StephC

yeah I knew that, when my sister had her tt it threw her in complete menopause - she thought she was losing her mind. I go to my gyno on June 6th so I'll talk to him about things then. Until then I'm just dealing with it.

Boo why would he think about a revision so soon after surgery. Surely things can't have settled yet. Aren't you happy with the girls? If you're happy then I'd keep 'em the way they are. As for the port, my band dr says he can do a port revision in the office or out patient, very easily. I can feel my port alot easier but its not sticking out. I go in on Thursday to be refilled, I'm anxious to see how that goes since its so much closer to the skin and also nervous since I'm still tender. Are you numb? My surgeon says its natures way of protecting us, otherwise we'd have extreme pain. LOL He said some people even get numbness in their thighs. My tummy is numb and its weird but he also says in a year from now it should be gone. I'm still swelling in the evenings.

I'm 5'3" and I lost 6 lbs of flab during surgery. When I got home I was at 153 now I'm up about 3-4 lbs... don't know if its from being unfilled (going on Thurs for a refill) or TOM - which is totally screwed up. I'm a few days late so nothing serious but I've been having hot flashes everyday since surgery. Who knows whats going on with my hormones. I just know I'd be happy to get my period and I'll be so very happy to get refilled!

Kat I'm thinking of you. Remember to cough and get plenty of pain meds. You'll do great and come out in the flatlands! Love ya girlfriend!

Hi girls - I've been busy. I got my stitiches out on Friday! Woohoo! I don't need to wear my binder during the day, just spanx. I went shopping Friday and I got a pair of Bill Blass jeans in a size... ready for this?... 6! Yes I said SIX! Of course thats his brand but I went to Steve and Barry's and got 4 pairs of capris in a size 10 - so then I went to another store and got 2 skirts in a size 8 - so i'm thinking I'm about a size 8 now. Its so nice not to have that pouch, the clothes lay so nice on my flat tummy. I can honestly say I am THRILLED with the results! LOVE it! I feel really good, the swelling is a pain in the butt, but I really feel good. I'm massaging my scar with cocoa butter and vit. E a few times a day. The dr said as my scar softens the swelling will lessen - he went into full detail on how it all works but he said to start massaging it so I am. I don't know if you all know that you get numb from them dissecting the skin from the fat, something with cutting of the vessels which host the nerve bundles - dr said its really natures way of protecting us from extreme pain - good enough reason for me - its weird tho, as if someone gave me a shot of novecaine in the belly. DD took a pic of me before church this am, i'll see if I can post it. Good to hear everyone is doing good.

Becky we will keep praying for you - I would definitely appeal and appeal and appeal - you deserve this and its gonna happen for you.

I'm glad I got an unfill before surgery, first time I ever felt nausa with surgery - I didnt' throw up but was glad I didnt have to worry about my band. I had scheduled a refill for a week post-op but was too afraid to let them touch my sore tummy - the last 2 nights I've gone back to my pre-band eating... looking for anything and everything to shove in my mouth. I'm calling my band dr tomorrow and hope to get in on Friday for a fill! BTW - I went in at 158, they took 6 lbs off, I came out at 153 and now I'm weighing in at 151 - the lowest I've ever been and I want to keep it that way!

I don't remember if it was discussed at the first meetings but it was definitely discussed at our support group and still is. I was disappointed in my first consult with a plastic surgeon. The ps didnt' want to talk insurance at all - he said it was $10k and go home and talk to hubby about it. Needless to say I was heartsick - I had at least hoped he'd suggest a pannectolomy covered by insurance. I thought it was useless to go to the 2nd consult but went ahead to it and this surgeon - the one I went with - was all about the insurance paying for EVERYTHING! I said what if they'll pay for the panny but not the tt and he said we'll cross that bridge when we get there but for now we're going to get it covered. He did. He and God, bc I did do alot of praying. I was later told that the first surgeon may not have talked insurance bc they may not have paid what he wanted. For instance, if he charges 10k and insurance says ok we'll cover the tt but we're only paying 8K then he has to do it for the 8K - and being he was from a very upscale facility I can believe it. Anyway my band dr is wonderful and very happy with my results and I am very happy with my plastic surgeon, he just made me feel like he cared about me and my health, not just about the money. I think most obese people know that when the fat melts away they are going to be left with hanging skin.

