sharowna

woo who!!!

Wow, that's harsh! I am two years out--been at goal for over a year. Had my sagging skin removed by plastics. Lost a ton of hair and had it grow back in. I think what he has to say is great! I can take away some lessons from it as well as any newbie. That's what I like about these boards, we can all learn from each other.
Now if he'd been one of those people less than six months out spouting one "truth" and slamming those who disagree I would feel differently, but he merely posted a "this is something that works for me, your mileage may vary" and even said "I'm no doctor.."
Thank you for the post! Please don't stop!

Thanks again and yes I did read again. Worth trying!!

You are so welcome. Too bad you are in NH. Iam a very good listener and a great believer in everyday accomplishments whether mental or physical ( the latter not so much...........lol) I had GBS in 2006. Higher weight 311 lowest 187. In stating so, current weight bounces from 230 - 235 I seem to be stuck, but just can't be at peace with this weight gain. However my scale says "just live with this and move on" ! So hard headed! (and italian to boot!) Such is life. Love this site and just so happy for some that have made their goal above and beyond. Encouragement abounds!! Keep the posts coming! Thanks, Sharowna

Kudos to you Winklie! Iam sure you would make a great mentor for those of us that are struggling to hit our WL goals. Thanks for all the information!

I haven't started the study as of yet. I plan on posting here to recruit members who would like to be part of the study once we're ready.

I have been told that it is fairly easy to get the pannus removed because it is a health issue, but the upper abdomen is considered cosmetic and they won't cover it. In addition, many surgeons won't do one without the other.

I'm noticing no one actually tells you what will qualify you to get cosmetic with medicare. I'm also a medicare recipient, I actually have HIP for my primary right now. Pending divorce I will be strictly medicare. So hoping for lots of rashes and enuf extra skin where I already see problem's (arms, thighs, stomache, butt...my breast are small but I already get the occasional fungus underneath from sagging, so hopeful) I know they require a lot of problems before they will pay. I have no funds, sooo. Now we gotta hope for bad stuff to happen.

I had a Tummy Tuck w Lipo and a breast lift w implant. My insurance only gave me 1400. But he does take insurance The office is amazing!!! He worked with me as far as price. I paid 18,000. He had care credit and his own personal financing. I have actually sent 4 other people there bc my results are soooo amazing and everyone was extremely happy.

I had Gastric Bypass surgery over 10 years ago. I lost 225Lbs and have kept the weight off over the years. I've had 4 pregnancies and my DH and I are done having kids. As you can imagine I have hanging skin and major stretch marks from my weight loss and having kids. I'd like to undergo plastic surgery and make myself look sexy again. There are soooo many plastic surgeons in and around NYC. Can anyone recommend one that specializes in plastics after weight loss surgery please ?

My girlfriend is getting her arms done and stomach done for free bc she is donating her excess skin to burn victims We live in NY, not sure the exact criteria though. She said just google it. Hope that helps

In New York, you'd have to make a very strong case on why it was medically necessary (document rashes and infections)

I stayed in hospital for 3 days then came home (I live less than 1 mile from hosp) Pain was fine - Though I did not have my stomach muscles done as I have hernia mesh in there meaning they couldn't be done) I do believe the pain comes from the stomach muscles being sutured though. I had very little pain - Just couldn't stand up straight for a week as stomach felt so tight. After that all was fine again.
Here is a before pic or three (Sorry it's fuzzy that was my old camera)

My insurance is covering my skin removal and it wasn't hard at all. Just ask what there requirements are and work with a plastic surgeon or your doctor to work in getting it covered. Mine required 3 things: medical treatment like bacteria or fungus cream/powder for rash/chaffing/infections for 3 months or more, the skin has to hang onto the pubis and pictures to prove it. They are strict about what they will cover, which is only skin removal from the pubic line to the belly button, nothing above or on the back side and no muscle tightening. Good luck!

I didn't have any open sores or rashes, but my insurance did cover the abdominoplasty. I had a lower body lift, which included that, obviously, and also brachioplasty. Honestly, of all my issues, the abdomen was the least of my problems, but they covered it. Actually, they covered 3 hours of a six hour surgery.

