I have lurked through all the threads for as long as I have been a member here and found great inspiration from all you lovely ladies and gents. With encouragement from Kareyquilts I am starting a new thread about my LBL. Tomorrow is the day and I am freaking out. Up until this point I was pretty calm and collected. I am no stranger to surgery and have had some plastics already (breast augmentation 3/07 and lipo pre-band) I usually know what to expect but this is unchartered territory!

I am 5'9'', currently 163lbs and look like I'm wearing a potato sack from chest down. I have waited for this day since well before I was banded and although I feel sick to my stomach with worry I am excited that all the hard work is paying off. Never in a million years did I think this day would actually come, very surreal

I have all my meds lined up, comfy clothes laid out so they are easy for my boyfriend to find (lord forbid he have to venture into the closet - he'd get lost;) ) I have my dogs looked after, food bought and prepared, a landry list of people that will be helping over the next few weeks but somehow I feel like I am forgetting something.

So although this post is somewhat disconnected, it is how my brain is running at the moment, million miles a minute in a million directions. If anyone has any words of advice they would be greatly appriciated!! ***head spinning***

Mimin: I'm sorry you have had a complication. Is it painful, besides being gross? Are you still going back to work next week? Do you think you did anything to cause it or it this just something that can happen? It's lucky you saw what the results will be like when all the swelling goes down. You know you are going to look good when the infection is under control!! I'm glad you went to the doctor. Take care and keep us informed!

yikes, sorry you had a complication.

hope you are better soon!

Please keep us posted. You are in my prayers.

I'm so sorry about your complications, but im sure everything will be fine in no time at all!!! Just remember to think positivley and get LOTS of rest!!!! Let us know how you are doing, we are all thinking of you!!!

Miriam: You've been awfully silent. I'm worried about you. I hope you're just busy and not sick. I'm wishing you the best. Hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Mimin:

Sorry that things aren't going so well for you. Please take care of yourself and give us an update when you're feeling better.

Take care.

Sue

Hi all, thank you so much for the kind wishes. Just wanted to check in and say I am doing ok (Sorry Karey!). I have had to go back to the Dr a few times to get checked, drained and update the meds. The infection is still present but it is getting better. My left thigh is the size of china making my right look super skinny, I'll never complain about big thighs again if this goes down I swear!

Christmas plans have changed, I can not travel so we had to stay home. I was really looking forward to a Christmas home with my family for once but it is more important to rest and get better! I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Year!

Glad you're doing better. So sorry that you had to miss Christmas with the family. I know as a mother how disappointed I would have been. My daughter is missing her first Christmas home to spend with her fiance's family in Alaska. I don't like sharing! Oh well! Sounds like you made the right choice though. Keep taking care of yourself and keep us posted! Merry Christmas!

I'm glad things are getting better and I hope you recover from this soon. I'm so sorry you didn't get to see your family for Christmas. Keep us posted on your progress and hope you get better soon. ((HUGS))

Mim! How's my old Sept. band bud? I hope you're feeling better, and that the swelling is going down.

I'm looking at some plastics, now, too, possibly in February. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Tami

Mim - I hope that you are feeling better and that all the swelling and infection has gone.Has the wound healed up now.

You looked fantastic in your day 4 pictures and I really mean it! You just have to focus on the fact that you will look even better than that when all of the swelling etc has gone down.Which is hard to imagine to be fair cos I thought that your day 4's were amazing :eek:

Hi All!

I am sorry I have not updated this thread! I had a bit of a rough go with an infection post surgery but after a couple rounds of anti-biotics it slowly went away. It did slow down my healing processes quite a bit. I also had a couple places where the incision had opened and had to deal with that, but that too has passed:)

Today I feel pretty good, I still have a fair bit of swelling but it gets better as time goes on. I am back exercising and feeling a lot better all the way around. I still haven't dropped any sizes, but I remain hopeful!

Glad to hear you are doing well:smile:

I had a bit of a rough go with an infection post surgery but after a couple rounds of anti-biotics it slowly went away. It did slow down my healing processes quite a bit. I also had a couple places where the incision had opened and had to deal with that, but that too has passed:)

Today I feel pretty good, I still have a fair bit of swelling but it gets better as time goes on. I am back exercising and feeling a lot better all the way around. I still haven't dropped any sizes, but I remain hopeful!

Mim, glad to hear you're past the worst of it, and getting on with exercise & life.

I am having a really tough time right now making decisions about plastic surgery. My surgery was derailed because the surgeon couldn't get the port from Allergan (they only sell them to bariatric facilities). Do you have the low profile port? If not, did the plastic surgeon adjust the port during surgery?

And, although I know you're still in the healing phase, and still have some swelling which will undoubtedly improve over time, I gotta ask...do you have any regrets about doing the lower body lift, considering the complications you've experienced? My husband is trying to talk me out of the lower body lift, because he says the amount of improvement which I can reasonably expect just isn't worth the risk, pain, expense, and recovery time.

I wish you the very best with your continued recovery, and that you're soon in skinnier jeans!

Tami

Mim, glad to hear you're past the worst of it, and getting on with exercise & life.

I am having a really tough time right now making decisions about plastic surgery. My surgery was derailed because the surgeon couldn't get the port from Allergan (they only sell them to bariatric facilities). Do you have the low profile port? If not, did the plastic surgeon adjust the port during surgery?

And, although I know you're still in the healing phase, and still have some swelling which will undoubtedly improve over time, I gotta ask...do you have any regrets about doing the lower body lift, considering the complications you've experienced? My husband is trying to talk me out of the lower body lift, because he says the amount of improvement which I can reasonably expect just isn't worth the risk, pain, expense, and recovery time.

I wish you the very best with your continued recovery, and that you're soon in skinnier jeans!

Tami

Hi Tami!

I have always had the low profile port so did not have to deal with getting a replacement. Will your band doctor order the port for your surgeon? My surgeon did move my port, as the abdominal muscles were tightened if it were to remain in the original position it would have folded under. I reall do not like the new placement but I am getting use to it (much higher than it was).

I don't know if I have regrets exactly but I wonder if I would have achieved close to the same results with an extended tummy tuck rather than the full lower body lift. Although it may have been totally different if I had done a medial thigh lift with the lower body lift. I am very happy with my tummy and actually my butt too, since gravity has set in I do have a butt, just MUCH smaller than it use to be. I HATE how my thighs still look and that really was the whole selling point on the lower body lift - the improvement on the thighs. My surgeon insists I am still very swollen in my thighs and has referred me to a facility that treats localized swelling to try and help reduce it, I haven't gone yet. So although right now I could say yes, there is some regret I really don't know for sure. It was a lot of pain and a long road of recovery but it does look better every day!

Miriam