Second stage...

[Robynne Hazebroek-Buzanko 10]

Greetings everyone.

As you can tell, I’m new here. Looking for somewhere to share my story and experiences with as I begin the second stage of my journey.

Let me start at the beginning. I’m a Canadian living in the Netherlands. I’m 34 (approaching 35 soon). I’m married (for 11 wonderful years) and I have been blessed with a beautiful daughter who will be soon turning 9 (later this month). About 2 years ago (september 2012) I underwent Gastric Sleeve surgery in Bruges, Belgium. I was sent home after 2 short days in the hospital (operated on Wednesday, home on Friday) and had a quick and painless recovery. The most trauma I had was the nausea from the anesthetic. I am still discovering the new ways my body reacts to certain foods, but it’s a process I enjoy. I also enjoy having control over what I eat and how much – which is why I chose the Sleeve surgery instead of a Bypass.

Now – 2 years later and I’ve lost nearly 65 kilos. I’ve been “steady” around this weight for a while and late last year was referred to a plastic surgeon to see if I qualified for surgery via my insurance. On the 24^th of December I received a letter saying my insurance had approved my case. So here we are and in about 2 weeks’ time I’ll be having a Fleur de Lis Tummy Tuck. I’ve been doing everything I can to prepare my body for the surgery (high-impact cardio + Core/cardio training on top of my usual 7.5 km bike ride each day). I’ve done research on how I can help my body after the operation (lots of protein). I’m not sure what else I can do, really. I’m also not quite sure what to expect and I know it’s different for everyone. Sometimes I read stories that give me hope my expectations and hopes should come true (slowly resuming my quiet and easy-going job after about a month) and then I read horror stories which give me nightmares of losing my job (homebound for 3 months – as a temp this is a worst-case-scenario).

I must be honest – this will be only the second time I’ve EVER been in hospital (not counting the birth of my daughter). I’ve NEVER broken a bone or needed stitches or whatever so this has all been quite daunting. On the other hand, I’m super excited and impatient to have the surgery done and see the beautiful results of all the hard work. I’m hoping later this year to get approval to have my breasts corrected as well, but we’ll see how that all works out in the end.

If anyone has any questions or tip – please don’t hesitate to write.

Thanks for reading.

Robynne

[Newman19 44]

I am so glad to hear of your success. I am about 9 weeks out from having surgery and sometimes it seems like it is going to take forever to get there and other times I am grateful that I have some time to wrap my head around all of the changes that are coming. I know that once I get to my healthy weight, I will most likely need some work done of my tummy and my breasts. I would love to correspond and follow your journey and also would love to have someone to chat with that has already been through this process. I am taking 3 week off of work after my surgery and am hoping that is enough. I hear that people are very tired afterwards. I am thinking that with your surgery, you should bounce back pretty quickly considering the type of physical shape you are in. Congrats on your hard work.

Jaycee

[JamieLogical 8,727]

I had and extended Tummy Tuck with muscle repair back in August 2011, after losing 90 pounds "on my own". I guess I would be one of those "horror stories" you mentioned, as I had complications that kept me out of work for much more than the planned 4 weeks. But, I want to tell you that it was still so worth it. Now, 3.5 years later, all of that is a distant memory, but I still enjoy the results of my tummy tuck every day.

Even with no complications, the recovery from a tummy tuck is a lot more brutal than sleeve surgery. You will be in a lot of pain. You won't be able to stand up straight for days. You will likely have drains hanging out of you for a while. Your incision will be HUGE and you will look like someone cut you in half. The incision will take a long time to heal and will leave a considerable scar.

I'm not saying all of this to scare you! I just want you to be fully prepared for what to expect. It will be a rough road. Hopefully you have people in your life that can help you with everything immediately post op, as you really won't be able to do anything on your own for a bit. Like, not even able to take a shower on your own.

Hang in there and when the going gets rough, think about how great you will look and feel in a few years. It will all be worth it in the long run!

[Robynne Hazebroek-Buzanko 10]

Thanks for the responses so far guys.

@ Jaycee - I'd be more than happy to correspond with you. The sleeve operation isn't performed very often over here so I don't have many people to talk to (in forums) about experiences and such. If I can help in any way please let me know.

@ JamieLogical - don't worry! I'm sort of mentally preparing myself for the worst.. lol.. My surgeon told me not to worry so much about pain ("pain we can manage" he said) but more to take into consideration the lack of energy. The most important thing is to listen to my body and build up slowly. I hope I'm not home too long (not because I don't want to be home, but because it could cost me my job). I am prepared for pain and old-lady-like posture. My daughter, husband and in-laws are ready for me if I need them.

As for the scar - I am well aware of it. But I'd rather have that than all the extra flesh in the way.

If you don't mind my asking - what were your complications?

[JamieLogical 8,727]

If you don't mind my asking - what were your complications?

As I mentioned, I had an extended Tummy Tuck. That meant my incision was almost all the way around my entire body, leaving only a 3-4 inch gap above my butt crack. Well, when they do a tummy tuck, all of your lymphatic channels are severed. Those are what allow fluids to move through your body. Since my incision was almost all the way around me, the only place where Fluid could pass between the upper and lower halves of my body was that tiny gap in the back. Well, it became a bottle-neck and Fluid built up in the soft tissue of my lower back and it was VERY painful. It made it so I could not sit in a chair. The back of a chair pushing against my lower back was obviously an issue. But even the upward pressure from my butt into my lower back from the seat of the chair would cause me pain. It would get worse and worse the longer I sat. So I just couldn't sit for any prolonged period of time. The only "comfortable" position for me was lying on my side. I had initially scheduled 4 weeks off of work, but ended up taking more time than that and only being able to work half days for a while even once I went back to work. Luckily I live in the US and was covered under the Family Medical Leave Act, so I could not be fired from my job.

[Robynne Hazebroek-Buzanko 10]

Wow. That's pretty hefty. I'm glad that everything eventually worked out and that you're still pleased with the results.

I've promised my family (as well as my sweet colleagues) that I will put myself first (however difficult that is for me). My work has also assured me I can take as much time as I need. I WILL be listening to my body and following its lead. I'm so curious as to how it'll go and how I'll feel, but mostly how it'll look -- I've never been "thin" my entire life. It's all quite hard for me to grasp still.

[Brigiter 40]

I had Tummy Tuck 7 years ago it is a painful recovery... But completely worth it! I had no complication and I now show my tummy like a teenager and I love it!!!! I had Lapband years ago and loved it until December 2014 I started with reflux and I will be converting to sleeve may 5th I'm scared of going to surgery again but for me it has all been worth it!