jjsmiles

Hi Sue, I know how concerned you are about the results of "just a panniculectomy" - so I thought I would share a picture of myself from March 3. I tried to pm you, but I couldn't figure out how to attach a phote, so here goes :crying: I am not perfect, but my tummy is vastly improved by just having that procedure. I have spent much of my adult life around 350 pounds.

Ask away - I don't have any problem answering any questions. I don't have a belly button anymore :wink:. You will have to check with your ps, but I also had a bowel resection, ileostomy reversal and two large hernia's repaired (one of them in my belly button) all during the same surgery as the panni, so I am not absolutely sure what led to what. I had two different surgeons working on me during the surgery. I knew I wouldn't have a belly button at the end - the ps was pretty clear on that from the beginning - I could care less - one less place to collect lint. You will need to ask if belly button resonstruction is part of the deal or not. To my way of thinking it either needs to be recreated or taken away, because the procedure itself will move it way off course (at least the way it was done for me). My incision runs from hip to hip and goes up and around my pubic area, so my scar actually runs pretty much in the area where my belly button would have been. You should ask your ps though because my experience may be different from the general population. I don't know if is the presence of the incision line or the disappearance of bulge where the hernia used to be, but I don't really notice that it isn't there anymore. Jacquie

Hi Sue I had a panniculectomy as part of a larger surgical procedure in September and am very happy with the results. Do I have a great body - nope, but it is a great improvement over the hanging belly skin. I no longer have to tuck in my skin into my pants and my pants look really great (I no longer look for longer tops to cover my belly). When I wear my "skinny" pants, I actually have people comment on how "tiny" I am - you can see from my weight that I am far from tiny, but my bottom tummy is very flat :wink: From my results, I would have to say look at your body in a mirror and imagine that the hanging pannus at the bottom of your abdomen is gone. Then look at your mid section and mid belly and imagine that it is still there. That is what your results will likely look like. The panni basically pulls down the excess skin at the very bottom of your abdomen and lops it off - it will not impact your mid section. I still have a pretty significant "roll" in my mid section - I had it before the surgery too - my ps says it isn't really a lot of excess skin and fat, but rather my abdominal muscles have been stretched out and I would have to have major abdominal reconstruction in order to change it. Who knows - I am not convinced that a full abdominoplasty would have totally fixed the shape. I can live with the roll. I was square through the body before the surgery - still am. At the end of the day, you need to realize that a panni won't change the over all shape of your body, but it can really improve your body and how your wear clothes. Is that enough for you? I think that many of the people whose pics you have seen would say - you should have seen what I looked like before - it is a huge improvement and I wouldn't trade these results for the $12 to $20 k for a full abdominoplasty. Good luck to you!!

Marmar, I loved Julie's response. I have lost about 245 pounds from "my thought to be heaviest" of 409 pounds. I was fortunate that I was able to access a panniculectomy at no cost to myself, and although I know it isn't the same results as a tt, I don't regret it for a second and would do it over again. I suspect that from the pictures I have seen, the major difference for me is that I still have kind of "roll" in my mid section. I am still pretty square though the body, but then I always was. I also think I had lots of abdominal damage due to years of huge excess weight and other health issues that would necessitate major abdominal reconstruction to correct. I do think a panni or a tt is probably the most necessary procedure after weight loss, and not just for cosmetic reasons. Often people can get a panni covered, for health reason, while a tt isn't covered by most insurance as it is considered cosmetic. I have excess skin everywhere - at this point, what I would consider necessary is what the public sees - I am pretty firm on wanting brachioplasty as my arms are horrible and I am terribly self conscious about them. I would much rather have the huge scar than the bat wings. If I can access a breast lift at the same time, great, but I also realize that a good bra does ok for that (and yes my breasts hang low - very very low - so low that I am not convinced that they could even be fixed). I can live with the skin on my back side (after all I don't see it behind me and good clothing covers and lifts), I would like to get my thighs done, but that is a like rather than a must. Focus on weight loss now - starting putting aside some $ for plastic surgery, so that can be a goal for yourself, but don't focus on it. I would rather keep all the extra skin and be healthy than spend my time and energy worrying about ps and if and how I could afford (or not afford) getting things fixed. I think focusing on what your body will look like after weight loss can actually be an influence that you can use to sabotage your success. I think I look pretty darn good (with clothes on :cursing:). I have a photo album posted here - all those pictures are taken without any ps. If I could never have anything done, I would still consider this journey a huge success and worth it, in every way, extra skin and all. Good luck!!!!

