I love all the information I have found on this site and all the help I have received and I can't wait till I'm banded to be able to help others but until then I can help others hopefully in this area....... May 2006 when I lost a lot of weight from Phentermine I had a hanging tummy . If I was naked it would be down to my pubic area. I had Tricare at the time and they denied twice to pay for it so I went ahead and self-pay. I think it was 5k, maybe not that much even. Anyways..... I got down to 180 and felt that I can resume that weight after the Tummy Tuck...WRONG!:tt1: For about 2 months I maintained that weight but I had to switch medications and my eating habits were worse then before so the weight just came back full force! Now I am about 65 pounds heavier and decided to get my life back on track. I hope to be getting the lap band end of Feb or early March. I refuse to go through my whole Tummy Tuck process to just get it back! I refuse to do that! Here's pictures of me.

PictureTrail

If I could be any help please let me know. Oh and I love my new Tummy even with this new weight gain. Best 5k I ever spent!!!!!!!

Welcome to the site and I hope you get your band.Donna

I love all the information I have found on this site and all the help I have received and I can't wait till I'm banded to be able to help others but until then I can help others hopefully in this area....... May 2006 when I lost a lot of weight from Phentermine I had a hanging tummy . If I was naked it would be down to my pubic area. I had Tricare at the time and they denied twice to pay for it so I went ahead and self-pay. I think it was 5k, maybe not that much even. Anyways..... I got down to 180 and felt that I can resume that weight after the Tummy Tuck...WRONG!:rolleyes2: For about 2 months I maintained that weight but I had to switch medications and my eating habits were worse then before so the weight just came back full force! Now I am about 65 pounds heavier and decided to get my life back on track. I hope to be getting the lap band end of Feb or early March. I refuse to go through my whole Tummy Tuck process to just get it back! I refuse to do that! Here's pictures of me.

PictureTrail

If I could be any help please let me know. Oh and I love my new Tummy even with this new weight gain. Best 5k I ever spent!!!!!!!

Sooooo . . . you'd do the tummy tuck again ??? I am in the researching phase of my TT and am asking everyone I can find who has had one if they would do it again, if it was all worth it . . . The pain, the drains, the downtime, etc.

Thanks,

Lynn

Lynn, I just "did it again", LOL. I had a "mini" TT 15 years ago, but the doctor told me I only needed a mini, boy was that a joke. I looked like I had a new butt in the front. All he did was cut off the lower portion, near the hair line, and tighten the muscles, all the skin and fat from above were left, not to mention it looked like chit when it healed. I saw the photo of the section he took out, I swear it looked like, have to laugh here, a large wedge/slice of cherry pie.

I was also left with these huge dog ears they called them, one on each side hanging down, disgusting.

Well two weeks ago, I went for a breast reduc/lift and asked him to take off the dog ears while he was there and he said I'd be better off with a full TT. I'm so glad I did, I'm thrilled, (so far), with the results and the pain for me has been minimal :rolleyes2:.

The girls are doing well too, not as full at the top as I'd hoped, but I opted not to do the implants, I'm 57, the last thing I need is something else to take care of.

Oh yeah, the drains were the worst part, what a PIA! They came out after the first week, and the two stitches that held them on only drained another 2 days, then it was no more gauze, just anti bacterial cream.

Have a great day.

Thank you for responding HarleyNana ~

I am really looking at just doing it, even though I am totally grossed out by the idea of the drains. I am trying to wrap my mind around the idea of having a flat tummy again and know if I did, the drains and the pain would be a small price to pay for that.

May I ask how long you needed someone 'with you' following the surgery? My husband's schedule is not very flexible, so I am trying to figure out if I need to ask my mother (the biggest worry-wart alive) to come and stay with me. Part of me knows I'll need the help, but the other part of me thinks the stress of having her here 'fretting' over everything would be worse than being alone.

I actually have a list of questions - would you mind if I emailed them to you?

I have them in a word document and have no idea how to attach them here.

