RevyD

Hi Janice. I feel amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!! When you look at the incisions you would think that there would be alot of pain but to be honest it has been minimal from day 1. I have only been taking ES Tyelenol since the day after my surgery and that has more than controlled my discomfort. Abdominal incisions really have given me no real pain. It is the thigh incisions that have been "stinging" at times. I think it is because you are always walking or sitting down and getting up. All of those motions of course pull on the thigh suture line. Tyelenol controls it though. I am still very swollen so I will be taking pictures again in about 3 months and reposting. I thought twice about showing everyone my before and after pics but then I thought you know what, if I can inspire one person to keep going it is worth it. I know pictures of Pammie and Lisa are what really inspired me to keep on my plan and go ahead with the ETT after I reached my goal, so I am just paying it forward. I love this forom and everyone on it is sooooooooooooooooooooo amazing. Thanks for commenting Debbie

Thanks Pammie. I am so excited to see how everything looks after swelling. Nr Nyte said it could take 6 months to really get an accurate assessment of my thighs with swelling and 3-6 months for the tummy. I am soooooooooooooooooooo happy that I did this. The work Dr Nyte did is beyond what I even expected he could do with my roadmap of an abdomen after 2 majors surgeries and all that loose skin. I keep telling him he is amazing and gifted by God to do the body sculpting he does. Debbie

Hi everyone . Just wanted to let you know that my pictures are now in the gallery. Have a look and let me know what you think. Debbie

Yes I had the extended tummy tuck and thigh lift at the same time. Debbie

Hi. Dr Nyte is in Maple Valley which is about a 30 minute drive from Seattle. I tried to upload pictures last night to my gallery for the first time and it would not work. Doolitle sent my email to the IT guys so I am waiting to hear from them. As soon as I know how to do it or it is working so I can post the pictures will be up and I will let everyone know. I am still very swollen especially thighs but the difference is staggering already. Well off to church I go. Have a great day Debbie

To all my techie friends I need some help. I would like to download some pics to the gallery so you all can see but am having trouble. I was able to create an album but when I try to upload photo's it says error. Can anyone give me some quick advice on how to upload photos either from my computer or photo bucket. Thanks Debbie

I travelled by myself to the OCC when I had surgery and stayed in the Marriott. I felt completely safe the entire trip. Debbie

Just to give you an update. I had both my JP drains removed. I could have had them out Tuesday but I had to wait to today to have someone remove them. It is so nice to be drain free I am so happy with the results and as the swelling decreases I even more happy. I cannot believe what a difference in just one week post op. Once the steri strips are off I will post a pic for you all to see the new me. I cannot say enough about Dr Nyte. If you are on the west coast and even thinking about plastic surgery in the future you have to go to his web site and check him out. He truly is a body sculptor not just a plastic physician. You will see what I mean when I post before and after pictures. www.mvsurgicalarts.com Deb

