mb20mom

So I had my panniculectomy surgery on June 7, so I am appox. 4 weeks post op right now and could not be happier...the entire surgery procedure was so smooth. I woke up feeling great, didn't even have a bruise on my hand from the IV, and was home recovering by 1pm that same day. Total skin and fat removed was 5.5 lbs! Pain was minimal. I had 2 drains and an automatic internal pain pump. Swelling scared me a bit, but at week 3 when it started going down I was very pleased with the final result. The drains were a pain, literally. I went back after week one to have them removed and surgeon decided to keep them in another week for swelling to subside more. I wanted to kill him and week two sucked but at least I was able to shower. Maneuvering around with those drains was so frustrating. Now I'm back to work. Still need to wear compression garment for a few more weeks until final swelling is gone. I feel like a new person. I keep looking down and can't believe it's gone. My pants are flat in the front! I still get surprised everytime I look at my stomach. It was so worth it and can't believe it was free (covered by Kaiser!). I don't know if I had a great surgeon or what, but the result is almost as good as a tummy tuck. I expected a lot more fat to be left at the top. There is some, but not an over-hang. I was also surprised how tightly it was lifted from the bottom up! I'm extremely happy to finally be flat! Dream come true!

Well, I know it's been awhile, but I just had my 6 month follow-up appt. with the surgeon for my panni surgery. I have a date!! I'm sooooo excited. It's been so long that it's reminding me of the long journey leading up to my sleeve surgery. So just 6 weeks from now I will have this fatty apron of skin removed from my stomach for FREEEEEEE. I've wanted this thing gone for so long. I'm very excited.

When I went through Options over 2 years ago it was 6 months long and you couldn't miss a single class! Funny that they still require you to lose the 10% of your weight in half the time...good luck to all of you. Kaiser has a great program, it just takes a long time, but in the end, that's good because you will be better prepared for the surgery.

I'm now two years out and have lost 100 lbs. While I don't think the stomach stretches much this long after surgery, I do think we are able to eat more than the first year. But I believe part of that is that we know our limits much better now. In the beginning we are afraid to push it, so we stop at the first sign of fullness. At two years out, I know when I can handle a few more bites. As far as maintenance, that is one of the joys of this surgery. While we can certainly gain weight if we eat all the wrong foods, if we eat sensibly, the weight is not coming back. You just can't eat that big plate of Pasta or 5 slices of pizza anymore. But you can eat M&M's and ice cream to your heart's content, and that's how to put weight back on. So it's an awesome tool that I wish I got 20 years ago. DO NOT hesitate to get this surgery, but be prepared for your new life of eating. Make sure you are ready to still diet, eat Protein first, and it's not a magic fix. It still takes effort, but it makes it sooooo much easier. Most days I forget that I had it because life is just so normal now. Good luck!

I tried to like it for a long time but just couldn't stand the taste. Then I discovered that adding Stevia and SF Vanilla syrup (the Starbucks stuff) with alot of stirring make it delicious. I add oat bran and blueberries and eat it every day now. Very filling and satisfying.

Congratulations on your surgery! Hoping you're home now and feeling alright. The first week is hell, so if that's how you feel, it's normal. Our group tries to meet every other month either in Corona, Mira Loma, Rancho Cucamonga or Riverside. Watch for updates for the next meeting and hope to see you there. Peggy

I'm almost 2 years out now, and most days I don't even remember that I had the sleeve. Life is normal. I wish I did this 20 years ago. Don't let your fears prevent you from making the best decision you will ever make by getting this surgery. It will change your life. I've not met anyone that regrets it. Good luck on your journey.

At the moment I'm hooked on Stater Bros brand Mini Rice Crisps Sour Cream & Onion flavor. 70 calories but not much nutrition. Just a good alternative to potato chips and very satisfying. I've tried other rice cake Snacks like Quakes, but the Stater Bros brand is just the best.

So I attended the pre-panni class today at Fontana. Didn't learn anything that you didn't already share with us, Sophia. They said to let my PCP know that I finished the class and he would take care of notifying the surgeon's office and then they will schedule an appt.for me. Let us know how your appt. goes.

I agree. I'm sure my PCP was out of the loop on this. But OMG - I already have the class appt. next week on 9/7. Jeez I'll probably have the surgery the week after that LOL! Sounds like yours is going to be scheduled very soon. Yikes. What are we getting ourselves into?

Hey Sophia, I saw my PCP today and asked for the panni referral. He agreed but said he didn't think it would be covered! No way! I'm really hoping he is just misinformed, but said we may have to really play it up that I have rashes and problems or they may not cover it. I told him I'd heard the exact opposit and even shared your story about getting right thru, so I don't know now. But that was this morning and I already had a phone message from Fontana that they received my referral and were calling to make an appt. with me...ha ha ha! Can that go any faster???? I assume this will be for a class like you went to. I'll keep you posted. I wanted to ask you if your surgery would be at Ontario or Fontana?

