Hello everyone, it is March and I am finally ONE year out !! Yay !! I have lost a great amount of weight and I am so so grateful for my new body. I am very happy with my results. I do want plastic surgery though. I want to be able to wear a bikini in public and not have excess fat sagging there .. My family is not very supportive of going through with plastic surgery because " I don't really need it " and " god made you the way you are "

I just hope maybe someone knows how I feel and can drop a comment / suggestion.

I am unsure what doctor I will be using.

Pic below of my before / after

@@Julie norton yes it is very painful if you get muscle plication but the pain lasts only a few days. It is a very transformative procedure. You'll be able to make it up stairs slowly and with assistance. I suggest a month of downtime if you can swing it. Good luck!!!!!

@@Julie norton I also thought it was very painful. The first couple of days were the worst, but I was pretty sore a couple of weeks. Depending on what you do,4-6 weeks off work would be best. I went back remotely after 2 weeks, and back to the office at 3, but a few more would have been nice.

I would definitely recommend at least 4 weeks of work. It is serious business. The super intense pain lasted maybe 4 days to a week, but the aches and pain and difficulty moving will last for weeks. Don't watch anything funny on TV. And avoid sneezing at all costs. Also, I hope you never have to throw up while you're recovering. I threw up once from the pain of a migraine and omg.... the pain in my abs was WAY worse than the migraine. I felt like I was being ripped in half.

And to add to @@JamieLogical advice - don't let yourself get constipated. It's likely to happen because of the pain meds, and straining only adds to the misery. Those muscles will be sore!

Definitely do NOT get constipated! And coughing is horrid, too!

And to add to @@JamieLogical advice - don't let yourself get constipated. It's likely to happen because of the pain meds, and straining only adds to the misery. Those muscles will be sore!

Also an excellent point! I took two colace before bed every night and still got constipated. Had to resort to a suppository, but that did the trick and I was much better from there on out. I know that's probably TMI!

Lots of good advice listed - I would add resigning yourself to doing next to nothing for weeks to allow yourself to heal. I'm still dealing with a seroma 8 weeks out and counting, because I was too active immediately post op. Do less in the beginning, so that you will be able to do more, later!

Thank you for the great and informative answers to my question about what to expect w/ my TT next Tuesday ????It is very appreciated and is helping me plan a bit of aftercare.

This site has become a real comfortable place for me to hear and share real life issues.

I am thankful to have "friends" I've never met.

Glad we can help. I like that people on this site have been through these things and "keep it real" when talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly. I think it's interested that, despite the complications and tough recovery from TT, everyone here who has had one is thankful they did it! You might have some rough weeks ahead, but in the long run, I think you will be very happy with your results. Sort of the same way WLS is so rough in the beginning, but worth it in the long run.

My family members to not get to vote on my healthcare decisions. My healthcare is not a democracy. It is a dictatorship, and I am the dictator. Do what you want, dear.

Oh how I love this! I'm using this quote here on out!