KZol

I had a major rehaul breast reduction. They took a section about the size of a pound of butter out of each breast. The recovery is a BIG DEAL. I had mine done in Costa Rica and had to stay in-country for three weeks in a recovery house. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I believe it was an additional SIX weeks before I was supposed to lift my arms from my sides (practically impossible). I asked how long before I could do yoga, and he said at least three months. You are also not allowed to pick anything up--I lifted a basket of laundry at about five weeks out and popped a stitch (just one), ended up with a big hole that took about a month to close over, and left me with major scarring--it's in the place where the three points of skin come together at the bottom--you have to be extremely careful of damage there because there is NO undamaged tissue to build from and it all has to start from scratch. If the stitches are not intact, you'll get tissue death and that's what makes the hole. My surgeon did an excellent job. He stitches in an "internal underwire" to preserve lift as much as possible. Sadly, I have the stretchiest skin in the universe and have ended up with far more droop than I would have liked, but this is not his fault. The shape is flawless. They're nice, but not nineteen-year-old nice... Size, as mentioned, is difficult to predict. I went in with a 36FF asking just to have a good shape and proportional size. I also took a picture of the shape my husband wanted. The surgeon was thrilled to hear that, because people often come in asking for a specific size and that's not really how it works. Perkiness long-term will depend largely on how prone your skin is to stretching (do you have a lot of stretch marks? Really extensive loose skin from pregnancy or weight loss, or did it snap back fairly well?) and on surgical technique. It is also EXTREMELY important to wear the compression bra after surgery for at least as long as recommended. Don't think you can come home and throw on a sports bra. Then you need to be in a supportive (but no underwires until allowed) bra all the time, even sleeping, for at least a year. I did not follow this rule, much to my dismay now. It is VERY tempting not to. You've got these great perky new breasts, and you want to wear halter tops and things without bras....resist the temptation. There will be time for that later. I hope I answered all your questions. :confused1:

I look forward to my weight not ALWAYS being a topic of discussion with my dearest mother...wait...that might not work. She talks about my sister's tummy pooch all the time and she's a size 4! Okay then, I look forward to a mere discussion of my physical defects, NOT accompanied by the OH SO sad, ashamed look on her face. Oy...

Awwwww....that is the BEST story. What a nice husband. I think my hubbie would feel the same about baggy bottom trousers, not so sure he'd take my shopping...

With some of these kids, esp the very young ones, they're just curious (my daughter was about two when, in the grocery store, she pointed and said "Momma, why is that man so fat?" I just explained that people come in all different sizes and thank heaven I did, now that I am "that fat"!) With others, they're picking up a negative attitude from some adult in their lives, or even some other child. To YOUR child, whose mother is the most precious thing in the world to him, this must be (and obviously is) truly horrifying. I remember my kids hearing negative comments about the fact that I was a single mom, or identifying us as "trailer trash" because I was a very poor, very young single white mom with two small children close in age, and I always felt that the solution was similar--telling them that there are all kinds of people in the world, and sadly, some people had bad feelings about other kinds of people than themselves. We live in Arizona, where there is some nastiness toward the Spanish-speaking community, and I used that as an example--their eyes got big and my daughter said "But DORA speaks Spanish!" (Dora the Explorer) Something about the idea that someone could not like DORA seemed to really help them understand that people can be very unfair in their ideas and prejudices, and it's sad for them if they think that way, but we shouldn't feel bad because their wrong ideas are not our fault. It's really funny, all these years later, but it somehow feels so much more difficult explaining this to adults....

I know the sleeve works great for volume eaters, but I am definitely a grazer--something I know is supposed to support a healthy weight but, in my case, does NOT. I don't have a large stomach capacity (I think probably 16-20oz.) and am very miserable if I eat that much. I know grazing is a no-no with the sleeve, and I will have to change my behavior patterns--has anybody out there done so successfully?

Letting people take photos of me again. Not being afraid to go anywhere because someone from my thinner days might see me. Having my neighbor call me "sexy mama" instead of "lil round mama" Not spending a fortune on clothes over the internet, then sending them back three times to get the right size. Looking in the mirror without cringing.

Hooray! I know it's scary to think of being out there on your own, but I have been where you are and it was the BEST feeling in the world to be out from under the burden of that man's control! I felt a thousand pounds lighter! You are going to feel amazing and LOOK amazing! How great is that?

I think that's what's called in generic terms a "thread lift". They attach threads with tiny barbs to the areas to be lifted and then secure them behind your ears. I understand it's pretty non-invasive and easy to heal from, but I don't have any personal experience to relate, sorry.

Hooray for you! You give us all hope!

You are AMAZING in every way!

