Brand new to this forum - Would LOVE some advice!

Here's the scoop:  Saw doc today and the tennis ball that moves in and out of my upper abdomen, right on the incision line from my RNY, is in fact a hernia.  It has become more and more uncomfortable the past few weeks, especially when eating and drinking.  Overall, there is just a feeling of discomfort there.

I'm just over 5 years out from having an open RNY.  After the 1st couple of years I had lost a total of 130 lbs., and got myself off track and gained quite a bit back.  About a year and a half ago, I got myself back on track, weighing in at my lowest today of 144 lbs. with a 172 lb. weightloss from my all time high of 316 lbs.  Feeling better and more stable than ever about my program.

I knew plastics would be in my future, at some point, with so much extra skin - over a dozen years of documented rashes and the need for prescription steriod creams all of that time.  I've read on the main board of people getting a hernia repair and tummy tuck, pannulectomy, etc., at the same time.  It's fair to say I'm close to losing all the weight I need to lose, but there has not been any stabilization time. I don't know if a bariatric surgeon would even do both procedures at the same time on me due to this, but I would save so much money to have it done this way.  I had a hip replacement earlier in the year and have maxed out of all of my out of pocket expenses for covered procedures.  I've read that there may be some extra $$ required if I want a tummy tuck over a pannulectomy?.  I have thought that all this would happen some time next year and haven't read up on the variety of procedures.  I don't think I can wait until next year with this discomfort - not to mention, if the thing strangulates, the decision for PS will be gone.

Any info on how much time was required to wait for plastics after your weightloss, any good sites for PS info, your level of post-op pain, and recovery time.  I have fibromyalgia which also makes surgical pain control and recovery time challenging.

Talk to a plastic surgeon about this.  If the hernia repair has to be done then there would be no need to wait.  Sometimes the plastic surgeon will take care of the hernia repair and sometimes a general surgeon will do the surgery in tandem with a plastic surgeon.  But by all means get started on this.  I think it is a different set of rules when the hernia has to be fixed. 

Red

 You just might hit your goal with skin removal. I say go for it now. As long as you do not have a lot of weight left to lose you should be good to go. Its an extra incentive  not to regain any weight. Yu do not want the hernia to cause serious issues and that is a great time to fix the skin. I would try for the full TT. Better to do it all at once and have only one recovery.

I had a hernia repair and the pann at the same time.  My stomach looked like a train track anyway so I let my WLS doctor do both.  I am very pleased with the results.  There was no extra charge to me since he did the pann at the same time as the hernia.
Good luck.  He did wait until I was at a stable weight for about six months.  PS I don't have a belly button!