plastics

 Has anyone had plastics post WLS in Alberta?
If so:
Who did you see?
What did you have done?
How much did it cost?
How much was covered by AB healthcare or insurance?

I know it's not going to be cheap so I figured if I had a ball park figure I could start saving up now...

Most people at the Weightwise clinic in Edmonton are being referred to dr. Toy.   A few are seeing dr. davey for their panniculectomy surgery.

It is my understanding that Panniculectomy surgery is covered by health care and anything else is not.

I have heard that if you need a few things done you're looking at around $8000- 10K ish.  If you're looking at at legs, arms, tummy tuck and a few other tweaks...I think you'd be safe in saving more like 12-15K.

d

hi there,

I had my WLS with Dr. Birch in April of 2010.  In April of 2011 I was referred to Dr. Toy, at the Weight Wise Clinic they said Dr. Davey only did Panniculectomies and if I wanted other stuff done then Dr. Toy was my man so I went with him.  I had my first consult with him near the beginning of June.

I had my Fleur-De-Lis Abdominoplasty on August 18, I probably could have had it sooner if I could have taken a cancellation but I chose the 18th to be a good date.  AHC paid for the Panniculectomy part of my abdominoplasty, so therefore they paid for my OR time in the hospital, my overnight stay, my home care afterward, and the anaesthesiologist/nurses for the operation.  What I paid for was everything above the belly button, plus lipo, muscle repair and monsplasty.  My cost was $6500 plus tax.  This includes everything such as binders, drains, post-op appointments etc.

So far my recovery has been ok.  The first few nights were torture and I have since developed a seroma which we are trying to fix without aspirating it.  I have a further appointment with him this week to see how things are progressing.  I notice as I get up and do more I start to swell more and my drains produce more as well.  My hubby keeps telling me not to do too much because he can see that it's causing me pain.  It's just hard to sit and do nothing.

My tummy is very flat (when it's not swollen of course!) and I'm very happy with my results.  Dr. Toy took off 5 Kg of skin and a further 1 Kg of fat with the lipo.  So all in all I lost an additional 13 lbs from my pre-op weight.  Because I am swelling and I still have my drains in I am unable to see how many sizes of pants/shirts that I have lost.  I'm excited for the first time to be able to go shopping.

I have been warned that the swelling may last up to a year, but even with the swelling I already look so much better than before surgery.  I am gaining more confidence which is priceless to me!

If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask or send me a pm.  I'm not on the computer much these days, but I do check in often.

Jill

Edited to add: Since AHC paid for part of the surgery, if any revisions are necessary then they will pay for that as well, even if the revision is to a part I paid for myself.

Hi Jill,

 I'm scheduled for my Fleur- De-Lis on Nov 21 so was happy to read a post from someone who had the same procedure.  I'm also geting my arms done at the same time & am getting so excited & nervous at the same time!  Can't wait to get rid of all this skin & quit hiding under spandex tank tops & loose cloths! lol.  I bet you are thrilled with the difference already, even with the swelling!

One thing I was wondering about was income tax, do you think we would be able to claim this as an expense?  Seems like a stupid question but when I looked on the CRA website it said cosmetic surgery may qualify as a medical expense if it is necessary for medical or reconstructive purposes.  And on the papers I got from Dr. Toy he describes the procedures as a deformity resulting from massive weight loss.  Just a shot in the dark here but was wondering what you thought?

Hope your recover is going well & that you are starting to feel like yourself again!
Take care,
Marie

Hi Marie, 

My dad is an accountant and even before I agreed to the surgery I had asked him if I was able to use this as a tax deduction and he said yes, absolutely.  I think it will make a huge difference on my taxes because I usually owe.

I was very nervous about the surgery before hand because there really isn't much information out there about this surgery.  I think the recovery is a lot more difficult than a regular panniculectomy because your incision goes up just under your breasts and from hip to hip.  It just requires a lot more down time, which I'm finding hard to just do nothing.  There is another great site that has amazing info, not sure if I'm allowed to share it on here so send me a pm and I'll send you a link to it.

