Plastics Journey - LONG update on November 4, 2008 12:28 pm
Just wanted to give an update and say that I am back in the swing of things. It has been a REALLY long haul, and I'm glad to be counted amoung the "living" again so to speak.
I had a hysterectomy in May, that went well. I am glad that I had it done, and so very glad that I didn't have to deal with periods during the body lift procedure.
I had a belt lipectomy/lower body lift June 7th, and was doing quite well until early July when I developed my first seroma. That was needle aspirated in the office 3 times, and then I went away for a weekend quilting retreat with my mom and several friends. By Saturday afternoon, I wasn't feeling well, my thighs were swelling up to HUGE proportions, my belly was really fluid filled and I was feeling like I had the flu. By late that night, by belly and tops of my thighs were bright red and hot. Sunday morning July 13th, I knew I was in trouble and told my mom that we needed to head back to LA NOW. We packed up our sewing supplies and headed to LA. I called ahead and spoke with an advice nurse who suggested going to urgent care first to see if they could help me. Once we dropped off our friend and went back to the Kaiser West LA medical center and stopped at urgent care, they took one look at my belly and sent me to the ER. The triage nurse couldn't understand that my belly is numb from the surgery and I couldn't feel the pain or the heat on my belly, but I was afraid that something was wrong. She decided to bring an ER doc into the triage area - he looked at my belly and said they would have a room for me right away. I ended up being admitted into the hosptal with severe cellulitis and infection of the seroma area. After 24 hours on cipro and vancomycian, I had surgery again to remove the infected seroma, scrape the pocket that had formed - which was HUGE, and talc was applied to the insidie of the wound to hopefully cause it to stick together. I woke up with 4 new JP drains - which started the marathon of drains, and hoped to heal again. I was reopened from hip to hip in the front. The seroma pocket was below my belly button, from right hip to left, and extending around to the back. I was so depressed to come home the day before our 26th anniversary and not be able to even get a card for my husband. A friend of mine went to the store and called me and read anniversary cards to me so that I could have a card for John. Little things like that began to mean so much to me as I was confined to my home. I contacted a friend who began cleaning my home weekly and called the church to see if we could have meals brought in.
About 10 days later, I began to develop another seroma on my left hip - I still had 2 large bore jp drains in place coming out of my groin. I emailed my surgeon, and was scheduled for surgery again on August 1 - 2 days before the baby shower I was hosting for my son and daughter in law. I saw my surgeon the morning of Aug. 1 and he felt that the seroma wouldn't heal on it's own, and my left thigh was beginning to redden again, as well as my belly on that left hip side. I went into surgery again, placed on my right side, and the left side from pubic hair line to midway from hip to "crack" in the back was reopened. Again, another massive pocket was found, and scraped of the pseudobursa lining that was producing excessive fluid (more than 400 cc's per day at this point). This surgery left my left thigh completely numb from hip to knee. As of today, it is still numb on the lateral (outside) aspect of the thigh. Hopefully I will regain feeling. My belly had adhered together, but my back and left side were still having problems. I had 3 jp drains placed on that left side.
Following the August 1 surgery, I was to remain in bed on my back or in a recliner as much as possible, not move around except a small amount to prevent blood clots. I had to remain in that position for 2 weeks at home. That was VERY difficult. I was so thankful to those who brought meals, text messaged me, and called. I really missed my computer but it was almost impossible to check email, or log onto websites. That's when I really fell away from my OH boards which had given me tremendous support. I missed you guys!
I was given the OK to move around on August the 15th - just in time to attend my dad's 70th birthday party the next day. I was OK'd to be up for a few hours per day - no lifting, pushing cards, prolonged sitting or standing. (Movement in excess can cause seromas). I had told my doctor that I was booked for a 3 day weekend cruise with my daughters, my mom and my oldest daughters future mother in law and grandmother in law the following weekend. He was OK with that and we took an electric cart for me to use on the ship and in Mexico for the day. The morning we were to get on the ship, I woke up with a HUGE SEROMA on my RIGHT hip/side. This was the side that was doing fine. I had also been battling that my thighs/legs had been horribly swelling requiring compression hose. I went back to the plastic surgeons office. My doctor was not in the office that day, and the dr. on call didn't want to aspirate the seroma because I might get an infection while on the cruise. He scheduled me to see my surgeon Tuesday morning. The cruise was great, but there was little that I could do because of my legs, and limited mobility.
Tues, Aug 26th, I again saw my surgeon who aspirated 150 ccs of fluid from my right hip and saw the amount of output from my left side and felt that we now had no choice but to open up my back and do a "quilting" procedure across my backs, extending to my hips/thighs and sides to stop the seroma formation and once again remove the lining that had formed. That surgery date was set for Sept. 4. I was still having drainage from that left side in excess of 300 ccs per day after almost 5 weeks and we knew there was still a big problem, and my thighs were HUGE.
