Pre Surgery
Hello All, I would like to start out by saying how totally awesome this group is. I have been reading some of the messages on the board and it clears so much up for me. My surgery is scheduled for the first week in March and I am getting more and more nervous. My family doesnt think this is the best idea for me because of my age and weight. I am 28 and I weight 253lbs they feel I am not overweight enough to have it done, and young enough to lose it successfully on my own. Truth is i have lost and gained so much wight that it is just not an option for me anymore anyhooo luckily my BFF is very supportive so I am not completely alone in my decision and am really looking forward to having more energy and feeling better! putting on a pair of skinny jeans without looking like a question mark is pretty exciting too! :-) so I just have a couple of questions from all of you who have had the surgery and have lost considerable weight. Post-op how was your energy level? How long before you were able to go back to work? were there any skin drooping issues? I figure since we are in our 20's that shouldnt be a big problem right? ((eternal optimist)) did anyone cut there hair before surgery? A friend of mine from my group that kaiser makes us go to pre- surgery said she heard if you cut your hair real short then you wont lose as much. My hair is down to the small of my back and i LOOOOOVE it!! lol pretty vane but true! I don't wanna cut it if it wont make a big diff ya know? how long before you were up on your feet and working out? So much thanx for taking the time to read this and I hope to talk to you all soon.
Welcome to the forum and congrats on your upcoming surgery!
I'm sorry to hear your family is unsupportive. Have any of them come to your classes or support group meetings? Or read anything online? Do they know your BMI and that by this you qualify for surgery? I'm glad you have your BFF but you will need support at least initially, it's easier if you do from what I've read, so I hope your family comes on your side.
I would say energy wise, a lot of my energy the first month, was devoted to learning my new lifestyle and eating patterns. I had energy, but used it quicky and so got tired quickly. I had my surgery during the summer and was able to take that off to recover, so I can't say specifically how long until you could go back to work. I was doing a summer course online at the time and was able to work on my computer for extend periods to do work about the second week out. So I suppose that if you have a desk job, you could probably go back after two weeks and be okay, but mind you, I worked from home on my course and was able to dictate my own breaks so take from that what you will.
Skin is really a person by person basis. I've heard that being younger helps us because we have time and elasticity on our side. I'm still waiting until I've lost all my weight to decide on that opinion.
I had shorter hair anyways, so I didn't get it cut any shorter. I know people who went through surgery with very long hair and their hair still looks great, as well as people who got it cut. Hair loss post-op is again a very individual thing and it really can't be prevented. It's a result, mostly, from the shock of the surgery and, I've heard, a reaction to anathesia. It can be helped by keeping good protein levels and vitamin levels. My hair started falling out and thinning, and while it does come out in clumps, I can style it so you can't tell. I can tell and it bugs me, but no one else has noticed. I have very thick hair to begin with, so my hairdresser commented that it was my hair just naturally doing the thinning that she would do so it isn't to noticable. My suggestion to you would be to keep your hair that you love and see what it looks like when you/if you start loosing hair. You can always get it cut after, putting it back is a little more difficult!
So in a nutshell, clear as mud right? It's all individual experiences when it comes to surgery and it's hard to go by others' experiences, but I hope my info helps you.
Best of luck with your surgery!
I'm sorry to hear your family is unsupportive. Have any of them come to your classes or support group meetings? Or read anything online? Do they know your BMI and that by this you qualify for surgery? I'm glad you have your BFF but you will need support at least initially, it's easier if you do from what I've read, so I hope your family comes on your side.
I would say energy wise, a lot of my energy the first month, was devoted to learning my new lifestyle and eating patterns. I had energy, but used it quicky and so got tired quickly. I had my surgery during the summer and was able to take that off to recover, so I can't say specifically how long until you could go back to work. I was doing a summer course online at the time and was able to work on my computer for extend periods to do work about the second week out. So I suppose that if you have a desk job, you could probably go back after two weeks and be okay, but mind you, I worked from home on my course and was able to dictate my own breaks so take from that what you will.
Skin is really a person by person basis. I've heard that being younger helps us because we have time and elasticity on our side. I'm still waiting until I've lost all my weight to decide on that opinion.