Thanks for posting Renewed. It was great to hear an update and I needed to hear your positive messages. I too have been stuggling a bit. December was difficult in that I hit goal (160) for about 1 day and then my weight has been bouncing between 163 and 169 since then (literally bouncing - one day I will be 163 and then 2 days later I will be 168, etc). I had a bit of a disaterous fill in December (should have left well enough alone), so ended up getting a bit of a de-fill. Now I don't feel any restriction and I seem to have the by-product of never feeling full either. I kind of liken it to the ship in the bottle - once food gets past my band, if I don't have restriction, I also don't get the full feeling either. I have been working pretty hard at exercising, but my diet has just been ok - not great, which for me means not losing weight, and apparently bouncing around on the scales. I don't dare get a fill right now as you may remember that I had a panniculectomy in September of 08. In December I developed a small hole in my abdominal incision (about the size of my pinky finger nail) and a rather large "cavern" of space underneath it. After 2 months it isn't getting better (I pack it and dress it every day), so I am now booked for exploratory abdominal surgery on February 18 to see if the ps can figure out what is going on and fix it. On the good news note, I am trying to convince him to do a mons lift at the same time (he is reluctant, but I am persistant :cursing:), since he is going to be cutting me open in the right area. He has told me that it will be under general anasthesia and I will have about a 4-6 inch cut. He has said it may be day surgery, but count on being in hospital overnight, and if he decides to use a wound vac on me (been there and done that before), I may be in hospital for up to a week. Bummer. I appreciate hearing from you and the others posting here, that we all seem to struggle with the same issues (ok maybe not the ps stuff although Shalee can relate I am sure). It is good to know that I am not the only one who is frustrated by my lack of motivation and my eating issues that still continue despite all my success. It is also good to know that we can get back on track. Good luck everyone!!!! Jacquie

Jfran you look terrific. What a great achievement and what a reward to yourself to get your outside you to match the inside :wink2:. Keep us posted!!

Shalee I echo Karey - you look fantastic. I know you've had a tough haul - but WOW!!!!! As great as you look now, you will be more and more pleased with the results over the next several months, so chin up girl. Go and strut that new fab body now that you are cleared for activity. Just so you don't think you are the only one - I (three months after ps) have opened up a small part of my incision (about the size of a quarter) in what looks to be the same spot as you. It happens - nothing you can do, but pack and cover!!! Merry Christmas!!! Jacquie

