I am nowhere near goal. But, I have needed reconstructive abdominal surgery for over 25 years. Gaining weight made the problems worse. Losing weight made the sagging and intrigo worse.

I thought there would be some resistance, but there was none. The doctor said #1--that the pannus hangs low enough and #2--that the intertrigo just reinforces the decision that it is medically necessary. And did I want May or June? He also says that he may do SOME abdominoplasty work to make the upper and lower parts of my abdomen look like they go together.

I asked why so many doctors want the patient at goal. He said that they don't want their work messed up. But that in my case, if I manage to lose the NEXT 80 pounds I need to lose, I can have the area "tweaked," because it probably WILL drop a little with that much weight loss. He DID push about what my goal weight is. But I told him that if it stopped right here, I could live with it, and that at age 57, I don't want to take the chance of getting to goal a few years from now, with a huge hanging pannus and then having him tell me I'm too old for PS.

I'm not sure whether I'm excited or scared or (more likely) both. It would be LOVELY to get rid of this rash. It would be LOVELY to have my waist measure LESS THAN my hips. (Every pair of pants I own hangs on my butt and thighs, but I need them that big to fit my waist.) It would be LOVELY to be able to "bring your knee up to your chest" when the Pilates chick says to do that. Right now, my thigh cannot get to my abdomen because of the pannus.

I have had a another plastic surgeon tell me I should do it. Not sure how many "second opinions" I'm going for, since I want this and I think he can do it and it would be at no cost to me.

Hmmmmm....

GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!

:nervous

ya think?

You go, Sue!

Congrats (in a good way!) that this is medically necessary and so no cost to you. I totally understand the reluctance/desire to do it - but it sounds like the desire/necessity is finally greater than the reluctance in your case.

Pick MAY!! And take before and after photos, even if no one ever gets to see them but you.

We'll be thinking of you!

Go for it...and by the way...what's intertrigo?

I picked June, because I'm running for an office in my homeowners thingy and the election date is June 12th and I don't want to be doing recuperation during "the campaign season." And my sister will be home from her cruise on June 9th, and can be acting daughter-in-chief for our mom. Gives me more time to get things in order...like finding a cheap, used recliner to live on.

Intertrigo is the rash--I believe it's a yeast infection, but I don't know--that forms on skin that touches skins and sweats and gets nasty. Usually, insurance companies require that the pannus hang to a certain level (generally the pubus), AND that intertrigo that doesn't respond to treatment (I think it always responds, and always comes back) is there.

I'd been hiding my ugly, hangy belly from my spouse, who had not seen the intertrigo. He's really impressed by how ugly it is and thinks I need to have this surgery to rid myself of the rash, if nothing else.

Donali, I asked our daughter how she finally got brave enough to have breast reduction surgery, since her getting the shots she needed for camp as a child always turned into high drama. She said, "I think it's like when women are about nine months pregnant and decide that the kid is coming out, even if it means using a melon scooper. I was finally tired of all the pain and the lack of clothes that fit and rolling over my own tits in bed. That's how I knew." Summer's coming and I think I don't want to deal with yet another summer of this.

I guess I'm afraid that it's not a good idea before reaching goal, but I know that Dr. Fobi does a panniculectomy at the time of the Fobi Pouch RnY...so I know it can be done.

I'm just a coward is all.

I'm a coward too...

This discussion has just surfaced this week on the grad board, I think, where one of the long termers was giving the sage advice that waiting til "goal" is not always the best option, particularly when the pannus is causing problems.

In her case, it was severe back pain, and even though she was a good 80 pounds from goal it was necessary to do it NOW, because it interferred with everything - exercise, her health, etc. The most recent comments are that once a person gets to "goal" they may need/want to have the TT tweaked, but I felt the argument to have the TT prior to goal in many cases very persuasive.

I think you are absolutely doing the right thing! I am cowering with you, if that helps at all... :mad:

Oh my GOSH! I'm dying laughing. I just wet my pants, which I hear is another complication of obestity due to pressure on the bladder. But the comment about "because the Pilates' chick told me to" nearly killed men. Then the melon scoop thing. Eyes watering... Gosh, if anyone offered to cut off even an ounce of my flesh, I'd had them the knife! Do it! I say "screw goal" and do it now. I've heard it's an amazing incentive to eat even healthier. I've never heard of the pannus (sp?) and thought your penis was hanging too low! Hey, ya gotta laugh or we'll crack up! Good info. Thanks for being so honest.

GeezerSue,

Congrats!!!

I did not know that there might be medical reason to have this surgery!The hanging belly thing is what scares me the most about this weight loss thing i'm doing!(it already hangs pretty low to start with)I could never afford to do this and kinda feel ashamed to say that i hope i have some medical reasons once the time comes.Who does not want a beautiful flat belly?I'd rather have that than a big ass diamond(if i had a choice:p )

C

Ps i will be mentioning this to my mom since she has been suffering this rash forever!!!

