My Panniculectomy Experience

[sasicas 194]

I am 4 weeks out from an insurance approved Panni. I have a 12 inch cut across my stomach and 4 inches up the middle. I will likely need one slight repair in a few months. The very top of the incision up the middle has tucked in, so when I sit up it looks like I have two belly buttons. Creepy. My actual belly button is healing nicely, thank goodness because I have heard of many that had theirs die off. ICK!

SO my long experience (and I really need to make a new update video on youtube). Went in for surgery expecting just the side to side incision but my surgeon warned me that I might need the cut up the middle. Once they got me prepped and started to cut they realized that I needed the middle cut to prevent the "dog ears" on my hips. I was told they basically cut along my ribcage and removed all the skin below it, pulled in and down. I had stretch marks ALL over and very high up so I still have stretch marks but now they point inwards towards the middle incision. Sounds weird, right? I had 3 c-sections prior and that incision is gone.

After surgery I remember waking up in a lot of pain in the OR, I was told I might remember it because they bring those with reflux and those with sleep apnea (I have both) out of the sleep to make sure we get to breathing on our own again. Then I was out again and woke up in recovery in pain, more drugs were given and next thing ya know I was in my room and don't remember getting there. ha. I had a morphine drip and just hit the button anytime the pain hit. Later in the day I got up and got moving. I did this on my own and if you have had a c-section, this surgery is LESS pain, a lot less. So I walked as much as I could handle. My sleeve gets very cranky if I don't eat so the dizziness kicked in and my BP plummeted. So they wouldn't let me eat or drink. Boy was I mad at only being allowed ice chips. Labs were drawn and I was only allowed to get up if I had someone with me because the BP was so low they thought I would fall (I was running 60-70/30-40, normal is 120/70 for me). I kept telling them I just needed to eat but at that point the labs came back and my blood count was low so they were concerned I was internally bleeding so no food or drink still.

I slept horribly, because as you know, nurses like to bug you every 2 seconds, and it's a million times worse when you are in a room with FOUR people in it. And because my bp was so low, they kept coming in to check it. Lame. So labs were drawn again at 4 am because they are butts like that. Docs rounded and I got to see my icky looking incision and said my blood count was lower again. And bp was still low because hello, I NEEDED TO EAT. I kept getting up and walking as much as they would let me. Labs drawn again. This time they were stable so they FINALLY let me eat and drink. And guess what, my bp started to come up. So I was allowed to walk alone and finally go get whatever I wanted out of hte snack room ha. Normally people go home the next day but not me. I stayed another night to be pestered.

The next morning more labs were drawn and magnesium was low and let me tell ya, if you haven't had that lovely little drip, it BURNS like crazy, even when they run the saline stuff through it too. Unfortunately for me, my IV was in the side of my wrist so if I moved my wrist it burned a bajillion times worse. Finally I got the go ahead to go home. Thankfully my doctors are pretty cautious with me considering the past complications and hospital stays I have had. SO as annoying as it was, they were right to keep me.

I was doing great, felt fine, got around fine. Of course I had to take pain meds but if I stayed on those I was fine, I took a lower dose of Percoset than what was suggested because I really felt ok. I had two drains, probably an inch below my side to side incision. Apparently they normally get you in 1 week out to get them out. Uh yeah. Whoever scheduled me, did so scheduled me 11 days post op. Day 7 I had the worst Migraine ever. I took my normal dose of meds PLUS the rescue does which I have only had to do one other time. It got worse, hubs took me to the ER and it took 2 IV meds and a shot in the butt to get it under control. Day 9 post op I was feeling sluggish and pain was setting in more than before and swelling increased. I drugged up and took a nap. Work up with a 101 fever and just feeling like crap. We decided to wait it out til the morning because another dose of Percoset brought it down some. Fluid from the drains increased too.

So in the AM I called the docs. I was told to come in. My doctor who had left for a family emergency the day before I was discharged was not happy that my drain removal was pushed so far out. He decided to go ahead and pull one drain and see if it was just my body being angry over the drains. That night I felt worse and worse. The next morning they called to check on me and see if hte pain and fevers were gone, nope it was worse. So they said to get in there. I went to take a shower while I waited for hubs to get home and when I took my binder off I noticed the drain site they had pulled the day prior was VERY red, swollen and lots of icky stuff was draining from it. I get there, have labs drawn, then the cultured the drain site (OW! They stuck a q tip thingy in there) and took the fluid from the drain I still had. They decided it was probably Cellulitis and sent me for a CT and hubs off to get antibiotics and more pain meds. CT showed a small pocket of fluid but they were not too concerned over it.

Over the weekend I was feeling better, fever was gone but still pain was worse than it was right after surgery. Monday came and I went back in and had the other drain pulled and lots of icky fluid leaked from that for a 5 or 6 days. Found out I had a resistant Staph infection. New antiobiotics were ordered and I was sent on my way. Felt a lot better each day but still had to take pain meds.

