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If you've been around the website long enough, you know that there isn't much that I don't show and/or tell... This topic, plastic surgery, is one that will always come to the surface within the bariatric community. For some, it will never be an option because of finances. Others will borrow, beg and scrimp pennies until they are able to afford it. In many ways, it's viewed as "the final chapter" in this weight loss surgery journey. However, I have come to realize that it is NOT the final chapter... perhaps just the grand finale that occurs just before an intermission at a public event. So, here are my plastic surgery pics for those of you who are curious. (It's ok to be curious, that's how we learn... by asking questions, looking at photos, doing our research... ) Lord knows I've asked my fair share of questions and picked people's brains.
Front view, pre-plastic, post-plastics (4 months)
Side view, pre-plastics, post-plastics (4 months)
Front view, 1 week post-op
Front view, 9 weeks post-op
After losing 135 lbs, you can tell how heavy the loose skin was. The majority of my weight had always been in my stomach area (mostly due to the Insulin Resistance). I continued to lose weight until my surgeon told me to stop. He said that I had reached my weight loss goal and was at a good weight, but that it was the hanging excess skin which was causing so much trouble. In my mind, I was still F-A-T. It was as if I had this huge appendage hanging on my body, a tumorous growth, and it disgusted me. I wasn't sure how much was loose skin or how much was still fat that I needed to lose. It plagued me until I finally had it removed at just 10 months post-gastric bypass.
I must add here that I was very nervous to have the plastic surgery. I was never frightened with the gastric bypass, but the day I watched the plastic surgeon mark all over my stomach, I realized just how serious this surgery would be. The first week after surgery, I was very happy because I went in a size 6 blue jeans and came out as a size 4. I stayed that size for oh, 7 to 10 days. THEN... swell H&%$ happened. And let me say, swell HELL is exactly the proper term. As you see on the lower right picture, that is me at 9 weeks post-abdominoplasty/muscle repair. I had to borrow my mother's size 10 pants because nothing in my closet fit.
I felt like I was all alone within my weight loss support group. I was the first within our clan to have plastics. No one understood just how difficult it was, how much it hurt, how I could hardly get around, walked all hunched over, swelled up really big, and then there was the month of dealing with the drain! (There has been nothing that caused such frustration to the point of tears and profanity in my life than that drain tube!) As stated before, many think plastics is the final chapter, and that it is the highest of highs to reach. It is NOT, in my opinion! It took me four months before I was finally able to say "I'm glad I did this." You can see the before pictures on the left, and the after pictures on the right. Those are 4 months post-op. I threw in a few others just to give you an idea of how my body changed so much.