20 Year Old Male 85lb Weight Loss - Nashville, TN

I am now 5'9" and 140lbs. When I was a child, I gained a lot of weight from ages 10-14. At my heaviest, I was 233lbs and 14 years old. Both of my parents were attractive athletes, and while they never degraded me, they did encourage me to lose weight, buying me exercise machines, personal trainers, etc. My father died of hypothermia in an accident on December 21st, 2009. This caused me to reevaluate my life and jolted me into action. The answer to my problem finally came in the form of an excellent nutritionist and appetite control. I lost all of my excess weight within a year. In total I lost about 85lbs (a little more now). This left me with loose skin, which I thought would contract with age, but it didn't. I had always been fascinated with plastic surgery (I still am), and had minor procedures done on my face in the past. As I moved into adulthood, I began focusing on total health and wellness. I started exercising every day, doing strength training along with aerobic exercise. After all of this hard work, and being blessed with good genetics and a high metabolism, I still had loose skin. I didn't want to waste the gifts I'd been given in this life, and I thought it was a real shame that the rest of me looked good, but my butt and stomach were still saggy. I'd been told repeatedly by my doctor, dermatologist, nutritionist, and all three of the surgeons I interviewed prior to choosing my Doctor that the skin would never fully retract. So I talked to my family and we all agreed that this was the best option. I am currently 5 days post-op and while I AM swollen, I've done extensive research on this operation (as well as many others), and I'm already extremely pleased with the results and I'm feeling fantastic. I'm technically larger around than I was before the operation, but I know it's just swelling. There is no fat on my body, the skin was very thin and I asked them to take a picture of it (which they did) and you can see this in the picture. My amazing plastic surgeon was actually the first person to bring the fact that I have a well developed six pack to my attention. I hadn't noticed it before because it was covered by skin. It was the first time I realized that I wouldn't just feel more attractive after surgery, I would feel hot! Getting this surgery, especially as a boy, at my age, you must be prepared to lose friends. My now ex-girlfriend gave me an ultimatum, saying she "didn't want to be with a boy who gets plastic surgery". So I told her I didn't want to be with a girl who wouldn't let me get plastic surgery, I told her this probably wouldn't be the last either and we were done. Many of my friends, who I had been supportive of through all of their troubles and dramas are not conveniently busy or simply don't speak to me. As far as I'm concerned, good riddance to all of them! Plastic Makes Perfect. I believe that. I embody that, literally. I have NEVER felt so good about who I am, so assured of myself, so confident in my appearance and personality as I do now. This has also made me realize even more how wonderful my family is--especially my mother. She was always my favorite, but what they say about a mother's love is true, it has absolutely no limits and I just hope that one day I can do something to repay her for all of the time she's taken and the effort she's put into making sure I have a wonderful life and a safe, comfortable, quick recovery. I have had to want for little in my life, I've been very fortunate, and I don't intend to waste my new gift (or my old ones) doing anything (or with anyone) who is not deserving of the amount of effort, care, and artistry (on the part of Dr. Haws) that has been put into forging my new body through the fires of adversity and modern science.

Today I went in to have my drain removed. In the moment, I described it as both relieving and painful, a sensation which I crassly described in the moment as reminiscent of the burning relief of diarrhea--but it wasn't too bad and the pain dissipated immediately (in my defense, we HAD just been discussing the fine details of post-surgical constipation in all its variations).
For anyone who hasn't experienced it (drain removal, not diarrhea), it's a burning sensation followed by a cooling sensation, my stomach muscles involuntarily spasmed when she was pulling it out, but that didn't add to my discomfort, it was a natural reacton.
She said I'm healing wonderfully and quickly! I asked the nurse if I could use a compression garment that I bought myself and she said that it would be fine, as long as I'm comfortable. She also changed my steri-strips and bandages. I finally got to see my "new" belly button and got the best view of my body yet.
I was thin before the surgery, and I'm obviously still very swollen, so I'm a bit larger, but I know it's only temporary. And all my skin is gone! I've never felt so good about myself. I'm VERY happy with the results! My belly button looks great and everything flows with the symmetry of my body, which is precisely what I asked for. The nurses and other staff were polite, friendly, and supportive, as always. My plastic surgeon's office is honestly the place I feel the most at ease, the most like myself. The people there understand me and my goals--they make me feel validated and attractive. They always give me all the attention and time I need, addressing all of my questions and concerns. I have another appointment on Thursday to have some stitches removed and I will again update with pics and commentary.

