Well first let me explain. The healing process for such invasive procedures like I got is lengthy. Full results aren’t instant. In fact most cosmetic surgeons will tell you that you will only see 90% of the final results 2 months after the procedure. I’m right at 3 weeks as of today, but I can tell you that I am happy.

While the results haven’t magically turned me into a skinny twink or anything, the surgeon was able to remove problem areas for me and I am quite happy.

I have to wear a compression garment for another few weeks, in order to make sure things stay in place, and heal properly. See with liposuction or any fat or skin removal, they have to remove the connection between the skin and muscle. This takes times to heal the connection and drain the fluid which resides in these areas.

My stomach is flatter than its ever been…I can look down and don’t see any excess bulging, whereas before right around my belly button I saw a mass of fat that simply wasn’t going away. Also my love handles are greatly curtailed, and I feel better when wearing jeans. My chest was another area where work was done, and while it isn’t completely flat, I am not as ashamed as I once was to show off my chest/torso.

All in all, I believe that the entire process was worth the end result. I again, still am not even close to finished healing. I still am in pain when touched, and still have stitches which occasionally cause me pain.

As far as can I see it? Hell no…I am still black/blue/yellow and every shade in between with bruises. I’m sure in time I will feel even more comfortable, but that isn’t going to happen until the bruising goes away.

Thank you to everyone for your kind words and messages during my recovery, and an even bigger thanks to Michael Butler and his family for letting me stay with them before I returned to work a week after my procedure.

Today is the day…I know that I said before that it was canceled, postponed indefinitely, etc….but today is the day. I found a surgeon who I feel more comfortable with than any other Doctor which I’ve spoke with. He understood my problem areas including my back, chest, stomach, etc. I am going to be starting surgery about the time this blog post hits.

If you want to send me some love/feedback/well wishes, etc please feel free to Twitter me (@NickStarr) or leave a message in the comments below. Thanks for everyone’s support in the months and months I’ve saved up for this. I’m so excited that the day is finally here!

My medical Doctor here in San Francisco gave me a pre-surgery physical as my surgeon wanted. As I stated before on here, I have a health issue which ultimately will be the death of me. Its because I am not doing well based on my labs, that my Doctor decided to write a letter to the surgeon saying that while nothing may go wrong, my risk for infection could be greater, but may not be.

It’s because of this letter that the surgeon called me up expressing his concern with proceeding and said that I come back within 3-6 months if I am doing better at that time.

HERE’S HOW THIS COULD HAD GONE DIFFERENTLY:

My surgeon wanted to do the physical, but since I was having the procedure done in Florida, it was easier for me to have the physical in San Francisco. I will now be looking for a surgeon either within the San Francisco area, or go with my second, and more expensive choice, in Florida, but have them do the physical.

EVERY SINGLE DOCTOR I SPOKE WITH…and I believe I had 6 consultations with various Doctors said that my condition wouldn’t be an issue in performing the surgery, or recovery. It’s because of one gray-ly worded letter from my medical Doctor that this entire thing has been put on the shelf. BTW, I have already called my rep at Kaiser and asked for a change in Doctors. I never want to see the face of the man who made 7 months of sleeping on the streets all a waste.

I am not sure how I will proceed. I might look for an apartment, and just continue saving and hope in 3-6 months I am ‘better’ and able to have the surgery, but more likely I will continue living on the streets in order to save up the extra ~$3000-5,000 needed to have the surgery done with a different surgeon, keeping my medical Doctor out of the loop.

I WILL HAVE THIS SURGERY WITHIN THE NEXT 196 DAYS…I DON’T CARE IF I HAVE TO CUT MYSELF OPEN IN ORDER TO HAVE IT DONE, IT WILL BE DONE!

As it stands, by the day I get have the surgery I will had been homeless for 221 days, that is over SEVEN months! Despite what MANY (yes I am talking especially to you Dave Condie) have said along the way, I never went running home back to Florida, I never got in trouble with work, I never panicked and gave up; I stuck to my guns, sucked it up and look where I’m at now…ready for surgery! I know along the way I haven’t been the best with saving money, but I finally was able to accomplish my goal. I am hoping to find a place in early April to move in, but the following two weeks after the surgery I will be recovering at my parents house in Tampa Bay, Florida.

