question about tummy tuck

I am about 10 months out and am almost to my gw.  I know you have to wait awhile to have the tt, but just have a few questions.  Does it really help with how your clothes fit?  How long is the recovery time?  How long in the hospital?  Will ins. cover it if not how much does it cost??

WOuld love any other helpful info.  Thanks for the help!!

 Does it really help with how your clothes fit?    Even when I was in my early 20's and about 120 pounds I had a tummy and people would ask when my baby was due.  Now I can wear tight knits with no tummy bulge.  I went from size 8 to size 4 pants.  I had no appetite for a while after the tummy tuck and lost about 10 pounds.  My surgeon advises being at your goal weight for six months and never going more than 10 pounds above or below your weight at the time of the tummy tuck.

How long is the recovery time?     Much longer than for gastric bypass.  I was pretty much out of commission for about three weeks.  If your job involves lifting, figure on six weeks off.   How long in the hospital?   I stayed overnight, but could have come home the same day.   Will ins. cover it if not how much does it cost??   Mine was $5000. and I was total self pay.  The biggest factor is where you live.  Insurance does not usually cover. They normally cover panni if there were rashes or other issues.  Panni removal does not include tightening muscles and many are not happy with it.  It does remove the apron of loose skin.  Most doctors will accept the insurance amount for panni and then charge extra for the full tummy tuck.

An excellent place to start research is www.makemeheal.com

There is a good video of Full Tummy Tuck at this site:  www.drsterry.com/patient-information/3d-procedure-animations
 

You're very early out to be considering any reconstructive procedures.

Absolutely it changes the fit of your clothes. How much depends upon how much the procedure changes your shape. My hanging skin was about the width of both forearms and hung about to my pubis--not a very big pannus as these things go. However, my abdominal wall was very stretched out, not to mention the gigantic hernia I had. So the abdominoplasty part of the procedure took about seven inches off my waist and hips measured while I was still on the table. By the time everything healed, the total change was nine inches.

I was in the hospital overnight for the initial procedure, then had a revision done four weeks later (due to tissue necrosis) as a same day procedure.

Most insurance policies will not cover it. How much it costs varies greatly from place to place and from one surgeon to another.