I have been home since yesterday. I was operated on at 3.30pm on August 15th, and got home at about 1pm on August 17th. The whole thing was not nearly as bad as I had expected. I am managing the pain with panadol, and exercise (walking laps of the hallway) I am pretty swollen, and still have my drains in (they will be removed Monday)

It is kinda odd, feeling this flat tummy. But I am starting to accept it as my own :biggrin1:

I am not too sure how much they took off, I know it was a fair bit of skin, and some fat, but I don't think it was too much weight wise (I went in at 63kg / 138lbs and I am still that weight, even with swelling, fully clothed, and a full bowel) But the main aim was not to lose weight, it was to get rid of that flap of skin that was bothering me. And that I did.

Now, the pics!

(Forgive the goofy looks, DH was having a hard timewith my camera "Yes dear... The flash will go off... Just push the button")

Thank you Jq, Betty, aaamom, Kirsten, and Elisabeth.

I am feeling pretty darn good. I am not in any real pain (not on any paracetamol any more) I am a wee bit uncomfortable where the drains go in, and they come out today with any luck, so I hope to be feeling a whole lot better again.

I am up and about as normal (ish).I get pretty tired by the end of the day, but apparently that is normal.

Boo Boo Kitty ~ In the photos, I have my drains in, not IV fluids, so I will go up in weight after they are out, sadly. I am still in a US 6-8 so, I kinda hope I don't go down any more sizes!!

Susan ~ It is well worth the money, the pain, and the time! I was watching something similar on TV here in Oz (the night before my op no less) about a woman who had DS and lost 190kg / 418 lbs (maybe this is the same program re named for Oz?) And for me it was nothing like it. Nothing like it at all. The single most traumatic thing was, get this - using the bedpan - I hate using bedpans (they wouldn't let me get up because my BP was a little low)

So I am off in about an hour to have the drains removed. This I am not looking forward too. From all reports this is pretty painful.

Thank you so much for sharing your photos, Aussie Chick! You will definitely have inspired some people here. You look wonderful and I know you will be SO happy you had this surgery.

Good luck with the drain removal! I must say that does look awful. How does anyone go about their daily business with those things in? Or did you have to stay home during this recovery phase?

Thank you Alexandra. I am very happy I had the band, and now the TT. It's like I have my body back. It really is wonderful.

I stayed home with the drains in, only because I could. I knew I only had to have them in for a week, and planned my life so I could do so. I had little fabric bags to put the bulb of the drain in, and I could have gone out, and not had anyone notice them too much.

The drain removal. It felt weird. The PS just snipped the stitches holding the drains in place, the pulled them out. It just felt odd. I can't put it into words. It was just weird.

I know everyone is different, and I might just have a really high pain tolerance, but I experienced no pain.

PS was really pleased with how well I am healing, that I am standing up straight, and is just thrilled to bits with my results so far (but promised that I will look a hundred times better by summer!!)

I will have DH take some new pics tonight.

An interesting comparison;

about 4 weeks post op lapband Vs 6 days post op abdominoplasty.

I think I look healthier and more "with it" only 6 days after the TT, than I did a month or more after the band! How far my health has come is amazing!

It's nice to read your report. Little things tend to disuade me. The IV, and the PB, definitely played their part in keeping me from doing the band sooner. I think drains would play the same role for PS, even though I'm increasingly sure I'm going to need PS to get any of my body back.

My stars lady, you look great !!!! congratulations :cool:

How was the whole ordeal? are you in alot of pain?

Thank you for sharing Aussiechick. I now can truly visualize what will happen when I have a full TT.

You look great!

Hey Aussie chick,

Your tummy looks gorgeous. I can't get over the difference in your last photo posted...Inspirational....You have definately motivated me..

Thankyou for sharing your story..

Sarah

{(*..*)}

Aussie chick,

I just wanted to tell you, you love fabulous! I can only hope (and work at it) that I am as successful with my band (August 28th) as you have been with your. You are truly and inspiration to all of us!!

Now, after seeing those photos, hell, the last 6 days of this liquid diet doesn't seem so bad after all...

WOW - that post surgery pic compared to yesterday's... just WOW! I tried to find some similarities, but couldnt. You dont even look like your old self.

