit me past my knees and i bought a medium to allow for my compression garments and swelling. we had looked at walmart and just the lightest and not so flattering moomoos were $8...and the spa robes are really nice, good material, look comfy and i would actually wear after! just thought i'd share.:biggrin:

anyone have a list of things they made sure to have for after surgery? things you forgot or realized you needed? things you wish you would have had, or things that would have worked/helped? things you did to prepare for being out of it and out of comission for a few weeks? I have a lot to do/get toghether/work out having 4 kids, 2 of which are toddlers. (i have no family close to me) I have to figure out when/where the littles ones will go. how to get the others to school. how i will manage to not pick up the little ones after i'm able to do more (one is still in a baby bed).... i want to be very prepared so that very little comes up unexpected. I do my grocery shopping monthly (for the most part) hubby will run to the store for milk and juice if i need those kinds of things, but the house will be stocked with food... any special foods i will want? big, little, important, insignificant...any and all...what would you recommend? I tried to do a search to see if a list had been made, but either i don't know what i'm doing, it was way back in time, or there was none. I'm sure others would like to see this too, from the been there done that group!!!

taxes are done and it looks like next week i will be booking my appointment! if there are days left in March, it looks like the plans that were going to postpone my surgery until April have changed...so if there are days available in march that work out for us AND my mom (who will be keeping the lil ones for me) i will have it done in march! Waiting on the office to email me dates that they still have open!!

you can't see the port itself, but that side of my belly protrudes more than the other....kinda like i have abs poking out on one side and not the other. i've decided to NOT have it moved, and if it's THAT noticable after surgery that i will have my band Dr. move it and/or put a low profile one. My band dr. says it's a right of passage to have it show...it shows how far you have come...he forgets, not many know about it!! LOL If my PS and band Dr. were closer, i would have them work together in surgery, but they aren't. I'm sure my band Dr. put my port deep because that was the only place that hurt, and it was deep in the muscle that hurt. getting closer to finding out!!

you look fabulous Allie! just wait until all the swelling goes down!! you will be SOOO happy with your thighs!!

This was addressed and he said he covers them. the only thing i would have to cover is if i had to be put under again. he has a surgery center, so i wouldn't have hospital charges, just whatever the anestesiologist cost (i'm pretty sure that was all)

I hadn't been around here much, but thought i would update. From Nov. (after my consult) until the 2nd week of January, i managed to gain! ARGH!!! i was up 15 pounds (i had to have some fluid taken out of my band and had to really push it with my eating to feel any restriction). I'm still 9 pounds up, but i'm on track with eating, working out 6 days a week again and have added the C25K program too. I plan to call to make an appointment to have a tiny bit of fill put back. it seems around my period i'm still having sporadic days of restriction and would hate to put too much and on those days can't even DRINK! we are planning to do our taxes on MONDAY and as soon as it hits our bank, calling to book my appointment! I orginally planned for March, but it's looking like i may have to wait until April, the week after Easter break, so i will have help with the kids. I plan to have the 9 pounds gone AND get down another 4 to hit 120. The Dr. said he would take 6-8 pounds off and that should put me around 114 but will LOOK even smaller...I'll take THAT!!

If you have had PS and had your port moved... where was it to begin with and where did you have it moved? are you happy with it now? does it show? do you have any trouble with it in the new place? did you band Dr. do the move? if you didn't have it moved, and your port is on your lower left belly area, does it show (naked or in a swim suit?) i'm not worried about IN clothes. I'm a 'not telling i have had the band' and i don't want to answer questions about "what in the heck is that big bump sticking out on you?!" my PS said he could move it (and remove my scare for the port) but my band Dr. doesn't want me to have it moved by anyone but him incase of infection. My PS also said he would put it between the breast bone and someone else that has theirs there doesn't like it there. I plan on wearing bikinis this summer after i'm all healed from PS and like i said, i don't want questions about my port.

I'm SURE everything is going fine and you will be so very thrilled with your results after you are healed!! sorry i haven't been around but i have read through your post and seen your pictures and you look FABULOUS!! can't wait to hear about today's surgery and watch you finish your transformation!!!!

I'd say if he doesn't have time to answer any and ALL of your questions now, RUN! My consult was FREE, was OVER 2 HOURS and he went through my entire PAGE of typed out questions i brought in. He made me feel like I was the only person he had to see that day if that's the amount of time it took. since then, i have even emailed questions and i have gotten answers and i haven't even booked my date yet! (i'm going to in 2 weeks when we get our taxes back and i'm SOOO excited!) you can call around and find our if their are other surgeons that don't charge for a consultation and go see other even if it is just to see what they say and charge. you will KNOW when it's the right surgeon, you will NOT doubt it. until then, i would keep going to consults!