There are a few guys out there who are weirded out when a woman "doesn't eat". I'm not even sleeved yet, and I've run across a couple. "Why are you taking such small bites? Who eats like that? I DARE you to take a giant bite right NOW". I suspect that these guys are not good candidates for a relationship after VSG. They want that magical girl who eats like a guy but still stays super thin. I think the majority of guys are charmed by limited eating. My own husband was certainly pleased that when I met him I only ate two energy bars and one can of soda per day. Wildly unhealthy, but I was thin and he liked it. I would try the slightly more truthful "I had stomach surgery, and I have to eat like this right now." As far as guys talking....yes, they talk, but in my experience they don't really gossip like women do. They mostly talk about themselves. My best friend has been a guy for over a decade, and even talking to a woman, there's very little in the way of gossip. I think if you decide to tell him, your secret will be safe, especially if you tell him you're not interested in the news getting around. Just my two cents. Best of luck!

I loved your take on the "momentum" of the scale. I'll have to try that. Congrats on your wonderful weight loss!

Woohoo! Great results!

I was wondering about this too...my understanding was that problems with the gall bladder were due to extremely rapid weight loss...if mine is slower, will my gall bladder be okay?

When I had my breast reduction, they removed the nipples, but I actually GAINED sensitivity afterward. I may be an unusual case, but for me they are now almost too sensitive. About the boob gallery--if you go to locateadoc.com and search breast lift, it has photos of many different US surgeon's work. I printed out photos of breast reductions from there and made my husband go through and pick the ones he liked best, then took the photo to my surgeon. They turned out GREAT. Every doctor in the US who saw them afterward was really impressed that I had that outcome without adding any silicone for volume on top. There are a lot of seriously ugly breast reductions out there, so I was thrilled with my outcome.

Tiffy, I know it's too late now for the ball, but for colored shrugs I just got my new Soft Surroundings catalogue and they have them in semi-sheer silk in tons of colors at softsurroundings.com

My BP bounces around, too. If I'm nervous in the doc's office it will come out high, but stick me with a needle and it plummets and I faint or vomit or both. So your unstable blood pressure could be causing a lot of your discomfort. Hope you feel better soon.

I'm feeling really anxious, too, even though I don't have a date yet. I keep picturing what my grandmother will say if/when she sees me eating so little, and at the same time, wondering WHAT I will do if, like my grandma, when I'm 90 I weight 84 lbs. and there is no way for me to take in enough nutrients or calories. My grandma used to be a very "robust" woman. While she is amazingly healthy--healthier than I am, acutally--her weight has just dwindled over the years. I can't help but wonder how this surgery will affect us when we're old and feeble, and nobody knows because it hasn't been around long enough. ARGH!

Oh, I am evil when I diet, too. I actually live for the most part on very restricted food choices and DON'T get what I want to eat but something about telling myself "NO" just makes me crazy and mean.

My husband was not into it at first either, basically because he is terrified that I'll die. He's calm and supportive now after TONS of info, but will probably freak out again once I have a date. This too shall pass. We are all here for you.

Oh, I feel for you. There's nothing worse than constant vomiting. I hope you get the issue resolved.

This is a pretty major concern for me, too. I'm pre-op but generally eat a very high-fiber diet. TMI, but I am...very petite in THAT area and the few instances of backup I have had have meant major trauma...tearing, bleeding...eeeek. Going low carb sounds like a recipe for pain to me.

Oh, I have a whole other level on top of this. I was raised in a very, very conservative Christian community and in high school I was taught that staying slim was considered part of being a good wife and a "virtuous woman". Gluttony is a sin, being overweight was considered a "lack of control", etc. It was a boarding school and I would say 60% of the girls in my dorm had some type of eating disorder. SCARY. Now, of course, although I am a fairly sensible person, I have horrible guilt over being obese, feel that I am letting my husband down in a very fundamental way. I am also alarmed at how being obese seems to drop you a couple of dozen I.Q. points in people's perceptions....especially health care professionals. I am quite articulate and had always been treated as an intelligent person UNTIL I gained the weight. There was a fundamental shift in the way I was perceived and spoken too. It was, and is, really very surreal...

I have fibromyalgia, and that means excerise=PAIN. I used to love to work out before I got this sh!t, Bikram hot yoga, weights, the whole thing. NOW I can barely walk around a Super Walmart without ending up in bed with a heating pad the next day! So is there anybody out there on this journey who also has chronic pain, especially chronic pain aggravated by exercise? How do you push through?

I was really nervous to tell my mom, too. She thinks anyone can change anything if they just want it badly enough. I just told her I was "considering" and gave her lots of info about the surgery. She took it pretty well. I think I conveniently forgot to mention the Mexico part, but I have been out of the country for surgery before so the shock of that would probably have been mild. When people freaked out that I was going to a "third world country" for my first surgery, I just explained that I was lucky enough to be able to have a world class surgeon work on me...something I could never have afforded here in the States. Most surgeons here in the states have a fraction of the experience doing sleeves compared to the Mexican surgeons most often mentioned on this board. That's a big deal to me. I might have been able to get someone here in Arizona to match the price because they're competing cross-border, but I never would have found someone with the same experience. I know you'll have a harder time than I did with your mom being an RN, but if you've done your homework and you're confident in your decision that will shine through. Best of luck!