So as if the whole world did not already know, my surgery is set for July 3 at 7:30AM. I will have to be to the surgery center at 6:30. To the dismay of many around here, this will be an outpatient surgery and is scheduled to last 6 hours. Here is what the doc said yesterday.

1. I will have 2, (possibly 3) incisions. One that runs hip to hip (about 3/4 of the way back on the hip), 1 that runs vertically from groin to breast bone, and then possibly one that is horizontal just underneath the bra line. She won't know until she sees how much puckering there will be at the top. I really don't give a CRAP about scarring. I just want to see my belly button!:sneaky:

2. She has no idea how much muscle repair I will need. She said she wouldn't know until she gets in there.

3. She may or may not move my port. It depends on how much of a fat pad there is between my port and the muscle. If there is not a lot, she will leave it. If there is a fair amount, then she will unstitch the port, remove the fat, and resecure the port to my muscle. Lovely...port pain again! :thumbup: She will not be changing the location of the port and has the complete support of my lap-band surgeon.

4. She will lipo the mons area and lift as well. This is being thrown in as a bonus. She said she is not going to charge me for the lipoing of the mons area because she didn't originally think I would need it, but now she thinks it would be better. She said it is not enough to justify recalculating the fees.

5. I will be receiving a pain pump that will last for 48 hours. She gave me the option of showing me how to remove it myself (WTH!):rolleyes2: or to move up my post-op and come in on Monday and have her remove it. I opted for the second! I am not a biologist/doctor...that is what I pay them the big bucks for!

6. She is so excited that I am running the half-marathon before surgery because it will cause great circulation and put me in the best shape of my life. She was not concerned about the weightloss because of my muscle tone. She didn't want to see me losing a lot of weight just due to low calories and poor nutrition which can be a problem for healing. But after seeing the muscle tone in my arms and legs she is EXTREMELY confident in my ability to heal quickly.

They took a bunch of pictures and I got my prescriptions for surgery. They are all liquid as this was the only thing that my lap-band surgeon suggested. I did not want to get a pill stuck and be throwing up! So I will just gag from the flavor instead.:tongue2: Liquid pain meds and liquid antibiotics. Sounds like a party. I can sit in my recliner like chair with a straw and party umbrella in my medical cocktail and feel like I am sitting on the beach...with my new "bikini body"!:rolleyes2:

And now...what everyone has been waiting for... the pictures...as hideous as they may be! I know a lot of people like to see before and after pictures and I will be posting a lot. There are not a lot of people that have the vertical incision and it has been very difficult for me to find before and afters so I am going to do the best I can to provide this information for other's searching.

Salsa you look AMAZING one month post surgery! I only hope that I look that good in a month congratulations! Do you know how many inches you have gone down so far in the stomach/hips area?

Unfortunately I have NO idea. I didn't take any measurements. My waist at the belly button stayed the same i think. As you can tell from the before pics it was the 2 big a$$ rolls above and below the belly button that caused me problems. I was a size 4 before surgery and thankfully am still a size 4 now. I was hoping I didn't got down any because it is difficult to find size 2's around here. Now I can just wear the 4's without body shapers and no muffin tops. You will love your results. I know I do. If it wasn't that the girls needed lifted I wouldn't even consider the revision surgery that my PS wants to do. She wants to cut across the top of the torso and pull up to get the rest of the excess skin. Since we can do it at the same time as the breasts I will have it done, otherwise I am pleased as punch!

Karri you look simply amazing! It must feel fantastic having a body that matches all the hard work you've put in. I'm so happy for you that your results have been so amazing! Even without the revision, I think you look wonderful. I'm (more than) slightly jealous!

Karri

You look great dear!

I know the countdown to exercise....lol....you're almost there hun! Good luck and take it easy going back to it!

Sorry about the revisions, but you do look great!

Glad to hear you are looking and feeling so great Karri! And I'm happy for you that you won't need to do more shopping.... that can be exhausting as well as expensive. Soon, very soon you'll get to run again :cool2:

You look simply amazing!!!!

Salsa, thanks for sharing the pics. You look great! I hope you know that you're going to continue to improve. You're going to look even better as time goes by. The swelling is so insidious. It really times a lot more time than you think. I'm 4 months out and my waist is getting more defined every day. So, I guess the good news is that you're going to look better and better!

Hi Salsa. I'm just checking in since I've been away for about three weeks. I'm glad to see that you are looking and feeling so good and getting on with life.

It seems like the summer has flown by doesn't it? When do you have to return to school?

Technically I still have 2 weeks left of summer vacation...however I go back to work today to get started. I haven't done much and I have a lot of planning to do. I am actually looking forward to going back this year. This is my 5th school year and the 1st year that I am actually excited about school starting.

Glad to see that you are back safe and sound. Hope you had a good trip.

Hi Salsa! Those last pics look great!! How are things now?

When are you looking into round 2?

Are you back in school now?

u look great! did insurance pay for this? if u don't mind me asking?

Hi Salsa! Those last pics look great!! How are things now?

When are you looking into round 2?

Are you back in school now?

Round 2....HELL no!!! I struggled with weight issues during surgery because of medications that I was on. Besides I have a lot of money to pay back so it is going to be a while!

I am back and school and much happier to be back on a schedule. It makes food issues much easier to deal with.

u look great! did insurance pay for this? if u don't mind me asking?

Thank you for the compliment. Nope...insurance didn't cover a thing. That is why I am working 2 jobs and picking up all the extra duties I can at work. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. I feel great!

glad you see you're doing okay salsa :redface: