Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Suggestions or Advice for Skin Surgery



Recommended Posts

I was trying to decide which forum would be best to post this in, and I thought here since there are a larger number of people who may be at this point in their journey. The "insurance & financing" board seems more about the weight loss surgery itself.

Anyway...... I have a consultation coming up in March with a plastic surgeon to have a panniculectomy and brachioplasty done. I think I have met all of my insurance's requirements to have it covered. I will be past 18 months post op, I have documented 6 months of skin problems & attempted treatments (they only require 3 months) and the pannus hangs low enough for their standards. So I "think" I have a good chance of getting at least one of them covered.

Does anyone have any suggestions about anything I'm forgetting? Things I should ask the surgeon, things to tell the surgeon? Anything at all that would make my visit more effective? I specifically chose a plastic surgeon who is willing to submit to insurance and appeal, because a lot of them (around here anyway) don't want to bother with that.

So, any suggestions??

Edited by livvsmum

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Insurance aside (I didn't stand a chance) my advice is to look at lots and lots of before and after results when choosing a plastic surgeon. There is a great deal of "art" to this. Look for bodies that are "similiar". I noticed when I was researching that some surgeons cherry pick awesome results to post on their marketing websites, but what really tells the story is a full body of work. One surgeon I met with - when I looked at her book of results they were quite underwhelming. another had books that covered two decades and the way she talked about changing her techniques, and addressing different body types, and her incredible results we very confidence inspiring. In the end, i couldn't afford her, but, my point is there really is a difference between surgeons.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Onedayatatime365

      Looking to connect with others who are also on the journey of better health. Post-Op Gastric Sleeve (4/11/24).
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×