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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

post-224535-14186003654105_thumb.jpg

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

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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    • bellaamey

      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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