As you can see in the picture, Thighs be gone, the incision runs from the Sternum to the pubic bone and, as the Surgeon put it, "from table to table". AND they tied together the ab muscles. (more painful then you might think) It's been called, by many online, the surgeon, and his support staff, the most extensive reconstructive surgery they do for those who have had massive weight loss. I tell people that I've had the front of me removed and that is NOT an exaggeration! the piece they removed was 24 inches wide and 12 inches high. They pulled the sides of me around to the front then all of that down to the pubic bone and cut off the excess.
The pain was horrid!! I am a recovering drug addict and I've been clean for 18 years. After all of the surgeries I’ve had...inflamed rectal polyp removal...Gaul bladder removal and GBP, I didn't take any of the pain meds they gave me when I went home from the hospital. I toughed it out for the sake of my recovery. NOT THIS TIME!! I took them, in fact, I took the full dose of Oxicodone for a week and a half afterwards. Until I could stand being awake enough to get off of them. It was a difficult transition to let go the drugs but it still was worth risking my recovery the pain was that bad.
I had to relearn how to cough, how to sleep, how to get up, how to laugh, I still fear sneezing.
I will never voluntarily do it again...I will learn to love my saggy arms, my breasts are not that bad and my thighs, though saggy, will be just fine!
I hope that who ever is thinking of plastics realizes that it's not to save your life...it improves it...but it's not necessary. Think long and hard about it.
Angela