Weight Loss Catch 22 - 31 Year Old Male Who Hasn't Seen His Belly Button in Almost 20 Years - Newmarket, ON

Pretty happy with my progress! I had another appointment with Dr Andrade today and my seroma is gone, and I have clearance for light work outs (Mainly high rep, low weight arms and walking, need to avoid any core stuff still for now).

Pre photos were taken the night before surgery, post were taken today!

Over the past 2 years I have lost over 115lbs through diet and exercise. In dimensions this weight loss was almost 5 inches off my neck and 2 feet off my waist. Something that you don't realize when you have massive weight loss like mine is that no matter how much you diet and exercise the skin will never go away. The more I lost the more it rested at my waist. Its a betrayal from your own body, a catch 22 of sorts. I started researching methods to reduce the skin but ultimately realized surgery was the only permanent solution.

After spending a few months researching different procedures I weighed the pros and cons and decided a 360 belt lipectomy was the procedure I wanted to go with (I did not want a series of operations because of my job time constraints, this would give me the best results for a single procedure). I then made 3 appointments with plastic surgeons, two in Toronto, and one in Newmarket to get a quote and prognosis.

I choose Dr Andrade for a few different reasons. First he seemed genuinely interested in wanting to help me, he did not sugar coat the severity of the procedure, and he handed me a quote at the end of the visit. The visit was not rushed, he took the time to explain not just to me but to my wife what was involved, and he did not pressure me into making a commitment . He also was performing the surgery at Newmarket Hospital not in his clinic.

In contrast one of the "big name" clinics in Toronto I paid $150 for the visit (plus parking). Was told on the phone they perform lower body lifts, but in person was told they no longer do them and would need 2 procedures at a much higher price. I then had to call multiple times for them to send me the quote I paid for on a procedure I did not want, and was being pressured to set a date.

When I was ready to commit to the procedure with Dr Andrade they invited me back to his office for a second visit. He asked me to bring a list of all questions I have to discuss with him. My wife and I came up with a list and he went through them all with us. At the end of the visit there was a $500 down payment to hold the operation date. I also was able to work out how I was going to make the rest of the payments prior to the operation.

Before the operation I needed to meet with my family Dr and fill out a questionnaire. Once that was complete I had to go to the Newmarket hospital to meet with a nurse for blood work and an overview of what to expect while I was there. This happens about 1-2 weeks prior to your operation.

Two days prior to the surgery I started taking psyllium fibre and boost high protein meal replacement shakes. This was to prepare for the after effects of the medication (and I am glad I did).

On the day of surgery I arrived at Newmarket Hospital at 6am. They checked me in very quickly and before I knew it was in the operating room. Dr Andrade began immediate drawing on my stomach, hips, and back often using a ruler to check his measurements. You could tell in his eyes that he approached the surgery like an artist, drawing and then re-drawing lines as he envisioned the final outcome. Once he was done they lay you on the bed and before you know it you feel a slight burning in your left arm as they inject the anesthetics and within a few seconds your off to sleep.

My surgery lasted 7 hours long. Dr Andrade was able to remove over 3kg of skin from my body and it was a success. For the first few hours after waking up you drift in and out of sleep. I did not feel any pain. For dinner I was given a clear meal plan with jello, soup broth, and apple juice. Unfortunately I was not able to keep this down. The nurses also gave me stool softeners that night. On my calves I had large massage machines attached to them, this was to help fight against the chance of blood clots. My hands were numb and it lasted like that for almost 5 days. I had minor throat irritation from the breathing tube and my stomach (anywhere skin was undercut) felt numb to touch. I had 4 drains in me that were attached with Velcro.

Now here is the worst part of the whole operation, the catheter! Although it was removed before I woke up I found it hey hard to pee the first few hours after surgery, and when you do pee it really burns. I was unable to pee enough lying down, and was told if I did not pee soon I would need a catheter re installed. That was enough persuasion to get me out of bed to try standing up. Thank god after 2 hours of trying I finally had enough relief to avoid that experience again!

The next morning Dr Andrade was there to visit me bright and early, he went over the surgery with me again and checked all my incisions (this was my first sneak peak at the results which was a huge morale booster!) I had a very very slight fever, but he did not want to take any chances and told the hospital not to discharge me until we are certain it is nothing serious. He gave me a package with dressings, information booklets, appointment dates, and his pager number. You could tell he was very proud of the work he did which was very reassuring to me!

Later that day I was discharged and sent home. The Tylenol 3 they gave me before the car ride was the last pain medication I took, my prescription pain med bottle was never opened. I was also prescribed Teva-cephalexin which is a heavy duty antibiotic that I was to take 4 times a day. If the catheter was the worst part of the surgery, than this teva-cephalexin was the second worst. I am fairly certain it was causing me not to sleep and giving me headaches, because within a day of that prescription being compete those symptoms were gone. Also make sure you write down your medicine consumption as my short term memory was non existent for the first 2 weeks!

My wife took 2 weeks off work to help me get around. The first 3 days are the most difficult because you are very weak and tired. Having drains in you is cumbersome and it is difficult to find a comfortable position on the recliner. Make sure you have plenty of pillows and blankets to ensure you can get the right position.

Occasionally I had chest congestion which is a result of such a long surgery. Doing deep breathing helps and you have to cough up and build up. This can be painful but you will learn how to cough properly. One thing that helps is a large pillow pressed into your stomach when your about to cough. I could not imagine if I was sick having to deal with constant sneezing and coughing so make sure you don't have any cold before surgery.

Dr Andrade arranged for a nurse to come by every couple of days to change my bandages and to check on me. Samantha was great, was on time and very helpful. It was great reassurance that everything looked great and was healing normally.

I was able to get my drains removed 8 days after surgery. It is a weird sensation because you can feel them being pulled from one side to the next. It is not painful at all. Dr Andrade said I could have a shower in 24 hours (very excited for that) and also told me symptoms to look out for once the drains were out. A few days later I did notice a bit of fluid build up on my tummy like he had mentioned. It was Saturday night at 10pm and for peace of mind I decided to call him to ensure everything is ok.

Once I paged the number literally within seconds Dr Andrade returned my call (I don't think the phone was even out of my hand yet). He spend a good 5 or 10 minutes explaining to me what the seroma was and that it is very common in these types of operations. He said he would have me in first thing to inspect.

I did end up having a slight seroma which he was able to quickly drain (also not painful at all). The second appointment for the seroma was only about 1/3 the amount of the first visit.

I am now almost 3 weeks post op and the results look amazing! Swelling has significantly reduced and the incisions are so clean (not jagged). I was also very surprised at how aggressive he was able to go on my tummy. Much more aggressive than what I thought prior to surgery, about 2 inches above my belly button was pulled down to my waistline! I am now finally able to start standing up straight again.

After the surgery my parents came to visit me at home. Although your laying down I found after an hour of just talking I was completely beat and needed to sleep. Even at Christmas almost 2.5 weeks after the surgery your body is still on major recovery mode. After an hour and a half we had to leave because I was really tired so make sure you lite. to your body and take it easy!