Excess Skin Removal Surgery?

[Bejewelme]

Good luck at the docs, at least getting that off is going to feel so much better!!! Take a pic for us!!!!

[clmoore]

Originally Posted by Bejewelme

Good luck at the docs, at least getting that off is going to feel so much better!!! Take a pic for us!!!!

I have my camera in my purse. Hope I remember to take pictures!

[clmoore]

I MADE IT TWELVE DAYS!!

Just got back from my sweet neighbor taking me to doctor. They removed bandages and I didn’t know they were going to, but the PA took out stitches which wasn’t fun, very nerve wracking and felt like it took him forever. I broke out in a sweat all over, but I didn’t scream or cry and it is over with. He wrapped them back up and I’m back on the couch with them elevated.

I may try to go to office for a while tomorrow. My boss said he would give me a ride. I need to get off this couch, but the doctor’s office said I had done good with keeping the swelling down from elevating them.

If you don’t have a weak tummy, you can view my attached pictures from doctor office trip this morning. They are labeled by name of event.

[Hot Tamale]

Bejewelme - when did you have the surgery again?

clm: good luck today!!

I go to have another filter inserted (to protect against blood clots) tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

[Bejewelme]

CLM- holy crap seeing that my bunion suddenly doesnt hurt too bad! OMG , OMG!!! I think that looks worse than the T!! Were all your toes cut? Ughg that looks so painful!!

HT- My surgery was 3/2, still getting drained once a week!

[clmoore]

Originally Posted by Bejewelme

CLM- holy crap seeing that my bunion suddenly doesnt hurt too bad! OMG , OMG!!! I think that looks worse than the T!! Were all your toes cut? Ughg that looks so painful!!

HT- My surgery was 3/2, still getting drained once a week!

Hi, Bejewelme!

Yes, all four little toes on each foot were sliced in two and sections of bone taken out of them to flatten, straighten, and shorten them. There are pins sticking out of the end of all of them for four weeks. The bunion area on the inside of both feet have little metal plates inside and two screws each. Those are supposed to stay in unless they give me trouble.

I'm not sure what the other two cuts on top of my feet were for. I only saw the PA last Monday to get stitches removed, see him again for re-wrapping on Tuesday, and then I FINALLY get to see the surgeon again the following Tuesday.

I think the toes are worse to recover from than the bunions.

I went in the office for the last five days (hitching rides as I can't drive yet). I am staying home today trying to elevate as much as possible.

THIS is definitely worse recovery than any of my plastic surgeries! But, I really needed to get my feet fixed.

I can't believe you are still having to be drained. You must be SPECIAL!! I know you look great!

[Bejewelme]

OMG that makes me woozy!! LOL WOW I know all my toes are longer than my big toe except my pinkie toe, I have the ugliest feet, LOL And huge I wear an 11, I could probably wear a 8 if I dint have 6" toes, LOL WOW that looks so painful though, but I hope they feel better and you can get around soon, I know being laid up is not your thing! Get hooked on the housewives shows LOL No matter how bad you feel they make you feel better that you are not as stupid as they are, LOL

[clmoore]

Never watched this much TV or had to stay home or not drive for so long. I HATE not being able to drive and having to count on others.

I keep reminding myself that this is only temporary and I should be very thankful for my health.

After the last almost four years of gastric bypass, all the cosmetic surgeries and now my feet, it really makes me want to take care of my body for the rest of my life!

[Bejewelme]

Yes it will pass I remember the TT thinking OMG I was wishing just for death it hurt so bad but now all is forgotten!! You will move past this too!!!!

[cfine]

Oh my! My daughter has bunions on both of her feet and she is starting to want something done about it. I might show her your pictures I hope you recover quickly.

[clmoore]

Originally Posted by cfine

Oh my! My daughter has bunions on both of her feet and she is starting to want something done about it. I might show her your pictures I hope you recover quickly.

Don't scare her too much. The toes are worse than the bunions. Make sure she goes to a highly recommended ortho surgeon who specializes in feet!

[Key Tones]

Subscribing.

[Hot Tamale]

Originally Posted by Bejewelme

Yes it will pass I remember the TT thinking OMG I was wishing just for death it hurt so bad but now all is forgotten!! You will move past this too!!!!

You wished for death! Eeeeek! Don't say that! My TT is in 12 days!!! LOL Thing is, I KNOW it is going to hurt like you know what. I am prepared, but never as much as I probably need to be. That said, I have had three other (open) abdominal surgeries since 2002 (four if you count my laproscopic hysterectomy last summer), so maybe this will be similar in some respects. Getting almost freaked out these days because I can see the end in sight.

[clmoore]

Originally Posted by Hot Tamale

You wished for death! Eeeeek! Don't say that! My TT is in 12 days!!! LOL Thing is, I KNOW it is going to hurt like you know what. I am prepared, but never as much as I probably need to be. That said, I have had three other (open) abdominal surgeries since 2002 (four if you count my laproscopic hysterectomy last summer), so maybe this will be similar in some respects. Getting almost freaked out these days because I can see the end in sight.

