Plastic Surgery After Lapband

[vonhelzing 3]

i'm with ya on the no will power. love me some choclate. my neighbor and i did start walking this week so hopefully i will keep at it. i'll bike more when the weather changes. Throwing out the popper is a big step. i'll take baby steps for now and only get it out during movie night.

[luvmy2dogs 2]

haha! Great start!

[vickieolv 2]

my insurance is covering my surgery,because it is medically neccesary,i.e. rashes or sores under belly

how many times did you half to go see the dr, so the ins would cover it

[vonhelzing 3]

vickieolv-I was self pay but only saw the dr once for the consultation and then not again until surgery.

[vickieolv 2]

oh OK thanks, i was considering trying to go the ins way, but the more I look into it I'm going to go the self pay way and get what I want.

[luvmy2dogs 2]

Both surgeons I saw said no insurance coverage. I guess you really have to have substantial skin issues, sores, etc.. to get them to cover it, and then they will only cover certain things, like maybe just top skin on the stomach, etc... I have to go self pay as well.

[vickieolv 2]

I'm going in the route of a abdominoplasty. I'm in the search of a plastic surgeon at the moment. After you got to your goal weight, how long did you wait to have plastic surgery

[luvmy2dogs 2]

Hi, not completely to goal weight. I'm thinking ps may get me to it, but I may never get there, who knows. I'm happy with where I am, but it's not quite what the charts say I should be. lol I'm almost 4 years out and I lost most of my weight in the first year. I've been contemplating plastic surgery for the last year and a half ,but kept putting it off because I was scared. I'm just going to bite the bullet and do it, and hopefully I don't "bite the bullet" lol They say you should be within 10 lbs of your goal weight before considering ps, and also that you should have not gained or lost weight for about a year. They basically want your weight stable. Mine has been stable for almost 3 yrs within a couple lbs.

[vonhelzing 3]

^{i waited a little over a year from my band date. i also lost most of my weight in the first year. my goal is 150 but the lowest i can get is 155. once i have my thigh lift, i will make it.}

[luvmy2dogs 2]

I can't seem to get under 162. I fluctuate bet 162 and 164. Ughhh, 155 is great! I would love to be there. :-)

[vonhelzing 3]

thanks. you'll get there, your so close. i know in my mind, there is a huge difference between 161 and 159

[oldiebutgoodie2 11]

Update on "wheeling and dealing" for the best price for plastic surgery:

I got two quotes from N. Calif. plastic surgeons for a tunny tuck/liposuction, both giving me quotes of $9000.

I then got a quote from a S. Calif. plastic surgeon of $5400 (I just got my arm reduction surgery done last month by this surgeon at a significant savings, too).

So I went back to the two N. Calif plastic surgeons and asked if they could match the SCal price quote for the tummy tuck/liposuction, as I would rather be closer to home for the surgery recovery (I live in N. Calif). They both came down by $2000! So the cost is now $7000 instead of $9000, but still much higher than the SCal price. So off to SCal again for my next surgery (probably in June).

So I guess the point here is that since the cost is out of pocket, it IS possible to get a significant price decrease-- just ask! But it does help to get a written quote from a bonifide offer from another surgeon for them to see-- one of the N. Calif surgeons wanted me to fax them the written quote; the other did not. Just took my word for it!

Regarding my arm surgery, I just got the compression bandages--been wearing them for a few days now. Soooo much better than ace bandages! But hot tip on this one-- get a comfortable size. They measured my arms a week after surgery and I was between a med and large. So they got me a large, as they said the biggest complaint is that they are too tight. The large is still restrictive, but what great, even support! Can wear them much longer at one time than the ace bandages (up to 8 hours at a time vs. maybe 3-4 hours at a time).

[oldiebutgoodie2 11]

First of all, amazing that you run 30-40 miles a week!! I can't answer your question about resuming activity, but I did ask my plastic surgery about combining surgeries. He said he bases it on the time under sedation--he has a limit. For instance, he would do the arms and the Tummy Tuck, but not the tummy tuck and the lower face lift cause I would be under for too long. So guess it is what the surgeon is comfortable with, and you! Remember those total make-over shows a few years back when they did everything in one fell swoop?!

Additional info re aftercare after plastic surgery-- be sure to use scar reducer meds, starting about week 2 after surgery, for 2-3 months. My doctor sells Biocorneum (50 grams) for $120, but I got it on line for $80. I originally got ScarAway 7-inch silicone strips (supposedly a 3-month supply, but because of the long scars on both arms, you have to use almost 3 strips, so it is really a one-month supply). The box of strips cost $58 on line.

I like the strips cause they work so well! I noticed a significant decrease in the scars after just this first week! But the downside of the strips is that you have to gently hand wash them daily and let them air dry (each strip lasts one week). And, when wearing short sleeves, you see the strips (they look like long bandaides).

I tried the cream for the first time yesterday. The up side is that it is so easy! Just apply a light coat twice daily, let dry for about 5 minutes. But I don't know how effective it is yet. Downside (after one day's use!)-- the stitching goes all the way into my armpits. So there is some rubbing, and the cream feels a little sticky. But it warns to just put on a very thin coat, so maybe I just put on too much.

[oldiebutgoodie2 11]

Well, it has been 6 months since my arm reduction surgery, and 2 months since my Tummy Tuck. The arms were nothing regarding pain, and the tummy tuck was not painful either (where he cut and stitiched). What DID hurt a ton for over two weeks was the upper flank liposuction areas! They got very swollen and bruised, and the compression garment around my middle cut into it. Actually pretty painful. But once I got the drain out (not til day 17), I got to wear the full-body compression "suit", so the pressure was evened out, and the swelling went down quickly and thus the pain. But nontheless, I didn't need the prescription pain meds after the 5th day, and kept the pain in check with Tylinol.

Most people get their drain out between 6-10 days. So my 17 days was out of the ordinary. But I had three areas of liposuction done, and that is a lot of pushing around with that magic wand, apparently breaking little corpusels, or something! So maybe that is why my drain was needed for so long.

But bottom line is, I would do it all over again in a New York minute!!!! I L O V E my new, FLAT stomach, and my hourglass figure!!! I can't believe this oldie but goodie of 64 years is finally wearing underware that is not granny underwear for the first time in my life!

[sews4fun 53]

AWESOME!!!!! CONGRATS!!!