ARE YOU A BARIATRIC PROFESSIONAL? LEARN MORE ABOUT OH
I had RNY on 11/12/2002 and have gone from 285 (298 at my highest) to 157. I had a tummy tuck and medial thigh lift on March 2,2004 This is my plastic surgery page. To go to my original profile page <~click
The letter I wrote to the insurance co. is at the bottom of this page.
November 21 I'm going back to Curves. I've got to get toned up and I believe the only way I will get back into shape is if I go back and work out again. Let me preface this by saying I am not that out of shape, but I sure am not the picture of health that I'd like to be. This may sound funny, but I always wanted to lose all this weight and then not ever have to worry about what I eat again. Well, I am almost there...I can make good, healthy choices and not suffer a massive weight gain. BUT, since PS, I have not worked out at the gym and that's just not right. When I first joined Curves I lost so much weight and inches while I developed muscle. Time go go back and do it again. Will it be tough, yeah, at first it will. But I remember how much I loved my arms and legs and the beautiful muscles I had.
Nov. 12 Yep, today's my second 'birthday!' I cannot believe how much my life has changed in two years. I've lost 140 pounds, gone from a size 28/30 to a solid 10 with a few 8s thrown, found the love of my life, traded a bad job in for a good one -- one that I never would have applied for at 298 pounds -- and moved into a house! I cannot believe what a difference two years makes! I cannot say this journey has been easy, nor can I say that today, at two years out, I have conqured all my food deamons...nope, those will take a lifetime to work out. But today, my relationship with food is healthy and I try to make good choices when possible. I have served as an unofficial mentor to many people, both posties and normals. I taught nutrition at Curves and now have become a life coach for a few people at my new job. I'm healthy, happy and so grateful that two years ago, I accepted my fears and climbed onto that operating table. I'll tell ya what, though. This has been one rough journey and I still wake up confused about my relationship with food, I still have trouble accepting my new body and I still find it funny that I am who I am today. That probably makes no sense.... I think it was said best last night on Joey (Believe it or not) when he said there are four types of hot girls. One of those he mentioned were girls that used to be fat. I sort of laughed but then thought for a moment, because I sometimes see myself as pretty, sometimes as cute and sometimes as a big fat pig. I have no idea how to get past this, if I will ever get past it. Anyway, here I am at two years out trying my best to make it day to day. Most days I do very well and I'm proud of the choices I make. The other days, the days I goof up, I let go of and move on from. Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!!!!!!
November 3 Argh, after being so good on Monday, on Tuesday I was bad, but only in the afternoon and believe it or not, it was a conscious decision. I knew I was going to eat unhealty and I allowed myself to do it...why? I don't know. But today I'm back on track and I plan to stick it out all day today! Here's my accountablity: Breakfast: Protein shake, vitamins/calcium Snack: Protein bar and three oz. of provelone Lunch: I had a small salad, two slices of ham, three slices of cheese and diet Coke. Snack: Bean burrito from Taco Bell Dinner: Two slices of pizza Snack: Vitamins/calcium Dove ice-cream bar (yes, an ice cream bar with all it's choclaty goodness and no, I didn't dump, darn it.) BAD BAD BAD right? Argh, I blame George W., John Kerry and the State of Florida and their election problems. Nah, lets be real here: I blame it on my food addiction! But, I'm back on track this AM...headache and all. What can I say, I'm a food addict and I always will be. It's going to be a constant battle for the rest of my life, isn't it?