The surgery on Sept. 4th was the hardest to recover from. I was in great pain following this surgery and spent 3 days in the hospital. I was placed on my belly, and the incision was opened from hip to hip again and it was found that I had a hardened tunnel type of seroma. The pocket was scraped clean of the lining again, and the tunnel was cut out, and removed. This caused my butt to be lifted by 3 inches - and I'm very glad for that. There was LOTS of fluid removed from this pocket and into my thighs. The skin was then sewn down to the facia/muscle layer and reclosed in a quilting procedure and I again had 4 jp drains placed. My first night home, I slept well in my own bed, and didn't wake up for my next dose of pain meds. When I woke up after 8 hours, I was in so much pain, and had to use the restroom. It took me 23 minutes to get up, go to the bathroom and walk back to where I could see the clock again. I have a tiny house - this should have been a 4 minute trip at the most to the bathroom. Again, I was asked to severely limit my movements for the next 2 weeks. My good friend who had been taking me to the doctor (a 1 hr trip for me) had gone out of town. My best friend moved following my Aug. 1 surgery, and I began to feel so alone. Once again, we needed meals brought in, and people to help with driving me to and from appointments. I slipped into a very depressed state. I so badly wanted to be free from the drains - I had drains put back in on July 14th and it was now late September. I almost pulled them out myself a couple of times. It was a hard emotional/mental battle. I emailed my doctor a time or two in depression and he really helped me get through that.
I had the last 2 drains removed on Oct. 3rd - which was something like 87 continous days of drains. Each time a drain was removed, I developed a small seroma that needed to be aspirated, and my last aspiration was Oct. 10th. On the 17th, I was released from weekly visits, and I don't go back until the 5th of December. I have had to email my plastic surgeon 2 times about swelling issues and enlarged lymph nodes, but I am doing really well. I am pretty weak compared to how I was before the hysterectomy and plastic surgery. Each day, I feel stronger and I am able to push a bit further in what I can do. I tire easly, and cannot lift nearly as much as before. With time, I know that my muscle mass will rebuild.
With all these complicaitons, do I regret the plastic surgery??? NO! I feel so free of the excess skin - no more rashes, no more hot, sticky rolls of tissue. I still want to do my thighs - my PS just shakes his head and laughs at me. I went from a 12 pant to a 6 - 8 depending on the cut. My thighs are still big, so I wear the trouser style jeans that have fuller legs. I was able to fit into a size 4 dress, but the lower body was too tight on my legs, so I bought the 6 - that is the black dress in the photo of John and I. I'm in a 34/36 c bra - down from a 54DDD at one point, and a 38DDD extra long before the breast lift in June. I finally feel female and feminine. I like my body shape - I just cannot believe that it is me!
Thanks for reading this long update. Please know that this board is VERY important to me, and that I really missed you guys following this ordeal. I wish that it hadn't been so hard to get online, and then when I became so depressed I just couldn't do it. Thanks to those who send me messages even though I didn't return them - they really helped me.
Also, understand that most people who have plastic surgery don't go through what I did. My complications were rare and most people don't have them reoccur like I did. My body just didn't want to cooperate. This is a possiblity, but it is rare. Don't give up on plastics because of my story!
Hugs,
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January 31 - 1 year Post OP on January 31, 2008 6:08 pm
Today, my mind is so full of thoughts and memories of this past year. One year ago today, I entered Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego for my RNY gastric bypass surgery. What a year it has been! So many wonderful things have happened to me - at times I cannot believe that this is truly my life.
My dear, amazing husband has been so wonderful and encouraging to me. He lets me know that he is proud of me, and that he admires me for doing this. I am so blessed by him. I sit in amazement when my skinny friends tell me of their husbands comments about their weight and size and how heartless and thoughtless those men must be. John never once in our lives together has made a comment regarding my weight in a negative way. I just wanted to say thanks honey for being there for me each step of the way. For being my strength and guidance, my help and my rock.
Also, dear OH friends, I want to thank each of you for your encouragement and love. The accountability here is great, and this BMI over 50 board is amazing and wonderful. Thanks for being there for each of us going through this process. Thanks for being my "hidden" help and strength. A place where I could come and read and get info, be encouraged, and find people that truly understand. Thanks for inspiring me to post my exercise, and allowing me to vent and rejoice.
Happy 1st anniversary to me - and to many more years of good health and plenty of activity!
Oh, I did update my photos. Take a look at the "through the months" album to see how I've changed, and the 1 year album to see more from this mornings photo shoot with my dd photographer.
Oh, and yesterday was a WONDERFUL WOW moment! I was at Kaiser and 2 receptionists commented on what a beautiful, trim figure I had, and wondered how I did that after having 3 children and being in my 40's. They both said that I was beautiful. I kept trying to see who they were talking about. I blew away my ob/gyn who last saw me 13 months ago. She was shocked. Also, I have a plastics consult on Feb. 12th, and my 1 year post op visit next week in San Diego.