I am 65 and have Medicare... They approved my panni and I am scheduled for Dec 19th.. Feeling like it will be the prize at the end of my WLS journey! Any advice from post op panni folks?

I had a lower body lift, and a inner groin thigh lift and a Brazilian butt lift almost 3 months ago. I did this all on the sly since I decided to have the surgery after taking a month long cruise, so I only could take a couple of weeks PTO time that I had. So after two weeks I was back to work, sitting mostly, it wasn't bad for me at all as I had no complications and I felt great, not too bad for being 60 years old...Everyone is different I guess...

You owe it to yourself to check out Dr Victor Gutierrez, he did "sweet pea's" (I believe that's her name here) and her results are the best I have seen. Dr G did a lower body lift for me in May and the results are wonderful, he will also be doing a revision of my arm surgery I had the year before (also in TJ but with Dr Quiroz) which didn't turn out so well...you will find him at drvictorgutierrez.com His prices fall in line with all others down there. The biggest difference however is not only is he a board certified Plastic Surgeon, he also has a speciality in Micro-Surgery so his cutting and sewing are flawless. He was trained in Israel where the standards are some of the highest in the world...Besides all that, he's a really sweet man that cares about his patients. His operation is not a money making machine like some of the ones you will come across down there....Good luck in your searching, take your time, this time around I interviewed over 10 Doctors before making my decision. I learned my lesson the first go around!

I took lots of pictures and they deems it medical necessary after being turned down.

I went to Dr. Victor Gutierrez. I saw some of his lower body lifts and knew he was the guy for me. Not only is he a board certified Plastic Surgeon, but he also has a specialty in Micro-Surgery so his cut lines and sewing are simply flawless. After seeing some really bad looking outcomes I was pretty scared to have such a cut but now you really can't even see my scar. I wrote a review of my surgery on realself.com I use the same name over there...

I stopped losing weight at 7 months post-op and I went from a "Weight Loss" phase to a "Maintenance" phase. I am now 27 months post-op RNY. Since that time I have dropped another 15 pounds without really trying and I am currently near the bottom end of the scale. I attribute this added weight loss to the following:
1) A couple times I developed a stomach flu that was going around. I would lose my appetite for a few days and drop weight quickly. After I recovered, I would decide this was my new goal weight and not try and gain it back.
2) I have found that softer foods such as chili and Soups go down easier so I primarily rely on these for my meals. Whenever I eat out, I find that I cannot consume very much harder foods and as a result I lose weight.
3) I believe the meal plan for those in the Maintenance phase should be very different than in the Weight Loss phase. After surgery, the stomach that normally absorbs fats and sugars has been cut away. That is why your diet needs to restrict fats and sugars; otherwise it leads to dumping. But after about a year, you intestines change and the intestines begin to convert fats and sugars. So in the Maintenance phase the objective is to "not be hungry". Fats take away hunger. So I reintroduced fats back into my diet. And for the most part, 27 months post-op, I am never hungry. On the other hand, I almost religiously restrict myself from processed sugars. I read food labels; I really read them. If they contain more than a couple grams of sugar, I look at the ingredients to determine if they contain high amounts of processed sugars. For my sweet tooth, I consume artificial sweeteners (such as Splenda, sugar alcohol), natural low or no calorie sweeteners (such as Stevia), and natural sugars found in fruits and milk.
So in general, I consume a cup or two of hot coffee each day with a very large scoop of whip cream. The whip cream I make myself using heavy whipping cream and Splenda in place of sugar. This adds fat into my diet. I also consume 2 or 3 Adkin's treats per day. I also use whole milk, real butter and real meats. I restrict my meals to one meal per day with complex carbs (such as Pasta, bread).
In the maintenance phase, the meal plan should include a balance of Protein, fats and carbs. Fats are an important ingredient.

I had a panni/TT. For a week or so, had to sleep sitting up and walk like Quasimodo. Pain was minimal. Drains were a pia, but not nearly as bad as I thought. I thought I would've been laid up and barely able to function, but that was NOT the case. I actually felt like I got back to my normal activities very quickly! Wore compression for about six months. The doc said that the longer, the better the final result. Best of luck to you!

