Here's the scoop...

It has been a wild year, That's kind of why I chose November for the PS instead of doing it now. I wanted to kind of mark the anniversary with another big event. What else is included in the LBL? This surgeon refuses to do a butt lift on me. I didn't ask about a thigh lift. When I saw him in 2004 he said I didn't need an arm lift but now he says he will do it. (I wish he still thought I didn't need one!)

It definitely has been a wild year - so many changes! I complained to my PS about not having a butt and about my flanks so he suggested a Lower Body Lift as opposed to a Tummy Tuck. He will lift my skin in the back from my butt area, remove the fat on my hips, and do the TT, all in one. But he won't do the BR/BL at the same time which is why I'm doing that one first. Plus insurance will cover the BR/BL but not the LBL. It's very scary to think that I will be cut all the way around but he said it would give me the results I am looking for. I'm still not ready for that though - I will probably wait until next spring some time and give myself a chance for my weight and emotions to level out. Susan

Wanda, I'm so excited for you!!! Knowing you had the Friday appointment gave me the nerve to call a good surgery clinic here. I talked to a screener and got an appointment for Sept. and today received a packet of information along with some forms for medical history, etc. From hearing about this place, I fear that the surgeon won't do the TT until I'm further out but I want to talk to him about what I want done and maybe start with something easy like some Restalyne in the folds from my nose to my mouth!! Keep us informed EVERY step of the way, Wanda! I know the recovery will be terrible but it will all be worth it in the end! I even had the lap RNY so my recovery from that was EASY! I left the hospital, took my dogs to the Bark Park, went shopping and to a movie! I did have to stay in the hospital 3 days because I was a bit of a free bleeder from the second they did the IV to the second they removed my little drain tube! My hemoglobin count got too low and they had to get it back up. Anyway, about the only real pain I had following surgery was the pressure from the air they pumped into my abdominal cavity! The TT recovery is going to be WORSE but I have a pannus that isn't going to shrink no matter what I do!

If you are a bleeder, you should check into the water method that my surgeon uses. He showed us a video of an actual tt surgery and the patient wasn't bleeding at all. He also said it makes recovery so much easier that he allows his patients to return to work in a week. You are the only person that I have ever heard of that took a little outing after leaving the hospital post RNY! That's amazing! Just curious why would you choose Restalyne over a face lift? How long does Restalyne last?

Wanda, The Restalyne lasts only about a year or so but I don't know if I'm ready for a face lift!!! My younger, very thin sister had one a few years ago and it looks great but, while I'm ready to have the TT, I'm a bit scared of the face lift. My forehead and eyes look pretty good. It's the folds when I'm just relaxed and my neck, my poor turkey neck, that gets me! I am going to check into a neck lift for sure and I think the neck lift will help the folds some. I'm going to see my sister before too long and the Restalyne was a little something I could do before I see her!!! It doesn't paralyze the muscles like Botox and it's supposedly not animal protein and allergic reactions are not expected. A woman I met in the WLS clinic just prior to my surgery, just had a forehead, upper and lower eye lift and had Restalyne too. I'm going to give her a few days recovery and then go see her!! She had amazingly fast WLS results and lost 100 pounds in 8 months and has now lost like 125 or 130 and doesn't need a TT!!! Can you believe it? She is tall. I think that makes a difference. Your face looks so wonderful, Wanda, it's hard to believe you are contemplating a face lift! You look about 30!

Almost everyone that I talked to said that they are afraid to get a face lift so you aren't alone. It's one of those times where I have to again ask myself "am I brave or stupid?' I'm beginning to think I'm leaning towards stupid! For some reason I feel more comfortable with the thought of cutting and pulling the skin a little tighter than injecting something in. Let me know how your friend did when you get a chance to see her. Thank you for the compliment but my face has the parentheses (you know those jowls), baggy eyelids and under eyes. I always said that I would get my face lift at 50 so that I had time to enjoy the results as I age. Why wait until I'm in my 60's and retired? I want to look better now. But it does give me pause when almost everyone that I talk to says that they would never have work on their face. I wonder what percentage of folks regret facelifts or have bad outcomes. Maybe I need to research that more.

Wanda, I can't believe there are now 2 on our board that are scheduled for PS... Wow.. how amazing... We have come so far... I can't wait to hear how it all went... I just started my researching and I am going to get info from a local doctor soon. I don't know if I am going to do my TT or my BL first or if he will do them both at the same time... We shall see... The price sounds reasonable.. I was figuring about 20K for the both. We are planning on refinancing our house to do it, so we have to get out of some debt before we can do that... Soooo it may be a while before I get to have it done... Take some pictures of you in a bikini before and after... even if you don't share them with others it will be great to keep for yourself... Best of luck to you... November isn't far at all.... Won't be much longer.... Shawn M.

Wow! Congratulations on getting your date set! It sounds like you have a really good surgeon. I can't wait to hear your results. I've never heard of the water method of cutting. That sounds interesting. I will have to try to remember that when it comes time for me to look into PS. You know, your surgery date is really only a couple months away...

Yes, it is! I'm really not looking forward to it. It seems like we just had surgery. It's hard to imagine a whole year will have passed by then.

Congrats Wanda, I am very excited for you to be able to do this. You really will have a whole brand new body. Hugs Christy