scared to death

so, i got my VSG 4yrs ago. i had a kid. now i'm getting back to losing the weight i put on and then some so i can finally have this panni removed. i hate it. its the bain of my existence. i've had it since i was a teenager and it just got bigger and bigger and heavier and heavier. it knocks my proportions off. knocks my balance off. weighs me down. gets in the way of everything. keeps me from wearing pants that fit or shorts below the knee. i hate it and i want it GONE. i want to experience life without that that massive thing weighing me down.

but i have to tell you i'm scared ****less. i'm super duper squeamish. i look at pictures and just the drains alone make me wanna throw up. and the giant scar. sometimes i feel like....maybe you should just stay the way you are and not suffer the horrible pain and recovery. but then the other part of me is like why suffer with this thing? get rid of it!!!

so for those of you who have had this thing removed....was it worth it? was it worth the pain of recovery? the giant scar? i need to know!

Yes, it was worth it. 

If you get a panni, not a full tummy tuck with muscle repair, the pain shouldn't be that bad. You'll have pain meds. Take them. The drains are a nuisance, but they serve a purpose and are soon gone. Assuming you scar normally, the scar isn't that noticeable after a year. If your panni bothers you, get it taken off. You'll be happy you did in the long run. 

thanks for the response! the only thing that stinks is that i don't seem to heal from scars. my laproscopic scars are still dark, heck i have burns from years ago as well.

to be honest right now i just want the panni gone. for practical reasons. its the one part of my body i can't accept and live with. i don't really mind my stomach. yeah its gonna be saggy with a pooch no matter how much i lose but i've never been vain. but i will say part of me (and i'm sure my mother and other ppl will tell me the same) feels like hey if you're gonna do it, do it once and get it all done. so i will have to cross that bridge when i get to it. thanks for the info!!!!

totally worth it. I have a high pain tolerance and there was little pain for me, more an uncomfortable feeling from the sutures. I was totally numb around my whole lower body incision ,including my abdominal muscles which were tightened.  I am still pretty numb now at.  Nearly 6 months out,which is normal.

gl

thanks! you're lucky you have a high pain tolerance. i have  a low one. which is funny because i gave birth naturally with no drugs. but something about cutting of the skin makes me so squeamish. i get weak in the knees when someone shows me a scraped elbow. ugh! i'm glad its worth it though.

Hi!

I remember you from the pregnancy board!!  I had around 10lbs removed with an anchor cut so the scars are significant, and until just now (had it in July) it is finally worth it to me. The pain and recover were significant and I took supplements and really prepared before hand and nothing prepared me. I also have 3 kids at the time they were 7, 2.5, and 1 so that was very challenging.

My drains were in for a long time like 5 weeks and I had a small opening at my T and that was GROSS, I really had to keep my mind straight.

Like most of use I went through depression, mostly because I did not feel anything like myself for over 4 weeks, and you are still very swollen and even with 10lbs removed I could not wear my pants for a while. I wore plenty of yoga pants and sundresses. 

Now I am good, I had a small in office revision done in January to fix one side and the scar from the opening. I will tell you that I can exercise much better without all that flapping skin or having to wear compression garments all the time, I am back down to my lowest weight (after 2 kids post WLS) and feel great! But I never expected perfection either, I still have a roll when I sit down (I did not go all the way around just had the front done) that is due to my back skin I think I have a lot of flank skin going on. And my legs are still bad but I do feel much better. I was always a big girl so I never had a skinny time in my life I was comparing or trying to get back to and I think that has helped me deal with not being perfect. 

Good luck!!

thanks for your honest response! girl i got woozy just reading that!!!!  its so scary!!!!! ugh. i know i'm not gonna be perfect. never. and i don't wanna be a frankenstein. even the scar doesn't bother me too much since no one is really gonna see it. i will always have sagging skin and batwings and imperfections. but one thing that will make my life just easier is getting this gone. just my confidence in clothes and not having it weigh me down. but i am super scared of the long recovery. in fact i am making it a point to reach my goal and have this done before i have another baby because i know recovery with a toddler and an infant will be impossible for me.

YES YES YES !!!

I put off my plastic surgery for years owing to fear. I had the money. I had the plastic surgeon. But I was scared to death. Also, I had second thoughts about spending so much money (I eventually did my entire face and body but it started with the tummy tuck). My results were amazing and I am over the moon happy that I did this. 

Here is a photo of me taken right before my tummy tuck in April 2013 and a photo taken 5-mos after my stage 2 body contouring plastic surgery in March 2014. What a difference a year makes!!! I will trade my fat for this flat tummy with a scar any day. As for the pain, yes it hurt but you get through it and forget about it after a while. The bad pain lasted only a few days. If oyu click through to my profile you will find a link to my full tummy tuck review that will give you a very good idea of what is in store for you.

Dr. Capella is a magician, LOL! My Bariatric Life "before" and a year after with 50 inches and 40 pounds gone forever!

wow you look amazing and 10yrs younger!!! thank you for this. i need to hear it.