You must be so excited to start thinking about solid food. I can tell you what I did. I basically wanted to lose the weight and lose it as fast as I could with no plateaus. Reading I did suggested eating pretty much the same foods on a daily basis and changing my exercise routine frequently so muscles would not get used to what I was doing and still work hard. Sounds restrictive but hey I lost 142 pounds and am still loosing with no fill and no plateaus. For breakfasts I ate either 1. Tomatoe Pie ( recipe is on this forom under recipe section) and a piece of fruit 2. Apple sauce with craisons and a slice of cheese 3. fruit salad with some protein 4. yogurt with bran flakes ( this is a new one for me) Lunch: 1. one small tin of the flavoured tuna and 5 breton crackers and a piece of fruit 2. small salad with protein of some sort Dinner: 1. chicken with rice and veg and fruit 2. fish with rice and veg and fruit 3. occasional beef with potatoe and fruit and veg 4. occasional pasta with veg and fruit 5. large salad with nuts, meat etc. That gives you an idea. I stayed away from carbs such as bread. I have not eaten bread since I was banded. I followed the rules given me by the OCC regarding chewing, drinking fluids etc. I eat three meals a day and late in the evening if I want a snack I usually have an international coffee and 2 tbsp of peanut butter Exercise has been key for me. I went from being someone who hated exercise to loving it. I hike mountains, do long distance biking, walk 7 km one day and run it the next. I exercise 7 days a week. Right now I am having a hard time because I just had a tummy and thigh tuck and I am not aloud to exercise for a few weeks. It is driving me nuts sitting around the house I have come along way baby. I also journal every single day. I write down what I eat, what the calories are, the exercise i did. Every saturday I write down my weight and how much I have lost. At the end of the month i write down all my measurements, weight etc and am able to compare then to my start which is really inspiring. You may think you are not loosing fast enough and then you go through your journal and look at what you have accomplished and are emediately inspired to keep going. For example I have lost over 84 inches off my body . My BMI went from 52 to 28. My waist went from 54 to 34. I also take pictures of myself front, side and back view every month and post them in my journal as well. The pictures really tell the story not the scale. When I look back at my starting pictures it is hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I was that big. I knew I was overweight but I did not think I was as big as I was. Pictures don't lie. My plastic surgeon Dr Nyte said to me " Debbie you are a tiny woman there was not much to lipo . I was dumb founded and could not understand why he would call me tiny. He must have said it 3 times before I started to believe it. I went back and looked at my pictures and you know I AM TINY NOW Well I have to get up and do some things . I cannot stress the power of journalling and checking in on this forom several times a day. I am constantly on this forom and have been since I started researching being banded. I have had questions answered, laughed at some pretty interesting discussions that have gone on, cried at others. I have met some wonderful and amazing people whom I have become friends with and look forward to meeting them for dinner when I go back for my post op check in a few months. Most importantly do this for you. By your picture you are an absolute knock out girlfriend. As you change your lifestyle and become more healthy , you get more energy and you begin to truly see yourself differently. I have always had a good attitude about myself no matter how big I was but now I am so much happier to go shoppping in a normal size store and get cute clothes. I am thrilled to climb mountians to see the view and I have inspired so many people around me to get healthy. Ooops my door bell just rang so have to go. Hope this has helped Debbie

Sorry Angie for all the hassle you are having to go through. Must be terribly frustrating to have to pay for their mistakes Deb

I made it the 21 days without cheating. Figured I spent alot of money on the surgery and there was no way I was going to screw it up. Debbie

I did a slim fast shake for breakfast and lunch and a lean cuisine frozen entre at dinner. Had no problem sticking with it Deb

I went to Dr Ortiz at the Obesity control center in Tijuana. Lots of us on this board have. I am a REgistered nurses and manager of a large unit in a Canadian Hospital and I can honestly say I have never seen a cleaner facility, more professional staff or top of the art medical facility and OR. I highly recommend Dr Ortiz Debbie

Way to go Sabarina. I am sure you will be so much happier now that the port is moved and you are sleeping well

I have hypothroidism and it has not affected my weight loss at all

Hi everyone. I saw Dr Nyte today for my post op appointment and everything is awesome. My drainage is way down in the drains but we both agreed to leave them in a little while longer. Ultimate is 15cc or less from each drain in 24 hours. He was happy with how everything looked and so was I. Truly this man is an artist and sculpture. Wait until you see my before and after pictures and you will know what I mean. I have had several large surgeries and with the weight loss my stomach was very asymetrical as well as loose skin. What he has done is above and beyond what I could have ever expected. If anyone is considering plastic surgery I highly recommend Dr Nyte. I am a Registered nurse and the manager of a large unit in a Canadian hospital and I can confidentantly say I would recommend Dr Nyte and all his staff. They were knowledgeable, friendly, caring, professional and all had a great sence of humor. I was phoned by both staff as well as Dr Nyte while recovering and given his personal cell phone to reach him since I was from Canada and staying in a hotel. I cannot speak highly enough of Dr Nyte and His practice. His web site is: www.mvsurgicalarts.com