I had my first consult with my plastic surgeon today and am now booked in for a Torso Lift on the 2nd of April.

I will need to get completely unfilled one week prior to the surgery, and while I'm recovering in hospital, my bariatric surgeon will visit and refill me. I can commence walking as soon as I'm home from my week-long stay in hospital, and work up to my regular exercise regime over the following 4-6 weeks.

I'm being ring-barked, plus having skin removed from my upper tummy, my stomache muscles knitted together and lipo on my mons area to remove any fatty deposits that have remained there.

My surgeon says he usually asks weight loss patients to wait until their weight stabilises, but in my case, my loose skin, he believes, has more to do with my previous pregnancies, which has been exacerbated by the weight loss, so he's happy to do it now.

So the countdown begins!

Kareyquilts, I've PMed you, matey!

Lellow,

You look so great! Thanks for sharing your pictures!

When does the last drain come out?

When do you go back to work?

Thanks everyone for your lovely comments! When I took those photos, I was still pretty swollen too. The swelling eases a little more everyday, and I have to say, I can actually see a bit of a waist happening now!

My PS said that once all the swelling is gone, my stomache should be almost concave. OMG, I can't even imagine what that will be like!

I'm still shedding weight too, which I suspect is my body burning energy to heal, my band being filled (though still a little loose) and the swelling receding. I'm now past my personal goal of 145lbs and am 143lbs, and I suspect, still losing.

I see my PS tomorrow and I'm hoping the drain will come out then. He said I'd have to be draining less 30cc per day before he'd take it out, and in the last 24 hours I've only drained 20cc, so I think it should be removed tomorrow.

And Juli, I'm on leave until the 4th of May. I was saying to DH that I could probably return to work before that because I feel about 70% already, but he's insisting I take all the leave I'm entitled to, and just rest.

I think once I can walk completely upright (I'm about 95% upright now, just a slight hunch at the shoulders) and have the drain out, I'll feel almost 90% better!

hey lellow,

your pics are great. i am getting more excited than nervouse based on your journey.

thanks a bunch!

joanne

Lellow: Thanks for the pm. You're pictures look awesome. You're a beautiful woman. You are going to have a lot of fun clothes shopping, everything is going to look great! Enjoy the flatlands and keep on healing!

Lellow you look fantastic! I hope that I look that good after I have surgery. Thanks for sharing.

Sam

Do as your husband suggests and stay on rest until you are required to be back at work.

Find something fun to do if you have the energy, like shopping.

Yes, shopping! I can't wait to go shopping for new clothes!

I posted this in another thread, but will recap: yesterday I started leaking from the site of my last drain. I don't know why it happened, but my PS sent me to the hospital to have the drain removed (as it was after hours). Unfortunately the site leaked all night and I woke this morning with it having seeped past all the dressings the hospital had put on and into a puddle on my bed!

I changed the dressings this morning while DH cleaned up for me, and I'm hoping it stops soon. I've gone to the chemist (I drove!) to get more dressing, JIC I need another change before I see my PS this afternoon.

It's all a bit icky but I suppose if this is the worst thing to happen, it's not too bad all things considered. At least I don't have any drains anymore, and that's a plus, even if I'm still draining from the site!

What color is the drainage? It almost sounds like a seroma. I had the same thing happen to me after I had my spleen removed several years ago.

It's pink, mrgrta, so there is some blood in the Fluid. It's the same colour as what was draining into my drains - looks like red cordial. I just googled 'seroma' and am now wondering if you may be right, though.

I'm leaving soon for my appt with my PS so will ask.

Back from my PS appt and he's not worried by the leak. He says it's good that it's leaking because it means a seroma isn't forming - the Fluid is coming right on out. So my instructions are to keep re-dressing every time the seeping starts to escape, and if I have any other issues (such as liquid building up under the skin when the leak finally stops) to come back anytime.

His nurse re-dressed my incisions, and they're all closed over and healing nicely. They have scabbed over too.

So all in all, still going well for the time being. I'm hoping the leak stops soon AND no fluid builds up underneath the skin - that would be the best outcome.

Though the dressing I put on this morning is still holding (no seepage as yet) so I'm hoping it means it's slowing down some.

Lellow,

I posted this on my thread and I know we're reading each other's every word, but I'll post here too. My surgeon took out my drains yesterday and told me to expect to seep until after the drain holes scab. Then he said I'll get a sernoma which he will drain off next week. "It happens all the time you might as well be comfortable with out the drains." is what he said. So yesterday I drained all over the place. I put a menstrual pad in my panties up by my belly to collect the Fluid, but now the holes are sealed and so has the seeping.

Ick. I'm not looking forward to collecting fluid under my skin, but I suppose it's par for the course.

I did find my port yesterday. He had to reposition it, and my stomach had been so hard from the swelling I couldn't feel a thing. It's generally in the same place where it was...funny.

Juli,

good to see that it's pretty much a common occurence then, though I guess it would be better if a seroma didn't form at all. But if it does, it does! And your PS is right, it's more comfortable without the drain. I still sometimes reach down for it when I get up from sitting down, before remembering it's not there anymore!

The good news is, the seeping is slowing down. Not stopped, but not as profuse as before. I got by on only 2 changes of dressings today.

And my port - I can't miss it! It's sticking out of my tummy like a sore thumb. My DH can see the lump from across the room! But both my PS and my lapband dr reckons it's as deep as it could be positioned, so I guess I can't complain.

How's your swelling going, though Juli? Are you starting to see it subside a bit now? I'm off to your thread now to check on your progress. :wub:

Lellow, I am sorry for your messy wakeup but glad your doc is OK with it. I hope it drains as long as it needs to so the doc won't have to drain it. Keep healing so we can have more pictures.

Mimi

Lellow, sorry you are having to deal with all the drainage. I met with my ps today and he said that seromas are actually not that uncommon for this type of surgery. If that is the worst thing that happens, I could deal with it. A small price to pay for having a flat tummy I guess. Hope you are doing well. Keep us updated.

Cathy

Morning all!

There is good news! I've stopped draining! And because my PS's nurse showed me where the drain was situated, I've been keeping an eye out for Fluid build up under the skin.

But the area is actually looking good - not doughy with underlying fluid and quite flat in general. So I'm hoping this means that it's dried up and healing now.

It's also my baby's birthday today - he is 3! My other son took a pic of me and my baby this morning and I'll add it to the bottom of this post. It's the first pic of me in years that I actually like, despite the fact that I hadn't washed my hair in 2 days when it was taken! My baby, as usual, isn't even looking at the camera. I've not managed to get a pic in the last year where he's looking at the camera instead of squirming on my lap!

Edited April 16, 200917 yr by lellow

As of today:

• I'm no longer leaking and my last drain site is healing over
  
• No Fluid is collecting under my skin
  
• I am completely upright
  
• My incisions are completely sealed
  
• And my swelling is down to a point that I can see my ribs again.
  

I am so grateful that my recovery has been so uneventful. I am incredibly happy with the results! I am so glad I did this and I am now a huge fan of my PS!

I wanted to thank everyone who has posted in this thread offering advice and support. Being from Australia, I knew no-one who'd been through a body lift here, and I felt quite alone apart from those of you who were contrbuting to this thread. It was all of you who helped ease my worries, allayed my fears and who were generally there for me.

So thank you! You are all wonderful, amazing people!