hi,

i've been reading everyone's journey on their plastic surgeries and have gotten alot of good information for use in mine.

since i've gotten so much great help from everyone, i've decided to journey my own upcoming process.

i'm scared to death but will not let it stop me. my biggest fear is developing blood clots. this has been my fear since my lapband surgery which was minimal compared to the one i have coming up.

just 2 days ago my boyfriend's aunt passed away as a result of one....she was old and had lots of health issues which caused it....but i was spooked a bit by it...was it a sign?

luckily dr schulman just posted about this subject and it made me feel better.

since being banded, i wanted to avoid PS. the first year i worked out like crazy but in the end i have extra skin on my belly that looks ok with clothes on...and "not so much" with clothes off. i want to complete this journey so decided to have PS.

i figured while under the knife i might as well get the "girls lifted" ..... gravity is taking them south.

my preop is next tuesday 4/28. i figure i will get alot of answers then. i am looking to rent one of those recliners that lift you up. i cant find one yet but will keep trying.

my sister in law is a nurse and will stay with me 3 days. she is normally a sweetheart but turns into "nurse ratchett" when it comes to recovery. so i know i'm in good hands with her.

then my cousin is flying in from NYC to babysit me for a week.

i'm a baby when it comes to pain...

my surgery is 5/11.....the doctor said it will be a 7 hour operation. it is outpatient...so i will go home that day with my sister in law.

anyway....just wanted to start this up and any suggestions are completely appreciated....

what was the best advice you got? best products you used? etc.

thank you ahead of time

josie

My daughter had her LBL, breast lift, yahoo lift and fat injections in her butt on June 4 by Dr. LoMonaco in Houston (from TV show Big Medicine). I have to say I am totally amazed at how quick her recovery has been. She had her surgery on a Thursday and exactly two weeks later she was on a plane flying back to NYC. She went back to work exactly two and a half weeks after surgery (granted it was four hours a day for the first week). I would have been down forever if it had been me. She only had one day of the crying spell of "what have I done." But that's it.

Some suggestions for anyone contemplating a lower body lift: Rent one of the recliners that raise you up almost to a standing position. Also, Dr L had a massage therapist in his office that did a lymphatic massage at about a week and a half. She now goes to one in NYC once a week and then will switch to every couple of weeks. The massage helps your body release fluids from the swelling. Plus, she's showing her how to massage the incisions. She wasn't massaging hard enough.

Her only complaint is one of the incisions at the breast may have to be tweaked. The incision along the front along the pubic hairline was the last for the scabs to come off. But the rest are amazingly looking great at barely just six weeks.

She's not had any regrets at all, especially buying bikinis from Victoria Secret has made it all worth it.

She still swells because she works on her feet (a hair colorist). So by the end of the day she's ready to take the compression garment off.

She now only has one more procedure to do but not until next year and that's to remove the excess skin on her sides like underneath the armpit.

I know all people are different on their pain levels. She was sent home with a pain drip that went directly to her midcore section. So she was discharged with five tubes. the dr. had her remove her tubes herself, the pain med one after 3-4 days when meds were done. Breast tubes once the discharge had dropped to almost nothing and then he removed the lower drains when she went in for first week follow-up. So all tubes were out in a week. And she was religious about taking her Vicodin every four hours around the clock whether she needed it or not for the first 10 days. So talking to her on the phone, if it wasn't within the first hour of taking meds was out of the question. She was big time loopy.

So good luck to all are considering surgery but I know she has felt it was worthing every dollar of the thousands she spent..:wink2:

Trisha

hi trisha, so glad your daughter is doing so well. i know you were very worried about her.

hi waistband

thank you so much. i will try to post pics this week. i am so happy with the results. better then i expected. i LOVE my PS. he is great and really did a super job.

thanks for info on fat and estrogen. i did hear that. plus my doctor said serotonin levels drop during such long operations. i also had to stop my estrogen 1 week before the operation due to potential for blood clots...i'm sure that didnt help.

it only lasted about a week...

good luck with your lapbanding.....

hi,

well i had my 6 mos post op (and final) appointment with my PS today. everything went well.

he was happy with the scars since they are really very faint now. i was surprised by this since my scars after the lapband was put in..... stayed dark for a long time....weird right?

my boobs are really starting to look natural since the swelling went away. i'm glad i didnt get implants. i was afraid they would be too small after the lift but for me...they are perfect.

i gained 10 lbs since surgery. long story short...i had my band completely unfilled about 8 weeks after my PS because i was having trouble eating (not related to PS at all).

plastic surgeon wants to see me in 6 mos to see if i need a little more lipo on my thighs. he isnt sure if the bulge is from the weight gain or that i need a little more.

so i'm hoping i use this to get my act together to get the weight off. i'll be "dipped" if i went through all this (lapband and plastic surgery) to slip back into my old pattern.

anyway i am soooo happy i did the plastic surgery since it really finished off the job the lapband started.

good luck to all having surgery or are thinking about it.

josie

Thanks for the update Josie, it will be wonderful to see new pictures. I am delighted that you are doing so well.

Mimi

Josie:

Glad to hear your six month check up went so well.

Take care.

Sue

Thanks mimilou and sue,

i feel like you guys saw me from start to finish.

sue, how's your surgery? you're up to the 6 mos mark as well.

mimilou...we will help you through this...cant wait!

josie

p.s. they are sending me the before/after pics which i will post when i get them

Oh, boy, professional pictures, LOL!!!!!

Mimi

funny, funny mimilou ha!!!

i just have to figure out how to do it when i get them since they will be physical photos. but i promise....

:bored::thumbup::thumbup:

Josie:

Thanks for asking. I went last month and had a check-up. She's pleased with the results and the scar looks light pink and fading more and more. I do have a small dog-ear on one side. She wants me to give it three more months to see if it corrects itself or not and if not she'll fix with a minor procedure in the office. Now I'm focused on trying to find a new job. I got laid off in April and it's a b**&h trying to find a new job. If I get a job at the level I was before I'll be saving up to get the girls done. It's not likely, but I can dream.

Unfortunately with the boredom and stress of trying to find a new job I've been grazing. I have now gained 20 pounds since my plastic surgery. I talked to my band surgeon about it this week and I asked if I can come in for weekly weigh-ins until I get a job and get my eating back under control. He's so nice. He gave me his cell phone number and told me to call him any time if I was struggling. When I went in to weigh in yesterday with his office staff I got the same feeling that an alcoholic must get when they go to AA meetings with a hangover. Embarassed, but facing my demons.

I'm not changing my ticker because I am going to kick it back down very soon!

I cannot wait to see your pics.

Take care.

Sue

Thanks for the update Josie. Now don't you have a wedding to plan? :-)

YAY, Josie!!!!!!

Mimi