Shocked - but it's not bad

I had my 6 month follow up this morning. As some of you may know, I've reached my goal weight but it was a goal I set when I thought I was an inch taller. Anyway, I'm still hoping to loose another ten pounds which the nutritionist thought was fine (but not necessary) then I met with the nurse practitioner who started talking to me about my thoughts on skin removal surgery. Anyway, we had a preliminary discussion about this at my previous appointment as she wanted to start documenting skin issues for possible insurance coverage. Well today i figured this was going to be the nature of the conversation; discussing the issues I'm having so that when I'm ready for surgery I'll have a well documented case. At the end of the conversation she said she thought I was ready for surgery now and that she was going to set me up with a surgery referral! She also seems optimistic that I can get at least some of this covered by insurance. I'm interested in hearing what a surgeon has to say but not sure I'm ready to start this surgical process. Although I'm definitely ready to get rid of this extra skin thinking of the pain of this process scares the sh*+ out of me.

There is a plastic surgery forum (which you might already be aware of!) I recommend calling your insurance and seeing what they'll cover. Mine, for example, covers nothing no matter what because there's an employer restriction. Awesome.

I highly recommend that you find a plastic surgeon who specializes in those of us who have lost a lot of weight - our skin and our bodies have special needs. It never hurts to do a few consults now, especially because appointments and scheduling can all take time.

Thanks Gwen. I was aware of the forum and will definitely be posted there as I move forward. I have a pretty good insurance plan which is a new thing for me as I went for ten years without any then 2 years will minimal insurance but honestly not sure if this coverage will continue (a topic we won't get into!). I will get in touch with my company to find out under what conditions things are covered. And I am most definitely not rushing into surgery until I find the right surgeon with the right experience. I've had years of weight loss and gain so I know my skin is a mess.

I have great insurance too - just, apparently, a crappy employer. They even exclude WLS which ****** me off and makes me doubly glad I had my VSG when I did, which was with insurance/employer that DID cover it. Good timing. :P

Good luck!

I have my first (virtual consult) on Thursday! Good luck!

Many surgeons-- as well as vets on OH-- very strongly recommend maintaining your goal weight for at least a year before undergoing plastics. Your body composition will shift during that time, and it's important to prove that you can maintain your weight appropriately.

I honestly not expecting this to come up at my appointment so I was completely taken by surprised. The only reason I would proceed with surgery sooner rather than later is if my insurance would cover it as I may not have insurance in a year. At this point, I would probably go for a consult just to hear what the surgeon has to say but I'm not ready for surgery for so many reasons.

Why are you in such a hurry??

I wonder the same thing. I have my 6 month visit coming up next week, and if my surgeon was to recommend that now, I would tell him I would want to wait longer. Probably much longer. Sure, the excess skin can be a little annoying, but I'm still losing, and I would want to see where I end up before moving on to that step.

As I wrote above, I was not expecting this to come up at my appointment. And honestly I'm not emotionally ready to deal with the trauma of such a big surgery at this point but I do feel I need to do some of the preliminary research if there is a chance this will be covered by insurance as I cannot see myself ever having enough $ to pay for all of this out of pocket.