smbergie200

I had my surgery in Miami, Florida. My surgery was done in a Hospital. It is not unheard of to be able to find prices as low as the 3,000's, but you have to be cautious. It is most likey so cheap because those doctors will do the surgery in their own "surgical center" to cut the costs of the hospital. I felt much safer being in a hospital "just in case". To save a few grand when your life is as stake didn't make sense to me. But a girl I know did have a 3,000 dollar miami tummy tuck and is happy with it. Not for me though.

No - that is an urban myth. There is also another urban myth that you can get a free tummy tuck if you "donate" your skin. Tummy tuck skin is almost always damaged and full of stretch marks anyway making it not ideal for donation even if you were allowed to donate it. I also am not positive but I think the skin from dead people actually works better - I think they strip it of the protein that causes the body to reject it. I think I remember reading that, but I could be wrong. So the answer is no - It goes in the garbage can.

I had my surgery on August 23, 2011 - about 18 months is correct. I think 2 years to wait for plastics is overkill. Closer to 1 year seems more reasonable. The most important part is to make sure you have gotten to goal and have been able to maintain for quite a while. I originally set my goal weight at 190 but my body liked 200 better so I went with that number instead - just never changed my ticker.

Cost 5800 dollars. At least 2 weeks off work - closer to 3 for me. As far as healing time I'll let you know when I am healed up. Im not in pain though so thats good. Just a little nerve pain in my legs every now and then and irritation when I lay on my drains in bed.

Doing well thanks. Unfortunately I cant have my drains taken out yet so I have to deal with them for another 2 weeks. Im going back to work on tuesday drains an all. Im off pain meds now - just tylenol before bed. Thats about it - when I get my drains taken out there will be a good photo update.

Wanting to be healthy is not selfish - dont beat yourself up. If youve tried the diet and exercise thing and cant shake the weight than there is nothing wrong with taking control of it now. You are obese at that BMI and its only going to get worse if not taken care of. Good luck with your journey.

Oh yeah - Try 5 year documentation for my insurance to approve my weight loss surgery. Pain in the butt to track down since I dont got to doctors alot. I had to get creative to fill in the gaps. Dang Insurance companies - Who cares how fat I was 5 years ago - I AM OBESE NOW! grrrr P.S. not anymore - thank you sleeve!

Nah - its worth it - trust me - I just about broke my lips from the smile I had looking at the reflection of my flat sweet flab free stomach this morning.

Well in actuality they kind of did - LOL

No its an extended tummy tuck. Panniculectomy is only removal of excess skin below belly button. I have skin removed starting above my belly button all way down to about an inch and a half above my penis and all around the back to get rid of love handles. A new hole was punched in my stomach to allow the belly button to be attached to its new home. Muscle tightening is not always necessary and the dr doesnt know untill he actually gets under there. Less pain for me - its a good thing. Think of a panni removal as the bear minimum - definately inferior to the tummy tuck, but better than nothing if that all that the budget permits.

Well - I did not have muscle tightening done because I did not need it, but I hear that is extra painful. With VSG I had much more trouble sleeping and getting up because my abs hurt so much. However I did not take any pain meds for my VSG when I got home. I didnt need it. The worst pain I had with VSG was the gas day 3 in the hospital. With the tummy tuck the incision doesnt hurt at all even though it looks the worst. I did take my pain meds for a while though because it was very uncomfortable laying down because my drains are in the back of me. Thats another thing too - drains suck and I didnt have them with my vsg when I got home. All surgery sucks but its kind of hard to compare because it is apples and oranges. I can say I have a very low pain tolerance and I would do both surgeries over again in a heartbeat. It is so awesome being able to look in front of the mirror and smile. hope this helps - Shayne

Im a realist and don't belief in telling people alot of fluff so I will give it to you straight. 1) Scared about missing food - You are what you eat - period. I will not lie to you - The sleeve gives you the tool lose the weight - but its up to you to not eat crap and gain all the weight back. On ocassion I will eat things like pizza and other junk, but its only on occasion. Its a slippery slope though, especially with the carbs. If you eat crappy quality carbs you wake up the carb cravings and can get yourself in trouble. Do I miss junk food - not as much as I thought I would - and if I absolutely HAVE to have something I eat it - just not a whole box. 2) drinking beers - Im not a drinker but I can tell you this - Beer is carbs and makes you fat. You also will get drunk quicker with less beer. If getting plastered with your friends is a must for you I do not reccomend you endulge in that behavior too often. I know alot of bariatric patients who gain LOTS back due to alcohol. Its empty useless fat promoting calories. The sleeve will not stop you from drinking 8 beers - remember liquid slides right on through. 3) Can you lose the weight on your own - I'll say this much. The odds are against you. For me it was IMPOSSIBLE. I was a quantity eater and I like to be full. Now that I have a tiny stomach I can be full with so much less food and now that my hunger hormones are reduced I get much less hungry. But if I eat crappy carbs my hunger does return with a vengence so refined carbs are the enemy. Without the surgery I would still be an obese 377 pound 36 year old with who know what kind of health issues. 4) its irreversible - so what. Do you want your big bowling ball size stomach back that takes forever to get full and releases all kinds of hunger hormones. I don't miss mine. I still have a fully functioning stomach - just smaller. Your not getting a gastric bypass. Your body will work just the way it always has worked - just better. 5)Your going to die - I can say this - If you do nothing you will die. Also death from the sleeve is really really really low. Bariatric surgery has really come a long way and is very safe now. Worry about how unhealthy you will be without taking control of your obesity. That is the real fear. Your absolutely normal to be fearful of the unknown. I can tell you that I have zero regrets! I have had no complications and have never even thrown up once. I just had a tummy tuck and feel for the first time in my life - happy in my own body. No more looking in the mirror and wanting to PUKE. ALL my health issues went away - no more cpap - no more high blood pressure - etc etc. Its a miracle surgery. Good luck with your journey - Shayne