I just went in again a few days ago, the redness is gone but things are looking good. I have a pocket of fluid above the middle incision that we are watching to see if it is anything. Praying it's not because I have my makeover coming up in a few weeks. I have to wear my binder until Friday and I can finally take it off! YAY. It's annoying only being able to take it off for showers. I'm getting around fine, energy is still low because those staph infections take a lot out of you, a lot more than I expected, so my body is still working to catch up to where I was. I have a lot of swelling but it's not horrible. My natural waist is still 1 inch wider than it was preop and my waist is still the size it was with the fat gut too but it takes awhile for that to go away anyways. At least I'm still in the same size I was before instead of having to go up a size for swelling. ha. Wearing jeans is a pain in the butt too because they hit at my incision and push into the binder and it's just uncomfortable.

SO, that has been my experience so far and yes I would do it again,e ven with the infection.

[4ALongerLife 329]

Good lord girl.... God bless you, you have been through a lot... but still going. You rock!

[sasicas 194]

Thanks! Clearly I am very stubborn and my body does not believe in following the rules

[Seannie 42]

Love, Love, Love your honesty! Great reading! and more importantly Congratulations on reaching your goal and then surpassing it! Way to go my dear... way to freakin go!! I started off at a similar weight to you, and my personal goal is also close .. about 135. I already know that

I'm going to need a Tummy Tuck because after the weight loss (and FOUR c-sections) my stomach

looks and feels like crap! If you don't mind my asking, was your VSG covered by your insurance and is that how you were able to get a panni surgery? or were you self pay?

My insurance didn't cover my VSG so I took my happy butt to Mexico and paid for it myself! I doubt my insurance company will pay for a panni surgery, but you never know!

Just curious..

[Georgia 2,908]

How much weight did u lose?

[2bsmallagain 156]

I am waiting patiently lol for your next youtube video. I am so excited for you about your trip and so sorry about all your complications. You look great!

[sasicas 194]

I am waiting patiently lol for your next youtube video. I am so excited for you about your trip and so sorry about all your complications. You look great!

Hehe, I will make it in a few hours, I'm off to our Church to get some work done

How much weight did u lose?

Total weight loss 119 lbs, from the panni they took off 2.2 lbs but I lost another 2 lbs on top of that.

Love, Love, Love your honesty! Great reading! and more importantly Congratulations on reaching your goal and then surpassing it! Way to go my dear... way to freakin go!! I started off at a similar weight to you, and my personal goal is also close .. about 135. I already know that

I'm going to need a Tummy Tuck because after the weight loss (and FOUR c-sections) my stomach

looks and feels like crap! If you don't mind my asking, was your VSG covered by your insurance and is that how you were able to get a panni surgery? or were you self pay?

My insurance didn't cover my VSG so I took my happy butt to Mexico and paid for it myself! I doubt my insurance company will pay for a panni surgery, but you never know!

Just curious..

Well long story short, I was approved for a panni long before considering WLS because of my stomach hang over and I made sure over the years to have issues with the skin documented. Had WLS, went to plastics and was told by a new doc that I wouldn't be covered (the new doc is a jerk, I was warned about him). So I went back to my general surgeon that did my sleeve and he got it approved. My WLS was fully covered as well.

[Lee 19]

Congratulations. I'm sorry you've had such a rough time of it. I know that every doctor is different. My plastic surgeon kept me in my full body (calf to elbow) binders 24/7 for six weeks. Please remember that you can put your binder back on if you start to swell.

I'm glad they got your infection under control!

[coops 1,790]

Wow, thank you for your honesty in this post... it is really relevant to me at the moment cos I am seriously considering a TT and I've just started looking at prices and how to afford it - I think, if hubby agrees, it might be a loan. My sleeve surgeon does a TT, so at my 2 year appointment in July I will ask him for more information.

Even through the infection and issues you have faced, your post feels very positive and I remember reading about this when you first started considering it. I am glad that you've went ahead and had it done as you sound more than happy with your decision... good on you!

Do you know feel that your weight loss journey is 'complete'? Keep us updated on the whole recovery time... =]

[Catracks 865]

I will need a panni and maybe a tuck. I have lost half my weight and I have some serious skin baggage already. How much does it have to hang to get insurance approval. What kinds of skin issues need to be documented? -- If you don't mind me asking.

I'm still really anxious about all this.

[sasicas 194]

I do feel like I am now complete. I would like to get a boob job but after the last several surgeries I have had ending in complications, I think that is a sign that I need to stop. Unfortunately my boobs are down to a 34 A which is a huge disappointment but I guess as long as my husband is ok with it, I will adjust over time. I am glad I went through with the panni, it really was needed and I'm ok with the scars from it, which I know would bother many my age. I am definitely not trying to lose weight still. I'm struggling to stop the weight loss, I officially hit half my starting weight this morning, something I thought impossible.

Documentation wise, I had to have proof of rashes or other irritation, back pain, and mental distress over it.