Hi,
So I'm ten years out and have indeed had these problems. Iron and B-12 anemia, my gall bladder had been removed because it wasn't working(though when they got in there they found it was just irritated, not a single stone), adhesion surgery, migraines(diagnosed as chronic complex, I look like I've had a stroke), gluten intolerance, kidney stones, and most recently osteoporisis.
Now, most of these things were taken care of with the right nutritional supplements. Obviously the gall bladder, adhesions, and kidney stones required medical procedures. But the Iron, B-12, Migraines, and to some extent my kidney stones can also be handled with supplements(magnesium, butterbur, and feverfew are god-sends for my migraines, potassium citrate for the stones, awesome!).
I've had to tweak my eating not only for the diet that is necessary after gastric bypass, but to be gluten free which MAN is gluten in everything or WHAT?! Toothpaste, Shampoo, lotions, make-up, your Vitamins, food(even if it's not listed sometimes which BLOWS), then there is cross contamination that you have to worry about. Ugh! And once you get the hang of it, boy do you know if you've gotten ahold of some because it's nearly as bad as dumping syndrome! I mean WOW! The abdominal pain and migraines. And your whole taste changes too. Where if you get gluten you surely know it. I mean sometimes you can smell it even. Totally weird.
Anyway, you think you have that under control and then you're still having pain and bloating. What the hell? They actually hospitalized me and put me back on liquids because my liver levels were off. Said I had a "spasming sphincter of odie" which is where the bile duct and the pancreatic duct come together and go through the same sphincter, but it goes into spasms and causes immense pain. Where it drops you to your knees and tears rolls down your face type of pain. I never wanted to eat again. Then my GI was polite enough to tell me that it could happen by taking a drink of Water. Gee, thanks.
I finally get sent to the University, which is the only place that has surgeons that can even do the surgery. Especially since I have an altered anatomy. The surgery could fix the problem, but the side-effect is that you can get pancreatitis easier. Hmmm.... However, the GI specialist there says that I just have a bad case of IBS where the nerves are involved. Gee, thanks. Now I have to go onto the Fodmap diet and start eliminating about 3/4 more of my food. *lol* That's okay, I get to learn all sorts of new recipes and how to cook all over again! At least I won't be having pancreatitis.
My suggestion, keep to the gluten free diet. It helps with inflammation and fatigue. But it's difficult in the beginning because gluten hides everywhere. Try finding a celiac support group. This may help. http://www.csaceliacs.info/%C2'> In the mean time, take everything your doctors say with a grain of salt and remember that it's the "practice" of medicine. Because I can't honestly tell you how long my list of specialists is right now. It seems I have one for every major system of the body and then some. If I could just get them to all sit down together and talk it through I might actually get something figured out. Very frustrating. My husband and I really end up poking at each of them until something is done, but we're annoying that way. *lol* Plus alot of research online. Just remember that you're worth it and that you aren't crazy. Your symptoms are NOT in your mind and you deserve to be treated well. Good luck!

dumping syndrome happens with eating anything too fast, eating sugar, dairy, (except cheese)and eating too much at once or too often. Like I stated, I'am 12yrs out and just recently I haven't had issues with dumping because of changing my diet. fruit smoothies sweetened with splenda or truvia is best for mornings. snack before lunch if craving, I either I eat a celery stalk w/1Tbl of PB or frozen grapes. When I need to eat lunch, I know I need a source of Protein, such as an egg scrambled w/melted cheese and a slice of whole grain toasted bread spread with another TBL PB. Now my PB is done today also because of calorie consumtion. Then generally I do not get hungry again till dinner before 6pm This is where I get my veggies, any realistic amount, and Protein, from meat and a small amout of carbs such as pots and noodles or rice. I had to be very strickt on changing my diet because of regain weight of 40lbs. Scary for me. I hope this helps some! Stay Happy, Healthy, and Safe! Sharowna

I'm pretty sure I accepted yours