How did YOU determine if plastics was right for you?

Ok....I am having trouble determing if plastics is right for me or not....Are there any good books or articles that someone on the board can suggest on determing if PS after WLS is right for me?

Honestly, the more I hang out on the PS board, the more afraid I become.....pain, drains, swelling....OMG!

Mentally, I have started to weigh the pros and cons but I need a bit of help. I am having a consult in a few weeks and I plan on discussing this with the surgeon; however, he may be a bit biased towards PS.

I would love to have a nice, flat stomach; perky boobs; no rolls of empty flesh hanging off my back; and regular arms with no bat-wings attached. On the other hand, PS is very invasive and requires a long, painful recovery. I could live with my current body and be 75-80% happy....is the recovery from PS really worth it?!? 

Please help....  

For me there were several factors, most of all was the medical issue of rashes and celluitis on my 'underbelly'. Secondary was the fact that my body was not normal and I could not buy clothes that fit like they should. She smaller my body got the bigger my belly felt and looked. 
I put it off for a while until I knew I was ready mentally to deal with the pain, drains etc... Just like with WLS timing is everything! That's how it is for me anyway. I just knew when it was time to pursue. I was blessed that everything went very smoothly in the planning stages and my recovery is going well. I will tell you it is worth it, but it is not for wimps! LOL

I thought I had learned patience with my band, but this took me to a whole new level.

I've had just about everything done and I didn't experience a long, painful recovery with any of my procedures.  Sure, the first two days after surgery were spent medicated with narcotic drugs but after that things were tolerable.  I kept two drains for 10 days and 2 more for 14 days total - normal time.  I had no complications and my swelling was minimal on all procedures.  I spent one day in the hospital with my LBL.  I think I am a normal healer and I'm not young.  I am very happy with my results and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. 

Go on some consults and then decide.  I don't know of any books, articles or websites that can help.  The consults are the best guide.  Also, follow this board and look at the before and after photos.  I have some posted. 

Hi Princess,

I don't know of any books etc. I have gotten most of my information from this website and my surgeon.
I just had my PS 12 days ago and I am back at work writing to you. Bear in mind I only had TT, LBL, and breast lift revision.  I understand that when you throw arms and thighs into the mix, it is a different story.
My best advise is to have your consultations and bring your questions. There is no need to rush with this. I waited 4 years from my WLS surgery to do it. You want and need to be physically and mentally  healthy for this. That is the most important thing. Be sure to have help at home!
Lastly, the worst part of recovery to date was the first week and it was very tough but each day I feel little better.
Good Luck, Pat

Pat - you had a LBL and breast lift 12 days ago and are already back to work??!  WOW.. that's amazing.  How are you feeling and how soon did you go back to work?

Girl,  it's like you're reading my mind.  I've lost 125 pounds and so OF COURSE I've got all the draping, hanging skin and the fat that seems to have just settled into my legs for the rest of time.  BUT plastic surgery?!  It's so invasive, and so expensive, and just frightening.

I'm trying to decide if having my body look more "normal" will really make me feel better about myself, or if I'll just keep finding faults.  Will I be satisfied with a TT and arm lift?  Or will it take more than that? 

Thanks for asking your questions; I'm right there with ya.

Corrie

I can only speak for myself when I say that PS is well worth it and that it is a personal decision. I knew before my WLS that I was going to have PS. It was what I needed to complete my weight loss journey (at least the physical part). I had a TT and BL in November and will have my arms done and a TT revision on Thursday. I was very fortunate that my recovery was relatively easy. My biggest concern were the drains and they were really a piece of cake to have removed. They were nothing like the one that was removed after my WLS. When I am trying to make a decision  for myself I sit down and list the pros and cons. It seems to help me see things clearly and make the best decision for me. Good luck to you. Oh yes, and I would do it all over again. I love my new body.
Pat

I think a lot depends on how you feel about your body.  I was not seeking perfection but I did want to feel somewhat normal.  After my weight loss I never felt I had completed my weight loss journey.  I had all this extra skin hanging off my belly and my butt and everywhere else.  I just had a LBL and BL and what a difference it has made already.  It is really hard to imagine how you will loo****il it happens.  It is an amazing feeling.  I have been on these board for 2 years researching and asking questions and soaking up as much info as I could, but I never thought I would get to a point like so many others on here have.  I am only 2 weeks out and I can already tell you how pleased I am with the transformation and glad that I did do it.  I know that I have more work to do still, but if I never get the money to do it, I'll still be glad that I was able to do what I did have done.

As far as the pain, it is the most painful the first couple of days and that is usually manageable with pain pills and a pain pump.  Definitely worth the extra money for a pain pump!  I did go for a good while without pain meds the night after surgery because of my low blood pressure, but even with that I wasn't in tears.  I was when I had my open WLS!  The drains really didn't bother me either.   More of a hassle than anything.

It is a personal choice but I think you will be pleased!

Good luck,
Melissa

I have not had surgery yet I am scheduled for Oct. but for me it is symbolic of coming full circle with this journey I always knew I would have plastics.  
It seems to me that as long as I have all this excess skin I have a hard time seeing myself as thin, I still feel like the fat girl in the room. 
I don't know if it is partly body dysmorphia, or because my mind has not yet caught up with the changes in my body. 
So for me their was no struggle in making the decision, I knew that in order to complete this journey & feel like a success I had to have plastics...

Good luck in figuring it out!