Posts by Taylor Garcia66

quietgull62 said:Karen Young17
I guess if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't stress too much about the scar, especially since you're planning on getting plastic surgery anyway.
Those silicone sheets are actually just self-adhesive clear strips—they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes—made of silicone that helps normalize pigmentation and can help reduce or even prevent keloids from forming; they work on pretty much any scar. They tend to be more effective when the scars are fresh, though I suppose you can use them on older ones too. The manufacturer is Polytech, and you can pick them up at Rog Step (over on J. Gotovac street, near Kvatrić). Since my scar is quite long, I use the 30x2 size, which costs $83 and lasts about a month (the person told me it’s fine as long as it stays adhesive, so we'll see how long that actually takes). You wear them for 12 hours a day, then you just peel them off, wash them, and put them back on the film. That same manufacturer also makes a silicone gel for areas where a strip won't stay put, like your face or skin folds and stuff. Of course, you don't need a prescription for it. But honestly, since Kontrakel is $27 and I need four tubes a month, and Dermatix is $90 for a 15 ml tube—meaning I'd also need four tubes a month—this way is actually much more economical. And, just like any other scar treatment, you start applying it as soon as all the scabs have fallen off.

This sounds incredibly convenient; I hadn't even heard of those silicone strips before... would you mind posting a photo of your midsection so I can get a better idea? It seems we're on similar timelines (only a few months apart); I had my bypass and now I'm waiting to do plastic surgery, but I'm losing hope that the skin will just retract on its own. They tell me I'm only 35 kg, but clearly, that isn't the whole story... I work in a library, so I'm constantly carrying heavy books, and I'm curious if I'd be able to get back to work after a month following the surgery. After my bypass, I was stuck at home for two months... Kitty hehehe

Something else just popped into my head—not a brick this time, haha
How much sick leave do you think I'll actually need after pulling a muscle in my abs?

Kevin Turner7 said:Way to go, quietgull62, on starting this new thread!!!!! I’ve thought about doing this a few times, but since nobody seemed interested, I figured it would be pointless!!! But hey, kudos—it’s never too late, and this place will be packed in no time.

Hey Angie, I was so happy to hear you finally got your tummy sorted out. It wasn't too bad, right?!!!!

I actually hit my one-year anniversary for my abdominal skin removal earlier this month, so I’m speaking from firsthand experience. After that, back in September, I had skin removal on my upper arms—goodbye, bat wings! Then in December, I did my thighs, but only with an incision in the groin area. Basically, the cut goes from halfway through the fold on the front of the leg, across the groin, to the center part under the butt. No vertical incision running from the groin down the inner thigh to the knee.
Now, here’s my take on how satisfied I am with the results—just my opinion, obviously!!!! On my arms, I think they could have taken a bit more skin, but the doctor argued that while it's theoretically possible, it would limit my range of motion when lifting my arms. Plus, there's always that risk of tissue death or necrosis if you pull too much. As for my stomach, I had liposuction, muscle tightening, a new belly button, and a massive amount of skin removed because there was plenty to deal with (Lord, I had four kids). Before the surgery, I can't quite recall his exact words, but I was in the hands of a truly wonderful... well, you can imagine what other "attributes" might be tucked away in those dots... Davor Jurišić at Rijeka University Hospital. He did warn me that making part of the incision under the old scars might cause some healing issues. There were indeed some problems, but we can discuss that later if anyone is actually interested.

Writing everything all at once would make this post way too long, and it's lunch time anyway. My daughter is cooking and I'm already running behind on the salad!!

Talk later, and in the meantime, Kitty hehehe from my Cleveland sirens!!!

Of course people are interested... And there will be more and more as the heatwaves continue to melt us away; you can see that every now and then someone new joins our little club.
I am incredibly, deeply curious about what it looks like for those of you who have gone through it... please, share some photos of those tummies, and of course the other areas, so we can see how tight everything is, how the scars look, and how that new belly button turned out... I want to know everything, every single detail... I was the same way before my heart bypass, and of course, I wanted to be completely prepared and free of surprises after the procedure... and that is how much I care about knowing the outcome now. So, Mayo and Free, please give us the details—everything from the preparation and the pain to the cost, your personal pros and cons, and the photos... I am dying to know... kisses...

I really have to applaud the decision to start this thread!!! Bravo!!! Now we finally have a complete timeline to look back on, from the before to the after...
I can't quite remember if I've already asked you, Mayo, or maybe I did... but was that process handled through Medicare back in Washington, D.C.? It honestly makes zero sense that they can facilitate it in Cleveland but not here at home... I mean, if we're forced to pay out of pocket around here, something feels fundamentally broken, and frankly, I don't have the extra cash lying around for something like this. If that's the case, I’d just have to make the trip to Cleveland, which isn't exactly a disaster, but if it's doable right here, that would be much better. I'm reaching my limit and getting closer to making the final call to fix my skin, so every little detail matters to me right now. And Mayo, please, do us all a favor and post a few photos—show us that bare stomach of yours and yourself too... I can't quite recall if my memory is serving me right, but I don't think I've actually seen a photo of you yet... Kitty hehehe