I would recommend avoiding any surgeon who doesn't have extensive experience with people who have lost large amounts of weight.

I don't know what you're asking about wearing the compression garments - are you asking if I wear them under clothing? Yes. In my case I wore a lot of sleeveless dresses while recovering, so I'd wear them under my dress, but they were still visible, since I was wearing sleeveless things.

I've read a little about the pannulectomy and from what I can gather, it's more about just getting rid of the hanging part and less about aesthetics. Often your belly button is removed and not put back. The abdominal muscles aren't tightened, so not only do you have a muffin top, but your stomach still protrudes instead of being made flat.

When you said you were approved, do you mean approved by your insurance to have it covered? If so, some plastic surgeons will apply that toward a tummy tuck or body lift so the part you pay for is the work over and above what is covered by insurance. Many plastic surgeons do a free consultation. It may be worth it just to explore what your options are. Good luck!

Thanks for the clarification...I think we have the same surgeon and compression sleeves and as I was walking through mentally how I could pre-hook them in order to slip them on like a t-shirt or jacket I just wasn't seeing how it could work with my (current) limited range of motion. Really appreciate your perspective and willingness to help others!

Well, it worked once I had full range of motion :)

Hi Gwen,

Thanks so much for your reply, totally aligned with my thinking. I do have quite a bit of travel coming up and was planning on wearing compression for the flights as I anticipate swelling.

Any chance you could share a link to your OTC compression sleeves, I had started the same search myself but there were so many choices. It would be nice to get my independence back from having to ask for help to hook/unhook my sleeves!

Thanks again,

K