How exciting! Did your pain go away that you have been having the last few days since your filter installation?

Also, remember, there are FREAKS like me who didn't have pain with my tummy tuck/butt lift. It was just sore and uncomfortable. We are all different!

[Bejewelme]

HT- I had a REALLY bad time but with all that I am thrilled, I am wearing a freaking bikini, never in a million years thought that would ever happen, so it is all worth it! I was at my aunts last weekend on a raft in her pool, my uncle came home and said to my Gram who is out there with Donna? He didn't even know it was me, LOL The family still has trouble processing all my weight loss, LOL
I have to say this surgery is the most impressive you are not going to believe how you look in a few months, even with all my getting drained the stupid pain, I would do it again to know I would have this belly! It makes you look like seriously 20-25 pounds thinner, it is amazing! So be excited!!!!! It is painful and scary but all in a good way just keep focusing on the prize at the end!

[clmoore]

Originally Posted by Bejewelme

HT- I had a REALLY bad time but with all that I am thrilled, I am wearing a freaking bikini, never in a million years thought that would ever happen, so it is all worth it! I was at my aunts last weekend on a raft in her pool, my uncle came home and said to my Gram who is out there with Donna? He didn't even know it was me, LOL The family still has trouble processing all my weight loss, LOL
I have to say this surgery is the most impressive you are not going to believe how you look in a few months, even with all my getting drained the stupid pain, I would do it again to know I would have this belly! It makes you look like seriously 20-25 pounds thinner, it is amazing! So be excited!!!!! It is painful and scary but all in a good way just keep focusing on the prize at the end!

Bejewelme is RIGHT! I guess because we have so much flab around our middle after losing weight, THIS surgery makes a huge difference in the way we look, the way clothes fit us, and the way we feel when we look in the mirror!

Cool about rockin' the BIKINI!

[Maryposa]

On the one hand, I have more weight I'd like to lose before my LBL / thigh lift.. OTOH, December seems so far away and I just wanna be "done"

[Hot Tamale]

I wanna be done, too. I've been gaining and losing the same 3 or so pounds for several months now. Doc says I will lose btw 20 - 25 pounds that day. I'm just ready to get it over with - I need to start healing! No matter what the pain is like I know I will deal with it - won't exactly have a choice, now, will I! Thanks to all of you for being so honest about your experiences.

My weird pain has changed, but not abated. Went to a new doc yesterday and she thinks it may be sciatic, but, due to some accompanying symptoms, has ordered a CT scan of my abdomen and pelvic region just to be sure. I would hate to have to put this surgery off, but I do know I need to put safety first.

[Bejewelme]

Hope all comes out OK with the tests, he said I might lose 25 pounds, I lost 8 pounds of skin and never really lost more weight, so I was sort of bummed, I got to 199 and then right back to 205 when I started working out hard, I seem to stay in that range and I guess I am learning to live with that, I am not giving up the hard workouts for a number on the scale.

[Hot Tamale]

Whatever weight I turn out to be, I am learning to appreciate how far I've come, whether or not I get to a certain number. Same with clothing sizes. I'll work on finding what looks good on me and not worry so much about the size...I think.

[Maryposa]

Originally Posted by Hot Tamale

Whatever weight I turn out to be, I am learning to appreciate how far I've come, whether or not I get to a certain number. Same with clothing sizes. I'll work on finding what looks good on me and not worry so much about the size...I think.

Amen. I'm working on that.

[Lifesadventure]

I have lost 50lbs and have 50 more to lose. I have been thinking about what my skin is going to look like and I'm a little nervous. It's not horrible right now but I can see where "the apron" fat is less but the skin isn't shrinking back, just hanging there. I'm guessing this is normal? Anyway thank you for sharing your stories, they help keep me focused!

[Maryposa]

Ug, I went for a long bike ride on sunday and wore no compression... I was painfully aware of my pannus and it actually did add to my fatigue by the end. It's not very heavy but the seat height not being ideal (and my knees going higher than necessary) did not help. Little things like that make me wish my LBL was tomorrow already!!

[Hot Tamale]

Trust me, I know all about the pannus issues! I'm not sure I'm going to know what to do with myself by this time next week...hopefully I'll be over the worst of it by then and the longer process of healing can begin. Really not looking forward to how I'm probably going to feel, but I know it will be worth it.

In other news, I had my first mamogram withthe reduced/lifted girls today. Not much to squish there, lemme tell ya! Kind of embarassing, too. My girls are not especially pretty and they are (still) small... Good news is they do look pretty good under clothes, and I just don't spend that much time naked, so I guess it is something I will continue to adjust to...

My abdominoplasty is in 6 days. Prayers and good thoughts are very appreciated. I always start to really miss my mom when a surgery is coming up, and it is no different this time (she passed about 6 years ago, but still feels very current to me at times like this...). Just kinda working myself into a tizzy, I guess. Take care, Everyone!

