I had my PS consult last Wednesday!!!

I am so excited, yet so nervous and anxious. I was fine until after I met with the surgeon. He told me that my insurance covers the panni and that he didn't even need documentation that I have been having yeast infections, they are the easiest around to get approval. What a relief. However, they do not cover the "girls" or thighs, so if I want anything else done, I have to pay out of pocket. WELL...from top to bottom, he doesn't recommend implants because they are foreign objects and you never know what can happen down the road, so if I am happy with just a lift (mastoplexy) and using the tissue he can salvage from what I have, he can do that. I will probably be a B-cup after that. I wanted fuller, but also understand about not wanting something foreign I might have to have removed or whatever down the road. PLUS...it is an add'l cost. I still haven't ruled out implants. Next he wants to do an abdominal restructuring and make an incision vertically down my stomach to remove the excess skin over my belly button, tighten up my waist and tighten up my abdominal muscles. This is an add'l cost, but it a MAJOR problem area for me and I definately want it done. NEED IT DONE to make me feel better about myself. Then, the panni, which is covered by insurance. That will help out with the excess rolls in my pubic area, too. I'm looking forward to getting all of that area done. Finally, I have a lot of excess skin in my inner thighs. He recommended two different procedures and said I couldn't go wrong with either one. One is to put the incision in my bikini line at the top of my inner thights and lift and tighten that up. The other would be an incision that runs down my inner thigh and would remove more of the excess skin. I am so torn about which one to chose. I am afraid that if I don't get all of the excess skin removed from my thighs that I still won't be happy and that even if my waist is small and I can fit into smaller clothes, I really won't fit into them because my thighs will be too big to fit into the smaller sizes. Right now my size 10/12's are really tight in the thighs and if I get into a size 8 after my TT, will I be able to wear them without having the bulk removed from my thighs? What would you do? I'm so torn. I would rather have the scar hidden, but can I deal with a scar on the inside of my thigh that will only be visible when I wear a bathing suit for however many days out of the year that is? Will the scar fade enough that it won't matter? What to do? What to do? Soooooo....the out of pocket costs for the add'l surgeries is $13K. Hubby and I are considering every option we can to pay for everything I want to have done. OH...I also got an employee discount because I work for the hospital system, so I got 10% off. WOO HOO!!!! I told hubby it is the price of a new car, but he said it is a new body that will last longer than a car. What a sweet and supportive hubby. I scheduled the surgery (which all will be done at the same time) for Monday, November 12th. My surgeon said he wanted to wait until I was atleast a year out from my WLS, so that was the first available date after my 1 yr mark. If we can come up with the funds, I will be having my surgery in 3 months. I want to get to my goal by that day, which, as of this morning I am only 5 pounds away from. YAY!!! So, that's it in a nutshell. What do you think? What would you do? What about the "girls"? I need help from my "October Sistas"!!! Hugs, Tabby

Hi Tabby! I have my consults scheduled for September and October. (I still have a few pesky pounds I am trying to lose, and I am making a conscious effort to exercise more to get a bit of muscle tone into my legs and heinie prior to the consults.) I am going to interview three docs to see which one I want to hire for this major overhaul. I am hoping for an anchor-cut abdominoplasty for my abs. After being morbidly obese AND having babies that were 10 1/2 pounds, my abs just won't come back without some help. I am also going to have the thighs done at some time in the future, with the hip to knee vertical incision. My upper arms are also an issue. The loose hangy skin will NOT ever tighten up on it's own, and it prevents me from buying the right size clothes. I have to buy bigger clothes to cram in all that extra skin.... It is SO staggeringly expensive that I am still in the investigative phases. I'll be interested in what you decide to do, and how it all turns out!