I’m very excited…I can’t wait to see the results. I hope to take a before picture to go along with an after picture, although I’ve never shown a picture of what I look like now (aka before), I might finally release that soon…

Anyway, thanks for the well wishes…can’t wait until the big day!

2008 was such an amazing year. I lost all my weight, finally came out, was having a great time living it up in San Francisco, I don’t understand how 2009 could had gone so horrifically wrong.

That being said, I did want to provide a Nick Tuck update. I now have all of the funds for the surgery (there is again a complication in holding up a portion of it which I can’t get into), but I am all ready to go and have it done once those funds clear. I also was able to afford a new laptop with my bonus from my company, and am quite excited about that…so going into 2010 things are on an upswing.

In 2010, I plan on moving off the streets of San Francisco and back into an apartment (most likely a room for rent). I plan on being in the best physical shape of my life, not only because of the surgery, but through rigorous working out and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet.

I turn 30 this year, and I am really hoping that I can set myself to be ready for that when it comes by improving myself and trying to become the best person I can until then.

I guess that is my 2009 review…so much happened, and I’m sure there is so much more to come…until then.

I’ve been a bit more depressed more than normal recently, but other than that things are same old same old. If things don’t line up with the money, I won’t be able to have Nick Tuck until March due to a scheduling conflict at work.

Well …. yeah … Have a good…. day off work.

[Short URL via Bit.ly]

This past weekend I went down to Tampa Bay, Florida to visit family, but mainly to get consults for the upcoming surgery. My parents want me to do it down there near them, so that I can spend my recovery time at their place, instead of in San Francisco. It makes sense, and the Doctor said the follow up appointments would all take place within the following 2 weeks of the surgery.

I am really looking forward to finally reaching my goal and being able to feel comfortable in my own skin. Thanks for everyone who has donated and the well wishers along the way. It’s been a long road, but the light is certainly at the end of the tunnel.

BTW I plan on writing a year end post soon, specifically describing my progress on reaching my goals of having an ACTUAL real friend in San Francisco, and boyfriend (or hell even a 2nd date). Stay tuned…

When we first met, he was already following me on Twitter and sent me a message that he ran into me on the Muni one day. After hanging out for a while, he got to know the ‘real me’ and see beyond what is just online. I started to realize that he expected me to break down or jump of a bridge at a moments notice, and didn’t like that he had already had those thoughts in the back of his head about who I was based solely what he read online.

So, I’ve been posting less, trying to post more positive things, and cut out the negativity. It is difficult to find someone to spend time with and get to know on a deeper level (anywhere you go, but it seems to be especially true in the gay community and in San Francisco). I don’t want to start off things 10 steps behind because of something they read online or heard about me from a friend.

So I am trying to ‘re-image’ myself, and get rid of the negativity from my life. I am not going to tolerate seeing negative posts and comments on my Facebook account, and will be removing people who want to push their negativity upon me.

I am also closer than ever to getting my Nick Tuck surgeries, and estimate that I will be able to afford them this upcoming January, well within my goal of getting it done before I turn 30. I am very excited about this and look forward to completing the transformation I started over 2 years ago when I first moved to San Francisco to discover myself and become the best version of myself (mentally, physically, emotionally, etc) that I can be.

As of this week, I will be approaching around $2,000 saved. It would be more if there weren’t a few major financial snafu’s along the way this past month, but hopefully that won’t happen again.

I really only have slept in five total spots around the city outside so far. The first was where I slept the first night, outside my old apartment on the cold sidewalk, and don’t plan on doing anymore sidewalk sleeping if I can help it. The other locations I am keeping to myself as I don’t want them compromised and it is a pain to scout out new ones.

The biggest issue I’ve run into is bugs. I didn’t realize how many there are here in SF. Currently, I can easily spot over 35 bug bites on my face, and numerous other ones all over my body. When I sleep I usually keep my face outside the sleeping bag to keep cool, but also it isn’t really long enough. I’ve bought bug spray, but it hasn’t seemed to help much.

Besides my giant 23+lb backpack I really am not outwardly showing any of the signs associated with most homeless people, namely bad smelling, darkened and hardened skin, worn out clothes, etc. I shower daily after my 30 minutes of cardio at the gym and change my clothes on a daily basis after putting on a bit of cologne.