Today was my two week post-op appointment (actually 13 days). I'm feeling fantastic, I can sit normally and walk 90% upright without any pain or tight feeling. Of course I'm wearing a compression garment 24/7, except for when I'm taking a shower. Dr. Haws said I'm healing wonderfully and incredibly fast. She said the scar looks great. She noticed that I had bought a new compression garment and seemed really impressed with the uniformity of the compression. She said "there's no lines! You look great, it's so streamlined, I want to know where you got that!" The original compression garment I was using was made of a rough material, so last week I asked the nurse (Lynn) and she said I could order one on my own. It's called the "Underworks Mens Compression Bodysuit Girdle Shirt" (I'll upload a picture and include the link).
So everything is going FANTASTIC, I feel wonderful, inside and out, and Dr. Haws said I can start light exercise tomorrow (at my 2 week mark). She knows I used to do 1 1/2 hours of HIIT every day plus strength training, so she really emphasized that I need to take it easy, ideally just walking on the treadmill or moving slowly on the elliptical.

So here's the new compression garment, again, it's called the "Underworks Mens Compression Bodysuit Girdle Shirt". I will say, when you first try to put it on, it will seem impossibly tight, but the material stretches. When you order it, make sure you go by your chest size. I ordered a small and it fits perfectly. It has a flap in the front and a zipper in the back for using the restroom. They work well for their intended purpose. I LOVE this garment. Not only does it provide excellent compression on my mid-section, since I also had my butt lifted it was perfect since it goes all the way down your thighs, it provides a nice lift for the entire lower body and keeps everything in shape, which promotes quick and symmetrical healing. I can wear any of my clothes with it on, which was a hassle with the old abdominal binder, it also provides a tighter, more uniform compression but at the same time is more breathable. I'm not being paid to write any of this and I'm not a rep or spokesperson, I just LOVE this product! I would highly recommend it to anyone getting a tummy tuck, butt lift, or full lower body lift. I'm pretty sure they also make a female version. Here's the link to the one I bought on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JX4JA6?keywords=male%20compression%20garment&qid=1456390688&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

Here's a picture of me when I was 13 and close to 200 lbs vs. a picture of myself I took a few days ago weighing around 140lbs (I'm guessing, maybe less).

All I could do for two weeks was sit or recline (obviously not on my actual butt), but I had excellent caregivers who went out and bought me a BBL pillow that kind of elevates your butt off of whatever you're sitting on. It also has coccyx support, which was a lifesaver considering my incision was right on my tailbone. I also used a rolled up yoga matt with pillows (both a feather pillows and a wedge pillow) to elevate my legs. Honestly, I didn't really like the wedge pillow that much, despite the fact that it was designed for this very purpose. The rolled up foam yoga matt under my knees with a pillow on top in combination with two pillows under my calfs was very comfortable, even at the most painful stage of my recovery. That was only for the first few days, then my lift chair arrived which was PERFECT. It's designed for recovering from procedures like this and it was an absolute lifesaver--a Godsend. I'm still sleeping in it because it's so comfortable. The butt part is even shaped in a way that I don't need to use the BBL gel pillow, but sometimes I still do if my incision feels sensitive or I've had an active day (or what would be considered active for someone who's just been cut in half).
Honestly, even now when I go out I obviously can't bring my chair with me, but I do bring my BBL pillow (it has gel and coccyx support and a "convenient handle for travel!" (as it's written on the packaging lol) ) When I was still at the painful stage of my recovery, I balanced myself on it so my weight wass on my thighs and my butt wasn't touching the chair. I still do this if I'm going somewhere and all I have to sit on is a hard wooden chair.
I used a walker the first 4 days, but I transitioned to a cane on day 5 and I'm now able to walk unassisted. On day 6 I was able to sit down and stand up on my own. I still take my cane with me when I go out though, in case I lose my balance.
My pain decreased exponentially from day 5-7 and my strength increased exponentially.
I didn't require any assistance from another person after day 5.
Showering was difficult until day 10.
For my first two showers (on day 4 and day 7) I had to use a shower seat from a medical supply store and the worst pain after day 5 was in my back from having to walk hunched over all the time, this was also making showering quite painful and unpleasant even with the medical shower chair which had bars to hold onto, but I told the nurse at my PS's office and they prescribed me Flexeril which fixed that problem!

I'm currently 2 weeks post op and I'm starting to feel like my old self. I can sit in most positions comfortable as long as I have some form of cushioning. I'm driving, but taking the corners and stops easy. I can walk 90% upright, but everything is still very tight. Dr. Haws said my swelling is going down way ahead of schedule and I'm healing extremely fast and the scar is already very minimal. She LOVES my new compression garment, she even had her two head nurses come look at it and asked me to send her the info!
If anyone has any questions or comments feel free to message me or comment! :)