Today, I feel on top of the world!
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Shopping on December 13, 2007 6:13 am
It's an amazing feeling to know that you can walk into any store and find something to wear! In the past, my clothes came from a catalog, and today, I can walk into any department store and find something to wear. Shopping has become fun, and I don't have to risk ordering something and wondering if it will fit. While shopping is fun, it is still a scary experience for me, and I'm not sure why. I often do not know if something looks good on me, or if it fits correctly or what size to pick out to try on. I know this sounds crazy, but it is hard to shop without knowing the size rules. I wish that women's sizes were closer to men's -- that a size 14 or 12 will be the same size across the styles/brands/stores.
Currently, I am able to wear a size 12/14 pants (once my extra tummy skin is gone, I will fit into a much smaller size around my waist!), and a medium/large t-shirt and a large (12/14) button down blouse. My shoes, which have always been a 2E or 4E width are now way too wide. I might be able to actually wear a dressy type shoe again -- NO promises though!
As of this morning, I am below 205lbs, which is GREAT, and I have anywear from 9.4 - 19.4lbs to goal. My surgeon wants me to be between 185-195 for plastic surgery. I have LOTS of extra tummy skin, and my thighs are *interesting* to say the least. My PCP wants to see me next month to begin the referral lprocess for plastic surgery. It would be great to have that done and healed before my daughters wedding next September.
As I think about all the changes I've been through in this past year, it is hard to believe how hard my life was when I was so overweight. At the time, I really didn't want to see that fact, but today, I know that my life was really a struggle each and every day. Today, I find myself running UP the stairs to get something, I rarely take a nap -- except on Sunday afternoons! I can move so freely, and have so much energy and strength. I am no longer out of breath doing basic tasks, and can walk forever without my feet/legs hurting. I am also able to sleep soundly without snoring, and wake up feeling very rested.
I am very much looking forward to being under 200lbs, and for the first time EVER weighing less than my wonderful husband. I am only 4.7lbs away from being under 200lbs, and 7.4lbs away from weighing less than John! The last time that I dipped under 200lbs was way back in 1981 when I would starve myself and workout for hours on end each day. I didn't stay under 200 long, and eventually worked my way to 375+lbs over the past 26 years.
My biggest struggles right now are:
1. Staying WARM! Dr. Tanaka says I will always be cold, and that I should ask my husband to buy me a fur coat! He can have such a sense of humor once he knows you better, and feels like you are being successful at losing the weight.
2. Keeping the weight demons out of my head! At times, I still feel really fat and unfit. I have to remind myself that I have not reach perfection, but I could live my life at this weight/size and be fine. I am very healthy and doing well. It is still so discouraging at times for a health professional to see my current weight and make some smart ass comment about how I really need to get into shape. If they knew my, and knew my body fat % instead of just the raw weight, they might keep their mouth shut!
3.Keeping in mind that the scale isn't my god and I don't worship it!
I feel that I'm at a point in my life where I have so MUCH to look forward to, and I'm glad that I'm now free of my weight to be able to enjoy my future.
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Old Navy on August 18, 2007 2:33 pm
This past week, my daughter Amanda took me to Old Navy to buy some clothes. I found that I could wear a size LARGE top, and size 18 pants -- with no W in the size! This was a HUGE moment for me. I feel so much closer to normal all the time. I've also moved into the size 14 speedo bathing suits, and soon will toss the 18's. YAY for me!
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Fitness Instructor?!?! on August 4, 2007 10:59 am
This past week, I started training as a water aerobics instructor. I love my water aerobics class! I have gotten so much stronger and more fit by going. The exercise has really helped my weight loss, and I feel so much better by exercising! I tend to go 6 - 9 times per week, and when I was asked about training to become a teacher, I thought WHY NOT! I'm here anyway, why not get paid for coming to class! I also get a free membership at my Y for teaching. I'm excited! It's hard for me to believe that at this time last year, I was 375lbs and having a hard time moving around, and now, I'm teaching a water aerobics class! What a HUGE difference.
This past week, I crossed the 100lbs lost since surgery, and a total of 132.4 lbs lost since last summer. I cannot believe how different I look and feel.
Currently, my biggest struggle is to get my vitamin B1 level up. I'm increasing my vitamins, adding a B complex to my 3per day Bariatric Advantage chewables and 2 B1 tablets. I hope that will help. Vitamin deficiancies has been my biggest fear with this surgery! My B1 was at 7 at my 3 month labs, and now it is 8. I've already added 2 B1 pills per day for the past 3 months with minimal results. My doctor will retest in 1 month, and then decide from there how best to treat me if those levels are still low.
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