Nov. 2 Well, I did great on my protein plan yesterday, well, until I had some cereal because I had a major carb craving... Breakfast: Fuzzy Navel Nectar protein shake 32g protein! 0 carbs Coffee with Splenda and Coffeemate (8oz) 0 g protein, 8 carbs? Snack: 3 oz Havarti cheese 12g protein 0 carbs Lunch: 1/2 c salad with Italian dressing (salad: 1.3 g fiber carbs so Net-Zero! dressing: 3 carbs but heart-healthy olive oil) 1/2 c cottage cheese 13.5 g protein, 2.8 g carbs 2 slices American cheese 9 g protein 1 carb 2 slices ham 27 g protein; 3 g carbs Snack: Think Thin protein bar, 20 g protein, 2 carbs Dinner: 1 c Ceasar salad 1.3 g fiber carbs (.9 g protein) with five croutons (I'm guessing about 2 g carbs?) 5 oz top loin steak: 50 g protein 0 carbs Snack: Carb smart yogurt 16 g protein 5 g carbs 1/2 c Raisin Bran Crunch cereal 1 g protein 18.5 g carbs Total: 180 g protein 38.4 carbs. Yeah, I feel pretty good about myself! I lost two pounds...probably water weight, but hey, I'll take it. Today, I got up early to go vote so I missed my AM Nectar. But, I did have so far: Breakfast: Instant protein shake: 15 g protein, 6 carbs Think Thin protein bar: 20 g protein 0 carbs SF Red Bull (0 protein, 3 carbs) Snack: 3 oz Provelone cheese 21 g protein, 0 carbs) Like I said, I'm not really dieting, more like I'm trying to get back to making protein-rich choices and less carbs. Would I liked to have had that baked sweet potato with my steak last night, yeah, was the meal ruined because I didn't? Nah, although I think if I'd had that sweet potato, I probably wouldn't have eaten the cereal which would have equaled out in the number of carbs...besides, both cereal and the potato are slow-burning carbs! So, I feel good! GET OUT AND VOTE TODAY!!! As one who lives in Florida, believe me, I know every vote counts. Gotta go, students coming in to my classroom and I have one slice of cheese left!
Nov. 1 I want to lose a few pounds before Thanksgiving. I'm not unhappy with the way I look, but I am a little heavier than I'd like to be before going into a season filled with yummy sweets, treats and lots of alcohol. This year I plan to eat sweets and anything I want, since I'm two years out and not 'dieting' anymore. And, yes, I have been known to drink from time to time. I'm very good about not getting drunk though. I learned my lesson early on. I got drunk too fast and woah, was it a wakeup call! Still, a drink from time to time is OK, I prefer something like Bacardi and diet coke. Bacardi has no carbs, nor does the diet Coke. Still, alcohol is empty calories(60 in an ounce of Rum) and I'd like to limit myself as much as possible. I'm hosting my first Thanksgiving dinner at my house!!! I'm very excited and plan on mixing low-carb stuff with regular stuff. I've already ordered a sugar free pumpkin pie! I cannot do much turkey, I find that pouchie doesn't like the stringyness of the meat. We are also having the faked potato caserole, which my family absolutely loves. Of course, my boyfriend won't touch the veggies, so I'll bake him a potato. We're also having matzo ball soup, green bean caserole, SF sweet potato caserole and probably a lemon-cheesecake pie for my boyfriend. For munchies, we'll do chips and salsa as well as a crudite plate. All-in-all, it shouldn't be a big ol calorie fest! My goal this year is to maintain my weight, not gain, not lose...which is why I'm trying to drop 10-15 pounds now!!! So far, so good. Protein shake for breakfast, then coffee, now cheese and a diet Coke (I teach, so I need the caffene at school...I do no caffene at home and I make up ounce for ounce later in the day!) We survived Halloween and today my boyfriend was to take ALL CANDY to work today so I didn't see it anymore. I went a little nuts on the mini Twix. I think I ate a total of five this week. Granted, it's that time of the month so chocolate was a welcome treat, but it's post-Halloween and I do not need the goodies in plain view. They are way too tempting to a food-addict like me!
March 28 Had a minor breakdown this afternoon after taking a shower and realizing how scarred and gross my body looks right now. I cried for about 20 minutes to my mom via cell phone and then calmed down. After a while, my boyfriend came over and we went to an arena football game...I was wearing my size 10 jeans and a tiny T that could really have been a belly shirt but because of the girdle/garment, I tucket it in. It was nice being around people who didn't know me as the fat Jen, or the Jen before plastic surgery. Anyway, on the way home Mike and I had a long talk about the cheerleader calenders they were selling at the game. I told him how I felt like why would he want to come home to me at the end of the night as scarred and Frankenstein looking as I am? I look great with my clothes on, and in fact I'm much prettier than many of those cheerleaders are. I don't mean to be vein, but I am, OK. Well, I won't go into the whole conversation, but Mike said all the right things and understands that I'm going through a strange portion of my life right now that no one or nothing could prepare me for. But he's in it with me, that's the bottom line. God, I love this man.
