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Two Years Out And Finally Getting Plastics



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Congratulations must be very exciting thanx for sharing the cost and comparing

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Congratulations, I know how excited you must be. And thank you so much for your willingness to share the cost information with our members as well, that was very sweet of you! I can't wait to see pictures!

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How exciting!! I hope you have a great experience and a smooth recovery.

~Cheri

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Barbara, thank you for sharing your experiences, including cost of procedures! I want to wish luck with the procedures and a super speedy recovery! Looking foward to the pics!!!!

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How did it go? I'm very curious!

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It has been an adventure to say the least.

It'll be 5 weeks out tomorrow from the plastics. I've been planning on posting an update but was kinda waiting till I felt better. The combo of the meds they gave me after surgery really threw me for a loop. I was Prescribed Oxycodone and valium. I hired a RN to stay with me at the beginning per my surgeons request. I don't remember any of the first week at all. I did end up back in the ER and a 3 day hospital stay, but not from complications from the plastics. I'm a real light weight (no pun intended lol) when it comes to meds. So the combo of meds just put me in a daze. I spent 3 days in the hospital until I felt alert enough to go back home.

The surgeries all went so well. I'm not going to try to candy coat it. It has been very hard. The Tummy Tuck which was the largest surgery was a breeze. No real issues, not even much pain at all. My breasts still hurt and are extremely sensitive. It hurts to wear the special bra they gave me, but each day is getting better and better.

I have to say the arm lift was the most brutal and painful of all and it is the least obtrusive of the 3 procedures. The incision for the arm lift starts right above my bra and goes straight up through my arm pit and down to my elbow. For some reason the incision in my arms is super sensitive, so shirts, reaching or just bumping them is painful.

I went back to work after 2 1/2 weeks. The first week I worked 5 - 7 hours each day as my stamina wasn't there. The next week I went back to 8 hours a day, but by the end of the day I was exhausted and basically couldn't do anything else. Each day is getting easier and easier and I'm feeling better and better. Doc says everything looks great.

The surgeon I used doesn't use drains so I didn't have to worry about going back to get drains removed or having those yucking things poking out of me. It's a newer form or surgery where they don't use any drains for the tummy tuck. He's been doing it this way for about 5 years now. That's one of the reasons I picked this Doc. No drains is definitely the way to go in my opinion as everyone I talked to before said the drains were one of the worst parts of the surgery.

I'm getting more energy each day and feeling better and better. I have my 2nd follow up the beginning of May and will post before and after pictures then. I was down 10lbs after the surgery. That's a lot of skin gone. I actually have a waist now. I'm thrilled. Will post more later.

Barb

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I'm glad to hear your doing really good right now. They really gave you alot of narcotics after your plastics. Hope you will share some pics soon. Love to see the new you. I was also wondering how much the skin weighs alone and you lost 10 lbs. That's fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing. ;)

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Thanks for the update. I'm deciding on what all to get and who to do what right now. I'd love to know who your Dr is and if you have any before and afters especially of your arms/tummy I'd love to see. Thanks for the info!

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Thanks for the update. I'm deciding on what all to get and who to do what right now. I'd love to know who your Dr is and if you have any before and afters especially of your arms/tummy I'd love to see. Thanks for the info!

My doctor was Dr. Steven Vath! He's got two offices in the Denver Metro area. Very very pleased with him. As I mentioned in previous posts, he was quite a bit more expensive than others, but I was so impressed with the drain free surgery and with him that it didn't matter to me. I will be posting the docs before and after pictures soon. He wants to wait till the incisions and the swelling are better before doing the afters. I should be posting those the 2nd week of May. I'll just have to put little flowers on private parts. lol I'm so impressed already with the difference, especially in my arms. The scars from arm lifts are pretty bad, but I didn't care. Just not having the 4 inch wings is worth it.

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Oh please keep the details coming Barb, this is such important info for all of us!!!! I am eager to hear your updates of healing and scars, in particular the batwing scars. Why are they so bad anyway? Will they prevent you from wearing sleeveless?

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Barbara! So glad you are doing well overall!! and that the surgeries went well. Sounds like recovery is tough but it also sounds like it's coming along really well. Sending lots of well wishes for a super speedy recovery. I too can't WAIT to see the pics. I bet you are looking FAB!!!!!

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Ok, it's been over 2 months now. I'm just starting to feel back to normal. Things have all calmed down for me now. I still do have slight pain if I over due but for the most part am healed up. I have pictures to post, but I can't figure out how to post them without them showing up on the main board. They are my before and after plastics (hubbby took them). I want to post them and make them private but available to those that want to see them. Not sure how to do that. I will try to figure it out. I'm just in panties, so don't want them to show up on the main page. I think their might be a way to have the album private, but available with a code or something. If anyone knows how to do that please let me know.

I'm so pleased with the results. I have gone down a size in pants and definitely wearing smaller shirts. My bra size is the same, they just aren't hanging like tube socks anymore. hehehe

Barb

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what if you took pics in a swim suit so you won't have to make them private, that might be easier (?) I have no idea how to make pictures private.

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what if you took pics in a swim suit so you won't have to make them private, that might be easier (?) I have no idea how to make pictures private.

That's a great idea!!! I need a new bathing suit anyway. I'll buy one soon and post pics with it.

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    • LeighaTR

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      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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