Ruggie's back from plastic torture surgery
HW: 270 SW: 234.4 CW: 135.0 1stGW:149 (GOAL MET)afreshstart-hreneeh.blogspot.com/
1st 5k: 5/12/12 44:55 PR 4miles: 12/31/2012 35:49
I might post. Problem is I didn't take good 'before' pics. Surgeon did, but I don't know if he'll share or not.
Heaviest weight: 310 pounds (Male, 5'10")
Congrats on being through (what I hope) is the worst of it. I love that you are an overachiever :)
I have a couple questions-
1. Was it worth it? I know the answer may change after you have more healing time.
2. I was planning on going to Mexico for this to save some major cash- do you think after a week or so one coud travel by plan for about 6 hours or so?
3. I assume the incision sites are very raw right now, but do you expect the scars to be hugely noticable once fully recovered and after about a year?
You have been such a wealth of information for me over the last 6 months or so and I very much appreciate all that you share with the board!
Surgeon: Chengelis Surgery on 12/19/2011 A little less carb eating compared to my weight loss phase loose sleever here!
1Mo: -21 2Mo: -16 3Mo: -12 4MO - 13 5MO: -11 6MO: -10 7MO: -10.3 8MO: -6 Goal in 8 months 4 days!! 6' 2'' EWL 103% Starting size 28 or 4x (tight) now size 12 or large, shoe size 12 w to 10.5 150+ pounds lost
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1) To me, it was well worth the short term pain. Early out, I am not sure I would have given the same answer. It really was quite painful and difficult to heal from, nothing like the VSG surgery.
2) I, personally, would not go to Mexico for this is at all possible. I was in some serious pain, discomfort for a number of weeks and wanted to have someone close by keeping a very close eye on what was happening. It just was so much more involved than the VSG. I understand the money issue is huge, and if I had no other choice, I would have gone to Mexico, but it would not be my first, second or even third choice. If possible, I would have stayed in Mexico longer to have the doctor look after me.
3) I am almost two years post surgery and my front scars are almost invisible. The scars on my back are still there. They don't really bother me or my husband, but they are there and are still dark pink, and I heel well.
Hey HT - my answers are going to largely mirror Elina's:
1). Hell yes. I haven't even healed and I already know this. The stuff that kept clothes from fitting me well even after hitting goal are gone!! See my brief statement to hwag above about wanting to go shirtless.
2). I know some people do this pretty successfully - and you can read more in the plastics forum - but for me, no frigging way. Im almost a week out and still cannot sit - how couldi fly for hours? Also, I assume you'd just have to stay longer than a week. I'm on day six now, and still will have my JP drains in for another couple days and sutures for at least another week. Plus, if I have a problem in a month, I get in a car and drive to my surgeon. What do I do if I have surgery in Mexico? I could see a surgeon here but they all hate dealing with fallout caused by other surgeons. I'm a big believer that you get what you pay for, and was willing to take on more debt in order to have local access to a highly acclaimed surgeon who would do the surgery in an American hospital should complications arise.
3). While I look a bit like Frankenstein now, I actually expect the scarring to be minimal because of the surgeon's technique and how compliant we are being with keeping the sutures clean. I saw picture after picture of his healed work, and was more than fine with the scar level. A good PS takes pride in hiding the scars anyway. For instance, if I go shirtless, you should not see any scars since he was able to contain them below the waistline.
Hope this helps!!
Heaviest weight: 310 pounds (Male, 5'10")