March 27 I'd asked Dr. Weiss's office for a refill on my pain meds. I'd even told them they can start stepping me down to something weaker...did they call in anything? NO. Ugh...Advil won't cut the burning in my abdomen, neither will ice...I need drugs. I don't mean that like an addict or something, but I can't go cold-turkey...no way, no how... UGH On the plus side, my friend Judy (who passed her GRE and is now an official grad student at the age of 60) is going with me Tuesday to my Dr. appointment and then we're hitting the outlet mall at St. Augustine. I can't wait. I love shopping with Judy! She tells the truth and won't let me buy too much boring stuff even though it looks good on TV, which is how I judge my purchases nowadays--except for my casual clothes, which I buy based on how they will make my tummy and ass look. Is that wrong???
March 26 Remember how happy I was that I was 'preapproved' by BCBS? Remember how it took me four months, many phone calls and letters? And remember how I got great prices from the doc in Jacksonville, FLA for my surgery. He quoted me $3500 for the TT. He also quoted, $3250 for the thighs...which I paid out of pocket... plus $600 for anasthesia (out of pocket)( and $561 for the hospital (yep, also out of pocket. ) No problem, I love what the thighs look like. Well, yesterday, BCBS sent me a letter for the hospital charges which they claim weren't covered: the charge for my 11 hour hospital stay and surgery $54,110 I almost had a heart attack until I remembered the letter I had and how that was GOLDEN. So, I called them first thing this morning and yelled and screamed and complained and read them their pre-approval letter back to them. I then called my doctor;s office, said you handle this and then asked for a prescription refill for pain meds! I go see him Tuesday, so I'll bring the letter, the bill and see what Dr. cutie has to say! I'll tell ya this, they aren't getting $54 dollars, let alone $54,1100 out of me. No Sir. Ugh, insurance companies SUCK. On the plus side....LOVE MY BODY!!! I'm the million dollar woman!
March 22 My stuff from Victoria's Secret came today. I ordered a red dress, a red crochet bikini, a tie die T-shirt and a sexy black and white top with the bra built in. I cannot wait to wear them all out in public. I cannot buy pants yet cause I'm still swolen, plus I want to wait until I do the protein feast during Passover!
March 21 Doing OK, I guess. I had to up my pain meds cause I am still hurting. I thought I'd be over it by now. I've spent most of today in bed or on the couch..it's been nice. I got a couple of T shirts that I'd ordered online and both fit and look so cute. Can't wait until I can wear them out...not that Jammies are not great, but I'm getting tired of them.
March 20 turns out the swelling was completely normal, the fact is I'm no longer draining and so the fluid has to go somewhere. Why it chose my legs is anyone's guess, but I guess I'm OK. I've spent tbe better part of today lying in bed with my legs elevated anyway. I'm still treating that thing in my groin with neosporin, it seens to have stopped draining, which I guess is good. Dr. Weiss could always lop it off if it is a problem. We'll see. That's it for the latest update.
