Panniculectomy vs Tummy Tuck (need help)

I'm lost, I have insurance that will cover a panniculectomy but not a tummy tuck. I went in for a consultation on Monday and was approved in two days! I had initially went in for a consultation for a breast reduction and asked about the extra skin which really bothers me. With the panny, she will not remove all the other extra skin in the abdominal area, only that which hangs over my pubic area, which means I would need another surgery to remove that (that will have to come out of pocket for me, I obviously don't have $$$$ laying around to pay for it. As for my sad looking breasts, my plastic surgeon said she will have enough to take out the required amount to have my insurance  cover it, only problem I see is that my breasts are significantly going to shrink. I had initially thought I would have implants put in so they don't look so tiny. Right now I'm wearing a DDD bra and would like to be at a D, of course it would also have to be proportionate to my body size. 

So what I'm asking is, did you have your insurance pay for what they could and then had separate surgeries that you had to pay for? Should I just bite the bullet and wait to win the lottery in order to pay out of pocket for everything? Any advise would be greatly appreciated! While I was at the OH conference this past weekend, I did have a plastics consult and I was quoted nearly $25,000

If insurance will pay for the panni, most surgeons will give you a reduced rate to do the complete abdominoplasty, since they're already half-way there.  Ask.  And if this surgeon won't, go see another.  This is a fairly common practice.

find another Plastic surgeon, it is customary to perform a TTuck (you pay the difference) at the same time, it should not be that much more, some with not charge extra.

Try a teaching hospital

Personally, I think you should do it all at once. Having a panni and then a tummy tuck later will not give you a good result. Some people have posted here that insurance covered their panni and they had to pay 3000-3500 to upgrade to a full tummy tuck. Ask your surgeon what he would charge. You can start saving or make sure your credit score is good and get a loan.

I didn't even think to ask about having both things done at once. I'm glad I have this forum to ask all these types of questions. Thank you all for your quick responses, I really appreciate it!

Totally agree - find a way to pay for the upgrade and get the TT if you need it.  You can go onto Youtube and see surgeries of it and see why the TT does so much more than just the panni - if you need it.

You do not state your age or plans to have (additional) children.  I'm not sure, but that might influence the timing of plastics for teh abdominal area.

I guess I should have mentioned that I'm 48 and done having children 

One less complication to deal with, but I think that for those who plan to have children that drs address that during the plastic consults. 

From my experience - don't rush your decision - see several plastic surgeons and see their photos and understand their plans.  See at least 2 before making up your mind.  With the TT - go over their post-op instuctions - how many drains, what restrictions will you have, how long, etc.  

The best investment from my thinking - an electric recliner. 

yes, your tummy tuck should be done at the same time as the Panni removal. Panni removal is part of a tummy tuck- tummy tuck just takes it further and it includes usually the repositioning of your belly button and the tightening of your abdominals.

Implants should only be about $1600 dollars more than a lift... I would always go for more than one consultation, I went for 5, and I can tell you the difference in pricing can be huge. Also every Doctor has a different take on the same surgery. I would also make sure I was using someone who had done a lot of surgeries on people with massive weight loss. The quality and the quantity of our skin is more challenging.

LOL- The insufficient quality and over-sufficient quantity of our skin. 

Getting more coragous - I bought some sleeveless tops for next summer.