freelee

At my 2 yr RNY anniversary I had my panniculectomy this past Friday (June 30). I got home Sunday night (July 2). I'm so pleased and excited, plus I have very very little pain. Since I'm 64 I opted not to have muscle repair since that would increase the pain and recovery and at my age, for me, not necessary. i am already happy about the results. I am already walking straight and up and down stairs.
Will post a before and after pic soon...pretty amazing. He took 3 and a half pounds of skin off, but it looks more like 9 because it looks so different.I came home with two drains and a portable wound vac which are both much less bothersome and gross than I thought they would be.
I'll be glad to answer any questions........oh, and yes, my bcbs did cover it, but wont cover arms or legs (which is why I probably wont be having those done!).
Very happy!

At my 2 yr RNY anniversary I had my panniculectomy this past Friday (June 30). I got home Sunday night (July 2). I'm so pleased and excited, plus I have very very little pain. Since I'm 64 I opted not to have muscle repair since that would increase the pain and recovery and at my age, for me, not necessary. i am already happy about the results. I am already walking straight and up and down stairs.
Will post a before and after pic soon...pretty amazing. He took 3 and a half pounds of skin off, but it looks more like 9 because it looks so different.I came home with two drains and a portable wound vac which are both much less bothersome and gross than I thought they would be.
I'll be glad to answer any questions........oh, and yes, my bcbs did cover it, but wont cover arms or legs (which is why I probably wont be having those done!).
Very happy!

I'm two years yesterday from my gastric bypass and have my pann in two weeks (June 30). I'm pretty nervous and have heard so real horror stories but also have heard how much it is worth it. Thanks for all who have come before on this site and posted positives and pictures. My biggest fear is taking care of the drains I have to come home with and that the hospital stay is so short. How long do I have to stay in/or near my bed? I know all of us are different in our recoveries, but I would appreciate any insight you wish you would have known then that you have learned. Two years ago I was 280 and now 125.....so greatful and looking forward to this new "adventure"
Freelee

It's normal to be nervous, but I am sure you both will be fine......and very happy after it is over. Mine was rny was two years ago this week and am down 150#s and so much happier. Good luck and best wishes for all to go smoothly!

Thanks so much. I followed your progress and you've seemed to do very well. I'm 64 and just questioning myself on "elective" surgery at this age....of course I'm healthier than I was in my 40s and 50s I guess.

RealMe, thanks! All of you are making me much calmer about this. According to the surgeon, there won't be a lot of muscle work done, and at my age that is just fine. Glad you told me the compression band will help with the flattening, I thought it was just for recovery.
I'll keep you posted.
Freelee

Thank you for sharing your story. My panni is scheduled for June 30. The drains are what scare me. Were you in hospital for one night? I'm scheduled for 23 hours avoiding any complications. It sounds like your experience was very positive.
Best for the rest of your surgeries.
Freelee

Day 6 post op . Feeling really good today! Yesterday was a little rough, only in that I think I over did things and wasn't feeling very well by the end of the day. We're having our bathrooms tiled upstairs, and I went to take a peek. Like a ding dong, I caught my sandal on the lip of one of the stairs and fell not once, but twice. So stupid of me. It hurt, but i caught myself with my arms, and didn't do any damage. I spent the rest of the afternoon resting. Took two Percocet before bed, and slept in our chair vs on the couch. Slept until around 5:30am, woke up, took some meds, then went back to sleep until about 8:30. Feeling soooo much better now! Plan for today is just to take it easy. I noticed I'm able to stand a bit straighter today, so I'm slowly and gently trying to stretch my abdomen. The incision on my back hasn't hurt at all, but the poor muscles are sore from waking hunched all the time. I did take a Valium last night after diner to see if it would help relax those muscles. I think it did help a little!

Random stats:
Current weight 177lb (up 8lb from surgery, but obviously swelling)
Waist circumference before surgery 32", right now 36"

Funny because it definitely looks smaller than before, but that swelling is crazy.