March 19 I'm having yet another (minor) complication: My legs have swollen two twice their normal size. I've slept with them elevated above my heart, but nothing seems to be helping. I'm calling the Dr. today. I guess he'll call in a diuretic or something. It's probably nothing serious. I hope it's nothing serious. Oh, I posted my pre-TT pic at the end of the journal. This is the pic I sent to the insurance company along with the letter. I hope this helps some of my fellow WLSers! 9 a.m. update: called the nurse and she said take off the garment, keep the legs elevated and then call in a few hours if swelling hasn't gone down. We'll see if that works. On the plus side, it's nice to wear panties (bikini briefs, I might add!) Oh, got inspired for the lede to my new health story on my plastic surgery journey: "In the wonderful world of TV, patients seem to wake up from their extreme makeovers groggy, and then a few minutes later they look fantastic. With newfound energy they bound down the stairs in fabulous clothes with perfect hair and sometimes a new smile to boot. In the real world, it's a long and arduous process to get to the end results that really don't happen as quickly as we the microwave generaton would like to believe. That's what's happening to me. I'm still waiting for that TV moment and getting frustrated by all the twists and turns along the way. On March 2, at 9:45 a.m. I had my own extreme makeover when a highly qualified, board certified plastic surgeon removed 10 pounds of redundant skin from my abdomen. I woke up three hours later vomiting. Four hours later, I was bleeding so badly from every incision site, my poor mom almost passed out. Five hours later, I went for my first walk. It was 20 feet, but it seemed like the NYC marathon. There I was, dripping all the way, headed off to the bathroom. After a fun hour of sitting on the toilet, I couldn't pee and had to have a catheter inserted. So when do I get to make the grand appearance in the fashionable clothes and all my friends applauding me? My doc says in anywhere from six months to two years."
March 18 I took a shower and washed the incisions and hole (then covered with neosporin) and while I was putting on the surgical garment I just found a giant lump on on of the scars in my crotch which seems to be weeping. I covered it with Neosporin and a bandage, but I'm a little nervous now. I'll of course call in the AM> why isn't I don't find these things during the day, when he's actually in the office.
March 17 Happy St. Patrick's day...this should be national holiday in my opinion. I went to see Dr. Weiss yesterday and all seems to be OK, not great, after all there is a giant opening where there should be a nice closed incision. But, as long as I take it easy and keep using the anti-bacterial soap and Neosporin, he thinks I should be OK. If it opens any further, leaks any worse or the bleeding doesn't stop on it's own, then I'm in for another 'mini-surgery.' Mike was great durng the whole ordeal and held my hand and didn't lecture me about doing too much and causing this in the first place. What a sweetie. Pain is under control thanks to Lortab...muscle spasms are under control thanks to Valium. If i get behind on the Lortab, I'm dying...but only briefly. Because I had a lap RNY, this surgery was much, much worse than the first one. I didn't have the muscle aches and pains before. Plus, I'm not allowed to get out and walk much, just enough to make sure I don't get a DVT. As long as I'm open and draining, he wants me vegging out as much as possible, which is driving me insane. Worst thing that happened yesterday was on my way home from Jax I got a call from a friend in the newsroom who said my apartment complex was on fire. Sure enough, it was. I immediately got on the phone and called my cop/fire buddies (I'm so happy I'm a reporter!) and got some details, but I made Mike drive me here ASAP. We couldn;t get in to the complex via car, so we parked a long way away and I practically ran intot he complex. Mike said he wanted to tackle me to stop me, but he's too polite to do that. Luckily the fire was no where near my building, but two apartments were completely destroyed. Very sad.
March 15 I called Dr. Weiss regarding the hole...the drainage has slowed down so maybe that's a good thing. Anyway, he was in surgery all day so I didnt' hear from him yet. Tomorrow I guess. So, I've spent the entire day in bed,...sadly though, I've been eating junk food for comfort and now not only am I afraid but I feel fat and bloated. Tomorrow's another day, right? I called Mike last night after posting here and cried that I was scared, alone and in pain and asked again, why the hell did I do this to myself. He reminded me that this is such a short period of pain for a lifetime of feeling and looking good. God, I love him. We're gonna get formal portraits taken when my swelling is gone. When we do, I'll post. He's such a cutie and although he might have found me attracttive while I was in active weight loss, I would never have dated him when I was 298 chiefly because I really, really, really hated myself. I think I'm only now finally coming to terms with how much I hated myself.
March 14 This hurts, this hurts, this hurts, this hurts. I hate it...what did I do to myself? Oh yeah, size 8/10 is great! I'm a shopping fiend. I've bought so many mini-skirts and tiny T-shirts...next stop, undies and a bikini. I've split a hole in the incision near the mons pubis and right hip. I'm scared it's gonna get infected. It's already leaking fluid. I called dr. weiss and he said it was ok...nothing to worry about but still, a hole isn't good is it? I'm treating with neosporin and anti=bacterial soap and I'm working to get the fluid out. I don't want a seroma or worse, necrosis of the skin. Ugh.
