Plastic Approval...

This past Monday I received the Approval Letter from my insurance for the Panniculectomy and Abdominoplasty. The doctors office and I have been working on this for months and now that it I have what I have been waiting for, I am kind of on the fence about it.

It is not from lack of confidence in my surgeon, more so a mental road block. I have come so far in my diet and workouts, which have changed my life so much. I wonder what effects this procedure might have on me mentally.

Is there anyone on here who has had the "tummy tuck" that can speak on this situation? It would be much appreciated.

Thanks for your time,
Jose

 Hi Jose,

I had a LBL ( lower body lift ) a little over 3 yrs ago.   I can tell you that be sure you chose a PS ( Plastic surgeon ) who specializes in WLS and make sure that he has been doing them for a while.   I had almost 15 lbs. of skin removed and he still left probably at least 10 lbs. more.    That being said.....it will boost your self esteem so much to get rid of all that skin that you are carting around.   You will walk better....if you have any shoulder or back pains it could be due to excess skin pulling down on your body.   I had constant back pain till the skin was gone....after that none.   It truely helps complete your journey having the excess skin removed...not to mention that your clothes fit better and you will probably be in a smaller size.   Good luck to you in this part of  your journey.   Congrats also on getting approval.....I was self pay for mine.


Hugs and blessings ~~~ Vivian

I can't speak to it from a male perspective - maybe Dan will pop in as he's about a week and a half out from his plastics now - but my tummy tuck made me feel amazing! It was a very tough recovery (especially compared to my RNY), but it was the best money I ever spent (I paid 100% out of pocket for my tummy tuck and breast lift).

I'm nearly 5 years out from my RNY and 3 from my PS and being freed from the skin is the best feeling ever. For me, it made my journey complete and gave me a massive boost in confidence that has pretty positively affected all other areas of my life.

Also, on a work out note, I was able to run .4mph faster immediately upon being released to go back to working out because I didn't have to deal with my belly skin flapping around. So, it even positively influenced that aspect of my life, too.

Not to mention that she looks amazing =)

Go for it...especially if it's free.  Most of the rest of us had to pay our entire plastics bill.  I had a lbl, breast lift and arms done.  It was all well worth it.  Do it!

Karla

Congrats Jose!  This is the next exciting step in your journey.  I had a panniculectomy in 12/08 (no muscle work, skin removal only) and I will admit that I slipped into some not great habits after wards.  For the first couple of months after the surgery I let myself get away with not exercising "because I was healing".  That quickly turned into a motivation problem for me.  By Aug 09 I decided I was ready to get back into getting healthy again.  Yes, you read that right, I took an 8 month "break" on continuing the habits I had picked up prior to my plastics.  I did not gain anything, in fact I lost about 14 lbs during that time, but mentally it was really tough to get back into the right mind set.  I let myself enjoy coasting, though to be honest I wasn't enjoying it that much because I was very critical about myself and my lack of continued weight loss after.

It's good that you are thinking of how this will effect you mentally because it is another big step.  I truly enjoyed having the skin gone (19lbs of it, btw), and the change in my appearance was dramatic.  Set achievable goals for yourself post-op, small steps for when you can build back in your exercise.  Also, set rewards for yourself (if that is something that motivates you).

Again, congrats!

Debbi

I too paid out of pocket for my TT.. and it was worth every penny! I've got that hourglass figure going on now! Although I still hover around the 200 lb mark, I've had women I work with comment on how they wish they had my curves! The boost to your self-esteem alone is well worth the effort, money and time it takes!

Thanks for the replies everyone. I would hope my motivation would still be there. I can not afford to lose that. I think I will be okay though. I was back on an Eliptical one week after having my Gaul Bladder removed. I have to be in that gym as much as possible, I always feel like I have so much to go.

i am currently 1 year and 9 months out of RNY. I am down 260+ lbs and have cut my body fat drasticlly from 51% to 30% at last check. i could use this tuck for sure to get rid of that extra skin in the front. I would like to get a guys perspective if there are any out there. This seems to be the norm in most Bariatric Forums, the women dominate as far as sharing their expierences and advice.

I am going to see the PS on Thursday and just make sure my expectations are real or if I think it might cause any issues with the way I see myself. After that I am going for a Psych visit for sure! I'm always causious of the things I do since surgery, but I feel this is a much deserved reward for all the 2 a days for the past 14 months!

I will keep checking back and keep updating.

Thanks again,
Jose

The main thing to remember is not to do anything without asking your PS...and that includes exercising.  Most PS generally want you to wait at least 6 weeks before you start back exercising.  Even though you might feel like you are through healing at 3-4 weeks, you need to wait the 6 weeks.

Another thing, is that lots of patients tend to compare PS to their WLS...trust me there is no comparison.  Please remember your WLS might have lasted 1-2 hours, but your plastic surgery may last 4-5 hours if not more...and just based on these time frames there is no comparison.  It is a much more difficult surgery to recover from, so again there might be some buyer's remorse after the PS...but it is well worth it in the end.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/men/



http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/plasticsurgery/




poke your head in one of these forums and see if they can be of help.....Good Luck ......im jealous...