bosteph

I haven't posted in forever. :cursing: I visited with Dr. Fred Duffy (referred to me by my band surgeon) on Thursday. Even though I thought that my breasts were large and heavy, Dr. Duffy put my DD's in perspective... In the world of big breasts, mine aren't that big. Sooooo.... Insurance will not pay for my lift/reduction. That's okay though. I have over the past 12 months scrimped, saved and liquidated some assets to set aside money for my body transformation. I am happy to say that my surgeries will come in $4,000 under budget! :thumbup: :thumbup: So I have the estimate, I have the money and now I just need to schedule my surgery date. I am shooting for the second week of June. I feel that this is the end of one phase of my life (the fat phase) and I am opening a new chapter. I can't wait to read my future...

I think that the swelling is getting to be less everyday and it certainly is affected by what I wear. Tighter clothes help and loose comfy close make it swell more. I start off each day in size 12 pants (way too big but 10's really hurt later) and by 3pm the upper ab swelling is pushing the pants down. The waist is still too big but the pants can't stay in the correct position. This makes the zipper area of the pants bunch up and look horrible. I visited the doctor and everything looks fine. There is nothing "wrong" so it's just a waiting game. Everyone is different so there is no good estimation of when this will stop. The doctor thinks that I still have significant swelling in my thighs, abdomen and hips. He's pretty sure that I will get even smaller.

Tracy, Not that I'm taking your husband's side but... You changed all of the rules - you lost weight you keep "talking" to people that he doesn't know you are trying to make yourself look even better He doesn't understand why you need to look better, after all he loves you. In man rationale it could only mean that you want to look better for other people - possibly other men. Of course he won't verbalize any of this because he is really not in touch with why it makes him irritable. He just doesn't "get" it. He might talk about it if you gently and artfully direct him into the conversation. I know that you are happy with your decisions but take a step back and reassure him. Definitely do it but keep in mind that he is scared for you and scared of what this might mean for him. Good luck!

I start swelling about mid-day and swell until I go to bed. The swelling starts at my rib cage and goes down to my belly button - it looks very weird. It's uncomfortable but not painful. As far as my butt goes - I wish it was swelling...:wink_smile: My butt is bigger cause that's how God made me, unfortunately. I had the same problem in high school. I will work on it and if I can't fix it myself in the next year or so, I'll let the good doctor do it for me. :teeth_smile:

The swelling is still crazy. :wink_smile: I thought that I should check back in... The swelling is driving me nuts. On top of that I have a very sharp pain in my incision around the old drain location on the right side. I'm pretty sure that the pain is on the inside, not just the incision. My thighs are a lot smaller but I am not 100% happy with them yet. I'm pretty sure that I still have swelling there too. My breasts are fantastic. I am having trouble buying clothes because I have a size 8 waist and 12 butt!!! Definitely we are going to have to do something about that. :teeth_smile: I am going to call the doctor tomorrow. That sharp pain has to stop. :biggrin: Have a great week everybody! I'll let everyone know what the doctor says...

For those gals with curly (or wavy) hair... I have extreme curl. I have fought that curl for most of my life. I have tried every product on the shelves to fight frizz, smooth it out, etc. - all to no avail. Temporary results at best. A humid day or a rain storm would send me running. One day I was on the internet searching for some miracle product and came across a website...Naturallycurly.com: Where curls come to life! I read through everything like a thirsty woman in the desert. I have been following their advice for about a year now. My hair has gotten even curlier. But there is no frizz, my hair is bouncy, shiny and healthy. Everyone comments and cannot believe that the curl is natural. So here is my routine: I wash and condition every other day with Suave Naturals (the only silicone free products at normal stores). I use a conditioning cleanser in between. (DevaCurl NoPoo) I use the full line of DevaCurl products for styling (no silicones). I always let my hair air dry. All of the products that are being billed as "frizz" fighters contain silicones (read the ingredients and anything ending in "cone" or "xane" is a silicone). Silicones coat the hair and prevent moisture from penetrating. This causes dryness, which causes frizziness, which causes you to put on more product, which seems to work temporarily. This is why curly hair looks great after a cut and gets progressively worse until the next cut. I stopped fighting and am now embracing my curl. I have more time in the mornings and I don't leave home angry over a bad hair day. :wink2:

Nothing much to report... Swelling continues to be a problem (a whole size different in the afternoon versus the morning). Pants are falling off and fit funny in the front. :wink2: Thighs looking better - slowly but surely. :cool2: Take care everyone.