Boo - sweetie I'm sorry you're going through so much trauma. Honestly I felt like shit the first 2 days in the hospital, like why the hell did I do this! But the 3rd day I went home and everything started getting better. I did cough - even the first night in the hospital, it hurt like heck to cough or more like clear my throat but I made myself do it. The other thing is I stayed on pain medicine the whole time. By whole time I mean I took it every 4 hours, on the hour! I was told you heal faster when you aren't in pain and to take it regularly so I did. The only time my body was in pain was during the night when the drugs had worn off and it woke me up. But even worse was my backache! I was sleeping on my back with my legs propped up to ease the pull on the tummy and it just about killed me. I'd get up and sleep in the lazyboy. But it was like day 7 or 8 and tada I was better. The dr said I could sleep on my side, I only feel comfortable on my right side so I stick a pillow between my legs and one under the belly and I'm able to sleep the night through. I should admit that I am still taking the codine at night, I figure its helping me to sleep and easing whatever left over pain I might have. I know its hard but you really need to cough, and dang it girl get that dr to call you in some drugs! Theres nothing wrong with taking them to ease the pain. I'm feeling about 98% right now. I just want to get the stitches out, its so dry around them, and get this binder off and into some spandex. Then I'll be feeling 100%. I'm just amazed at how fast the body heals, and Boo you'll be too, in another week you'll be feeling so much better. Besides all that... I LOVE MY BODY! Okay so I have some flabby thighs but dang I havent' felt this good about my physical self in .... EVER! I guess it helps that I have so much positive feedback from everyone around me. Jill - don't worry about the 4 lbs, you've done so well since you got pregos. I envy your vaca - geesh my "paid" vaca was spent in pain and agony aka tummy tuck. I'd love to be going on a cruise or to the beach for a weekend! You have to let us know what the baby is asap. My dil is starting to show a little -she says she just looks fat. But she's at the stage where her belly isn't rounded and pregnant looking just kinda swollen - I told her another month and she'll be looking it. My son says well her butt and boobs are getting bigger. She loves that. I've been back to work 2 days and its not been bad at all. Of course I sit at a desk all day so its not real hard labor, but I really thought I'd only be able to do half days, and thats what I had told my bosses but I haven't been tired out yet. I'm taking Friday off to go to get the stitches out. My youngest dd graduates and a few weeks. Hard to believe. We just did the annoucements tonight. She passed all her state boards for cosmotology and went for an interview today. She goes back on Friday and has to do 2 cuts - me and a man's cut. But I think she's got the job. Goodnight ladies.

Hey girlfriend! Sorry you had to go through all that! Geesh! I hope you're feeling better soon. I didnt' quite get how long they kept you in the hospital? I was in from Thursday to Saturday, with iv antibiotics and well all the iv crap they give you. Definitely wasn't dehydrated since I was peeing on the hour, every hour, I'm sure it was all the iv fluids. Pain killers are a MUST! For all of you who are about to proceed into the flatlands, demand good pain meds! I started out with the morphine pump, then they switched me to percocet tablets, which I had to have them cut into 1/4's. When they were sending me home I asked for a liquid so they gave me.. something yellow :smile2: When I got home my older lady friend said you need to take your pain meds every 4 hours bc she read that you heal faster when your body isn't in distress. So I did, I was running out of the liquid around the day that I got the sneezes - OMG! - so although I thought I was ready for tylonel I had him call me in another script, I'm still taking it at bedtime, just so I can sleep better. I think you'll find yourself feeling better every day now. My big turning point was day 7 - it was like suddenly I felt good. I had the rest of the week and weekend to get back to normal - no more naps. Then I went to work on Monday, yesterday, I was planning to go home in the afternoon but I felt so good that I stayed and worked - trying to catch up on the weeks worth of work left for me. Today I breezed through the 8 hours, and I had a blast today. Sorry for taking over your thread Boo but today was great. We had our first ladies meeting and golf day so most of the ladies were out for the first time this season, very few have seen me over the winter. I've lost 30 more lbs since last fall so the few who had seen me already had passed it on that I had lost alot of weight - well then I come in with this tummy tuck - which I didnt' and won't tell any of them about, too much gossip - and they were all streaming into my office to check me out and praise the good work! LOL So this one lady, Brenda, comes in and says how great I look and she didnt' realize I had lost so much, and she hadn't seem me all winter.. blah blah blah... so she leaves and another comes to my window and says that Brenda had asked her if I'd had a tummy tuck or what? She said I told her NO she did not, just hard work! Too flipping funny! I knew it would be like this so all I told the boss was that I had to have 'female' surgery.