March 13 10 days post op and I'm feeling pretty good. I had the drains removed on Tuesday and the two stitches and gauze removed from my belly button. I love my tiny belly button. Here's pics. The skin from my abdomen weighed 10 pounds...yech. No word on how much my thigh skin weighed. I'll post scar pics soon.
I tried on my first bikini today over the girdle...size Medium! I looked so cute! I also tried on some pants and shorts and although the 10 Dockers fit, the 10 Levis 505 didn't. I was mad. But I'm not buying clothes now anyway, I want to wait until more swelling goes down. I actually felt better today, a little more normal. The left butt cheek doesn't hurt as much as it did, so that's a good sign.
March 12 I had a scare tonight. I woke up when Mike called me and after we finished speaking, I got up to go to the bathroom-- which is still an ordeal, I might add. Anyway, when I got up, I felt this liquid run down my leg. I turned on the light, grabbed my glasses and the front of my binder was covered in orange/red liquid. I screamed for my mom and we looked at me closely. Her first question was had I peed on myself. I didnt; think I had, so we took off the binder and low and behold the scar between my mons pubis and right hip was leaking. I FREAKED! I lay down with a maxi pad on the scar and started absorbing the liquid. My mom grabbed my doctor's 'bible' of instructions and it said in cases like this, apply pressure for 20 mins and then if it doesn't stop, call the office. I held pressure, cried and waited. Nothing stopped, so I called. He called me back right away and said it was fluid that would have been sucked out by the drains that we removed that day. He said it was normal and as long as it was leaking, it was a good thing. He said cover it with a maxi pad and change the pad throughout the day. If the fluid becomes red (bloody) call. It's still leaking, but it's that orangey stuff, which is good. There's no sign of infection, which is what I was the most terrified of. Needless to say, I had a lousy night's sleep. Thank God Mike called when he did. I would have rushed to the ER if I'd been awakened int he AM soaked with bloody liquid. Yech Well, had my first post-op appt...Dr. Weiss removed ten pounds of abdomoninal skin in two huge chunks. I'll scan in the photos later (when I am not so sore) and put them up on the site. He also removed two pounds of skin from my thighs. I didn't realize it at the time, but I also got a fanny lift so I now have large incisions under each cheek. these really hurt. The stomach incision doesn't hurt as much although now the muscles underneath are starting to regrow so there's some burning involved. I've made it through the 'oh my God what the hell did I do to myself' phase...that was fun. I actually spent a few hours one night crying. I had a dream I was run over by a train and when I woke up, I realized that the pain from the dream was real and it hadn't stopped when I woke up. That's when it hit me that I spent a lot of money to be in such pain.
March 3 I'm home, I'm sore, miserable and I cannot pee. They put me on a catheter. I'm so unhappy but the Demerol is making me whoozy and I'm sleeping a lot. This hurts like hell. I've got drains on each hip, and I was bleeding a lot in the hospital, but the nurses said it was quite normal. I'm skinny, though.
Feb. 25 Less than a week to go and I'm petrified, not of the outcome, but of the pain and helplessness I am going to feel. I hate being a patient, I hate not being able to take care of myself. I've totally reverted to unhealthy eating habits out of stress and I worry that I'm going to gain weight. I'm eating what I want, as I have been for the past few months. I'm not trying ot lose weight any more-- a weird feeling, I might add-- and I'm eating small amounts, but I need to resolve to be better...perhaps go on a protein fast for three days? OK, I'm gonna go have a shake right now.
