Hi Tabby! I have my consults scheduled for September and October. (I still have a few pesky pounds I am trying to lose, and I am making a conscious effort to exercise more to get a bit of muscle tone into my legs and heinie prior to the consults.) I am going to interview three docs to see which one I want to hire for this major overhaul. I am hoping for an anchor-cut abdominoplasty for my abs. After being morbidly obese AND having babies that were 10 1/2 pounds, my abs just won't come back without some help. I am also going to have the thighs done at some time in the future, with the hip to knee vertical incision. My upper arms are also an issue. The loose hangy skin will NOT ever tighten up on it's own, and it prevents me from buying the right size clothes. I have to buy bigger clothes to cram in all that extra skin.... It is SO staggeringly expensive that I am still in the investigative phases. I'll be interested in what you decide to do, and how it all turns out!

Look at you! You have absolutely TRANSFORMED!

Happy Birthday and congratulations!! That is wonderful! I am so happy for you.

I am so excited, yet so nervous and anxious. I was fine until after I met with the surgeon. He told me that my insurance covers the panni and that he didn't even need documentation that I have been having yeast infections, they are the easiest around to get approval. What a relief. However, they do not cover the "girls" or thighs, so if I want anything else done, I have to pay out of pocket. WELL...from top to bottom, he doesn't recommend implants because they are foreign objects and you never know what can happen down the road, so if I am happy with just a lift (mastoplexy) and using the tissue he can salvage from what I have, he can do that. I will probably be a B-cup after that. I wanted fuller, but also understand about not wanting something foreign I might have to have removed or whatever down the road. PLUS...it is an add'l cost. I still haven't ruled out implants. Next he wants to do an abdominal restructuring and make an incision vertically down my stomach to remove the excess skin over my belly button, tighten up my waist and tighten up my abdominal muscles. This is an add'l cost, but it a MAJOR problem area for me and I definately want it done. NEED IT DONE to make me feel better about myself. Then, the panni, which is covered by insurance. That will help out with the excess rolls in my pubic area, too. I'm looking forward to getting all of that area done. Finally, I have a lot of excess skin in my inner thighs. He recommended two different procedures and said I couldn't go wrong with either one. One is to put the incision in my bikini line at the top of my inner thights and lift and tighten that up. The other would be an incision that runs down my inner thigh and would remove more of the excess skin. I am so torn about which one to chose. I am afraid that if I don't get all of the excess skin removed from my thighs that I still won't be happy and that even if my waist is small and I can fit into smaller clothes, I really won't fit into them because my thighs will be too big to fit into the smaller sizes. Right now my size 10/12's are really tight in the thighs and if I get into a size 8 after my TT, will I be able to wear them without having the bulk removed from my thighs? What would you do? I'm so torn. I would rather have the scar hidden, but can I deal with a scar on the inside of my thigh that will only be visible when I wear a bathing suit for however many days out of the year that is? Will the scar fade enough that it won't matter? What to do? What to do? Soooooo....the out of pocket costs for the add'l surgeries is $13K. Hubby and I are considering every option we can to pay for everything I want to have done. OH...I also got an employee discount because I work for the hospital system, so I got 10% off. WOO HOO!!!! I told hubby it is the price of a new car, but he said it is a new body that will last longer than a car. What a sweet and supportive hubby. I scheduled the surgery (which all will be done at the same time) for Monday, November 12th. My surgeon said he wanted to wait until I was atleast a year out from my WLS, so that was the first available date after my 1 yr mark. If we can come up with the funds, I will be having my surgery in 3 months. I want to get to my goal by that day, which, as of this morning I am only 5 pounds away from. YAY!!! So, that's it in a nutshell. What do you think? What would you do? What about the "girls"? I need help from my "October Sistas"!!! Hugs, Tabby

On my nine month surgiversary date I ended up in the hospital for surgery once again. sure not the way I wanted to celebrate 9 months out. What I thought was hernia pain was a compressed bowel from built up scar tissue and adhesion. OUCHIES!! during the 4 days in the hospital I gained 4 pounds which I assume was fluid weight. That is finally gone. Staring weight - 320 pounds Last week - 151 pounds This week - 145 pounds Having surgery on October 31st, kind of makes me one of the babies in this group. At 59 years old, I am probably the Senior Citizen here. I have learned so much from all of you, despite the age difference - thank you one and all.