Hey Kat - wow that really was a zinger to throw at you! As I read about you laying there thinking about the panny and what to do it brought back memories for me. After my first consult I was so disappointed that I felt like why bother with the 2nd? Then as I pondered the situation I realized I didnt' care if I couldn't get the full tt, that if all I could get them to cover was the panny then so be it, it was all that skin that I was hating anyway. Well of course you know insurance did cover the full tt - and I'm as happy as a pig in poop! I'm loving my tt and I know you're going to love yours too. I'm glad you are busy so this week flies by for you. I know my last week before surgery flew by, I made myself VERY busy. I'm so excited for you! WOOHOO!!!

My insurance paid for a full tt and panny - and I know Kat's did too. If you read my thread, StephC's PS journey/I got approved, we talk about what they are looking for.

Julie are you still wearing the binder? Its such a pain yet I feel like I'm going to fall out without it on. Its the strangest feeling, kinda like I'm sucking my tummy in and if I breath too hard it will all poof out. You really had the drain a long time! Were you still draining alot? I go in tomorrow to get my belly button stitches out. That should be interesting. I wonder if he'll take some of the others out too. How are you sleeping? I slept pretty good last night but will be happy to be able to sleep on my side again.

Faith you crack me up! But I guess I could say the same thing about mine! I also had my muscles repaired. He said they were pulled apart from my pregnancys and that he pulled them tight and defined my waistline and that he thought I'd be happy with the results. So far I'm just a swollen log. Honestly the pain is extreme but with good drugs its totally do-able. And also everyday you feel better. I'm feeling real good now. I still have some achy pain but none of the burning pain. The stitched area isn't bad at all, in fact I kinda think he may take some of the stitches out tomorrow when he takes my belly button stitches out. I think its the whole skin area thats trying to bond back with the muscle that is the worst part. - or my back. yeah I'm still whining about my back aching. I did sleep good last night, in my own bed, but I took pain meds before bed so that probably helped. As soon as I can start sleeping on my sides I'll be feeling much better. Today I put on a pair of jeans and just about flipped out when I realized I didnt' have that bulge anymore. I guess since I'm still so swollen and round I wasn't really paying attention to the flatness of the belly. I felt like tucking my shirt in. I'm loving it. Bman - woohoo to the taataas! You goofball! Hey if mr marine man likes it then good for you! I have actually been talking about a piercing. I just felt I was too old and well ... what would people think? But the other day my pastors wife (she's about 15 years younger then me) and I were talking and I said I would like this done and she said then do it, it'd look nice. The part of the ear thats attached to the face, that little peice of cartilige, I would like a nice little gold hoop with a pearl. In that back of my head I think that will be my reward for hitting goal.

oh Becky - thank you! I'm still praying for your approval. I just feel its gonna happen for you. I know how you feel I was there and its so hard to sit back and wait. Needless to say I didn't. I called, at least 2x a week. Don't worry about being a pain, just keep calling until you get the answer that you want.

