Hello fellow sleevers,

I am now just over 6 weeks post TT and uplift and I can't tell you how happy I am that I have turned the corner. I ain't gonna lie, it has been a tough 6 weeks, not physically but mentally and emotionally but that is for another post...

Anyhoo, today is the first day that I have been able to wear my post op jeans (my original size goal; UK 14) - before now the swelling was sooo bad, even with compression garments and control pants on that they wouldn't do up and were tight on the legs... booo!

I wore them today and they were big... yes big! So, as we were shopping I picked up a new pair, one size smaller as an incentive and a 'work in progress' pair. I couldn't wait to try them on and when I did... drum roll please... they only bloody fit!

Yes, I could do them up, all the way and I could sit in them. Ok, so they were a little tight but not too tight that I felt like I was about to turn blue and pass out...lol.

As a foot note, I am the same weight now as I was pre TT even though the surgeon removed nearly 3 1/2 lb of skin (that is one mighty apron, apparently the 'normal' or average amount of skin removed weighs around a pound!) So, perhaps when all the swelling has gone away they will be my new 'comfy' jeans!

I have not been able to fit in a size UK 12 (US 8-10?) for over twenty years... I can't put in to words how happy, proud and well, chuffed to Beans I am!

Did I say I was happy? lol

Oh, when I saw my PS he cleared me for light exercise and light ab work... so today i did 100 squats - easy peasy - 20 push ups of the table x 2 and 20 pelvic curls with 20 upper curls... so, that is another NSV!!

I think that I might be getting my mo jo back...lol!

Coops how COOL is that! Congrats on the new abs and size 12s! Awesome!

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Oh Ms Skinniness, I wouldn't call it an addiction... YET! Lol. I just need clothes that fit me properly! It is a tough problem to have...lol!

Cheers Smoggy! I'll be cool soon...lol! Actually according to my kids, I'm too old to be cool but it doesn't stop me trying! =]

Oh I missed this one -- how very cool!! You are still kicking ass three years on. THAT is the NSV that i find totally inspirational about you. I want your stick-to-it-ive-ness!!!!

Oh Ms Skinniness, I wouldn't call it an addiction... YET! Lol. I just need clothes that fit me properly! It is a tough problem to have...lol!

Cheers Smoggy! I'll be cool soon...lol! Actually according to my kids, I'm too old to be cool but it doesn't stop me trying! =]

You are beyond cool, coops, you've made it to sublime.

Woohoo!! You have done wonderful girl. So glad you were able to get your TT and everything is healing well. It will make such a huge difference in the way you feel.

Question: When they say that the average skin removal is only about a pound, do you believe they are speaking of us (WLS folks) or just the general public? That sounds like such a small amount. I have 3 friends that have already had it done. Their removals were 7#, 8# and 10#. Mine is in review right now and I am expecting 5#. That will be the best 5# I have ever lost too! I can't wait to have it done. I want to have a belly button again!

I agree with everyone else; you are going to have to share pics ASAP :0)

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Coops, I think I tell your story more often than mine. You are amazing!

You are beyond cool, coops, you've made it to sublime.

Whoah, sublime... coming from you gmanbat that is a massive compliment... thank you x

Woohoo!! You have done wonderful girl. So glad you were able to get your TT and everything is healing well. It will make such a huge difference in the way you feel.

Question: When they say that the average skin removal is only about a pound, do you believe they are speaking of us (WLS folks) or just the general public? That sounds like such a small amount. I have 3 friends that have already had it done. Their removals were 7#, 8# and 10#. Mine is in review right now and I am expecting 5#. That will be the best 5# I have ever lost too! I can't wait to have it done. I want to have a belly button again!

I agree with everyone else; you are going to have to share pics ASAP :0)

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BenisaMartim4,

you are soooo right, once I am healed it will certainly help in the head work, I am actually starting to feel that I am looking good... it has been a long time coming. Once the swell hell has sorted itself out and I am back to 'normal' (might be several weeks more yet) I am sure things will get even better.

I'm not sure about the WLS side of it re the weight of the apron. I know my surgeon has done TT on band patients but not on a sleever before. I am in the UK, so perhaps his experience is different, the most I have heard of, from a UK TTer is just under 5lbs - and that was through weight loss... perhaps the previous TTers with my surgeon were purely cosmetic... I don't know. I do know that it has already made a difference to how my back feels. At 8 weeks post op, I have not had any back aches or pains... now that really is good news! I honestly thought that the apron would weigh a lot more too... Now, I am just pleased it is gone.

I will post some pics in the near future... once the swelling is better and I feel a little more confident! Believe it or not, I am quite shy...lol!

Coops, I think I tell your story more often than mine. You are amazing!

iegal,

you always make me smile... thank you! But I am sure your story is way more interesting than mine...lol

And besides, I would love to have your BMI! Just 22, that is a dream for me! Even cutting off skin doesn't get me near that...lol!

Thank you for your continuing support ... it really does mean a lot x

I will post some pics in the near future... once the swelling is better and I feel a little more confident! Believe it or not' date=' I am quite shy...lol![/quote']

Don't feel bad, I am too; but I promise that when I get mine done I will share before and afters here too. I have been through too much to not be able to share it. I can't share something like that on my regular Facebook page though (for more reasons than I can count.) I do have a great bunch of fellow sleeve ladies that I am able to share pics and such with though. We are each others cheer squad. I don't know what I would have done during this journey without fellow travel partners. Sharing NSVs and hearing others victories is the most awesome feeling ever :0)

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PICS, COOPS - PICS!!!! It takes 6 months for swelling to completely go away and we can't wait that long!

How wonderful and exciting! You are an inspiration and so pleased for you:)

Chuffed to beans? I LOVE THAT!! Good for you. I can't wait to follow in your footsteps.

Coops, congrats on your successful surgeries! You are beautiful inside and out and are an inspiration to so many people (including me of course!)! I'm having my first procedure (breast lift/reduction) on July 1st and am super excited about it. I'm going to wait 6 months for the tummy tuck.

Did your surgeon have to do a vertical incision (I think it's referred to as a Fleur de Lis) in your tummy tuck? My surgeon told me it would be necessary to have a vertical incision remove the excess skin from my upper abdomen as well as the standard incision to remove the panni. I was taken aback when he said that, but apparently it's fairly normal for people who have lost a major amount of weight (and, in my case, the skin has like zero elasticity!).

Thanks for sharing what life is like in the weeks after surgery; that is good to know so I can be better prepared for what lies ahead.

thanks for all your positive comments, they really do help! At 11 wks post TT I'm feeling so much better and pretty much back to normal now, say 90%!

Oh, and I wore the size (UK) 12 jeans out - yes, you read that right OUT! Ok, so it was only to a friends house, but I sat in them all day and I had problems. Gotta address the muffin top now though, it has always been there but with a pretty flat lower belly the upper one is more obvious. I think with exercise and continuing my good dietary habits I will see a difference in a few months - I hope so!

Starting to feel good in my skin - I haven't felt like this in over 20 years!