Feb. 10 Anxeity is starting to kick in over the plastic surgery. I'm nervous mostly about the pain involved. I hate to hurt. I know the end results will be worth it, but I kind of wish it were over. Waiting stinks. I'm now teaching three nutrition classes at Curves and they want to hire me as a fitness tech. I am actually considering making fitness and nutrition a full-time career one day. I'd like to have other options, not that I don't love what I do now, but perhaps when I'm a parent I could work part-time in fitness? NO, I'm not pregnant, nor am I considering children any time soon...Mike and I have only dated four months which is WAY TOO SOON to be thinking about kids. Still, I'm not getting any younger, only thinner :)
Jan. 24 Do you ever stare at the mirror and not recognize yourself? I went through this a lot with the RNY. I changed so much so quickly that I sometimes find myself staring at the mirror and wondering who that person is staring back at me. Consciously, I know that the person is me, but it's such a different reflection. I've grown used to seeing the wrinkly sharpei creature that I've become from the waist down. But in a few weeks that creature is going to be gone. This morning I found myself staring at the mirror and wondering what will be left behind when Dr. Weiss is done? I'm not worried about looking good, I'm more worried about looking normal (whatever normal is.) I find myself looking at skinny people differently now, heck, I find myself looking at MO people differently now too. I will forever hold a secret bond with MO people, one that unless I open my mouth and tell my story, few people will ever know. But I cannot yet relate to skinny people partly because I don't feel skinny. I know the size on my clothing and the weight on the scale say differently, but I see all this loose skin and I feel fat. So now I wonder, will that fat feeling go away when the skin does?
Jan. 22 OK, here's the details on my tummy tuck. I have a preop appointment for blood work and all the routine testing on Feb. 27 in Jacksonville. I then go in at 8:30 a.m. that following Tuesday for the 4.5 hour TT and medial thigh lift. My incisions will be a hip-to-hip for the TT and two horizonatal incisions in the groin for the thigh lift. I will only be at the hospital for outpatient surgery so I won't have to stay overnight unless there's a problem-- which I don't expect there to be. I'll leave with two JP drains, one on each hip, and come back in a week for a followup. I'm going to request the dermabond glue instead of stitches since i had problems with the stitches for my RNY. I do not want staples. I'm excited, but nervous at the same time. I'm also thinking of having the paper follow me and do a story on my plastic surgery. I figure, I helped so many people the first time when my story ran on my RNY, that this would probably help folks too. We'll see. In the meantime, my goals are to protein load, get all my vitamins in and recover from this stupid sinus infection that I got the day after I receieved approval. The sinus infection knocked me for a loop. I was out of work for two days and pouchie was nauseated all the time because of all the drainage. Yech. I found out that I can take Nyquil, but it makes me dizzy -- not dumping dizzy, but enought that I could actually sleep for a few hours. I'll save this for when I'm really sick... I went bowling with Mike last night, it was the first time I'd bowled since losing all my weight. The first few games I really sucked. I had to learn how to do everything again. I even had to learn to throw the ball again because, and I'm having a hard time explaining this, but my arms used to have to reach around my fat belly and now they don't, meaning the way I throw the ball is now different. That probably makes no sense, but think about it, when we're MO, our arms hang farther out from our bodies because they have to go over our tummies. Anyway, once I'd gotten a few games under my belt, I was OK, I even managed to beat Mike once. Granted, I still was not as good as I used to be when I played a few years ago, but it was still really fun!
Jan. 19 My tummy tuck got approved!!! It's scheduled for March 2 at 10:30 a.m. with Dr. Eric Weiss in Jacksonville, FL. I'm shaking with excitement. More later, when I can actually think and type at the same time.