Thanks for reading all my crazy long posts. [emoji173]️

Day 5 post op:

Just wanted to write a quick little update this morning. To day is day 5 post op LBL and thigh Lipo. I am so sore this morning, mostly because I just can't find a comfortable position to sleep in. I really wish I had invested in a recliner! I've been sleeping on the couch downstsairs, and while it's ok for a little cat nap, it has been less than helpful for a full night's sleep. My lower back is definitely feeling the impact of overcompensating for the incisions and walking bent over. None of it is excruciating, just annoying. I'm really hoping I can start sleeping in my own bed soon!

I hopped on the scale this morning. I was fully aware the numbers would be up due to all the swelling but was just curious and wanted to track. I was 169.4 on the morning of surgery, and today I was 176. I'm not worried about it and just keepPushing the fluids and giving it time .

I think I'm going to try to shower and change my clothes today. It'll probably feel good just to clean off! My last shower was the day I left the hospital (Wednesday). I'm not dirty or gross, but sometimes a nice hot shower is just good for the soul! I honestly expected to be more oozy or weepy from my incisions, especially the lipo, but that hasn't been the case at all. I was fully prepared with chux pads to put on my furniture but haven't had to use them at all!

Well, I guess that's my update for this morning. I'll keep you all posted on how things go!

Have a great day!!

[emoji173]️Jen

Had my first post op visit today. Everything is going great! Everything seems to be healing well. They think my drains (some if not all) will get to come out on Tuesday. Today they just cleaned the sites and put new stickers down to help hold them in place. Next Friday I'll get the tape removed from my incisions and start the scar care routine.

I'm starting to be able to walk upright just a bit more, but not totally straight yet. They told me to play it by ear, and listen to my body. If I'm not feeling pain, I can continue to straighten up more.

TMI - but I finally had a BM today. I ended up needing an enema, which I did at home. Really haven't been taking much as far as narcotics, but despite colace twice daily, Fiber, increased Fluid, Miralax, and two doses of milk of magnesia I still couldn't go. I was starting to get really uncomfortable to the point t it was causing some pain, so I decided to do the enema. It worked, and I felt to much better.

I still tire out pretty quickly. I don't like being "lazy" but know I need to let my body heal so I rest frequently and take naps a lot. My husband has been so supportive and amazing helping with all the things I can't do. I'm really hoping by next week I'll have more stamina!

After my visit I took my garments off to snap a quick update picture. Of course I'm still super swollen, but LOVING my results so far!

This whole processing has been such a blessing, and can't wait to see continued changes as I heal more. [emoji173]️

When I had my TT/Panni, I was so worried that I'd be completely debilitated and that the drains would gross me out which causes me to pass out.
Actually there was barely any pain, just a tightness from the muscle repair. Be prepared to walk/sleep in a slightly hunched position. They won't want you straight for at least a week.
Woke up with a compression belly band, which had to be worn 24/7. I was told that the longer I wore compression, the better the final result. Once the drains were out, I bought compression body suits and waist nippers.
The drains, while being annoying, were not that gross. Never even felt queasy, and for me, that's saying something!!
Had a long piece of gauze, tied so it's a big loop, and a safety pin. Would put it around my neck so that I could hang the drains while showering. Make tabs from cloth tape around the drain tubes.
I was shocked at how easy the recovery was! Felt like I barely skipped a beat, just moved slower and hunchy.

Best of luck! Keep us all posted on how you are doing.

I want to get one so badly, but I won't. But I hate this overhang.
But you should do fine...and you'll have that flat abdomen once all healed!! Good for you. Go for it!! Rock it.

