How much did you lose after LBL?

If you had an LBL, or even a TT or other procedure, how much extra weight did you lose after the surgery? My doctor is estimating that he'll be taking off 15 lbs. of skin for my LBL. Yikes!

Skin removed doesn't equal weight loss.  In fact, stay off the scale for the first month after surgery or you might lose your mind.  Part of the healing involves swelling and serious fluid retention.

After that, it's all over the board. Some people have some weight loss, some don't lose anything, some even gain a little.  My doc said his standard result is 10 pounds of weight loss from a revved up metabolism, and that it'll settle back down after a year.  Many of his patients complain about re-gaining those 10 pounds at a year out as the metabolism goes back to normal.

I guess my message is, no one knows until it happens!

I am 3 weeks out from lbl/fdl. Dr removed 5.5 lbs of skin. Very little swelling. i have been at my godl weight for 1.5 years and workout a lot. No body fat. No weight loss as a result of surgery. Still wear same size clothes just don't have to stuff tummy and butt into pants!

to the original poster--- Im also in MI- would you mind sharing who your PS is? Is insurance covering your any of the cost? Would you mind sharing your price quote.   thanks and good luck :)

With my LBL, my surgeon removed about 2 square feet of skin weighing about 5 pounds.

Many ps estimate the weight of our skin and it's grossly overestimated.  My surgeon underestimated mine, thankfully.  The weight of excess skin if it's empty skin and little fat is very little.  Shockingly little. 

What I have found is PS kicked my metabolism into gear.  I lost weight really fast after surgery and then had to have a revision for more sagging skin.  (I was fine with that.)    Like my surgeon says, if you're hoping to lose more weight with PS, it's probably a sign that you aren't ready to have PS.  He said, you should be a stable weight and not hoping to lose more.

I'm currently 4 and 1/2 years post bypass surgery and I've been at a stable weight for years. I'm not looking to PS to lose more weight. I am expecting to lose a little bit though, as I happen to have a Stage 4 pannus. It's HUGE. I think that plays a big factor in things as well. If you just have a little wrinkly tummy skin to smooth out, it's quite different from having a pannus so large it wraps around your hips and hangs down to your thighs. Just sayin'!

What I think about most is how I'll look in clothes. I have a good idea what I'll look like naked. But I can't fathom what I'll look like in clothes. Weird, eh?

Speak2me: My PS is Dr. Bruce Chau out of Berkley on Woodward. I LOVE him. He's amazing. No BS. Great personality, keeps it real, knows what he's doing, highly recommended. I have Blue Care Network and they will ONLY cover a basic pannus removal. Their share is about $1500. Because mine is so large, Dr. Chau won't even do a basic removal. It's kind of impossible. I'd have 'dog ears' sticking out on the sides of my hips! The only route for me is a lower body lift. My share of the hospital and surgical fees is about $8000. I don't think that includes prescriptions and any unexpected hospital stays or a longer time in surgery. See, my insurance estimates the typical time in surgery for a panniculectomy is 3 hours. My procedure should take about 6. They actually run the clock and charge that way. Like I'm on a meter! So if it goes over, I'm responsible of course. Also the extra hospital time that insurance won't cover. Blue Care Network only covers one pain pump (in the front) and I'll need one in the back so I have to pay for that ($400). Dr. Chau's office is excellent about breaking down the numbers for you and they've responded to all my questions immediately. They're great. They gave me a brochure for CareCredit. Check out their website. I applied on-line and right away I got a credit card to help finance the cost. I got about $5000 in credit (you might get more). So I'm scrounging and saving to come up with the rest before June.

Sorry for going on but I hope that helps! Ask me anything any time!