Tesha R.

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Big Medicine premiered on TLC Mon, May 28.... there are 13 episodes and they all air mondays at 8pm (central time) and then air again at 11pm, just in case you missed it.  Ive heard rumors they will start to show reruns some time in July... 

Well, I am very honored and excited to share some neat news... In conjunction with the show, I have been asked to do some interviews with Dr. Garth and Robert Davis! :0) 

Monday, June 04, we will be on a show called "IVillage Live" which airs on NBC.  Unfortunately, it does not air in Houston... 

Here's some info on the show:

This groundbreaking series brings television, the Web, and mobile technology together into one fascinating talk show! Episodes are broadcast both online and on TV, and viewers can interact via chat rooms, polls, text messages, and an audience question box. The show broadcasts from 12-1pm (est) from the following cities:  Dallas, Chicago, Hartford, Washington, DC, Seattle, Oklahoma, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco and Philadelphia.  For more information, visit   iVillage.com 

So you can watch it online, from what I understand...

I just think it's awesome to be a part of a show like "Big Medicine" which shows WLS in a positive light. I can only hope that my story is able to touch at least one person in some way!!! 

Hi everyone...

i feel so bad that i have not updated sooner. I just have had sooooo much going on with healing and the breakup (you may remember that my fiance of 3 and 1/2 years broke up with me right before surgery, leaving me at a time that i probably needed him the most) and just havent felt much like even getting on the boards, much less posting. 

On a side note, though... this breakup was probably the best thing that could have happened.  I realized that I had already mentally checked out of the relationship.  I am very ambitious and have many goals in my life...he did not.  I need someone that is equally ambitious!!

Things have been very good with Mom and I, though, since our plastics. My mom has an area of fat necrosis on her left breast. The open spot is about the size of a quarter on the breast fold, and it tunnels up into the breast. it was the size of a lime inside, but now is down somewhat from that. She has to irrigate and pack it 2x a day. She also just had a small seroma (fluid buildup) drained from her right breast the other day. I also have a very small spot on the backside, right in the middle, where the arches come down. my spot is only the size of a small pea, and is closing in nicely, but slowly, with me packing it once a day.

Mom is down about 15 lbs since her plastics, and is still experiencing a lot of swelling, which is NORMAL! I have swelling too, just not as much. Even though they took 5 lbs of skin from me, i am actually 2 lbs heavier right now than the morning of surgery.

Mom was a 14/16 before surgery, and i was a 4/6... now mom is between an 8 and 12, depending on the brand, and style. I am a 2 now. i have a few things that are 0 and 1. I cant even believe this. i used to laugh about girls who were a size zero, be/c technically shouldnt a zero not even exist??? so this is all brand new for me. I was even able to buy some sweat pants and shirts from the little girls section.

i have some pictures to share. If you want to see them, please send me a private msg!
WARNING!!! they are graphic. i tried to edit them so they're not showing privates, but they are graphic. i need to update them still , though... i think the last time we took pix was at the 3week mark... 

OOOOH, and guess what?? I got accepted to UH Law!!! WOOHOO!!!!!

Hello everyone!!! Thanks again for all the good thoughts, prayers, well wishes, emails, and phone calls…lol…. I think that covers everyone! :0)

I am happy to be home from the hospital and things are going just great. Here’s a quick rundown on how things went Friday with my plastics….

Got to the hospital at 5:40am, and they put me in a private room to wait for surgery time. I changed into a gown and lay in bed. My dad went upstairs and helped my mom walk downstairs to come be with me.  We were very happy that she was in the hospital and could be with me before my surgery.

 About 7:30 I got set up with my IV, and then Dr L did my markings.  I was wheeled down into the OR to get things started.  Of course, after this point I don’t remember ANYTHING!!!   The rest of my story from that day comes from everyone else around me….

 Dr. LoMonaco started with my back side.  Like my mom, I was scheduled for the buttock-auto-augmentation. Once in the OR, though, Dr L said I did not have enough tissue/fat to use for that.  I knew going into surgery that it was possible this would be the case, so I was prepared for that.  He did the back part of the lower body lift….the butt lift, the back, etc.  

 I was flipped and he got to work on the front: tummy, front/ outer thighs, mons (pubic) lift, and breasts. He said that after he loosened the skin on my belly he put his hands up underneath to pull it down and it was like a 2x sweatshirt on a size small body.  I also had smooth round saline moderate profile mentor implants 275 cc filled to 320 cc on each side to augment my breasts.   

 After surgery, I vaguely remember being back up in my room by about 4pm. When I talked to Dr. L he said that they removed about 5 lbs of skin. 

 Like I said, I am home and doing just great… Mom is also doing great. I took a shower when I got home from the hospital and it wore me out!! We are both good getting up and walking around a little bit, and feel really good.  Thanks again!!

I just want to send a GIANT THANK YOU to everyone who sent well wishes our way, had postive thoughts, and prayers for mom.

Today was a very looooooooong day... We had to be at the hospital (12 Oaks) at 5:30, but surgery was scheduled for 7:30.  Because we'ren having all our plastics filmed, the film crew came in about 7:00 to get some interview footage of mom and I together. Nurses started her IV, took vitals, etc.   Things were running just a bit behind.  When Dr. LoMonaco got there, we had to do a little bit more filming before he could do his markings. 

Due to Mom's asthma, she had to have a breathing treatment which made her ill. She was not feeling well when Dr. L had to do her markings.  After that, they laid her back down and started to prepare to take her to the OR.   She was already feeling tired from the breathing treatment and started to fall asleep while Dad, my sister, and I followed the bed down to the OR, where we said our goodbyes right outside of the door.  This was between 8:30 and 9am.