I went to the PS today for a follow-up. He is thrilled with how I am healing. He said - "go, be free, live life!" I said "Can I play golf and bowl?" He said, "I don't know - could you before surgery?" :ihih: Dr. Duffy then pulled out my before pictures. YIKES!!!! It is easy to forget what I looked like only 4 short weeks ago. While I am not satisfied yet, the improvement physically and mentally is hard to quantify or verbalize. Good PS's are miracle workers. So I am off to work out....YAY! :seeya:

I had fat necrosis too. I loved it - DIE FAT, DIE!!!! :eek::tt2: That may have sounded a little pyscho....

Thanks for checking, Becky! Everything is good. The swelling is still really bad. I think that I am a whole size bigger in the evening versus early morning. I guess that's just the way it is, but I hate it.

All is well here. The swelling gets better every day. The draining is slowing. My thighs are the only thing that hurts except... I get these shooting pains that feel almost electric. I wonder if those are nerves reconnecting? I don't know but it's over quickly and completely random. Weird. Hope everyone has an awesome weekend. :cool:

I have no intention of having more children. That being said, I did ask my PS before my recent tummy tuck and he said that the "official" recommendation is that you not become pregnant within the first year of a tummy tuck.

For just regular, casual clothes I am a big fan of JC Penney and Kohls. You can find good deals and they have stand alone stores - no mall necessary :cool:. (at least here in TX)

I'm glad you got one of your drains removed. Is it not the strangest sensation ever???

Becky, My thigh incisions are the worst. Overall, everything feels pretty good except for my dang thighs. Plus the swelling for the thighs is still pretty bad. Oh, well - we will beautiful legs when they get better. Hang in there! :thumbup:

Most likely on the drains you just pulled the incisions around them. You have NO IDEA how far those things go inside you until you see them being pulled out by the doctor!!! :smile2::eek::thumbup: I agree that you need to get your calorie intake up a bit. Keep us posted on what the doc thinks. I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya! :redface:

Have fun on vacation. The new you is just around the corner. :redface:

Week 3 is also hitting me like a ton of bricks. :redface: If sleep is what you need nothing else will make it better. There will be many times when sleep won't come so take advantage of it when it's easy. :smile2: Good luck and keep up the good work!

I had a thigh lift with the groin incision. Basically the incision starts around mid thigh on the front (in the crease between abdomen and thigh) and goes all the way around the inside of my leg to mid buttock. The giant "smile" shaped pieces of skin were excised from each thigh. The remaining skin was separated from the fat, some of the fat was excised and then the skin was pulled up (like hose) and stitched. Honestly, it has been the most painful part of my procedures. You cannot escape the pain caused by merely moving your legs. Also, going to the bathroom is really complicted when you have incisions just below your butt cheeks. Ever since the procedure I have carried a small spray bottle of alcohol to spray all public toilet seats (hovering above them is not possible and using paper covers just sticks). I sure don't want an infection just because I have to go pee in the grocery store. I am still very swollen but can see a big difference already. I guess it boils down to the shape of your legs. I have seen people that look great after the vertical incision TL procedure and those that have bulgy looking knees. I would check with more than one PS because most surgeon's don't like to perform the non-vertical one. It is much more difficult for the surgeon and takes longer to recover and see the results.

I lost 85 pounds from banding, 10 from PS, and 8 since the PS - so officially over 100 lbs since December 2006. I was approximately 30 lbs from my goal when I had the PS. I had been "stuck" with my weight loss for months. My band doctor actually recommended that I go ahead and proceed with the PS. Even he conceded that the remaining weight on my body might not go anywhere without PS. So now I am only 12 pounds from goal. I was a size 22/24 when banded and unfortunately I have no idea what size I will be since I am still very swollen. I am hoping for a size 8. I slept fitfully all night. I am obsessing over the draining.

A minor setback... I have a "superficial separation of my abdominal incision". This means that it drains - not oozing, but seriously dripping. I, like Frangi, am sporting the ultra fashionable maxi-pad bandage. :wink: I have to admit that this works far better than any other type of real bandage. Dr. Duffy did say that I should encourage the draining with warm compresses. His philosophy is "better out than in" when it comes to the Fluid. Unfortunately, my doc thought it looked a little red too so I am now on antibiotics. They did a culture "just in case". The one other piece of advice that I would give anyone having a tummy tuck is this... Don't throw the granny panties away too fast. You will need them as disposable underwear while all of this gross stuff is going on. If it doesn't happen to you then you can have a ceremony for them later but I would wait... Pretty, new panties are just going to get ruined. The good news is that I still feel pretty good considering. :wink2:

Hooray!!!:thumbup::lol:

No, I went from a D (almost DD) to a C.

Best wishes on your surgery tomorrow.

Insurance did not pay - $12,650