Working towards a pain-free existence, without need for any mobility assistance.
Itchy, still have drains, and feeling tight and swollen. Spent 6 hours in the ER yesterday with some nasty constipation. Today doing what is essentially colonoscopy prep, after determining nothing structural going on. Luckily off the big pain meds.
Now very tired…
I had plastics a week ago: extended panni and breast lift. The experience hasn’t been bad: I have pretty good movement and I’m now only on Tylenol for pain. But I feel like I’m barely smaller! Saw the doctor a couple of days ago and he says I’m doing fine, but I’m so swollen! They took off 17 lbs of skin and I can still wear the same bra and pants! How long does the swelling last? When am I likely to get anywhere near my final size? I’ve been waiting so long to buy clothes…I’m impatient!
17 months post-op from my gastric sleeve, after having lost 113 lbs, and just had an extended panniculectomy and mastopex (breast lift). 17 lbs of skin removed!
Today I had an extended panniculectomy and an extended breast lift. A panniculectomy removes the “pannus”, the belly overhang. Mine was quite substantial even before weight loss, and really extensive afterwards. This included. “mons lift” which greatly reduced the size of my “mons’, or external pubic area. The breast lift was to remove extra skin which caused my breasts to hang very low. “Extended” because both surgeries also wrapped around the sides to remove skin there.
I had a total of 17 pounds of skin removed.
People have asked how I addressed my weight loss after surgery to my friends/family/coworkers.
I talk about doing a lot of body work, working out, yoga, and changing my eating habits. I also talk about surgery because I’m not embarrassed about it, but it is not the only change that I’ve made so it shouldn’t be given top billing.
Highly recommend this book for anyone who is fat and/or knows someone fat (which is everyone). It is a lighthearted yet serious look at what fat people go through every day, and the basic message is about acceptance and finding happiness.