Kat I know how excited you are. I'm so happy for you. Its a tough surgery but before you know it you'll be feeling great. I feel better everyday. Just getting rid of that extra skin is so freeing! I put a pair of jeans on this morning and said to my dd - omgoodness my tummy is flat! I've always had that bulge down there and its gone. She says well duh you did just have surgery to take care of it. I said yeah I know but I've been so sore and swollen that I never really digested the fact that my tummy is flat yet. YAY!!! my tummys flat and your's will soon be too! Caution - do not sneeze after surgery. Oh Lord ... thats what I was crying all day yesterday. Oh Lord it hurts. I've taken several doses of airborne and some benedryl so I think I've got it nipped in the bud but good grief it hurt when I was sneezing.

Prune juice. I am not a happy camper if I'm constipated so I'm very careful to either eat my bran or drink it. I was so worried about straining after the tt that the first thing I ate was a bowl of bran cereal in the hospital. The first night home I ate a bowl of bran cereal for supper and then the next day I drank a glass of prune juice - it did the job, there was NO straining at all! You should also be drinking ALOT of water. Whether you like it or not you should be drinking water all day. I'm catching a cold - or trying not to catch a cold - geesh I've been sneezing all day, remember I'm stitched from hip to hip to smile to big hurts. I feel like I'm being tortured every time I sneeze. I've been taking airborne, I let it get done fizzing and then I drink it. I took a claritin and it made it worse! So I ran to the store and got some benedryl and that did help. I also had the dr call in a refill of my pain medicine, I was trying not to take it but the sneezing has sent me over the edge.

First I have to say thank you for the compliment on not looking 46. I haven't really looked at my body a whole lot since surgery, but I did notice my thighs look thinner when I'm sitting. That could do with the weight loss. Hopefully when the swelling goes down the weight will also go down too. Although I'm thrilled with the scale as it is right now. I totally expected it to go higher due to what Ive read and the swelling. I feel better all the time. I was at my son's tonight and my dil said how much better I look just since Sunday. I still get tired in the afternoon, and took a nap today from 2 til 5 - so I supose thats my body telling me to rest and heal.

VA - glad to hear you got the job and all is well. Its always hard to get back to full time when you've been off. I deal with it every spring. It takes a couple weeks but then it gets better. I'm doing good since surgery. I got my drains off yesterday - yay! they were bothersome. Our dear Booboo is having hers today. I pray all goes well. Well actually she's probably in recovery now. A speedy recovery! This was tough, I can't deny it. The surgery itself went better then my band surgery but the recovery has been tough. Its not that I'm in pain, just achy and I can't sleep good bc I have to be on my back and I'm miserable with my back aching. The stitched area isn't sore at all, its not in an area that really gets much use. My whole tummy is swollen tho and thats bc they pull the skin away from the muscle and then the stretching it tight again, to my tummy is tender. I'd do it again tho .. not anytime soon... lol.. but if I had the choice between my old flab and the new tight tummy with the pain that comes with it I'd do it again. I go Friday to get the belly button stitches out. Don't know if I told you they took 6 lbs off, but everyone said how they came out weighing more then when they went in with all the swelling and stuff. WELL I'm down about 5-6 lbs. I weighed about 152-153 this morning my lowest ever! I'm off to take a nap, I still wear out fast.

I had an "almost" complete unfill. I had 8.5 and he took out all he could find and got 7 out- so I guess theres 1.5 floating around in there. I was worried about gaining prior to surgery so I didnt' get my unfill until 4pm the night before my surgery. Since surgery I havent' had much of an appetite, hardly anything the first 3 days and the last 2 days I've been eating very small portions. I was determined I was going to eat a cheeseburger when I got my unfill so yesterday we went to eat at a local little dive and I was able to eat 1/2 my cheeseburger with everything and a couple zucchini fries. I enjoyed it and was pleased that I was able to stop when I was full.

Congrats and good luck! The time will fly between now and then.