[Heidi]

Hello everyone!

My name is Heidi and I just joined. I started reading this thread a couple of weeks ago and am now finished. You are all so very brave and inspiring! Thanks so much for sharing all this information and great photos! It feels more "real" when you can receive information on something like this straight from the horse's mouth!

Not sure if there's any other Canadians that post here? I live in New Brunswick, Canada, which is on the Atlantic Coast I just turned 32 and celebrated my 10th anniversary with my SO. We have a 3 1/2 year old daughter.

I started my weight loss journey in 2007. I'm 5'7" and weighed 315lbs when I changed my lifestyle. I was a size 28 jeans.

I do a lot of muscle confusion exercise-- combination of upper strength straining one day, cardio the next, lower strength training and then yoga etc. I was down to 225lbs and then got pregnant with my daughter, which backtracked me a little. Gained some post pregnancy then lost a bit and plateaued at 220 for a couple of years. I got back on track and have also given up eating meat, except for the very occasional fish or fowl.

I'm down to 190 lbs right now, and think I am pretty close to my goal weight; minus the skin I would say I have about 10-15 lbs of excess skin to remove. I'm a size 14 right now, but without the skin could easily be a 12 maybe tad smaller.

I will find out July 31st if Medicare will cover the removal of my "apron" and thighs. They will not cover upper arms, but my surgeon said if I combine it with one of the Medicare covered procedures, I won't have to pay the day surgery fee and anesthesiologist fee. She also knocked a thousands off the price (so would be 2200$) and said she would do my upper tummy "on the house" as she was really impressed with how much I lost on my own.

So right now it's the waiting game for me. She took lots of pics and seemed to give off the vibe that it would be approved, but of course as all of you know, it depends who has had their coffee that day...

Here's some befores and after (I wasn't sure if you could upload to the forum itself):

2003 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

2007 c | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

2007 b | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

2007 d | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

may 2012 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

2012 b | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Melodye]

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[Hot Tamale]

Welcome, Heidi!

Hi Everyone!

Please send prayers and good vibes my way. I have to be there at 8:30AM for the panniculectomy... I am stressed, nervous, and excited. I have no idea what it will be like afterwards. I have had some sort of stomach/pannus since I was at least 18... Please wish me luck. I'll post again in a day or two. Love you ladies!

[Heidi]

Thanks Tamale and good luck-- can't wait to hear about your results and healing!

I've been especially following Bejewelme because our body types are very similar. Gives me a rough idea of what my results may look like. Also noting clmoore's successful healing tips! I can see me wearing the compression wraps much longer as well lol.

I know it's sad but like 80% of my worries relate to getting anesthetized. I have been once to have a couple of wisdom teeth removed, but that has been the extent of my surgery experience lol.

I had a question about smoking during healing. I'm not a heavy smoker (I quit for over a year when pregnant with my daughter but started up lightly again-- I know... shame shame lol), but I do still smoke and was wondering if anyone here smoked during healing? Did it hinder your healing?

[clmoore]

Originally Posted by Hot Tamale

Welcome, Heidi!

Hi Everyone!

Please send prayers and good vibes my way. I have to be there at 8:30AM for the panniculectomy... I am stressed, nervous, and excited. I have no idea what it will be like afterwards. I have had some sort of stomach/pannus since I was at least 18... Please wish me luck. I'll post again in a day or two. Love you ladies!

Best wishes for an easy healing and recovery! You'll do great and LOVE your new flat tummy!

Move, wear your compression garments, get in your protein, and take all your vitamins!

So excited for you!!

[emily1965]

Originally Posted by Heidi

Thanks Tamale and good luck-- can't wait to hear about your results and healing!

I've been especially following Bejewelme because our body types are very similar. Gives me a rough idea of what my results may look like. Also noting clmoore's successful healing tips! I can see me wearing the compression wraps much longer as well lol.

I know it's sad but like 80% of my worries relate to getting anesthetized. I have been once to have a couple of wisdom teeth removed, but that has been the extent of my surgery experience lol.

I had a question about smoking during healing. I'm not a heavy smoker (I quit for over a year when pregnant with my daughter but started up lightly again-- I know... shame shame lol), but I do still smoke and was wondering if anyone here smoked during healing? Did it hinder your healing?

I've never heard of a plastic surgeon willing to operate on a smoker. In fact, many will draw blood before hand and if there is nicotine, will cancel surgery.

Having this kind of surgery is extremely dangerous for a smoker. Smoking interferes with circulation and healing. A smoker runs the risk of severe complications, such as dying off of skin afterward. The only cases of extreme complications from skin removal surgery I have ever heard of involved patients lying to their doc about being smokers.

Internal organs heal OK for smokers, but skin just does not.

Now, please know that this comes from a smoker who is planning (and already paid for) surgery Nov. 1st. I am taking Chantix and well on my way to quitting. If I have not quit before surgery, I will cancel it. Being a non-smoker is that important.