We were able to head straight up to the room she's now in to wait for her through surgery.    About 12 or so, Dr. L took a break. This was after he did the back side of the LBL and the Butt-Auto-Aug.  He said that there was a little more blood loss than expected, but she was doing okay now.  

About 2 or so, we saw Dr. L again.  He said that he was finished with the front portion of her LBL.  He said that she made up for the blood she lost on the back side, b/c she hardly bled AT ALL on the front.  We were sooooooooooooo relieved to hear that!!  Then he went back in for the Breast Reduction/lift. 

About 5 or so, he was finished and came back to let us know that it was all over.  He said that the results actually exceeded his expectations.  They removed approx. 15lbs of skin and tissue all together.

She didnt get into the room (out of recovery) until almost 8pm.  there were some problems with the nurses.... i guess it was during report (?) and no one wanted to go down and get her, even though she was ready at 7 to come up to the room.  when she got up to the room (finally) she looked great.  her hands and arms were pretty swollen, though.  She is/was still very out of it, but thats to be expected.  She was able to chew on some ice chips, but thats all.   My BIL is staying with her tonight at the hospital.

In case any one wants to know, she is at 12 oaks in Room 864. her stay will be 48-36 hours depending on how she responds.  

I cant wait to see her tomorrow when they change the dressings!!!!  I will keep you all updated on her, and then on my own surgery friday.  :0)

Thanks again!!!

Well, I am maintaining 135-137lbs and am very comfortable at this weight.  Mom is down 85lbs, and is pretty steady at 180lbs.  

We are scheduled for plastics with Dr. LoMonaco.

On December 6, Mom is having:
Body Lift (includes tummy tuck, thigh lift, butt lift, mons lift, and a small amount of lipo),  Buttock Auto-Augmentation, Breast Lift, and Breast Reduction.  It is estimated that 10-15lbs of skin/tissue will be removed.

On December 9, I am having:
Body Lift, Buttock Auto-Augmentation, and a small Breast Augmentation. 

We will both have approx a 3 day stay in the hospital (Twelve Oaks med center).   

From this...

To this...

My neice's 3rd bday party was a couple of weekends ago and my sis had it a place called "Monkey Bizness." It was sooooo fun... there were a ton of big blow-ups and even a rock wall. 

A year ago I would NEVER have climbed this rockwall, so I've def come a long way since losing 113 lbs!

 

Here's a fun one of mom after going down a big slide... Can you tell she loved it?? Haha!

 

 

Halloween pictures!

I have some very exciting news!! In conjunction with TLC (The Learning Channel) and Genuine Entertainment, my mom and I are going to be a part of a documentary-series about weight loss surgery!  They are actually following my *fantastic* surgeon, Dr. Garth Davis, and his father (who is also a bariatric surgeon) Dr. Robert Davis. It is going to tell the story of WLS through the eyes of different patients in different stages of their journey.  My mom and I were selected to participate and they have already begun filming!

 It has been so neat to see all the "behind the scenes" stuff... At this time, they are also scheduled to follow mom and I through our plastic surgery journey.  Unfortunately, as you all know, it is hard to lose so much weight without having some kind of skin issues.  I must say that age does not make that much of a difference...at 23 years old, i have the same skin issues as any other WLS patient.  

I just cannot even imagine how i will feel after having the skin removed... It will finally be a matter of feeling "normal." WLS alone does not do that!!! 

After several consults, I have chosen the "creme-de-la-creme" and who i feel is probably the most qualified PS in Houston that actually CARES about WLS patients and helping them achieve a more normal body: Dr. John LoMonaco.  www.bodylifthouston.com

It is rare to find someone who is not only tremendously caring, but also so devoted to WLS patients... "Dr. JLo" is a godsend, in my eyes!

 

10 months
Mom: -80    Me: -107

I realized that somewhere along the way I've gotten a little off in my weight loss counting...LOL!! I am down 107 lbs total from my highest weight of 248...so yup, I'm 141. I have been at this weight for awhile, and am perfectly happy here. I actually feel like i've been here longer, just because i will go soooooo long bouncing up and down 1 lb before i finally lose it. I fluctuate right now between 140.5 and 142.5. I can not remember ever being this weight and size. I am solidly in a size 6 now. All of my size 8's are loose and hang down way too much. I have a short torso, so when they hang, the crotch area is halfway down my thighs...lol! :0)

I am happy in a size 6....i consider this my ideal. I think i could probably fit in some 4's but then my upper tummy skin would be much more obvious, and i try to hide it as much as i can. Mom and I went to the gym to talk to a trainer and he basically told me that there is nothing he can do for me as far as losing fat, that i'm at my ideal. wow!! that's a non-scale victory for me!

Mom is still at 80lbs lost...which is fantastic! Her ultimate goal is 100lbs lost, so she is almost there. She is kind of like me, bouncing up and down several pounds before finally losing one. She has dieted her entire life, and had thyroid disease since she was 8 years old... I think that she is happy with where she is weight wise, but unhappy with the skin that comes with it! Her goal was to be a size 12 and her 14s are getting loose on her now, so she's almost there!

Life is busy, as always. It is already midterm time for me... it's also a stressful time right now because i'm waiting on, what i hope to be, acceptance letters for law school. I keep very busy working as a substitute teacher mon-wed-fri, and go to school tues-thursday, and then the weekends are reserved for homework. :0) Gotta keep up that 4.0 GPA, though!