Good afternoon I went thru the same surgeries almost 6 months ago (Dec. 29th) and am very pleased with the results and the pain is totally worth it! The first few days were ok as I was still very numb from the local but pain meds helped me get thru the first week and a half. Just stay on top of your schedule to keep the pain to a manageable level. Remember to keep your arms elevated as much as possible to reduce swelling, I will say that is the one area I will probably have revised as there is still too much loose hanging skin.

Watch your nutrition after surgery, I unfortunately slipped during recovery and did not eat as well as I wish I would have!

Wishing you a fast recovery! :)

I bought a used power lift recliner and have a toilet seat that a goes higher.  without these two things I'm not sure I would have gotten thru this first week as easily as I have.    the pain from the muscle repair is still pretty nasty but the arms and boobs are doing  well.  I am one week out today and had a follow up appointment with the surgeon and they pulled 3 out of the 4 drains today.   that was not as bad as I thought it would be, no pain just odd feeling.   Good luck on your upcoming surgery.

Thank you for replying!  My surgeon puts in some type of numbing medicine in the abdominal area to help keep that numb for about 3 days, I am hoping that is the case!  I will take your advice to heart and set an alarm to take the pain med's at night.

Hi it is very dependent on your insurance coverage.  My insurance is covering a panniculectomy  (code 15830) but will not cover abdominoplasty which also tightens the muscles. It took me 3 appeals to get the panni covered and I had to have a lot of documentation on issues caused by the skin overhang, be on prescription creams and antibiotics and also have documented daily activities I could not due because of the excess skin.  I was in to see my doctors every 3-4 months to document issues.  I also had to have maintained a steady weight for 6 months prior to them approving.  Call your insurance or look it up on your coverage guidelines, don't hesitate that way you know for sure and will know if there is anything you need to do proactively to get it covered.

I was able to combine procedures with my panni removal and will also be paying for my arm's and boobs out of pocket but it is slightly less since I'm having them done all at the same time (Dec. 28th is the day and I am sooo excited).

What was your recovery like for your arm procedure?  Anything you found helpful in the recovery phase?

Hi all, I am finally approved for the panni removal (only took 3 appeals!!!) and I am paying out of pocket to have my arms and breasts done at the same time.   I am a bit scared to have all the procedures done at once but it is much cheaper to do them all together and then it is only one down time vs multiple thru the next year or so.  I already purchased an automatic recliner that also lifts me to a standing position and my mom is on standby to take care of me the first week :)

I really have questions from those that have already had breast augmentation on sizing.....I went in for my sizing appointment yesterday and decided to go with 450 cc silicone implants (placed under muscle).  I'm currently 5`6 and 170 lbs and my boobs have deflated to about an A however I still wear about a C in bra's as I have to stuff all the excess skin in.  I would like to end up at about a D cup and wondering what others have gone with for implants and what size you ended up and if you wish you would have gone bigger or smaller?   I just would hate to go thru this and in the end feel like they came out too small.

Also wondering what you would recommend for clothing after surgery.  I'm thinking I'm going to need something that buttons up the front??

Feedback and hints for things I may need and what your recovery was like and what you found most helpful is greatly appreciated!  I understand everyone's journey is different however more information the better.

Thank you

Hi, I am currently 18 months (and 1 day) post op and went in for my first consult for panni removal on Friday with my RNY doctor as part of my follow up care.  He has been performing this surgery for many years (Dr. Chua) and part of my follow up care was this consult with him.  I have lost a total of 210 lbs to date and still VERY slowly loosing a few pounds a month but I'm to the point that I need this extra skin removed asap!  Has anyone else had their Gastric Bypass surgeon perform their panni removal?

He does work with another surgeon if the case is more extensive however he said I was a great candidate and my surgery would be pretty straight forward.  He showed me pictures of other people he did that had similar amounts of excess skin to remove and I was almost in tears thinking one day I will also look that good (fingers crossed).  He does fix the position of the belly button and will remove the excess skin in my "lady part" area as well.  

Just wondering if anyone else had their surgeon perform this surgery and any thoughts or concerns?

I am planning to go in for a 2nd consult with another surgeon his team works with that specializes in plastic surgery but for now I am almost leaning towards my RNY doc.