Another thing I'm dealing with is a seroma just under and between my breasts because my binder doesn't go up that high (damn breasts getting in the way!!) We are trying to get creative on how to make it go down (without aspirating it with a syringe) and go out through the drains.  So far my drains will be in for 14 days, but if I'm still draining like crazy and/or my seroma hasn't gone away I will keep my drains in for yet another week.  UGH!

If you have any questions about the Fleur-de-Lis specifically I will be happy to answer them to the best of my ability.

Jill

That's good news about the tax deduction, what would I need to send in to prove that it was medically needed? Or would just the receipt from Dr. Toy be enough? 

As for the surgery itself, I do have a few questions.  How far around your flanks did he do lipo?  How painfull is the Mons lift?  I haven't had babies so will I even need muscle repair?  I need to ask more questions when I see him again but that could be awhile as my sugery isn't till November.  Do you have a hard time standing up straight or lying down flat?  Sorry for all this, just trying to figure out what to expect!

I am getting so excited now, I keep putting on my fav jeans then lifting up all the skin to see what they will look like later.  I'd imagine they may be a bit too big but who cares! lol  Do you think you have gone down sizes?  How much weight did he take off?

Boy, I can imagine how annoying the drains are, hope you get them out soon!
Marie

I believe the receipt saying that you've paid in full is all you need for your taxes.  It lists all the procedures on there as well so I'm pretty sure it's all you need.

I have bruising that goes half way around my back on each side so that's where I'm assuming the lipo went to, it looks really good from the side profile so I know he did a good job doing it where I needed it.

I haven't had kids either, but I was heavy my whole life and my stomach muscles were shot, no amount of working out would have ever repaired them.  If you were told you needed the FDL, I'm assuming your tummy looked like mine did. To be honest, I don't really feel any of the incisions including the mons lift because it's part of the bottom incision.  I did have some bruising in the area because he lipo'd it which made it tender to the touch but the drains are also there so it's hard to say what part is actually painful.  It looks great, though :D I find the lipo and the muscle repair to be the most painful part, the incision doesn't hurt, it's just really itchy and it takes all of my will power to not scratch constantly.

I find in the morning I'm more hunched over and I straighten up more during the day and then go back to hunched as the evening progresses.  I think this will go away over time.  It's important to stay somewhat hunched so you don't rip open your incisions or damage your muscle repair.  I don't lay flat, I have two pillows under my head, one on each arm and one under my knees so I don't stress the incisions.  I've figured out a way to make it comfortable for myself.  I slept on the couch for the first week but after that I went to the bed and got a much better sleep that way.  Last night I took away my arm pillows and was just fine but I'm going to keep the 2 under my head and my knee one for a while longer.  Another thing, I feel "wrong" or "naked" without my binder on, it seems strange but I feel like I can't function or it's hard to breathe without it.  I'm worried about the day he tells me I don't need to wear it anymore because now I see it more of a security blanket to keep the swelling down.

Dr. Toy took off 5 kgs or 11 lbs of skin alone and a further 1 kg or 2.2 lbs of fat with the lipo.  I haven't been able to wear my jeans because of my drains but I'm pretty sure I went down at least one size, most likely two sizes.  That would bring me down to a size 8-10 and I'm more than happy to be at that size!  I took before and continue to take after pictures and the difference is so huge.  Unlike Jen, I will not be posting my photos, they are only for my reference.  Actually, I cried the other day looking at my befores because I can't believe I looked so bad even though 2 years ago I looked soooo much worse.  It's crazy what tricks our minds play on us.

I see Dr. Toy on Thursday, perhaps he'll take my drains out, we will see.  I'm just scared that once he takes them out my seroma will get larger again or that I'll start to horribly swell up.  My fingers are crossed that neither happens.

Don't hesitate to ask any further questions, I don't mind :)

Jill

Does anyone have doctors names that do this in Calgary or Red Deer they can send me?

I had rny March 3, 2010

I was reffered to Dr Toy (by Dr Karmali at the weight wise clinic) as saw him in May 2011

On Aug 16, 2011 I had an abdominalplasty w/pubic lift.

It didn't cost me anything AHC covered it.

Ladies,  do we know why one abdominalplasty (Jen's) was covered and the other NOT by the same doctor?   I find this discrepancy strange.

Dreena