48 Yo Mother of 2, Post Sleeve Gastrectomy, Combo Total Hysterectomy, Tummy Tuck. Houston, TX

I didn't take any befores, but my Dr. did. I will see if I can get a copy to post g ere. I will take some afters to post once these JP drains are out and the binder comes off. This will be severl weeks.

My apologies for not answering your post sooner. I simply overlooked it.
No, I did not have an epidural. I had general anesthesia. (IV induction with intubation, known more commonly as "putting you to sleep."
I know that anesthesia can be scary, but if you are already going to have general anesthesia for your tube removal (Which, likely you are), then you might as well have the tummy tuck also. I cannot imagine that getting your tubes removed would take all that long, although I do not know anything specific about your case. If I were going to have this done, then I would go for the whole makeover (TT and BA) or whatever else you wanted to have, simply because you will not be pushing the safe limits of anesthesia, which I read are somewhere around 6 hours; although, I know people who have been under way longer than that.
Good Luck to you. If you have anymore questions, ask your PS and / or write. I will be happy to answer any of your questions if I can.
When is your procedure scheduled?

Thanks, March 3rd

Dear Cashwife,
I like your screen name :)
Thanks for writing to me. I am sorry that you watched a you tube. tt video. The procedure just looks scary because of the big flap of skin they remove. But, the hysterectomy I had was actually probably more dangerous because of all the internal organs that are being worked around and manipulated.
To be honest, the fear and anxiety I had beforehand was much worse than any pain I ever had after.
It's just a matter of getting your head in the right place. I find it hard to be in situations where I don't have any control. It helps to know that going in. And it helps to tell your surgeon this. He or she can order anti anxiety meds for you. (I asked for valium before my surgery. I always do. This way, you aren't just sitting around getting keyed up before it's your turn. Especially if you are the first case. My surgery was at noon.)
My GYN has known me a very long time, so he and I talked about my "control" issues :) He just told me that I had to chill the hell out (lol)
Not in those exact words. Really, we just laughed about it.

Dear CW,
Sorry. Accidedentally hit the post button too soon.
Anyway, Letting your doctors know how you are is half the battle; They can manage you better. The other half of the battle is accepting how you are, so you can be prepared going in.
I would say this: if you can find a surgeon that you feel comfortable with and whom you feel confident can handle your personality, then I think you will do great. My GYN knows I am strong willed. So, he probably clued in my ps. I am sure they talked about it!!
LOL
My advice is to go see at least 3 or 4 plastic surgeons in your area who are known for good results and talk to them. You can't go by everything people say and write because every patient will perceive the same doctor differently as far as personality. Your personality might just match up better with a surgeon that someone else did not feel connected to. One of the most important things to look for, besides board certification in plastic surgery and consistently good results, is someone you feel like you can be honest with and with whom you can communicate well with. A lot of surgeons are good technically, but not all of them have good people skills. (Part of this is because the nature of what makes them so brilliant is also what can leave them lacking in other areas: Just in general. But, some of them have learned these skills through practice.)
It might be wise to see the ps you choose more than once in order to gauge whether or not they are right for you.
(I went 4 times, but that probably pushes the norm.
I am pretty sure my ps deserves the "patience of a saint" award. ) The more you are your ps, the more you learn about his or her personality. Sometimes you just need to give them a chance to warm up to you :)


As far as the pain goes, my ps used Exparel in the incision to kill the pain, and it really worked. I also had a demerol pump. I really didn't find this surgery very painful. But, I didn't have any liposuction either. (He said I didn't need it.)
I think not having the surgery because of fear of pain is understandable, but I had it, and many have before me. We all survived, and you will, too. Just do your homework and choose your surgeon wisely.
I'll be here if you need anything else.
Stay off YouTube !!!!!

XOXO
Txmom

That should have said,
...especially if you are NOT the first case."

Thank you very much txmom!!

No problem.
You're welcome!
Hope everything works out for you. Let me know what you decide.