Hi, Evelyn. Good luck with your upcoming consults. I still have a few pounds to get to my ultimate goal, but I am close enough that I am not worried about it. As of this morning I am now FOUR pounds from my goal. I never thought I could get this close. My upper arms are kind of bad, too, but not enough that I am wanting the surgery on them right now. I was shocked by the out of pocket expense. I was thinking like $4-$6K AFTER my insurance picked up the panni. So, the $13K almost knocked me out. DH saying we will find a way to pay for it was even more shocking, but he sees how unhappy I am with my body after losing almost 120 lbs. I am also hoping to tone up some in the next couple of months, too. I need to get on our exercise machine. It's downstairs, but not getting used. Maybe this afternoon. Hee Hee. I'll let you guys know what I decided to do and how I am going to pay for it. Hugs, Tabby

I am so jealous and happy for you!! Our insurance will only pay for the panny removal and a lift. Nipples have to be at least 22 cms from the collar bone to the nipple but you have to have enough tissue left to make a boob out of when you are done. So am not sure how that will work out. I don't have any consults as of yet because many doc's won't accept the amout the government will pay. Wish me luck! Tara

I'm pretty excited AND nervous. I asked about if insurance ever covers the girls and my surgeon said it wouldn't be covered. I might have to measure how low mine are hanging and check with my insurance company. That would be nice to have that covered. I was even kind of hoping he found a hernia, so that maybe the vertical incision would be covered some. Hee Hee. Aren't we bad? Hoping for REALLY saggy tits, hernias and yeast infections. Too funny!!! I wish you luck in getting some coverage and some work done. Hugs, Tabby

That is great! I am happy for you! I know you have really been wanting this so it looks like you are finally reaching your goal!! CONGRATS!! *huggles* Felicia =0)

Thank you. I have really been wanting this for a long time. I am so close to my goal I can taste it. Hee Hee. Hugs, Tabby

Congratulations Tabby! I am one week out from my TT & BL/BA. The tummy tuck did more than I expected. I have just one hip to hip lateral incision. The skin was pulled down (with some lipo to my flanks and mons area & sewing together the abdominal muscles) cut off and stitched. This resulted in a very nice thigh lift. I didn't even expect that. I still have some sagging and wrinkles but nothing I can't live with. For me, the sagging is better than the scars. The breast lift and augmentation was more important to me than thighs or arms and they turned out great. If I were faced with choosing surgeries...first choice would be the TT, then the BL, then face lift/nose job (I'm 48 and the face is starting to show it) then thighs/arms. I know you will make the right decision for you. You will be thrilled with the results. Blessings, Annette

WOW, Annette!!! That is so awesome. Glad you are pleased with your results. I didn't realize that you were getting work done. How did I miss that? That is great. Now, with your BL/BA, what did you go to? I am REALLY starting to wonder about my decision on the girls. I haven't made a decision yet, but I am really thinking if I am paying for it and already going under the knife, I need to get what I want, not what I will be "OK" with. I have caught myself looking at almost every chest of each girl that walks past me. "I want those..." "I wouldn't be happy with those..." "Are those REAL?" I just don't know what to do. How did you make your decision. It would have been easier if the surgeon hadn't told me he didn't recommend the implants. I went in with the thought of getting them done and then waivered. I need to stick to my gut feeling. How are you feeling? HOw is the recovery going? Keep us posted. Hugs, Tabby

My recovery is going great. My PS is awesome - by the time the swelling is gone and everthing settles I should be back where I started at a full C (sometimes D - depending on brand) I just won't have to pincurl them up. At first I just wanted the lift without the implants. But the PS explained that first, they would be smaller due to the tissue/skin removal required for the lift and second, no matter how much they are lifted, there would not be fullness in the upper part of the breast. That can only be accomplished with implants. She allowed me to select between saline and silicone and we discussed size, body proportions and my desired outcome. In the end I selected silicone (actually my husband selected - he liked the feel of them and they do seem to be "sturdier") and told her I wanted to be a "C" since I am so tall and have very broad shoulders. So far, I am thrilled with the result. They are not so big that they look unnatural. For me the girls took priority over thighs. I don't wear shorts that much. When I wear dresses I wear pantyhose that get rid of the sagging thighs. But I have always worn V-neck styles and needed the volume I was used to to make my clothes fit the way I like. You know, it is perfectly okay to shop for a PS. Doctors are after all YOUR employee. You do the hiring and the firing. My PS came highly recommended by the gals on my OH Indiana site. You might try asking some gals in your home state for their recommendations. Best wishes, Annette