Thanks,

Lynn

Lynn, send them on, I'm not a pro, but I'll give it my best. I have a follow up today, I'm hoping he'll pull these steristrips off, they're really starting to itch or either the dissolving stitches are itching.

Look forward to the PM.

Pat in VA

Yay ! I'm glad we 'met' . . . I just sent you an email.

Thanks,

Lynn

Lynn~ I would do it again a million times over. Not all Dr.s use drains my BF's Dr. didn't and she has great results too. As far as down time. I work for the USPS and lift very heavy boxes and do a lot of walking so I took 4-5 weeks off. The more you do the first couple days and weeks the more you swell (OUCH) and the longer it will take to heal. I can tolerate pain but I did need my husband to help me get around the first couple days and I had a Dr. appointment the following day after surgery so he had to drive me, so I think you will need someone to help you the first couple days at least. They removed about 8-9 pounds of fat so my incision was very long. My scar looks like a smiley face now, lol. The scar is very very light and a mole that I had right underneath my breast is now right above my new belly button....so they had to do a lot of stretching but they got rid of a lot of stretch marks too. I relied heavily on the pain meds they gave me so that's another reason my husband had to help me get around. I was doped up 24/7. Did I need all that pain medication????? Probably not but I didn't want to see if I did or not. There is so much after the surgery, days after the surgery, I don't even remember.

If you decide to have it done you will be so glad you did it.

Thanks for posting. Getting ready for mine in a couple of weeks. Good luck on getting your band.

Sooooo . . . you'd do the tummy tuck again ??? I am in the researching phase of my TT and am asking everyone I can find who has had one if they would do it again, if it was all worth it . . . The pain, the drains, the downtime, etc.

Thanks,

Lynn

Lynn, I almost hate to admit it, but I'm going for my second go 'round with plastics on the 15th. The first time around was 12-1/2 years ago, and I had a bi-lateral thigh/buttock lift with mini tummy tuck, and breast lift/augmentation. This time I'm getting a full lower body lift, the breasts lifted and implants replaced, replacement of my lap band port to the low-profile port, and a medial thigh lift (if surgery runs too long, he may postpone the thighs).

It will only be "worth it" if I keep the dang weight off this time!

Tami

I go for my second consult tomorrow and I am really thinking I am going to 'just do it' . . . Even if I am down for a while, it won't last forever and I will be thrilled to have my flat stomach back. I suspect when all the dust settles, I will be glad I did it.

Thanks for your replies . . .

Awww, hun I am so sorry you are going through this. But the bright side is you still love your tummy! The rest of you can be fixed! Good luck and let me know if I can help you in anyway!

I need a TT very badly. (along with breasts and possibly inner thighs) Once I'm at a stable weight that I'm comfortable with, I am going for it! My biggest fear isn't the pain or scars, it's re-gaining the weight.

I assume that since you are still happy with the TT, your skin hasn't stretched back out too far?

Thanks for sharing your experience.

i have a question...

how do you guys get off work for the 6 weeks?

i have a question...

how do you guys get off work for the 6 weeks?

Just get with your HR department. If its medic, you can take a medical leave if you have been on the job long enough (at least in Texas) I am taking a medical leave. I will get paid "sick" time for the first 5 days and then short term disability kicks in until I return.

I had enough sick leave and annual leave to take 6 weeks off and besides even if I didn't your employer HAS to give you the time off if your Dr. recommends it! I had FMLA covereage from day 1. It is MAJOR surgery and that is all your employer needs to know and on the FMLA paperwork it isn't supposed to go into graphic detail about what type of procedure just have Dr. go into detail about what you can and can't do and how long you'll be out for. My job requires me to lift 70 pounds many times a day...my Dr. said HECK NO! So my boss wouldn't give me a desk job for a couple weeks so he said NO WORK AT ALL THEN! It was great for me.

No, thankfully my tummy and skin haven't stretched back out like the rest of me has. I can't wait to get the band.