Hi Becky I recently had a panniculectomy as part of a 4 part major surgery. You can read about in the thread "in a bit of a panic..." in this forum. Since I had major abdominal surgery (bowel resection, hernia repair and ileostomy reversal), I am not sure what is related only to the panniculectomy. Here are some of the things you may see (you really need to talk to your ps because there are lots of different opinions/ experienceds): 1. You will likely have drains (2 or 3) after the surgery. Not difficult to take care of, but annoying. I have ongoing issues with Fluid collection along the scar line. My ps says when people have this issue, it can be long lasting. I had drains for almost 6 weeks and still go in on a weekly basis to get the fluid drained out with a big needle. I wasn't allowed to shower while I had drains, but others have been permitted, so you need to ask. 2. If you are having a panni only, I don't think you will have muscle repair (you need to ask your ps). If I am correct, they will basically take the skin and fat from your lower abdomen and "lop" it off. You will have a scar from the back of one hip to the other (lower abdomen, above the genitals), but the pain is actually not bad, since the worst pain is when they cut thru muscle and that has to heal layer by layer. You will likely be numb along the surgery line for a long time, maybe forever (I am still numb 8 weeks later) 3. I had 45 staples - don't know if your ps uses staples or not - you will have to ask. I had 1/2 the staples removed about 10 days in and the other half about another 10 days in (I think I had them for a very long time though - they did all my procedures from the same incision) 4. If you don't have muscle repair, I am not sure of recovery, but with many ps you are very restricted in your activities for 4-6 weeks. In fact you may be told to do very little in terms of activity for the first week or so (kind of the opposite of most surgeries where they want you up and about as much as possible). Expect lots of swelling, which will take months and months to go down. Again, the pain shouldn't be that bad, but you may need help because of the limitations your surgeon puts on you. 5. You may need to wear a compression garment, basically 24/7. You need to check this out and get it ahead of time - get 2 as you will want to be able to wash one and wear one. Buy a bed wedge, so you can be propped up in bed - you will likely want to sleep on your back for a while and being propped up is easier on your back and makes it easier to get out of bed. 6. In terms of outcomes - do not expect the gorgeous pictures that you see on this website. With a panni - it is really not a cosmetic procedure per say. What will be gone is the skin and fat at the base of your abdomen (which is WONDERFUL), but your mid section will not change - you will still be caring the extra skin around your waist and top of belly area (they don't usually do lipo with a panni). Also be prepared to have very large genitals at the end, if they don't do a mons lift (which I am pretty sure is not part of a panni - you should ask). I had never seen my genitals (always covered by skin and fat) and I am not impressed by what they look like now. I have a flat abdomen, but my genitals are all puffy and fat. From what I can see, your genitals stay fat, even when you have lost weight (or maybe it is just me). I think my ps is planning to do something about it, but he won't talk about it until the rest of my complications resolve. You should read through the threads here to get an idea of other's experiences. Most on this forum have a full tt, but you will get the idea of what to expect, as the surgery is basically the same, but a tt involves muscle repair and sometimes lipo. A panni is an easier procedure, but the scar is the same. Make sure you bring a list of questions to your ps and get them answered before the surgery, as you will be hopped up on drugs and may not be too bright after the procudure . Your best bet is to be ultra prepared before, so you aren't scrambling after. If you have the choice of staying in hospital overnight, I would recommend it, as the hardest thing is getting in and out of bed initially and at least in a hospital bed you can use the controls to help you. Good luck with your surgery!! Listen to your ps and follow his/her direction and you will be fine.

I have never let the band do the work for me and "be my guide". The biggest transformation for me has been my ability to become conscious of myself and my body and what I was doing obliviously to it in the past. What the band does for me is it controls the ravenous hunger that I seemed to have 100 % of the time before. I still experience head hunger, but actual stomach hunger is very controlled. In the 13 months since being banded, I have totally changed the way I eat. I eat all foods and all food groups, but when I am trying to lose weight, I still consciously measure portions of higher calorie and fat items and count calories so I can remain on top of what is going on. I also still document what I eat every single day in a little notebook, to keep myself honest to me. I don't measure vegetables and fruit, although I do document them and I count the sauces that I may use to flavor them. I am still trying to figure out what my final weight should/ can be, but I am thinking that I will never be able to eat much more than 1500 calories on an average day in order to maintain my weight. The more I exercise, the more I will be able to eat. If I just let my band be my guide, I find that I can "guide" my band (even if it is unconsciously) to eat more and more of the easy to eat foods. I still find my "problem" foods (sweets and fats) slide right on through and unfortunately I have not lost the taste for them either. What I have done is learn to control my portion sizes, so I can "have my cake and eat it too" . This is my journey and the band is just a tool to help me. It isn't the boss - I am. Good luck in your own journey.