Who here has had their "apron" removed before you lost all of your weight? I am kicking around the idea of having this done when i go down to Mexico to have my lap band put in. My lapband doc works with a plastic surgeon closely and I could have it done the next day. It would make life so much easier to not have it there when working out and moving around! LOL

If anyone has please respond, or pm me directly. I have lots of questions.

Amy

A friend of mine had the apron removed at the time of her banding. He did not do a belly button for her because she was going back to have a full TT after she lost her weight. The muscle repair is the most painful part of a TT. Skin removal only would be a breeze...well compared hehe. Honestly with my TT the only pain I felt was in the MR, not really anything in the incision or around. Life without the hanging skin is unbelieveable. I cant even begin to tell you how much your life changes in just the littlest ways. The other night I was over the moon because I shaved my bikini line myself without DH having to hold my belly up.

Good Luck with it.

kelly you practically have me in tears here with excitement LOL I can't believe that in little over a month I am gonna have my apron removed, and this mound of fat that has been holding me back is going to be gone forever!! Yeah! I can't wait. I know it is going to be painful. But it is so worth it!

So jealous of you Funny!!! I would love to have that done right now!!!

Can't wait to hear ALL about your experience!!

i'm gonna post my before pics here so you all can see what I am having done. I hope, and am sure, that there will be a huge difference in the afters.

Kind words only please. LOL

I am so excited for you Funny! I hope this helps your journey, and I am sure it will. I can't wait to see the afters! Good Luck!

Amy, when they do the apron removal, and they going to remove any of the fat/skin that is above the belly botton as well? (I'm just curious)

i think so. from what i know he is going to do a little bit of lipo, and pull everyhting down like a tummy tuck.

HEYYYYYYYYYYY I dont remember posing for those pics!!!!!! LMAO good luck, cant wait to hear how everything goes!!!!!

Amy,

I didn't read all the responses, but I'm answering with what I know. I had a panniculectomy (with rectus muscle repair...so it was essentially an abdominoplasty or "tummy tuck.") I had it done while MO. And I have (as usual) good news/bad news to report.

BTW, Dr. Fobi of the Fobi pouch did my friend's RnY and he often does a panniculectomy at the time of the RnY...which means that all of those patients are MO.

First, the bad news. I had it done at a teaching hospital. AFTER the surgery, when I was readmitted for a resistant infection, is when I heard the supervising surgeon explain to the baby surgeons that the complication rate for an abdominoplasty on a morbidly obese patient is 100%. He said that with the MO patient, there can be little complications or big complications, but there are going to be complications. That said, my complication was resolved with very aggressive antibiotic therapy.

The good news: I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

The other good news: I've already had a small revision done and as I lose more with the DS, I can see that it will need to be tweaked in the future. No biggie. The BIG surgery is over. AND, if you read the small print in MY insurance policy it says that it covers reconstructive surgery when a malformation is caused by accident or disease or surgery. Well, a panniculectomy on an MO person is, first of all, NOT a cosmetic procedure. It is purely to repair function. So, when I submitted to insurance, my PS and I made sure we emphasized that we were repairing the "oops's" caused by the NON-COSMETIC procedure of panniculectomy. They paid.

I hope all goes well for you and I really am glad I had it done back when. If I had waited to "get to goal" I'd STILL be waiting. Instead, it's been gone for a couple of years.

Meow - too funny! LOL Its sad that without the heads on some pics, we all kinda look the same! LOL

GeezerSue - I agree that the risk is high, but thankfully I am really healthy, have good circulation and a healthy immune system. I am hoping things go well. I have had a breast reduction, and a csec all while MO and have healed really quickly. So far I am batting 1000. But I agree that we tend to make tougher patients. I will be spending a week in Mexico afterwards being checked everyday to ensure that I am healing well, then will see my doctor here in the states when I come back for followup care. Same as when I have my lapand done. I am not worried at all.

I also plan on doing a detox diet right before the surgery, and bumping my Protein up really high so that i will kick start my healing. After wards I will be doing a high protein diet for 2 weeks to ensure that my body has all it needs to heal. My mom is coming down to take care of the kids,and I am just going to take it easy, work at home, and drink my Isopure LOL

Amy,

From your photos, it would appear that you have the level of "overhang," (for lack of a better term) that is usually covered by insurance. Have you confirmed that it's something you actually have to pay for? (Given choices, I'd be tempted to save the cash for the post-weight-loss-tweaking which would be a purely cosmetic procedure which insurance would not generally cover.) Just a thought...

http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/6698/pann.html

Geezer I agree that it should be covered by insurance. I went into a big fight with them over it. Here is the issue.

The view it as a weight loss surgery, evn though it is medically necessary. My husband's job was told to put in an exclusion on their policy that was written by United Health Care and is about 2 pages long just on weightloss surgery. This sort of thing, whether it is medical or not, or not even considered 'for weight loss' is not covered. no ifs ands or buts. Now I could appeal, and after a number of appeals and my lawyer friend getting involved, i could prolly win. but I would have to wait forever to do that. And I need this done now. I also want to have it done before the band is done for various reasons. The price is a lot better than the 16k my plastic surgeon here quoted. 4200 is something I can be happy paying and know that I am one step closer to my band, and all the more sooner at that.

"overhang":pound:

thanks geezer, now I feel more like a house than before !!! LOL :heh:

I wanted to do the same thing but insurance regarded it as WLS as well. It was either the band or the apron so I went with the band (June 8). I'll take care of the apron later now.....I found a cosmetic surgery place in Toronto that will do a tummy tuck (small apron removal included) starting at $5,000....by the time I reach goal I should be able to afford this....However, I would really like to have my turkey neck removed first....LOL.....which will it be? gobble, gobble, gobble :canada:

Carol

All the jobs i have worked at have had the evil insurane exclusions!!!! ARSES!!!!

LOL I want a goverment job damnit!!!! They pay!!!! Anywhoooo how much does the Gobbler cost??? I want that done!!!!! LOL I can live with a girdle hehehe

Look at it, LOOK AT IT!!!!! Ick lol