Before & After Plastic Surgery with Shanni1269
May 12, 2020Before & After Plastic Surgery with Shanni1269: Why I Decided to Have WLS and Plastic Surgery
Shanni1269 shares her inspirational journey in her Before & After Plastic Surgery with Shanni1269!
I wasn’t always a chubby kid, I was active and never thought too much about my own weight. I watched my mother struggle with her weight and I thought “I will never let that happen to me.” My weight fluctuated slightly like most kids and then in high school, it all seemed to stabilize and I was a fairly thin teenager.
I had my first daughter at 18 and gained probably more weight than I should have. I didn’t have time to lose all the weight before I was pregnant with my son 6 months later and had him when I was 19 years old. By the time I turned 22, I had my 3rd child.
One year after my 3rd child was born, I fractured my spine in a dune buggy accident. My weight from that point on had always been a struggle. I was no longer as active as I wanted to be and my weight just kept creeping up.
I tried so many fad diets where I would make a little progress only to gain all the weight back each time I stopped the diet. I tried diet pills, prescribed by my doctor, and had some success. However, once I stopped, I gained all the weight back plus more.
Next, I tried a boot-camp-style workout with a strict diet plan and intense exercise, which led me to lose 50lbs. The problem was, the intensive workouts caused me to further injure my already injured back. After going to the doctor, I learned I had to stop the intense workouts, ended up in physical therapy, which meant that I gained all the weight back plus some, AGAIN!
I started getting depressed and found myself wanting to stop trying. By 2016 my weight had reached 292 lbs. and I knew I had to make a major change.
I made the life-altering decision to have gastric sleeve surgery. The gastric sleeve changed my life and I was able to lose over 100 pounds. Eighteen months after the surgery I was feeling amazing with my weight loss, but I still didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin.
I had loose skin and I found myself hiding behind loose-fitting clothes or wearing multiple layers of compression garments to hold it in. It was then that I decided to go see Dr. Mariotti and do something about it. Dr. Mariotti talked to me about my concerns and my issues with loose skin and together we decided on an extended tummy tuck along with some other “enhancements.”
Before & After Plastic Surgery with Shanni1269
OH username: Shanni1269
Weight loss from plastic surgery: 20 lbs.
Surgery Type: Extended Tummy Tuck with muscle repair and breast augmentation revision with lift.
Surgery Date: September 2017
Surgeon: Dr. Eric Mariotti
Before & After Plastic Surgery with Shanni1269: My Surgery and Post-Op Life
The tummy tuck was a major decision, but Dr. Mariotti had performed a previous surgery many years ago for me and I knew I was in great hands. Dr. Mariotti walked me through all of my options and we decided together what was going to give me the best outcome and what results I could expect. Dr. Mariotti is great about not exaggerating the potential results of the plastic surgery, yet he always seems to over-deliver.
The procedure takes place in the surgery center and you stay overnight after surgery. The nursing staff at the surgery center I had were so sweet and attentive. Dr. Mariotti’s staff calls and checks on you once you are released from the surgery center.
Coming out of surgery you are pretty sore and can’t stand up straight right away, but you can already see immediate results, even though there is quite a bit of swelling. Dr. Mariotti does a drain-less procedure so I didn’t have to come home with any yucky drains.
Once I was home and in the caring hands of my husband, I made sure to try to walk as much as possible, this helps move the healing process along. Even though it was painful, I pushed myself to walk as much as possible to ensure the best results.
Because my incisions were all the way around to my back it was hard to find a comfortable sleeping position at first. I slept in a recliner the first week and that seemed to work best. I did need help the first few days because getting up and down was a little difficult. My stomach was very tight and quite sore.
I spoiled myself and went to the salon to get my hair washed on a regular basis so I didn’t have to stand too long in the shower and wash it myself (I have A LOT of hair and it is A LOT of work).
I also took 2 weeks off work (10 business days). By the end of the 2 weeks, though, I was still pretty sore, I was completely ready to go back to work (Everyone heals differently and at a different pace, so don’t push it if you aren’t ready). Being sore lasted a few more weeks, but then it just seemed to fade away. I have some numb spots on my incision lines that have never come back, but it doesn’t bother me too much.
I love my results! I finally see, in myself, what others saw with my weight loss. Before my skin removal, I still saw an overweight body because the excess skin was still there reminding me of the excess weight I had gained. I truly believe that removing the excess skin is what has helped me keep my weight off.
I have been given a new confidence and I believe I look better now in my 40’s than I did in my 20’s.
My daughter, who is now 19 years old has seen my success and has decided to have weight loss surgery and has started a savings account to save for her future tummy tuck with Dr. Mariotti.
The staff at Dr. Mariotti’s office are so amazing as well. I love that when you walk in they all know who you are and you aren’t just “another patient” and you are special to them.
They follow along with your journey from your first consultation throughout the entire process. You are made to feel like you are part of a big extended family and that is what always keeps me coming back. That is why I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my daughter’s post-weight loss body contouring.
Special Milestones & Non-Scale Victories
Since losing the weight, and gaining my new confidence after surgery, I decided to enroll in a local adult education program. There I completed the high school program in record time and surprised my family with my high school diploma. Since then, I’ve started working on my Bachelor’s degree.
I went from being borderline depressed and overweight to having the desire to invest in myself again. I even wore a 2-piece bathing suit for the first time in over 20 years. I have slowly become active again and without the excess weight, my back injury doesn’t hold me back as it did before. I love my new body so much I do everything I can to keep it.
Before with the excess skin, I hated going to the gym because I disliked the way I looked in tight workout clothes. Now, I love going to the gym with my kids, in my workout clothes, and helping them live a more active lifestyle. I am able to show them with my actions and no longer just tell them with my words. I have become an inspiration to my kids and that feels amazing!
Check out more from Dr. Eric Mariotti on ObesityHelp and his site!
Share Your Before & After Success!
Celebrate your own Before & After WLS and/or Plastic Surgery Success, milestones, non-scale victories, and inspire others! The OH team wants to hear from you to share your weight loss surgery journey. Visit our Before & After Submission page for details.
