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Thread: A few questions

  1. #1
    Gastric Sleeve Member Terps's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
    Name
    Kristen
    Surgery date
    06/18/2014
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    Dr. Almanza
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    Default A few questions

    So I'm recently sleeved and already thinking about these surgeries. I love seeing the photos that many of you have shared...very inspirational!!!

    1. How soon after sleeve surgery did you have your cosmetic surgery? Were you at goal weight and for how long?
    2. What is the difference between a small, medium, and large tummy tuck?
    3. Is it possible to get a natural look with breast implants?
    4. How much sensitivity do you lose with implants?
    5. When you go back to work and other activities, is it obvious to others what you've done???

    Thanks everyone. I'm already starting to save money for this!!



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  3. #2
    Gastric Sleeve Member Toopie2Seater's Avatar
    I have not had a gastric sleeve.
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    Default Re: A few questions

    Hey Terps, all of those are really good questions. I'll give you my perspective, but please keep in mind that I lost 75lbs on my own and maintained it for three years before having plastic surgery; I was sure my battle with weight was over.....I was wrong. So my story will end up being like the cart being put before the horse!
    1). I was 165lbs when I had cosmetic surgery, which was about 15lbs above where I wanted to be.
    2). I've never heard of tummy tucks being classified in sizes like that. What I do know is, the more fit you are, especially in your core /abs, the more beautiful your outcome will be. What makes tummy tucks look great is if there is a lot of loose skin and not a lot of what I call "tight fat." Tight fat, meaning the skin does not have a lot of sag to it. Surgeons will still perform a procedure on "tight fat" but the outcome, in my opinion, looks poor. Loose skin can be pulled taut, and the result at least for me, was elimination of all the stretch marks on my belly - which prior to surgery reached about two inches above my belly button. I came out of surgery with none of them anymore, because he was able to pull all of that excess skin down and cut it off. Tight fat is not that forgiving, even with lipo - which I also had done in my flanks (sides of abdomen....or the muffin top! Lol!). Additionally, prior to surgery I was killing with my workouts. I was doing Insanity and P90X. I paid for a tummy tuck and a breast lift. After surgery, I received a partial refund because the surgeon did not have to actually do work on my abdominal muscles, like is typically done with tummy tucks. They were in his words "beautiful and had no seperation that needed repairing." So maybe that falls under a "medium" or a "small"!??
    3). I think it's very possible to get natural looking breast implants. When I went to the consult with the doctor I actually chose, his first question to me was, "Do you want bigger breasts?" My answer was no. I liked my original size, they were just completely deflated after having breast fed two children and lost a significant amount of weight, I just wanted them back up where they belonged; so I did not get implants, although I thought that was what I wanted initially. As an RN, I've seen a tremendous amount of patients with implants. What I can tell you is that implants behind the pectoral muscles look the best (it's a more expensive surgery though), using the newer silicone implants, and getting them proportionate to your body size will give you the most natural looking results. When you go in for a consult, they have all of the models to let you touch, hold, and feel. Furthermore, staff that work at plastic surgeons offices are entitled to one free surgery per year. So, frequently the staff will willingly let you see (and touch...Lol!) their implants, so you can have a better idea of what to expect.
    4). If you just get implants, loss of sensitivity is quite minimal, if at all. Everyone is different of course, and it also depends on the approach the surgeon uses to put the implants in. If you have a full breast lift done, your nipples are removed in order to remove the excess skin and approximate the incisions. The nipples are reattached afterwards, so there is a loss of sensitivity....again the degree of which will vary person to person. The remainder of the breast tissue sensitivity remains primarily intact, it's really just the nipples.
    5). I was super excited about my mommy makeover. Everyone knew and I did a peep show when I returned to work. =) LOL! If I decide to have the gastric sleeve done, I probably won't share that info with folks. I can tell you it's quite embarrassing having gone through all of that surgery, paid a hefty amount of money, only to gain weight back.

    My advice would be to lose as much weight as you can, and get your abs as fit as possible......and don't get Pamela Anderson sized boobs, then no one will really know. Just start wearing spanks and push up bras to work in the months leading up to the surgery, and you won't look that much different to people afterwards. Of course I had complications like with anything else, and I also had some depression once I was all healed up. Plastic surgery is 100% about trading one body flaw for another (loose skin for surgical scars), but it's well worth it. My depression was because my surgeon did such an excellent job. Once I was healed, I had the abs and boobs of an 18 year old and the thighs of a 40 year old who has yo-yo'd with weight for 20+ years. It was a HUGE difference, and fixing my other flaws made that flaw visually appear worse. So, there you have it. I hope this helps!

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  5. #3
    Gastric Sleeve Member Terps's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
    Name
    Kristen
    Surgery date
    06/18/2014
    Surgeon
    Dr. Almanza
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Last Activity
    05-09-2015 01:50 PM
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    820
    Said "Thanks" 124 Times
    Was Thanked 251 Times in 218 Posts
    Said "Welcome to Gastric Sleeve" 185 Times
    Blog Entries
    10

    Default Re: A few questions

    Thanks Toopie, great information!



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