Belly Button or NO belly Button?

I am having abdominoplasty and brachioplasty next week.  The surgeon is doing the fleur de lis cut (inverted T) on my belly and I never thought about not having him replace my belly button until my 16 year old son asked me why I was going to bother.  He said it's just a lint catcher that can sometimes get sore if you don't get it dry (he's speaking from experience and I can concure) So I have been asking everyone what they think....Will I miss it?  Did you?  It seems odd to me but the more I am thinking about it I am thinking my close fitting clothing would look better without the button.  What did or would you do?  I need to decide by Thursday when I have my preop with the surgeon. 

I guess I just want to know if anyone was sorry they did not have the surgeon keep their belly button.

M.E.

I wanted to keep mine. I thought it would be really weird without it- like a face without a mouth. Google no belly button pictures and see what you think. My belly button is healing quite nicely and appears to be more shallow than my original so I'll be lint-free!

Regina

I love my new belly button.  I like the way it looks because for the first time ever, it looks "normal".

On the other hand, it doesn't really serve any useful purpose.

I'm interested in seeing any responses about NO belly buttons too!

Good luck!

~ BJ

i opted for no belly button -- it's been well over a year, and i haven't missed it a bit!

good luck to you.

deb

My PS was not able to save my belly button in Sept. when I had an LBL an d otehr procedures.  Another surgeon had disconnected it after an umbilical hernia repair and that was not known.  I went without a belly button for 6 months...af first it didn't bug me, but then it did.  I had one made when I had a revision to my arms on April 1st.  I am glad I now have one again..even though it was very painful to have one made!!

Best of luck in making a decision that works for YOU!!

Lynda

I would keep the belly button.. There are so many reasons not too.. 

I just had fleur de lis done 3 weeks ago.  One of my first questions to the PS was if I was going to be able to keep my own BB.  He said I could keep it because he didn't think mine had a long "stalk" but also warned that sometimes the BB dies after surgery especially if there have been previous surgeries in that area.

For no particular reason, I definitely wanted a belly button, more importantly I wanted MY belly button, not a reconstruction if at all possible.  Guess its personal preference.

i ended up with a really great bellybutton, then had asecond surgery............. with all the staples around it, i can't help but think it will be a frankenstein belly button.   may well we wishing that i had no belly button then..............LOL>

And I opted for no belly button (not fleur de lis cut) because of precisely what your son said, "it's just a lint catcher and serves no useful purpose."

I'm not likely to bare my midriff even after the hernia repair, panniculectomy, and abdominoplasty -- there are the stretch marks from hell all over my belly from four pregnancies and years of super morbid obesity.

I kind of like the no belly button look -- when I see it during my showers. Right now I'm still being held up in a binder all day long...

Susan

I had my LBL 2 weeks ago exactly. I'm still all wrapped up but feeling GREAT! I was so surprised at how little the pain was. I really didn't get a choice about a BB. He removed it because he said I had a long "stalk". How weird huh? It doesn't scare me to not have one. I am kinda excited about getting a cute little tattoo there as a sign of my journey :)  Think about it...a cute colorful little tattoo or a link catcher? hmmm u decide? haha.