My experience with tummy tuck after weight loss surgery

Hi everyone,

I had my TT on April 18, 2013, about 10-yrs after my gastric bypass. I kept a detailed journal of my experience beginning the night of my surgery so that I could share my first hand experience in great detail with other women considering the surgery. It is all the information that I wished I'd had before my surgery, like a list of things to buy, what to expect with pain and swelling, and what it is like in the O.R., recovery room, rehab, and the first few weeks after surgery. Written in blog style, the 18 short chapters (and counting) hopefully will be interesting and entertaining to you, as well as educational and informative. You can read it in its entirety on the HealthCentral Obesity site http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1L6aT7/www.healthcentral.com/o besity/c/276918/160586/bariatric-abdominoplasty-ch/

I hope this helps and if you read it, I would love to hear your comments -- you can post them here or on the HealthCentral site. Thanks very much!

I plan to read this soon but it is crazy right now (and a TT is very far off in the future for me).  I am writing just to respond to your lovely thought to even keep this journal and to share it!  I AM definitely interested and look forward to reading asap!

Maybe you should consider publishing it (formally or on your own?) Maybe even an ebook at some point (when you get enough comments from others!

Best wishes for success (in every way (and weigh, lol)!!!

SleevieWonder - I so love your avatar!!! 

Thanks a bunch for your really kind sentiment. Sorry for the delayed reply but I just now saw it. I am 2-mos post TT and I've lost 6" from my waist and 10.5" overall. I am thrilled with my new body.

In hindsight, I firmly believe that plastic surgery is part of the weight loss journey. No one ever told me that my body would be left looking deformed after my weight loss. I wrongly assumed that my fat and skin would shrink with me, as it did in the past when I lost weight. But that is not so.

Thanks so much for your encouragement. I have been considering making it into a free ebook and offering it on my website. For now it is published on the HealthCentral network, which is a health portal covering several diseases (including obesity) and is owned by Remedy Health Media. I regularly write on the obesity site so please feel free to check out my other articles if they are of interest. You can access them from my profile page: http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/276918

And please do let me know if you are interested in being interviewed to share your weight loss journey with the gastric sleeve. I have interviewed a gastric bypass patient (you can read it here: http://www.healthcentral.com/obesity/c/276918/159460/kristin -szilagyi-transforms) and would like to interview a gastric sleeve, gastric band, and DS patient.

Thanks again!!

I'd be happy to be interviewed for your research if it would be helpful to you.  I think my experience might be a bit unique though, because I used an amazing doctor but one who is a general surgeon and not the usual bariatric factory guy.  He is  very LAID BACK about everything and had no pre-surgical diet, no post-sx diet and I am pretty much on my own...much as you would be after healing from a different surgery (ie: gall bladder or appendix) which is why I'm on this site!!  My surgeon has performed many RnY and banding surgeries and I know he is a fabulous surgeon (a lot of doctors choose him for their surgical needs), but I suspect I am the only, or among his very few VSG patients.  I visited him at 2 weeks post op and again at nearly 3 months and he'll see me again at about 9 months, but I think it is for his knowledge and curiosity as much as for my health.  At my last visit he mentioned that I might have an umbilical hernia and his partner would take a look the next time I came in.  (I suspect that if I am interested in a TT it would probably be best to plan the surgery to be at the same time if I need to get the hernia fixed)  He sent me to go enjoy life and take a daily multi-vite and that's that! 

I went to my primary care/general practitioner and requested blood work just to confirm my nutritional needs are being met.  All is fine!  I am nearly 4 months out and although I am again in a weight "stall" all is well and I'm down about 50+ lbs!  I'm a slow loser but it is indeed better lost than found!!!  :)

I am also hoping that my skin will shrink with me, but I am nearly 50 yrs old and recognize those days may be long gone!  Such is life!  I just can't wait to wear the next smaller size!!!

I LOVE your losses!!!  6 inches from your waist is amazing and 10.5" overall??  how can you tell what that is from (and does it even matter?!!)  what could be better than being thrilled with your own body after this long journey to find it!!!  Congratulations! What a great reason to celebrate life!!

I hope you'll keep me posted of all your excitement!!  I am soooooo thrilled for you!  What is next in your journey/adventure??  Life is good!!  :)

Sending you hugs for sharing!  It means so very much!  (and so glad you like the avatar!!  when I thought of it, it made me smile, so it was a simple decision!)

Best wishes!

Thank you for such a nice response. I truly appreciate it. And if you are up for it, please message me your email address and I will send a few questions to you for the interview. I think we each have a story to share that helps other patients make a decision about their weight loss journey. It is interesting that you chose a general surgeon. I would just urge you to reconsider your vitamin and mineral needs. WLS patients are typically recommended to take several supplements.

I got into a serious bind when a bariatric surgeon (not the one who performed my surgery) told me to stop taking my iron because it was making me constipated. She said my blood work was fine and I did not need it. That turned out to be very bad advice. A long time afterwards I was diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia. I was ill fro months, and an insurance company denied my application to purchase a disability insurance policy because of the anemia and fatigue. I later appealed it and was accepted but it was a bunch of BS to go thru. Plus, I had to see many doctors and specialists to make sure that the reaons for my weakness and anemia was iron deficiency and not cancer or internal bleeding or any number of other things.

You may want to look at some of the web sites for the bariatric hospitals/centers of excellence and see what they are prescribing their VSG patients take as far as vitamins and supplements.

Here are some articles that I wrote. Feel free to read any, none, or all. I hope they are helpful - but they do not replace medical advice. I am a medical writer not a clinician. 