~c~

Here's a link to a rather graphic depiction of what a "Grade 1" through a "Grade 5" pannus looks like. (I'm 2-ish, but because of two previous abdominal surgeries with vertical pubis-to-navel incisions, it all hangs rather like Austrian drapes...you know with the whole thing raised in the middle.)

From what I've read, most US insurance companies require BOTH (although some require only EITHER) that the pannus be Grade 2 or better and that the ongoing intertrigo is documented. Backaches are a consideration as well. (In fact, when I first lost weight, I had to hit the chiropractor's a couple of times because I was standing/walking like someone who had more belly weight to hold up, and that was causing back pain.)

Find out what your health service requires and then see if you meet that criteria. The hardest part :sick is showing it to someone to document. A digital camera might help.

http://www.cstobesity.com/articles/p531.htm

Thanks!

I am a #2 now.Do you think my belly would 'go back'after i lose weight or just go lower?Geez i thought I would have this after i lose weight but i have it now.

(I have had two children.)

I will be speaking to my doctor (eventually)

Again thanks for taking the time to do this for me!

C

Sue, I think you should go for it too! Why should you put up with rashes for any longer than necessary?

I had my PS consult 2 weeks ago, and even though I'm not at goal, I get rashes and infections and hip pain so frquently, that he's willing to do it now. Luckily I had a rash the day I went to see him, so he took pictures of it and the office is working on getting me insurance approval now. I'm not looking forward to another surgery, but I can't deal with these problems anymore. Not to mention how freakin' awful I look in clothes!

Good luck. I may have to borrow that cheap, used recliner when you're done with it. :mad:

My surgery is scheduled for next week. I'm going to start clipping clothespins to this new pannus word that I just learned. I'll tie string around the closepins with heavy weights at the end to drag it to my knees if that means one day I can have the damn thing lopped off! The last time I was thin was when I was six. Then I have a picture of me at seven in a 2 piece. My bellypooch was starting to protrude in that picture. Let's make sure I'm getting this "pannus" word right first. Is that the belly that hangs over my girl parts? If so, then my pannus has a mind of its own and makes its own decisions. I was leaning over the copy machine to select the number of copies and the machine started copying before I hit "go." I thought the machine was flipping out, but that's when I noticed the 'ol pannus flopped itself on the "go" button for me. It also knows how to type. If I reach to get the phone, it flops onto my keyboard and types faster than me! I can't tell you how many times I've seen rows of X or C going across the screen before realizing my pannus is editing my document. Lop the damn thing off! I really love you guys - I'm new around here but can see just from this short time that I'm gonna be around awhile. I hope I'm not offending anyone, I mean no harm.

DeLarla...

LMAO.

The good news: once you get your band AND HAVE APPROPRIATE RESTRICTION, you will lose weight.

The bad news: if you have been a hundred pounds overweight and had a big belly for any length of time, and then lose the weight, your hangy pannus (or sometimes it's called panniculus) will get hangier. As will everything else that stuck OUT...boobs, belly, even my double chins have become a wattle...not so red as the average wattle, but swaying in the wind nonetheless.

Just check your insurance to see the criteria for "reconstructive surgery," ususally listed under abdominoplasty or panniculectomy.

Sue

Flapping in the wind... cracking up again! This is the last post I read before jumping in my Jimmy and starting my 5 hr drive to California. Music will be blaring, windows will be wide open, and all my waddles will be flappin' in the wind! I'm wishing myself well with the band. Thanks for the laugh.

I am really glad to hear you're going to be able to do this. Good luck to you. :cool: I've heard from people who had tummy tucks that generally even if they had more weight gain/loss after the tuck that their tummy still looked better than it did before the plastic surgery...so I think it's probably well worth it even if you need touch up work later.

A tummy tuck is the one plastic surgery procedure I would dearly love to have. I haven't had any kids (or any other abdominal procedures) but my panniculus is about a "grade 2" also. Everyone thought my skin would snap back from the weight loss because I'm relatively young (I'm 21) but I have a lot of stretch marks on my tummy and I think it was just stretched beyond the point of return at my highest weight.

It's bad enough that I had a lady I was helping at work ask me if I was pregnant! Agh!

(By the way, for those who don't already realize it, it's NEVER a good idea to ask a woman if she's pregnant unless you already know the answer - both of us felt bad after I had to tell her, no, I'm not pregnant :cool: )

I would LOVE to be able to get a tummy tuck right now but haven't really pursued it because I thought that the surgeons would surely decline to do it until I'm at goal. It gives me hope that you have found surgeons who are willing to do it.