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I am 4 weeks post op. The first photo is the front of my belly. Please disregard the stretch marks ;) I have had 2 huge babies. The second photo is of my drain site that was left to close on its own with no stitches and no glue.post-218103-14182706632081_thumb.jpg post-218103-14182706862875_thumb.jpg

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Man, I feel like Franken-belly! I'm the only one who has a huge one above my navel lol

Aka, my second belly button

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Tfarr, yeah, I'm really surprised to see how different the incision placement is for everyone. I had one tiny incision right at my bra line that I can't see at all anymore. The rest of mine are 2-3 inches below my belly button. Pretty much the same exact placement as my work partner's hysterectomy incisions. And they are completely covered by any pants other than low rise "hip huggers". Just one more thing surgeons all do differently.....

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I really didn't expect so many different incision sites! I was told I would have a couple more with having my gallbladder out also, but everybody's is so different! Crazy how surgeon's each have their own methodical madness!

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I am three months post op and my scars are not visible. I did not use anything for them either! I am happy about it.

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These were my surgery scars at 2 weeks post-op.

post-165959-14185189012584_thumb.jpg

These are my scars now at 12 months post-op. Barely visible.

post-165959-14185189144584_thumb.jpg

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Mine will end up looking like the Bermuda Triangle lol

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I would post mine, but truthfully, they've all faded to the point where they don't show up on my phone camera. The scars could easily be mistaken for big freckles at this point. :unsure:

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post-224535-14186002399068_thumb.jpg

This one is around 10 days after surgery

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This one is today 5 months and 1 week post-op.

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These help so much! Yes I see bruising with fresh 2-5 day ones (expected) but those of you 2+ weeks out can hardly tell. You all look great and thanks so much you eased my mind a great deal!

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Just for the other end of the spectrum, I am a year out and my scars are NOT gone. I used mederma and the insure nutrition scar cream. Part of it is genetics, I tend to scar and am very fair so when I get cold the color really stands out. But my gallbladder scars are gone so part of it is surgeon technique (mine used staples and I can still see the staple holes surrounding one of the scars.). It wasn't easy to get pictures but here are the best I could do. I have three in a triangle above and to the sides of my belly button. I had two more but they are almost invisible now. Perhaps the other three will follow suit, but at this point I dunno...

post-194772-14188233838955_thumb.jpg post-194772-14188234000223_thumb.jpg post-194772-14188234133813_thumb.jpg post-194772-14188234296127_thumb.jpg

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Jess9395 where were your gallbladder incisions? There is a good chance I will need mine out. My bariatric surgeon did such an awesome job keeping his incisions below my belly button, I'd be bummed to end up with scars in the middle of my abdomen if I didn't have to.

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Mine were all less than 1/4 inch except the main one, where they pulled my stomach out through. I got an infection in it, and it had to be opened 3 times before it healed. It's about an inch in length, and it puckered a little, and was about an inch above and to the right of my navel. All of them faded and shrunk over time, and only the big one was visible. I've had an abdominoplasty since then, and now that big scar is just above my pubic area, so well hidden by underwear. most of the others are gone, but I had to search for the ones that were left.

post-169691-0-80431400-1418825112_thumb.png

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Jess9395 where were your gallbladder incisions? There is a good chance I will need mine out. My bariatric surgeon did such an awesome job keeping his incisions below my belly button, I'd be bummed to end up with scars in the middle of my abdomen if I didn't have to.

One was inside the top part of my belly button so that's no biggie...then two that are to the right of my belly button but higher, by about two inches. They are about two inches apart right, one an inch higher than the other, but so faint they won't show in a pix. Right now they are more on my side than my front but I think they migrated with the weight loss and used to be more toward the front.

Mine was emergency surgery like it was gonna burst, so I don't know if you plan in advance maybe it can all be done through the belly button or lower than the bikini line, but mine aren't.

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
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    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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