Penniculectomy ?

Hello;
Is there anybody out there who has had a Penniculectomy prior to your DS ? I  had my consult with Dr. Anthone this afternoon and he wants to do this procedure before my DS. It is basically a tummy-tuck prior to WLS. Instead of just removing the excess skin; they try to remove 30-40 pounds of fat below the belly button. An area called the "panus". He says they make an incision accross your belly from hip to hip. What is unusual is that he leaves the incision partially open to let it drain and uses a wound - vac to help the incision heal from within. Sounds very painful to me

Dr. Anthone says it is a quicker way to get some weight off the weight off that has  been pulling on my spine. I was very impressed with how confident he is and how that confidenence is very reassuring. Plus if I get my labs all done I could have the first surgery in 4-6 weeks.

Just curious if anyone has had this surgery prior to a DS.

Thanks Mike

I'm not a dr but I would suppose if you were having back problems it would help.  Especially after you have your wls it would be easier for you to get around.  Your tummy will be tender and the more weight you have there the more you feel it(I had a 6 hr ride home and everytime we went over a bridge I had to hold mine because the jiggling hurt).  I'm not 100% sure but I think even when excess skin is removed post wls I believe they put in drains, the drains themselves aren't too bad.  I could feel the drain, but it wasn't a painful sensation it was just a pressure that I wasn't used to feeling there.  Without the drains it takes longer to heal because the body has to absorb the stuff(I  don't know what it's called lol) that would normally leak it's way out if there was a drain in. 

Mike,  I'm not sure whether it's on this board or the www.dueodenalswitch.com board...but on one, where you "find a bariatric surgeon" & then go to the place where the folks have written about they're experience with the surgeon....I do remember that 1 lady had an extremely negative response about just this procedure with Dr. Anthone.  I can't remember if she even actually had it or had great difficulty getting her insurance to cover it, but she was extremely negative.  Did you ask Dr. Anthone what % of his patient's get this procedure done first.  Did you ask him how much weight you would have to lose pre-surgery if you didn't go this route?  Do you know if your surgery covers this procedure?

Well, I can't give you any advice about this - yet. I am actually scheduled to go in on Monday morning for this exact procedure with Dr. Winterstein. I definitely agree with you on the confidence. I met with both Dr. Anthone and Dr. Winterstein and they both agreed that this surgery was the better one to do first. So, once I'm back on my feet, I can let you know how it goes.

M

Hello;
MK I know you will do great. I can't wait to hear of your experience. I have my Radiology and Cardiovascular consults scheduled for Wed and Thurs this week and then I hope to get a surgery date. I was wondering if the Dr.'s have told you how long after the panniculectomy before you can have your DS? I forgot to ask. Good luck I will keep you in my prayers.

Mike

I am not planning on having a DS surgery - a little too much rearranging for me. But, they did say it would probably be spring to think about the sleeve surgery.

I did get through the surgery - and so far, I really think it's going to be for the best. Dr. Anthone is great - I've seen him every day while in the hospital. He really cares about how you are doing. They left some open incisions on me rather than close up and put in drains, so I am wearing a wound vac. Let me tell you - the changes are awful. They hurt like crazy - at least for me. But, I'm 10 or so days out from the surgery and Dr. Anthone says that everything looks really, really good. So, if you are still considering this, I would definitely recommend it.

Hi MK;
I'm glad to hear you are doing so well. I finished my pre-op tests this week and am waiting to hear my surgery date for my Panniculectomy. You mentioned that the changes were painful. How often do they change ? How quickly were you able to get out of bed ? Is it easier to get around ? How much weight were they able to get off ? Thanks so much; it is great to talk with someone who has had the same procedure. God Bless !  Michael

The wound vac changes are done Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I was out of bed and walking around te day after the surgery and it is so much easier! I think that they removed about 60lbs from me. It's made a world of difference.

Hi MK;
How are things going for you ? I'm less than 3 weeks from my Panniculectomy and I am getting very nervous. I see Dr A on the 25th; I hope that calms me down some. Let me know how you are doing.

Michael