Vitamins/Minerals

Essential Vitamins and Minerals after Bariatric Surgery for Optimal Health – My Bariatric Life

Screen For Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Folic Acid After Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Screen for Vitamin A and Vitamin K Deficiency after Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Screen for Vit. D Deficiency and Calcium Malabsorption after Gastric Bypass - My Bariatric Life

I Have Iron Deficiency Anemia - My Bariatric Life

The Importance of Vitamin D After Gastric Bypass - My Bariatric Life

Gastric Bypass Patients Must Take Sublingual Vit. B12 Everyday for Energy - My Bariatric Life

Calcium After Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Thiamine Deficiency After Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Trace Mineral Deficiency After Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Vitamin Deficiencies May Cause Fatigue After Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Iron Deficiency After Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Protein Deficiency after Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Hair Loss After Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Diet

Bariatric Diet: The Bariatric Grocery List - My Bariatric Life

Bariatric Diet: Planning a Bariatric Grocery List - My Bariatric Life

Bariatric Diet: Post-Operative Diet Guidelines for the Bariatric Patient - My Bariatric Life

What is the Bariatric Diet? - My Bariatric Life

Dieticians and Nutritionists for Bariatric Patients - My Bariatric Life

Poor Eating Habits after Bariatric Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Mindful Eating and the Bariatric Patient - My Bariatric Life

Bariatric Diet: Build a Healthy Plate - My Bariatric Life

15 Smart Shopping Tips to Make Healthy Food Choices - My Bariatric Life

Avoiding Artificial Sweeteners After Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Foods to Avoid After Weight Loss Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Gastric Bypass Diet: The Importance of Protein First - My Bariatric Life

Water Loading after Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

My Bariatric Life the Tools I Use: Gastric Bypass "Pouch Rules for Dummies" Guide

Other

My Bariatric Life: Living Life after Weight-Loss Surgery 101!

Maximizing Weight Loss After Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

Weight Loss in the Six Months after Gastric Bypass Surgery - My Bariatric Life

You seem to be a wonderful resource for me!!  I have had (and continue to have) questions about my vitamin needs.  My surgeon said a daily multi would be sufficient.  (But even that info is based upon a 2500 calorie diet and I am closer to 1/3 of that!   Does that mean I should triple my daily multi?)  

I was concerned about that so I asked my GP to do full labs to confirm that all was ok.  I've done preliminary research and it appears there are no studies for VSG needs.  Doctors seem to follow  the needs of the bypass patients and then just superimpose that information on the VSG people too (either that or think we have the same needs as lapband patients.)  I am surprised and a bit disappointed that there isn't more research being done on this very subject:  the specific needs of the VSG patient.  Meanwhile, I waited until 41/2 months post op and had my lab work done.  It appears that my results are all fine (slightly low end of normal range for iron) and I have only been taking the chewable daily Centrums.  I hope the information is accurate and I do not need to take further action.  No doctor or nurse has suggested that I meet  with nutritionists or metabolic doctors or are saying I even have a need to do blood work.  I think I should have my blood tested again-- maybe around 8 or 9 months post op just to keep a handle on it.  I do hope my GP doctor knows which tests to request and how to understand the results as a bariatric patient rather than a "normal" person!)

Sorry that was so long winded!  If I haven't scared you away, I am happy to provide my email address: [email protected]

Also, I have a sister who is a physician and who has had bypass surgery (about 2 years ago -- revision from Lapband).  I have a friend who is a nurse and has had VSG (2 yrs ago) and a friend who is a writer and has had bypass (5 1/2 years ago).  If you would like me to ask any of them if they can help you in any way, please let me know.  We are all women and about 50 years old.

Have you seen the book and info being put together by VerticleSleeveTalk?  http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/    If you haven't seen it, I hope that is helpful to you too!!

Best wishes!!  

Another member on this forum who had DS told me that they did not have a vitamin protocol for DSers either and they just followed the gastric bypass protocol. That is crazy.

thank you for the link to the other forum, but I had gastric bypass surgery not vsg. In fact vsg was not even available when I had my surgery. Back in 2003 it was gastric bypass of Lapband. DS was not then covered by insurance.

thank you for your email address. I will reach out to you tomorrow. I am about to call it a night.

thanks again!

PS don't ever be concerned about being too long winded. I often am long winded myself. Everyone needs an outlet. I think this forum is a very supportive environment of patients helping patients.

At 3-mos post op from my tummy tuck I have lost 16 inches and 16 lbs. that was 7 inches from my waist, 5 inched from my lower abdo, and 4 inches from my hips, which I assume is mainly from the mons area although my surgeon did a little lipo on my hips. I am thrilled with my results and I have passed the girlfriend test - they all love my flat stomach (we all are 49 yo). My surgeon and His PA and my PCP all are pleased with my results.

I am THRILLED for you!!!  What wonderful results and so fast too!!  What a wonderful birthday present to you self!!!  :)  That's what this whole journey is for me too!  I'll be 50 in October!

Am currently just 5 months out from the VSG.  I started at about 268 (about that:  depends on how I stand on the scale...leaning to the left with my weight on one foot the other barely touching and right hand on my left shoulder and the other stretched out to the side...) and have lost about 60 lbs.  I think that qualifies me as a slow loser but after a 7 week stall, I am very happy to see it going down again!

My surgeon recommended I speak with his partner in September regarding possible hernia and TT could be done at the same time.  He recommended that I don't undergo surgery until after waiting one year since VSG surgery, so that would mean Feb is the earliest.  I am concerned I won't have this insurance for much longer than that, so waiting longer is creating more stress, but I recognize that I need to get to an ideal weight before I undertake a TT so I don't have further weight loss and additional skin hanging...  ugh!  Trying not to think about it now and just continue to lose as much as i can as quickly as I can.  The stalls are quite frustrating!!!  SUCH IS LIFE!

Wishing you the best of good health and happiness!

Until we EAT again,

Me