I am really hoping to save up the $8,000 necessary for major surgery, my abdominoplasty, by Chirstmas Day, and hopefully the projections show I will be able to. We will see.

I do have two great friends who are offering their couches, which fold into beds on pretty much one night a weekly basis right now which helps break up the stress, fear, bug bites, and everything else associated with sleeping outdoors. Thanks again to them.

I guess that is it for this update one month in…oh my birthday is September 11th, less than 2 weeks from now. I had a credit with SWA so I am flying up to Seattle to see some guys I know up there and get out of San Francisco for a weekend. I also am traveling back home to Florida to see my family and to spread my grandfather on my father’s side ashes as he just passed away.

Because I grew up heavy and my entire life until I decided to diet and exercise I was overweight, I have excess skin from a lifetime of being fat. I’ve had consultations with a few different plastic surgeons, who ALL agree that the proper procedure for me is an abdominoplasty, aka tummy tuck.

So don’t lump me in with these fat gross messes who choose not to the weight on their own…I FUCKING DID! I just want to complete the process, and finally feel good about how I look with my shirt off.

It is a bit time consuming for me to answer everyone’s questions each and every time they are asked, especially since most of the questions are repeated, so I will list them here, answer them, and update this post if need be.

Q) Why are you homeless? Is it some sort of social experiment?

A) No it isn’t some sort of social experiment. I have gone through this answer numerous times here, here, here, and here. The bottom line is that I lost 100lbs and for my body to adjust properly to the weight loss, it is recommended by multiple doctors that I get an abdominoplasty, aka tummy tuck, to get rid of the excess skin and residual fat. To get my torso in the most presentable fashion, it is also recommended that I get my flanks fixed as well as the removal of my Gynecomastia, aka male breasts, treated.

Q) Why not just save up and live some where?

A) I’ve NEVER been good with money, as evidenced in the course of my 20-some years here on earth. I have a horrible credit score, I have wage garnishment for my student loans, and basically live paycheck to paycheck. I can’t get financing for a $300 credit card, and was barely able to find a bank to offer me a checking account. I’ve been with my current job a little over a year now, and lived in one of the cheapest places I’ve ever seen in San Francisco at $775/month. I would scrape by paycheck to paycheck, often not having enough for food or anything else by the time the next paycheck came along.

I lived in my car for a little over a year before, and find rent to be one of the largest and unnecessary expenses in my life. I KNOW that 99.99% of you don’t see it this way, but I do, so fuck off. While living in my car, I didn’t have a set goal, like I do now for the surgery, but I was able to afford the things I wanted and live my life in a happy manor.

Q) Where will you shower?

A) I prepaid for a 2 year gym membership at 24 Hour Fitness through this offer at Costco for $299. That works out to just under $12.50 a month. I’ve NEVER seen a gym deal that good ever. This also gets me in the gym more often, aka every day in order to work out and subsequently shower.

Q) Are you crazy?

A) Read this. Short answer no, I just don’t think the same way, or have the same priorities as you may have.

Q) How soft is cement?

A) Not at all. After my 1st night on the streets, I need to get some sort of padding, or more cushy sleeping bag.

Q) What about a hostel, or cheaper place to live?

A) A hostel in San Francisco is around $25-$45 a night, and thus more than I was paying for rent before. I want to get to my goal of $8,000 as fast as possible. This is the quickest way I know. Check out this listing for apartments in San Francisco. Do you see ONE which is less than the $775 I was paying?

Q) Where does your mail go? Where do you keep your stuff?

A) I got a PO Box 1 block away from work, and I have a friend who has graciously offered his garage to me for a 2nd time since moving to San Francisco during this period to store my stuff.

Q) Are you gay?

A) Umm yes read this.

Q) How long will this last?

A) I am trying to save up the $8,000 needed for just the abdominoplasty part of the surgeries I want. This will take around 6 months by saving on my own. I would LOVE to get all of three procedures done at the same time, but the cost is around $15,000 for all three. The tummy tuck is the one considered most prominent by the doctors I’ve seen and thus it is the one I want the most.

Q) What can I do to help?