Dear Caligir,
Did you change your screen name? Or did I just misread it?
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me. And I use my smartphone instead of my computer, so it is more difficult.
I hope you didn't think I was implying you had control issues. I just meant for you to talk to your surgeon candidly about whatever your issues are (the pain/anxiety)
I am really pretty laid back in life. I just don't like surgery or being in the hospital. I have had 2 bad experiences with surgery, so the control stuff is so I can make sure that doesn't happen to me again.... But, really, you just have to accept that you are going to have to trust your doctors. I got lucky and had 2 great doctors and all my nurses were AWESOME.
So, just wanted to clarify that.... Hope today finds you happy and well. :)

Lol!! I changed my screen name. I think my old screen name could easily be misinterpreted to look like I was a Cash-Wife. Hahaha!!! So far from that.

LOL!! You mean your husband doesn't pay you ??
Mine does!! J/K.
I am glad we got that straight. I thought I was going crazy for a minute there!!!

Dear Whatsyourname?
You did it again. You changed your name a second time. Are you trying to confuse me? It's working.....lol

Hahaha!!!! I know, I noticed it didn't take the complete name I used so I changed it. I'm done now. Promise. :)

Good!! You're driving me batty !!!

Good suggestions. Thanks.

Thanks for your encouraging words.

Thanks for your comment and encouragement. If I had done a BA also, I think I would have been overwhelmed. I'm glad I waited.

Dear jectaylor,
How many days post are you?
Are you healing OK?
Hang in there...each day gets better.....The anesthesia made me feel crazy for at least 2 weeks. I was just so irrational and scared of every little thing going wrong. (Not really like me)
Write back to me!!!!

Dear Trobinson4904,
Thank you for your response and encouragement. I am not sure if you realize that I am 4 months post-op. Unfortunately, nobody "doted" over me. I just don't really have that kind of husband. (Wish I did.)
He did spend the first night (Sleeping on the sofa) in my hospital room.
Then the next morning, he woke up and said, "I have to go to work."
I never saw him again until he picked me up from the hospital. There were no flowers, no cards. Not even a "Is there anything I can do for you?" I know that he loves me, and it's a good thing, because he doesn't always show it. He was not happy about the tt. But you know what? Besides the WLS, it's the only big thing I've done for myself in 23 years of marriage. So, I figured that whoever was inconvenienced by my surgery could just stick it . lol!! I am finding out the world doesn't end when you stop waiting on other people hand and foot. They need to step it up and learn how to contribute and take care of themselves !! Wow. Thanks for listening to that crazy rant. It felt good to write it down..................!!!!

Do your friends dot on you with pen or markers?

??

I think she meant "dote"

Hi, I had two drains. One for each side of my abdomen. To be honest, I felt pretty good s
at the hospital. Not much pain, walking by myself, almost standing straight up. My GYN was amazed.
But, I had a demerol pca, and my PS used exparel (like marcaine)
to keep the tt incision numbed for 3 days, but I think that drug lasted longer than 3 days.
I think coming home to having another person (my sister) here full time was probably more difficult than I thought it would be.
She has a lot of her own issues, and at times she was stressful to deal with. Almost impossible.
(And I am an extremely patient person.) I have a son with special needs, so I am well rehearsed in patience. I felt better before my bb died and I had this big hole.
The day my PS took out all the dead tissue, I cried before I even got out of the office. Everything was crashing down. Your aftercare plan is just as important as planning your procedure. In my case, my sister was my only available option.

I don't know what you mean about a "pocket" forming. My bb died. He tried to save it by having me clean it for a week, but then he decided the best course of action was to remove all of the dead tissue, in the hopes of stimulantig faster healing. There is no pocket or fistula. The drainage drains out onto the gauze dressing and onto the gauze packing that I insert each change. (Approx. 3x day)
The hole will eventually close.

Good luck on your procedure. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Dear EMoe,
Read back through this. I am sorry I missed your post :( Was not ignoring you....I have a high pain tolerance, plus Exparel is the bomb. It pretty much killed the pain from the tt. I really never was in much pain. Just a little sore at times from the hysterectomy. My hip joints got really sore and I could not sleep without tossing at night. It finally wore off. I don't know why they did that. My gyn said maybe it was just being on the table a while in surgery.? It felt like when my joints all loosened up before childbirth. They were sore then, too. Actually, I'm in more pain now with TMJ and ear pain from clenching. Almost nothing is helping. I'm beginning to think I need to see an ENT. I wonder if I ruptured my eardrum or something. I'm just about ready to cry. It sucks.