I'ts been so long I can hardly remember, but it was a grueling wait, waiting for the surgeon's office to call. I had my surgery at Harbor City, but I was offered West LA right away because there was no wait. Since I wanted a certain surgeon, I was willing to wait for him. I think it was almost 3 months between options and surgery. It will seem like an eternity but please be grateful that you have this opportunity to continue dieting before surgery because you will be so "ready" when it's finally time. Some people are self pay and rush right through to surgery and struggle. Kaiser patients are fortunate that Options makes you wait and be prepared for it. Good luck to you!

Here are the things I wish I knew beforehand: You WILL regret it immediately after and maybe for 2 or 3 days after surgery. This is NORMAL. I was crying when I woke up from surgery and thought I'd made a big mistake. It didn't last though and I realized almost everyone goes through this. It is the best thing I've EVER done for myself and I have no regrets! Your hunger might not go away, as I was hoping it would. This was one of my main motivations for getting the surgery and I was disappointed that my hunger didn't go away like I'd heard it did for so many others. Other than that I felt very prepared because of the 6 month diet program that is required by Kaiser patients. I hear of many that don't "gear up" enough to make this a lifestyle change and it's hard for them to cope with the new way of eating after surgery. Good luck and good of you to learn all you can.

You look so great - congratulations! You're fortunate to not have any loose skin on your stomach. You look like you've been fit your whole life. My surgery was 18 mos ago and I'm still struggling to get into the 150's, so you are an inspiration to keep going. Thanks for sharing and giving us the update.

OMG OMG and you'll probably get a call from Kaiser saying they can fit you in earlier! ha ha. I don't blame you one bit for being nervous. I'm 75% sure I'll get it done also, but nervous that I'll have no lower stomach but a flabby part left on top. Did it sound like they pull the upper part down at all or just cut the overhang off and sew you up?? I mean staple you back together....eeeewwww. See you on the 13th at the park, right?

When I hit a size 12 I was so excited. It seemed like for the first time I hit a "normal" or "average" size. But then it seemed like just a week later I was in a 10! Go figure. I was sure it was a fluke so I had to keep trying different stores and brands to believe I was really a 10. Now, being able to pick up something at Costco off the table and not even try it on, is so odd to me. I used to really regret that I couldn't even look at that stuff before, being a size 22. They say it takes 10 lbs to go down a size. This was not so true at plus sizes, but now I can see it. It's motivating to think that if I lose 10 lbs I'll be in a size 8. What? That's crazy talk...but I'm trying!

Wow, that's very interesting about the cosmetic surgery they offer at Sunset...and that we could have a credit applied for the cost of the panni to get a real tummy tuck? That's very cool! Did you see breast augmentation on that list too? If only I could get Kaiser to say there's something wrong with mine so they would give me credit for that too ha ha! Thanks so much for the info. I will most likely be getting the panni done too. My doc already said they'd okay it, I'm just scared and should really lose another 15-20lbs first anyway. I will be watching your progress very closely so please keep us informed.

[quote name='natashad' timestamp='1311205633' post='182281'I have a question for both of you, if you don't mind, what was you relationship with food pre-op verses now? I am trying to do some soul searching to analyze my battle with food. Thanks again. Before the surgery I thought about food all the time, from the moment my feet hit the floor in the morning. I ate only for taste and satisfaction. Now I eat for fuel and nutrition but I can still indulge and enjoy it. I still enjoy food but it's somehow just lost it's importance. Now I think about cute clothes instead. Hard to explain, but for once I feel like this might be how normal folks live.

Yay for new surgeries! I remember how excited I was to get that close to it, so congratulations and good luck on your journey! You're almost there.

Hello there - I know it's probably irrelevant since you don't have Kaiser, but I had my surgery in Harbor City by Dr. Zane. So glad you found out about the sleeve before having the band. Same thing happened for me. Many people think a required 6 month diet is silly, but I had to do it too, and I am very thankful I had all that time to prepare, so consider yourself lucky. You have the rest of your life to live with the sleeve, so you really need to be ready. Although now, at over 1 year out, I forget I even had it. Eating is just normal now and I guess I'm used to it. Good luck on your journey!

Wow, thanks so much for all that information. You must be so happy to have all that hanging skin gone. Keep us posted on your healing progress!

OMG! Funny that our sleeve surgeries didn't go that smoothly. At least go to the class and learn about it. That's great that they offer that. Did they say where the surgeries for this are performed? I know there's a nice Kaiser surgery center in Ontario.