Well, folks, this is the last book of the trilogy. Tomorrow, I'm headed home to Alabama for what I hope is my last round of plastic surgery. It's at least the last major round.

In case you're new to the forum, my history is that I lost 200 + lbs in 18 months of being banded. I had a TT with BL in March 2007. After that time, much to my amazement, I lost 60 more lbs. I then had a lateral thigh lift (outer thighs) and brachioplasty just 6 weeks ago, in Novmber 2007.

Tomorrow, I'm headed home for surgery on Thursday. We're doing the inner thighs (medial thigh lift), small breast implants (when I lost the extra 60, I really lost a lot of volume -- went from a mid-D to a small :confused:, and a mons lift with a port replacement to give me a low profile port.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted as I get home from the hospital. Unclear whether that will be Thursday late or sometime Friday -- depends on how I tolerate the anesthesia this time. In any even, I'll post more from the other side!

Right leg seroma is GONE. WOOHOO! It's still got a little knot there, but it'll resolve over time and you can't see it -- you have to press on the leg to feel it. YAY.

Left leg is much improved. We're not going to drain it anymore and see if it keeps getting smaller on its own. By the end of the weekend I should know whether I'm truly on the mend.

Dad says I should be able to return to running in about 2 weeks. YAY YAY YAY.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Julie-

Fingers, legs and toes crossed (just kidding on the toes). Sounds great and hope the left thigh totally resolves. Glad to see all is going so well with you.

Ah!! I am so relieved you are getting better!!

Oh Julie you must be SO excited about getting out for a run again! I'm so glad those pesky seromas are clearing up!

Julie I am so glad that you can see light at the end of the tunnel now hon. I have got evrything crossed that it just keeps on getting better and that you will be out running again soon.

Healing ((hugs))

Nina x

Yo J-Baby.

It's been a minute since I stopped in and checked your progress. Glad to see your sernomas are resloving. I'm sure not being able to run has got to have you down.

Do you have some running objectives for the spring/summer? Is work going well? Are you buying some new fantastic clothes?

Catch us up!

Juli in Ohio

Well I rarely join in on the board these days, but I keep up on several of the threads that speak to me. Like a lot of people I have followed Julie's amazing journey and have really benefitted from her sharing. But... it looks like she hasn't posted for over two weeks now and I'm starting to feel worried.

So,

Julie... how are you? You out there? Everything Okay? No doubt work and life is really busy but I'm sure I'm not the only one starting to feel concerned. Please check in.

And isn't it weird to have people you don't even know worried about you?

Kare

I am with Kare - where is JulieNYC??? I scheduled my TT for Feb. 19th and I want her to know . . .

I am another stranger who has gotten to "know" you via your eloquent posts. Here I am worrying about someone I have never met.....thoughts are with you and hope you are O.K.

Let us know.

Sherri

Well, folks, this is the last book of the trilogy. Tomorrow, I'm headed home to Alabama for what I hope is my last round of plastic surgery. It's at least the last major round.

In case you're new to the forum, my history is that I lost 200 + lbs in 18 months of being banded. I had a TT with BL in March 2007. After that time, much to my amazement, I lost 60 more lbs. I then had a lateral thigh lift (outer thighs) and brachioplasty just 6 weeks ago, in Novmber 2007.

Tomorrow, I'm headed home for surgery on Thursday. We're doing the inner thighs (medial thigh lift), small breast implants (when I lost the extra 60, I really lost a lot of volume -- went from a mid-D to a small :thumbup:, and a mons lift with a port replacement to give me a low profile port.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted as I get home from the hospital. Unclear whether that will be Thursday late or sometime Friday -- depends on how I tolerate the anesthesia this time. In any even, I'll post more from the other side!

Hi Julie! Just a little heads-up: When you have your mons lift, you'll notice that your pubic hair line is moved up...which means your pubic hair will now grow close to your incision from your TT, just under your belly button! :thumbup: I have to get a wax about once every two months...just a little inconvenience that comes along with the lift. :eek:

Wouldn't laser hair removal be a permanet way of dealing with the pubic hair growing high up? Just a suggestion.

Julie if you don't post soon I'm putting out an APB on you !!!!!

Oh goodness, I didn't mean to worry anyone! Thanks for checking in on me. I'm doing just fine, particularly in terms of the surgery recovery. I'm about 95% recovered and am back to running. My seromas have mostly resolved. I don't have to drain them any more (no fluid is accumulating). I still have one little ball of tissue in each leg, but you have to press on it to see it/feel it, and it gets smaller every day. Dad said it'll take about 6 weeks to go away entirely. It doesn't matter at all -- I'm glad to be at this stage of the recovery. I'll take some pics today.

The only thing really going on is my depression is out of control again, which is why I haven't been on the boards much -- it makes it easy for me to withdraw from most everything. I changed my medicine, so hopefully I'll get some relief soon, but that's what's going on.

I got a fill and my fill level's pretty good and my weight's steady. I'd like to lose 10 more lbs for my summer marathon -- mostly to get to my best running weight, not because I think I'd look better -- that's a weird thing to say. Anyway, that's the update. I'm glad yall are all doing well too.

Take care, Julie

Lynn, So exciting about your TT on the 19th -- this week, huh!!! SO cool!

Drkel, My hairline didn't move with my mons lift. Most of the skin came out of the sides, incorporated in with a triangle incision into my medial thigh lift. The rest cam out of the top, but I guess they cut out the part with the hair and kept the part from my stomach because my hairline is rally identical to the pre-surgical placement. Or, it would be if I weren't a fan of the brazilian wax! TMI? Haha.

So the full shot is pretty representative. You can see the bumps on my inner thighs -- two on the right leg (looks like the left leg, but it's not -- something about taking a picture with a camera in a mirror makes everything look reversed) and one on the left leg. Those are the reminants of the seromas. The bumps should go away completely, knock on wood.

Then there's the arm scar. You really can't see it, or the leg scar, when my arm/leg is positioned normally. I have no qualms wearing a sleeveless dress, for example.

Julie, not to even hint that I know were you are within your depression, but just as an observation from one who has battled depression since a total mental collapse in 2004, it really seemed that I was over all this, had seen my therapist for what I hoped was the last time, off all meds, and so happy with my weightloss from the band, and then as a treat for all my hard work, I scheduled a TT. I thought I was on top of the world, surgery went great, wonderful results, a bit slow I thought with the recovery, but now I realize that that old feeling of the blues is back. Do you think maybe all the excitement over getting FIXED after all that work could posibly lead to a huge mental letdown when after all that and you have shopped till you are bored, it seemes life is really NOT all that different like you thought it would be. I personally am trying to figure out what the crap I have to be so down in the dumps about!!!!! Hope you pull yourself up and out, and I will try to do the same. Just glad to see that I am not a freaky thing that gets down after geting what they wanted for so long!!!!!! CHin up girl, you are our role model!!!!!! MIZBOO