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!
Plastic Surgery
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.
Happy Fat: Book Recommendation
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.
Happier?
Today Rio said I seemed happier since losing weight. I had to think about that.
The fact of losing weight, by itself, is not making me happier. I don’t care about weight, and know that being thin does not equal being happy. But she’s right, I am happier. Well, perhaps not “happier”, but less stressed.
Being super fat adds a level of stress to most activities. Just being out in public is stressful because of the amount of disapproval I’ve gotten, like stares, cat-calls, and overtly hostile comments. The medical community judged me. I was stressed about whether I could walk between two tables in a restaurant, or sit in a booth. I was stressed about chairs not holding me, and what clothes to wear because there are few cute clothes in super plus sizes. I was stressed about being seen eating in public. The list goes on and on.
And now, still fat but definitely not super-fat, I am not feeling those stressors the way I used to. So I am less stressed.
Happier? Maybe, but I don’t actually think so. I’m just less stressed.
Plastic Surgery Consult
Had my first consult on Monday with Dr. Bermudez in San Francisco. He came highly recommended by another WLS patient. He was great! He is in network with my insurance and is submitting right away for a panniculectomy, and the mons lift is included. I’ll also have a hernia repair at the same time. He recommended against a tummy tuck because I have a lot of subcutaneous fat in my upper belly and he thinks it won’t heal well, especially at my higher BMI (currently 35). Depending on how I feel about the result and how well I heal, that could be dealt with later.
Assuming all goes well I might go back for my arms and a breast lift (no implants), which includes all of the loose skin on the sides too. He quoted $26K for that. It’s definitely higher than I’ve seen elsewhere but this is SF and everything is more expensive.
I’m on a Facebook group for people who’ve had plastic surgery after weight loss, and it’s been great in terms of understanding the procedures and what to ask the surgeon. I went through all of the questions and he took lots of time to make sure I understood everything.
Can’t wait!
Looking Cute
I went to a birthday party today and thought I looked cute!
Mobility today!
I felt so mobile today! I took the dog on a couple of walks, stood up a lot in the kitchen while cooking, harvested plums, collected the trash, took out the compost, and walked around the new construction with others. Have walked almost 6,000 steps and climbed 4 flights of stairs today. While I’m not running any marathons, I’m strong and active. What a thrill!
My Miracle
I can now walk 1.25 miles with relative ease, with only mild back pain. A year ago I couldn’t walk across my house without pain.
I can now stand and cook and do dishes for short periods of time. A year ago I had to sit after just a couple of minutes.
I now have an occasional day where I get out of bed with only mild pain. A year ago it was a mental struggle to get out of bed because I knew I would be in a lot of pain as soon as I stood up.
I have an upcoming trip to Atlanta and NY, and am musing over whether or not I could do it without my scooter. Not sure I can do it, but if I can, it would be the first time in 6 years.
I still have a long way to go, but it feels like a miracle.
Dog Walking
So I just got a new dog, Esther, a stray who showed up on my son’s doorstep and whom I’ve now adopted. I had decided I would be ready for a dog when my kitchen remodel was done, and when I could walk to the local park with the dog. Just days after both of these were true, the dog showed up. Can you say “fate”?
Every day I walk this dog. Sometimes just around the yard, sometimes out in the neighborhood. At some point my back/hips start hurting. But at the beginning they don’t, and none of it is excruciating like it used to be.
A miracle.
A bit about clothes
I went to a weekend retreat at the end of March, and to an event at a leather bar on April 2. I knew I would need some clothes, so I had one skirt altered to fit me. I measured, and ended up having the seamstress take off … 24 inches!! Really. Granted, the elastic on the skirt was pretty stretched out, but incredibly, it now fits well. I’m sure I haven’t lost 24 inches, but wow!
Here I am…