I had my Panni in 2015. I was at my goal weight of 125#'s and I can defintly tell you my recovery was nothing. The drains are not bad at all. I had to have my daughter come and drain them and change my bandages for awhile. I could do the drains but for the life of me I couldn't do the bandages. I kid you not it was a super duper recovery. Now I took my pain pills for a little while because I was told that I didn't want to take them after I was already in pain. I didn't even have to wear a compression belt. I even had the nurse call my PS I just thought he had forgotten to get me one on order. He removed 10plus #'s. The only thing I wish is I would have went with the TT with Lipo on my upper stomach. My advise is to really make sure that your Suregon knows exactly what you want. My PS promised this and that and didn't follow thru with it. I am glad I had it done but just wish I would have known that now I DO need lipo on my upper stomach. He said he would give me a good deal for $6,000 he woud do Lipo and a breast lift. I feel like he was just setting up more business and I would have gladly paid the extra if I had known.

Thanks so much. I followed your progress and you've seemed to do very well. I'm 64 and just questioning myself on "elective" surgery at this age....of course I'm healthier than I was in my 40s and 50s I guess.

I'm two years yesterday from my gastric bypass and have my pann in two weeks (June 30). I'm pretty nervous and have heard so real horror stories but also have heard how much it is worth it. Thanks for all who have come before on this site and posted positives and pictures. My biggest fear is taking care of the drains I have to come home with and that the hospital stay is so short. How long do I have to stay in/or near my bed? I know all of us are different in our recoveries, but I would appreciate any insight you wish you would have known then that you have learned. Two years ago I was 280 and now 125.....so greatful and looking forward to this new "adventure"
Freelee

Thanks so much. I followed your progress and you've seemed to do very well. I'm 64 and just questioning myself on "elective" surgery at this age....of course I'm healthier than I was in my 40s and 50s I guess.

@ssflbelle I've been told by my surgeon that my experience with recovery is not typical, so I'm probably not the best person to ask! My breast lift was hands down the easiest recovery. I took the day off for surgery and was back at work the next day. I was pretty uncomfortable until the drains came out at my 1 week follow up, but no real pain. With TT/LBL, I was hurting from the muscle work in my abs for a few days, then mostly lower back pain from walking around hunched over. Again, getting the drains out at 1 week made a huge difference. I was back at work 10 days post op (ended up working 10 hour days for 12 days straight, so it's a good thing I had an easy recovery from that one!). My thighs are definitely the most uncomfortable. I'm about 2 1/2 weeks out now & still feeling pretty tender. I'm really glad this was my last procedure. All that's left is getting the dog ears fixed on my sides from my breast lift, but that's just a simple in office thing. Best of luck to you… it's totally worth it!

Thank you everyone. The surgery went very well. I am in a bit of pain now but nothing unbearable.

He removed 15.1 pounds of skin from my stomach!

Surgery exactly one year
ago. I was 62 yrs old and weighed 267, I now weigh 130, .....137 lbs gone!

Surgery exactly one year
ago. I was 62 yrs old and weighed 267, I now weigh 130, .....137 lbs gone!

Thanks for the information. I, too, am due and have lost 140 lbs. I will remember to check on all of this when I go.

...drinking Water or tea with my meal.

I had my one year anniversary June 16th and have lost 134 pounds so far. My dr never gave me a goal weight, but I still have about 10 more lbs to go to hit the normal 23.5 Bli. Mine has been a pretty classis year for RNY. Weight loss, stalls, weight loss. I am so thankful and happy that I will be in the normal range again.
Don't compare yourself to others, but, yes, it is possible.

Similar stories above. During my initial conversation with my amazing PCP, he said he knew the exact dr........"I only let him operate on my wife, and I kinda like my wife!" Plus, Dr Kane's (surgeon) father was a pioneer in the Chicago area for bariatric surgery, and the group is a Bariatric Center of Excellence. It was a win-win in every area I researched. The follow-ups are wonderful, I even look forward to talking to the PA's.

Good for you for advocating for yourself!!! And thanks for sharing this story so the rest of us will remember to do the same when/if we feel something is wrong. Glad things are better.