Hello everyone Nicole Rose checking in!

started out at 365.5 was banded june 3 of 2008 now at 250ish ]: was lower (235) but slipped some how on to the good news now ... i think

I'm happy to announce that I will be going in for plastic surgery December 8th 2010 for an abdiminoplasty (spelling excused please) and a panniectomy and possible brachoplasty of my arms 2nd stage is supposed to be my thighs once I heal up from the 1st stage of operation. I am beyond nervous and looking for insight in how people reacted to these surgeries. I'm 22 years old now and I'm 5'6 1/2 I'm going to be at the University of Chicago Bernard Mitchell center for at least 2-3 days after surgery I'm told. How bad are the scars, anything special I should bring to the hospital that you would recommend, how bad is the pain? Looking for some motivational words to ease my mind ]:

-5 days and counting

Hi Nicole. Sorry I can't answer your questions as I have not had my cosmetic surgery yet but I have a question for you.

I'm 205 coming from 374 and my cosmetic surgeon and I want to wait until I get to 185 before we start any of the procedures because he wants me as close to my goal as possible... Are you concerned that if you lose a significant amount after surgery that you will have to redo any of these procedures??

That's why he wants me to wait until I get to 185 then he wants me to maintain for 4 months.

I agree that if you are going to continue to lose wt you should delay your surgery. I lost 20 pounds after having PS and wish I didn't have it so early. Especially the thighs are problematic because they are so heavy and bear your whole body wt with each step. Thighs are the biggest part of all the surgeries you are going to have done. After much research and talking to 3 PS I finally decided to live with my thighs (I am almost 60) and do without the pain and expense. I wish you much luck. The scars are significant but fade over time and the pain is manageable.

Best wishes and let us know how you are doing.

Mimi

I cant delay my surgery any longer my father is retiring at the end of jan. of 2011 and if i do not do it now then i wont have another chance. ]: I have tried to get back down the the 230's and i havent been able to do it. I figure if i lose weight after the plastic surgery i will have a better chance of toning the excess instead of it being such a huge hanging issue as it is now.

Nicole I understand. You're results will still be fantastic. I'm paying cash for all my surgeries which is all the more reason I will be waiting. This is a lot of money and has to be a one shot deal for me. Keep us posted!

_{I had plastic surgery on wed. Tummy tuck and breast lift/implants. I am recovering very well. I woke up in the recovery room feeling pretty alert, and not in a ton of pain, much less that I expected. I have found being in a recliner has been the best place to be, I have been sleeping there. It's much easier to get out of than a bed. I have needed the ativan prescribed for sleep. I think mostly it's because I have to sleep on my back and I always sleep on my stomach. Good luck to you!}

Hey guys or gals shall I stay. I started off at 264 in August 2008 and am now down to 149 12/07/10. I am so excited about this. I also have a consult for a TT on 12/10 with the same surgeon that did my band. Puts my mind at ease but still have the nervous feeling. I'm sure whoever is reading this understands what I mean. For those of you that have had TT can you float some words of encouragement my way please? It sure would be appreciated.

Congrats! You are young and even if you loose more weight you may not have as much extra skin as you did the first time. I know you don't want to hear it but you can always have a revision later just to remove any additional skin. Just eat healthy and exercise as you continue to loose after surgery and hopefully you won't have any issues. I think you will feel fantastic and your whole life will be different. Even if you don't have perfect results I think you will love your new body and have such confidence. Enjoy and good luck! I wish I had done it at your age.

Hello everyone Nicole Rose checking in!

started out at 365.5 was banded june 3 of 2008 now at 250ish ]: was lower (235) but slipped some how on to the good news now ... i think

I'm happy to announce that I will be going in for plastic surgery December 8th 2010 for an abdiminoplasty (spelling excused please) and a panniectomy and possible brachoplasty of my arms 2nd stage is supposed to be my thighs once I heal up from the 1st stage of operation. I am beyond nervous and looking for insight in how people reacted to these surgeries. I'm 22 years old now and I'm 5'6 1/2 I'm going to be at the University of Chicago Bernard Mitchell center for at least 2-3 days after surgery I'm told. How bad are the scars, anything special I should bring to the hospital that you would recommend, how bad is the pain? Looking for some motivational words to ease my mind ]:

-5 days and counting

Hi there. It's been months since I've been on this site. I'm 52 years old and had a panniculectomy with vertical abdominoplasty on October 5th. There is absolutely nothing to be scared about young lady. You will be feeling some burning pain when you wake up after surgery and just let them know that so that they can adjust your pain meds. Expect to have some sleep issues for a few days. Make sure you have a recliner as I slept in one for 2-3 weeks after surgery. Above all, DO NOT BE IN A HURRY TO HEAL, as that can slow down the process in the long run. Take it easy and follow ALL of your doctor's instructions. Expect you tummy to feel very TIGHT, kind of like a drum would feel if it had nerves. You'll feel like you can't straighten up or you'll bust your stitches. That will loosen up with time. Where the sutures are, you will have no feeling at all. I'm over two months out and I still can't feel the skin there and probably never will. I hear it is similar to those ladies who have had c-sections. You will have drainage tubes and that is the most inconvenient thing but before you know it, they will be gone.

WARNING!!! It is very possible that very few of the people you know will even notice that you've done anything. It was amazing to me that this doctor cut off 16 lbs in 4 hours and people didn't even notice. Also, I can still wear most of the clothes I was wearing before the surgery. So, keep your post-surgery expectations realistic and don't expect a dramatic change. Your new body will be there, under the clothes, because you will know the difference.

You are starting a new phase of your journey. Although I agree it would be best to wait until after you are finished losing weight, who is to say that you haven't finished. I believe that we'll all find the weight that is best on us. I decided that I had stopped losing weight at a BMI of 32. I'm okay with that and that is why I went ahead and had the surgery.

Best thing I ever did.

Be strong and get some movies. I have a friend who loaned me 7 seasons of NCIS and I've gone through all of those plus some. It's is nice now to be completely back to my old self.

Hope this helps.