My first surgery has been scheduled for July 8th, 2004. I will
be having an upper arm lift, a breast lift with augmentation and a tummy tuck. My second round of surgery is tenatively
scheduled for August 20th, 2004 and that will be a butt lift and medial thigh lift, with the incision going from groin to
knee to remove all of the excess skin.
As far as the costs go, here is what I will be paying:
Surgery #1 - Upper arm lift, breast lift w/ augmentation (silicone)
and Tummy Tuck - $20,000.
Surgery #2 - Butt lift, medial thigh lift, adjustment of breast implants and excision
of excess skin on my back - $19,000.
Surgery #3 - Revision to stomach removing additional excess skin, revision of medial
and lateral thigh lift and liposuction of calves - $5,000.
My PS Journal
6/22/04: A little over 2 weeks until my plastic surgery and am
VERY nervous and impatient. I can't wait for the day to be here but I can. I am nervous about the pain I will
be in and am scheduled to only be off of work for 7 business days. Hopefully all will go well and my healing will be
excellent. I have heard horror stories about infections and drains being in for months, but we'll see.
07/20/04: Hello all! I am now 12 days post of tummy tuck, breast lift
with augmentation and arm lift. My recovery was painful but I didn't expect a walk in the park. It involved alot
of sleeping and ALOT of percocet! I am THRILLED with the results. My arms and boobs are awesome! I'm still having a
hard time with my tummy as I am swollen in places but it's flat as a board. I am not having any incisional problems except
for an oozing belly button which I only have to swab with peroxide once a day and keep dry gauze on. The plastic surgeon removed
10 lbs of skin the day of surgery. I feel SO much better! My body is still sore and tender, but I am back to work and feeling
great! I am getting ready for round 2 in one month! August 20th will bring my thigh lift, butt lift and back roll removal.
I have 2 sets of those lovely empty sacks on my back and can't wait to get rid of those. Please, anyone with questions
please feel free to e-mail me.
8/4/04: I saw the plastic surgeon yesterday and went over all the procedures
for my second surgery on 8/20/04. He will have to actually open my breasts back up and make the muscle pocket lower
as my implants are not dropping into place. My body is healing so well that its hanging onto them! UGH!
But this is at no additional cost to me thank god! He'll also do my butt and thighs! I can't wait for my thighs.
They really bother me. As far as my recovery from my first surgery, I feel great! I rested up this past weekend
and all of a sudden felt like myself again on Monday. I feel I am 90% back to normal and at 3 1/2 weeks post-op, I think
that's pretty good. I am having a problem with hives though which makes things worse! Seems I'm allergic to the
tape goo remover that they used on my yesterday. So I'll be itch itch itchin today!
8/18/04: Well here I am 2 days before my next surgery and feeling
not ready. I have been having alot of problems in the last 3 weeks including antibiotic enduced colitis, a SEVERE allergic
reaction to my percocet and now I'm dealing with horrid pain in all of my joints. I don't feel ready for my next surgery but
hopefully everything will resolve while I recover. I think my surgeon and PCP are getting tired of seeing me! UGH! On a brighter
note, I stepped on the scale today and weighed 198 lbs. That's a loss of 247 lbs. I never thought I would ever be in ONEderland
again! It's amazing and I can't wait til after my second surgery which should take off at least 10-15 more lbs. Wish me luck and I'll update and post new pics soon. HUGZ to everyone!
10/25/04: Sorry it has been so long in updating but it has been
a long road. I have recovered from my second surgery although this one was much tougher than I anticipated. I
still at over 2 months post-op have a drain in my back, draining a very stubborn seroma! I am not as pleased with this
surgery as I was the first although my body is soooo much better. I am now wearing size 8 jeans and a medium or large
on the top. My shape is awesome and I couldn't be happier. I am looking though already at having my thighs revised,
lipo to the calves and but implants or fat grafting. I have lost all of my butt with this last surgery and I am actually
having alot of pain when sitting. My tailbone feels like it's on fire alot of the time! Ugh... the pain of losing
weight! Never thought I would have that problem! But here I am, 2 weeks away from going to disney world and a
size 8-10. Never thought I would see the day. If you would like to see my before and after plastic surgery pics,
please e-mail me and I will be glad to share them. I will warn that they are full monty so if that would be a problem
to you, please don't ask. Also if anyone has questions for me, please feel free to e-mail me about that as well.
HUGZ!
5/2/05: Well here I am, another surgery down and am feeling better everyday.
This surgery was a little tough. The lipo to the calves is definately the most painful and not sure if I'm happy with
the results or if it was worth it. Still not happy with the thighs and stomach cause there is still excess skin.
I'm going to kick butt at the gym for the next year and re-evaluate next may. Today is my 2 year anniversary from having
gastric bypass and what a difference my life it. It is amazing to think of the transformation.