I had shorter hair anyways, so I didn't get it cut any shorter. I know people who went through surgery with very long hair and their hair still looks great, as well as people who got it cut. Hair loss post-op is again a very individual thing and it really can't be prevented. It's a result, mostly, from the shock of the surgery and, I've heard, a reaction to anathesia. It can be helped by keeping good protein levels and vitamin levels. My hair started falling out and thinning, and while it does come out in clumps, I can style it so you can't tell. I can tell and it bugs me, but no one else has noticed. I have very thick hair to begin with, so my hairdresser commented that it was my hair just naturally doing the thinning that she would do so it isn't to noticable. My suggestion to you would be to keep your hair that you love and see what it looks like when you/if you start loosing hair. You can always get it cut after, putting it back is a little more difficult!
So in a nutshell, clear as mud right? It's all individual experiences when it comes to surgery and it's hard to go by others' experiences, but I hope my info helps you.
Best of luck with your surgery!
Katie ♥
i was 252 lbs and 24 when i had surgery. i simply could not lose weight no matter what i did and i had gotten to a point where i had given up and didn't care anymore and just let my body gain more. when we yo-yo a lot we mess up our metabolisms.
for me, i've never had much energy and that hasn't changed post-op. i was really hoping it would. i've had a zillion tests run on me and they never found anything.
i went back to work around 2 weeks after surgery, and worked a 1/2 week that week (every other day) before going back full time the next. i worked retail and was in charge of the front end and it was a lot of running around the store, fixing registers, and carrying cash drawers so i had to pace myself a bit more.
my skin is bad around my stomach, i would probably be down at least 2 sizes without it. my boobs could use some work, but i'm not too concerned since a bra helps that. i have some on my arms but it's not awful, some toning would probably help. and i have a little on my back and thighs. the thighs kinda gross me out but most people don't see them anyway and they look fine in pants. at first i was like i'm having EVERYTHING done! now i really just want my stomach. i've lost about 100 pounds btw, i'd love to lose another 20-30 but i don't see that happening.
cutting your hair doesn't make you lose less, it just looks fuller because of the length. i cut mine about 5 months out because it was very long and starting to look too stringy to me. it's still pretty thin and the coarse texture it used to have turned super fine (which i don't mind!). too bad the curls didn't flatten themselves out too haha. so pretty much i wouldn't cut it probably until 4-5 months out when you can see how it's actually looking after the inital loss.
i didn't really work out for about 4 months. i was active at work and used to go out dancing all the time within a few weeks of surgery. but my surgeon didn't want me doing much more than walking or light cardio before 12 weeks out so i held off until then before joining the gym
for me, i've never had much energy and that hasn't changed post-op. i was really hoping it would. i've had a zillion tests run on me and they never found anything.
i went back to work around 2 weeks after surgery, and worked a 1/2 week that week (every other day) before going back full time the next. i worked retail and was in charge of the front end and it was a lot of running around the store, fixing registers, and carrying cash drawers so i had to pace myself a bit more.
my skin is bad around my stomach, i would probably be down at least 2 sizes without it. my boobs could use some work, but i'm not too concerned since a bra helps that. i have some on my arms but it's not awful, some toning would probably help. and i have a little on my back and thighs. the thighs kinda gross me out but most people don't see them anyway and they look fine in pants. at first i was like i'm having EVERYTHING done! now i really just want my stomach. i've lost about 100 pounds btw, i'd love to lose another 20-30 but i don't see that happening.
cutting your hair doesn't make you lose less, it just looks fuller because of the length. i cut mine about 5 months out because it was very long and starting to look too stringy to me. it's still pretty thin and the coarse texture it used to have turned super fine (which i don't mind!). too bad the curls didn't flatten themselves out too haha. so pretty much i wouldn't cut it probably until 4-5 months out when you can see how it's actually looking after the inital loss.
i didn't really work out for about 4 months. i was active at work and used to go out dancing all the time within a few weeks of surgery. but my surgeon didn't want me doing much more than walking or light cardio before 12 weeks out so i held off until then before joining the gym
<3 jen <3
<3 starting weight: 252 <3 goal weight: 135 <3 current weight: 151 <3
RNY: 9/27/10 <3 Extended Tummy Tuck w/hip & thigh lipo: 6/6/13
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