To whom it may concern, I am writing this letter to request expedited approval for medically necessary surgical procedures listed below: Abdominoplasty Cpt Code: 15831 Thighplasty Cpt Code: 15832 I am not requesting these surgeries for cosmetic reasons. These surgeries are reconstructive following massive weight loss per the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and The American Medical Association. According ot the ASPS: loss of excessive weight may lead to redundant skin. Excision of redundant skin after weight loss in areas such as, but not limited to, the abdomen, lumbar region, arms, and/or thighs is medically necessary for intertrigo, monilial infestations, and/or panniculitis that have failed to resolve with conservative measures. Abdominoplasty is a surgical procedure used to alter the abdomen by removing excess skin and/or fatty tissue and tightening a lax anterior abdominal wall. Potential complications from abdominoplasty include blood or serum collections beneath the flap, infection, tissue loss, and protrusion of the abdominal wall between the left and right rectus abdominis muscles. Abdominoplasty and excision of redundant skin after weight loss is medically necessary and is performed for the treatment of the following conditions: suprapubic intertrigo, monilial infestations, and/or panniculitis when conservative treatment measures have failed. Excision of redundant skin after weight loss performed for all other indications is considered cosmetic. If cosmetic surgery is included in a group benefit contract as a covered service, the service is provided to members in such groups in accordance with the terms of the contract. Please note, even the human resource director at Florida Today, Julie Lusk, supports my surgery and is prepared to make any statements to assist in your decision. To give you a little background, Empire approved and paid for my gastric bypass surgery which was performed on 11/12/2002. Since that surgery date, I have lost 127 pounds. Because I carried the majority of my weight around my abdomen, I now have an excessive amount of skin hanging over my abdomen and mons pubis area. This skin causes rashes requiring medical intervention and daily cleansing with antibacterial gel and shampoo. The skin causes me back aches and has gotten caught in several zippers - a quite painful experience, I might add. I have problems with hygiene as it is very difficult to keep clean between the skin folds and I often take three to four showers a day and still never really feel clean nor am I odor free. A requirement of the gastric bypass surgery is that I must keep up my exercise to be successful. Exercise causes me great pain because of the excess skin constantly rubbing together. Rashes can lead to ulcers, so when a rash flares up, I must discontunue exercise. In addition, sweating can cause rashes/ulcers and I live in Florida...it's kind of hard not to sweat some times. The more I exercise the more I sweat and as a result of the sweat (trapped moisture) the rashes and infections are increasing and becoming worse. This has resulted in me becoming less active both at work as a reporter and in my personal life. In addition, please note that these functional impairments of the skin cannot be managed with non-surgical methods. First, you cannot do anything about the excessive skin without surgery. Skin that is as stretched out as mine cannot shrink to a 'normal' size. Second, the rashes and infections caused by the skin rubbing together between my abdomen and pubic area, thighs, breast, and arms cannot be cured without taking what is causing the rubbing away (the skin). The creams and lotions have done nothing the last seven or eight months to treat my condition. Additionally, without removing the skin, we cannot correct the abnormalities/deformities that have been created as a result of the treatment of the morbid obesity. All of my doctors treating me - general practitioner, bariatric surgeon, chiropractor - have stated and documented the medical necessity for me to have these procedures performed. The following are functional impairments as a result of the excess skin: intertrigo, suprapubic intertrigo, fungal dermatitis, folliculitis, rashes, yeast and bacterial, infections, hygiene issues, back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, problems lifting things over 10 pounds, problems sitting for long periods of time, problems standing for long periods of time. The covered disease for my intial surgery was Morbid Obesity. The treatment for Morbid Obesity was gastric bypass. The excess skin is a result of treatment (gastric bypass) of a covered disease (Morbid Obesity) – which qualifies me for reconstructive surgery. In addition, as stated below, reconstructive surgery is done to improve function, as well as approximate a normal appearance. The pain is becoming stronger with each day in regards my abdomen, lumbar, buttocks, arms, thighs, and breasts. The excessive skin is so great that I am experiencing degenerative disease in my lower back and neck. I can provide documentation to this affect, should Empire need it. Time is ticking away for me. The newspaper is going through major changes in the new year and unless I have this surgery before Dec. 31, I cannot secure the time neccesary until at least this summer. I cannot bear the thought of six more months of these horrible rashes, this awful pain and the embarrasment of the odor. Please, can you help me? Thank you for reading this lengthy letter. I really do appreciate your time. Sincerely, Jennifer Ellis
Photos 285Three weeks before surgery and miserable! 1551 year post-op along with my very supportive and loving boyfriend, Mike Surgeon Info: Surgeon: Eric Weiss, M.D. Dr. Weiss didn't pretend that I'll have a Britney tummy, but he did tell me to bring in the type of bikini bottoms I'd like to wear so he could build my scar appropriately. He's done RNY's before during his medical residency, so he knows our special needs as far as protein and malabsorbtion of pain meds. He spent about 20 minutes with me discussing fear and anxiety over the upcoming surgery -- I don't think a lot of busy doctors would have done that.