I HATE the word hubby. Of course now that Im divorced I don't have to worry about being one anymore. Problem Solved. LOL.

Im gonna be 37 and Im a fan of OLD NAVY. Cheap - stylish - and not for fat people - YEAH!

Try Senokot S - It has stool softener and Gentle natural laxative. Also add Benefiber to your water or protein shakes. Its soluble fiber and you cant taste it at all. I just had a Tummy Tuck and prevented alot of constipation with the Senokot S since pain meds tend to constipate. Good luck!

At 377 pounds my penis was a JOKE. It looked like a stinking turtlehead. When you lose the weight you lose the fat around your penis which allows it to appear longer. Not only that blood flow down there works a heck of alot better when your healthy and thin so you gain a little there just because your a ROCK HARD stallion. Now that I got my tummy tuck and removed a large portion of my pubic mound with all the extra skin I am actually HUNG. Its AMAZING I TELL YOU. You definately gain inches. Enjoy looking forward to your bigger penis!

Yep - I can vouch for the improvement of skills in the bedroom. When I was obese I had a very low sex drive and was a minute man and had erectile disfunction issues. Wow have things changed! I feel like a stallion! And no more erectile disfunction or minute man sessions. My new motto is - I love you long time. LOL.

Hey thats me! - Im famous - lol. I definately don't eat like that everyday - in fact I don't eat Bread - Pasta - Rice - or white potatoes. Every now and then I will indulge in a sub but its far and in between. You will find with time you can easily eat around the sleeve if you want to. Of course you will get fat again and undo all hard work you have done to lose the weight. You can eat quite a bit if you space it out over an hour or so or drinking with your meal you can obviously eat more because you flush the food out of your stomach. I still make it a rule to never drink while I eat. Just be careful - remember you DO NOT want to fall into these bad habits. I weight myself a few times a week, exercise, and do not allow my weight to fluctuate more than 5 pounds. I will never allow myself to be a miserable obese man again. Having a small stomach and less hunger hormones ROCKS because I like to feel full. Don't worry about the future - just follow your plan - Protein first - keep the carbs under control and enjoy the journey. There is more to life than stuffing our face with food anyway.

It is a little uncomfortable but doesnt really hurt. I sleep with a binder on and sleep on my back - I am finally able to sleep on my side a little now too. I will have them in a total of 2 weeks and get them out next wednesday. I cant wait.

They are called drains - Fluid gets trapped under the skin from the surgery and the tubes are connected to plastic bulbs which have to be emptied a few times every day.

I lost 177 pounds. While I looked OK before with clothes on - skin got in the way and was annoying as well. I always dreamed of looking awesome at the beach and it wasnt happening with all that skin.

WARNING - SEMI NUDE - GRAPHIC - EXTENDED TUMMY TUCK PICS Well just saw the doctor today and he took my binder off and checked my surgery and everything is healing up great. I am very pleased with the results and its only 5 days post op. Its gonna look smoking hot when everything heals up. Today is the first day I got to actually see the results. Its like a Christmas present being unwrapped. Its not as common to see pics of guys having a tummy tuck so this should be good to give you obesityhelp guys an idea of what to expect in results from and extended tummy tuck. Oh - And I got to say the scars look far more painful than they actually feel. Yes Im taking my pain meds so Im sure that helps but it definitely doesn't feel as rough as the pics look. BUT FIRST THE BEFORE TUMMY TUCK PICS! My belly button was VERY sad indeed! Nice side tummy roll! LOTS OF SKIN! LOVE HANDLES GALORE! AND NOW THE MOMENT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! Here are the pics of my extended tummy tuck: Above is a closup of my new belly button. Im in love! Very Pleased with my new tummy! It is definitely an extended tummy tuck - no more love handles! Bye Bye excess Skin! Drains - a necessary evil!