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I started the journey to have plastic surgery in 2/14, with a consultation with Dr. Bill Kortesis in Huntersville, NC. I had lost close to 140 pounds since I had the VSG on 10/4/11. 

We decided on three stages to complete the removal of abdominal flab, and excess skin and lower body lift and fleur-de-lis procedure to remove excess skin from around the ribs; followed by liposuction of the thighs. And lastly, removal of the excess skin on the thighs and lipo of the calfs. 

The first stage went exceedingly well and at this point most of my scaring is gone! They removed almost 20 pounds during that surgery. I could even feel my ribs and hip bones! They had been buried under so much flab & skin for so long . 

The lipo of the thighs was next in July, 2014, and the worst part. I had to wear a compression garment post-op. What other dope schedules this surgery in the middle of July, knowing that I would need to wear this garment under my clothes for the entire summer! I knew it but really didn't think it through. I had issues maintaining my blood pressure after this because I was unable to drink sufficient water to replace what was flushed out during the procedure, and spent a day or two at the doctor's office hooked up to an IV getting IV fluids. Eventually these issues became stable. 

The third and final stage needed to be done before we made our annual trip to the Caribbean in January. I knew I needed 8 weeks before the doctor would allow me to go into a pool or in the ocean, so I scheduled it for Oct 31, 2014 -Happy Halloween to me! During this surgery, they removed about 20 pounds of excess skin from my thighs and calfs.  Again I needed to wear a compression garment, but I had a supply of spanks from my prior surgeries , although some were big already. 

I have continued to lose weight since all the procedures. 

When I started on this journey of weight loss on October 4, 2011, I wore a size 32, now I can wear a size 10-12, and some of these are even big!  I never thought that I could do this and be successful at it.

I take each day , one at a time. I don't worry about what I will eat, and still do not have an appetite.

My food preferences have changed drastically. There was not a piece of chocolate that I could pass up. Now often, chocolate disagrees with my stomach. Before, I could eat pasta every night, not so much now, and if I have it, more likely than not it contains some vegetable! I try very hard not to put too much in my small stomach, so it doesn't get stretched out!

Life is good, God is good!

As previously posted, I had a lower body lift in April 2014. The surgeon remover 17 pounds of belly fat & skin. I actually have a flat stomach for the first time since I was a teenager!! I have also joined the onesies, i.e I have a 1 before my weight. 

So now I am ready for the first phase of surgery to get rid of the butt and leg flab. I am scheduled for liposuction on my legs on 7/21/14, and in Sept will have the last of the plastic surgery to remove the excess skin from my butt, thighs & legs. 

The only thing I noticed since the lower body lift is that I can no longer float. I guess my muscle to fat ratio has shifted & now I sink like a stone. no more natural buoyancy.

Life continues to improve. I have so much more mobility, I can run after my grandson, & play with my granddaughter. We can walk to the park, without me collapsing when we get there. I have great support from my husband. Without him all of this would not be possible. 

It has been 2 1/2 years since surgery, I have lost 130 pounds & I am maintaining the status quo. I have had a consult with a plastic surgeon in Huntersville, NC who has done wonderful work on patients following bariatric surgery. Surgery is next Monday, April 11, 2014. I am more nervous about this than I was for the VSG in 10/11. The surgeon recommends a 2 step process, the first being lower body lift , abdominoplasty, and the second would involve inner thighs & liposuction. He feels that I will be down another 30-35 pounds. This is astounding to me.

As with all surgery, I worry about anesthesia, the hospitalization & recovery time. This has been quite a journey, but I am so happy that I did it. I am much more active- I can walk without too much difficulty, except for arthritis. I can play with my grand kids a lot more. My granddaughter remembers the problems I had before surgery & she now asks her father if Grandma is OK to to whatever it is we are doing.

2 years ago yesterday I had the gastric sleeve surgery. I am still losing but slower now. I have losts 130 pounds & feel great. 

At this point I am considering plastic surgery to remove the excess skin from my stomach, thighs & buttocks. This I will do next year. 

I have a new life. I can enjoy my grandchildren, I can walk without getting short of breath. 

We will be relocating to North Carolina shortly. I don't know what I would have done carrying all that excess weight while I was busy packing up 40 years worth of stuff from the NY house.