I think I look bloated. But heck I expected it, all the swelling and stuff. If you watch the procedure and how they pull the skin all off and stuff its no wonder I'm swollen like a balloon. Julie I had 2 drains and on Sat. the dr was tempted to take them out then, but left them until Monday. I only had about 20-30 cc for 12 hours on Sunday, then 12 hours later Monday morning I had 15 and 20, then 8 hours later he got about 10 out of one and hardly anything out of the other. He said I might still get drainage out of the hole where he pulled it out. I had a little on my wrap but not much. I made my first solo outing this morning. I ran to the bank - I didn't get out of the car just quick little drive. I didnt' take any pain meds this morning so I felt ok. I just took tylonel tho, I just feel achy. I don't have any pain really, but the rest of my body aches, not sleeping in a natural postition I think has a lot to do with it. Question for the rest of you tt'ers, how long till you can sleep on your side? I sleep in bed with my feet proped up on blankets, or in the recliner. Everyday is a little better.

You're in my thoughts and prayers sweetie. You'll do great. Best God vibes going to ya!

Just came from the dr, he took out my drains so I thought I'd post my pics. Sorry it looks gross. If you look close you can see my port scar is now next to my belly button. He circled where my port is. Today is only day 5 so theres alot of swelling. But I'm still pleased with the results.

Today was a good day - day 4 I guess if you count surgery as day one. My dd washed my hair for me - that was easy since I have a removable shower hose/head so I just stood beside the tub and leaned my head in. Somehow a clean body just makes you feel so much better. Hunger... boy this is absolutely crazy but I have NO hunger at all. I'm down in weight by at least 5 lbs. While I was in the hospital I bet I didnt' eat more then 500 calories the whole time. Everything grossed me out and nauseated me. My dd brought me some yogurt from McD's that I normally love and I took one bite and it was so sweet it grossed me out. It seemed like everything was intensified. Or just plain didnt' appeal to me. Since I've been home I havent' eaten a whole lot but I'm making myself. I'm not nauseated but not hungry either. Today I ate half of a peice of lasagna... well half of a half I guess and I was full. Then we went for icecream in the afternoon, so I ate a small cone, for supper I had 2 chicken wings. We had jello cake and I just tried to eat a sliver of it and ended up just eating the topping. I'm drinking alot of water, some juices. I ate bran cereal in the hospital on friday bc I was concerned about bm's. Then I ate bran cereal last night for supper, today I drank a small glass of prune juice. I had gas so bad but it wasn't releasing... if you know what I mean - so I was afraid of being constipated - well thank goodness that worry is over! Every thing came out very easily in the end. :wink2: DH changed my dressings today. Geesh I love this man. He was so cute, washing his hands and holding them up like a surgeon, then I laid on the bed and he and dd took the old off and replaced everything. My belly looks so good - I can't wait to take pics. I only took one nap today. When I woke up my hubby and dd were dressed and ready to go to the athletic banquet ... yeah the one I was so worried about.. nope I didn't get there and I hugged dd and said I'm sorry and she said it doesnt' matter mom, I don't even care if dad goes, its really not a big deal. So of course I had made it a bigger deal then she had. So I hugged dh and told him he's a good daddy. Yesterday was her prom and that was another thing I had worried about missing, but her dad, brother, sister, sil, and sis.bf were all there for the grand march so she felt loved, I'll be at her next one... next week (this was her bf's prom - different schools) So tomorrow I have to go in to work for a little bit, dd is taking me over in the morning, I said I think it'll take longer for my computer to boot then for the actual work I have to do- then I go to the dr. My dd is going back to Philly at noon so my friend is taking me to the dr. Hopefully the drains will come out tomorrow. I'm not getting much out of them so I think he will. I really hate this binder, its just too big and I don't see that its helping much. Kinda stupid to make them one size fits all, just bc there are some short people in the world. My biggest complaint is my back aches. I normally sleep on my side or stomach so this being on my back constantly just isn't getting it. I can only sleep about 3-4 hours and thats it, I gotta get up. I got up last night at about 12 or 1 and got on LBT, watched some tv and ended up sleeping in the lazyboy chair. Everyone gets on me if I do anything around the house -not like I'm really doing anything - today I made lasagna - not too physical - but it just gets so hard to sit in a chair hour after hour. So thats day four. Everyday gets better and yes it is worth it.