A) Well I am taking donations on this site, just click the Nick Tuck logo. Also if you have a place to crash for a night, few nights, etc. I’ll sleep in a garage, couch, backyard, etc I don’t care. Anything is better and safer than sleeping on the streets. Other than that referrals to Doctors who might perform the operation at a lower cost/pro bono, or just an encouraging word or email goes a long way.

Q) How much are you saving per month?

A) Well with my estimated expenses and based on my income, I am able to save around $1,500 a month, which is around 5 months and a few weeks to reach my goal. I am also trying to cut back as much a possible, and spend less than $20 a day on food and all other expenses. You can follow a Twitter account I made for that goal here (@20aDay). Also my main Twitter account is @NickStarr and I have one for my procedure @NickTuck.

I hope this answers a majority of the questions I have been getting in some fashion or another. Please feel free to leave more in the comments, on Twitter, Facebook, etc and I will add them to this list.

Updated:

Q) Why don’t you buy a junk car and park in a paid parking lot? (Mary from the comments)

A) Mary you most likely don’t live in San Francisco. Parking lots in the city range from $300+ per month in terms of parking. I HIGHLY doubt that they allow for people to live in cars in these lots either. Paying al this extra money for expenses which I don’t need such as a car, registration, insurance, and a garage will set me even further back on my goals.

Right now my life and the progression of it seems like it is stalled…its like this horrific vicious circle that I can’t get out of.

I can’t get a boyfriend, why?
Because I am fat and have loose skin whereas, why?
Because I lost a bunch of weight, but still don’t look like what I look like, why?
Because I can’t get a guy to go out with me or sleep with me more than once (and/or get a boyfriend), why?
… and so on and so on …

First let me remind you that I don’t subscribe to the whole “you can’t get someone to like you if you don’t like yourself first,” and I’ve detailed my thoughts on that here (so don’t even try to use that excuse).

Well I am breaking the circle. I am doing something about feeling better about myself, and how I look. That is why I am moving out of my apartment onto the streets of San Francisco in order to save up money for my surgery to get rid of the excess skin, fat and glands which are preventing me from looking like a normal citizen of the gay 20-something culture in San Francisco.

Do you agree? I doubt it, but look at it from my perspective. My 20′s are more going than coming these days. I’ve NEVER had a boyfriend, relationship with a guy, or so much as TWO dates with a guy who I liked or liked me. These are ALL things that every single person my age who I hang around with in SF have accomplished.

I see a fixable solution to my circle, and I am taking it. I am doing what needs to be done in order to accomplish my goals the fastest way I know. I’ve now had a few friends suggest that I sell my body for money in order to reach my goals faster. I don’t think they understand….I HATE MY BODY! My BODY has gotten me no where in terms of guys wanting to be with me after they see me nekkid once. Why on earth would someone pay to be with me, when I can’t even get someone to be with me more than once on my own?

Anyway, this is my decision. I am sticking to it for as long as I can. It is going to be a rough road ahead, but I look forward to looking back in a few months from now and realizing that the journey, no matter how rough, difficult, and unconventional it may be, will be worth it.

Nick Starr, 28, of San Francisco, weighed more than 250 pounds last year. Through diet and exercise, he shed more than 100 pounds, but he’s left with sagging skin and desperately wants plastic surgery to fix it. Always overweight, he’d wanted plastic surgery as long as he could remember but originally thought liposuction was the answer.

“I realized a tummy tuck was the better procedure for me now, since I have excess skin and fat which won’t go away, no matter how much I’ve worked out in the past year,” he said, adding that his consulting surgeon also suggested love-handle lipo and a breast reduction.

Starr admitted he’s never been good at managing money, so he’s taking an extreme measure to raise $8,000 for his abdominoplasty: becoming homeless.

“I had to change something. I was homeless, living in my car once before,” he explained, adding that now he doesn’t have wheels. “I figure I can do it without the car with a few months while I save up money for the tuck.”

Starr dubbed his journey Nick/Tuck and is chronicling his progress and accepting donations on his blog at www.nickstarr.com.

Like so many others, Starr feels plastic surgery is the solution to finally being happy inside out. Yaremchuk believes strongly that plastic surgery can be life-changing by improving appearance and boosting self-esteem, but he cautions patients that it’s not always the answer to “solve all life’s problems.”

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