Wheetsin ~ In many ways the recovery has been easier with the TT, than the band. Maybe because I am fitter, and healthier now. I don't know. And the drains while annoying, didn't hurt. Even when they were pulled out, no pain, just a weird sensation.

NJChick ~ Surprisingly, I am not in any pain at all. I was not given anything stronger than paracetamol, and found after day 3 I was able to stop taking even that. My butt hurts more than anything - from sitting on it so much! I am not used to the inactivity!

Thank you Telly.

Thanks Jane73! You are dong really well with you band! Way to go!!

Lett ~ Thank you. And good luck with your banding. Not too long to go now!

Paula ~ Those two photo's side by side amazed me. I found it hard to believe myself how far I have come. I cried when I saw them. I do look very different, but I still have thunder thighs, and chunky arms, and no amount of PS will get rid of my strechmarks, sadly!!

but I still have thunder thighs, and chunky arms, and no amount of PS will get rid of my strechmarks, sadly!!

I'd hardly call those thunder thighs. And your arms are not chunky. You look wonderful!!!! I watch those PS shows and these women come in wanting work done to "perfect" themselves. I am under no delusions that my impending TT will get rid of my inner thigh fat (although I'm hoping for a small amount of "lift" there...are you finding your inner thighs tightened at ALL?) nor will it rid me of stretch marks. But just to have all my belly gone will be sooo nice. I don't like how I look in clothes right now. That's all I really want to accomplish with my TT. Clothes that fit. I'll never be a size 8 like you...my butt and thighs are waaay big...but you have inspired me to lose more than just another 10 pounds before pursuing it. When my tummy looks like yours just before your TT, I'll do it. Right now it isn't flappy enough. I need to lose more. Thanks again for the pics. You really do look great!

I'd hardly call those thunder thighs. And your arms are not chunky. You look wonderful!!!! I watch those PS shows and these women come in wanting work done to "perfect" themselves. I am under no delusions that my impending TT will get rid of my inner thigh fat (although I'm hoping for a small amount of "lift" there...are you finding your inner thighs tightened at ALL?) nor will it rid me of stretch marks. But just to have all my belly gone will be sooo nice. I don't like how I look in clothes right now. That's all I really want to accomplish with my TT. Clothes that fit. I'll never be a size 8 like you...my butt and thighs are waaay big...but you have inspired me to lose more than just another 10 pounds before pursuing it. When my tummy looks like yours just before your TT, I'll do it. Right now it isn't flappy enough. I need to lose more. Thanks again for the pics. You really do look great!

A little (my boobs, on the other hand appear smoother... More filled out? It's odd)

I really don't hate my thighs or anything. I was only kidding. My arms and legs are really muscular, and I like that. I think the skin will tighten up a little more, but I was very close to 300lbs to start with, so I have to expect that I will have some lose skin. And I am cool with it. I look, and feel a million times better now, than I did at 297lbs. And that is worth all the lose skin in the world. But the strechmarks? I have halved my strechmarks! If you look close, the one's above my belly button, are now below it :clap2: That has to be the next best thing to getting rid of them.

Wow you look great. I took care of a women in the Hospital when I was in Nursing School and when I got my assignment It said Hernia repair with a Panulectumy or however you spell it. Anyways it was the sneaky way for her Dr to get her a tummy tuck and have her insurance pay for it because she had lost close to 200 pounds with a Gastric Bypass.

I have been so afraid my weight loss after shot will look like your before picture. I have had 2 C-Sections and with each one I got a little more of an hang over.

You probably do look skinny to your husband because that extra skin added inches in your clothes.

This is kind of personal but did you find your husband enjoys the weight being gone? I was teasing my husband today and told him that next year I will be fabulously skinny just like him and he wont be able to resist me...hehehehe...

Anyways good luck and keep up the good work.

It's funny you ask that. He saw the two pics I put together a few post's above, and he said "Wow, you really were big, huh? I never realised how big till now"

He just never saw it. We were both fat, and lost weight together (he lost 40kg / 88 lbs just eating what I did, and doing the same exercise as me) I never saw how fat *he* was till I saw pics of him.

I guess our love was blind?