Pregnancy after tummy tuck?

 interesting. i definitely appreciate your feedback! i want to hear both sides. how was the arm surgery? how bad was recovery? how much was it? and how much for the tummy tuck? did insurance cover any of it?

I am usually a really positive person but this was just a bad experience for me, mainly because I think I was cheated...paid all that money and the results were terribly disappointing.

At that time I didn't have good insurance so I completely cash paid, it was 10 grand for the arms and tummy.  I am just now not sore in my arms.  My arms stayed sore for months.  Even on my honeymoon, I barely wanted to be touched by my husband, it is shocking I got pregnant.  The recovery is a good 3 weeks down in the bed, and armchair.  My mother was my full time nurse, cleaning my 2 drains, feeding me, bathing me, and medicating me for 2 weeks straight.  I couldn't wipe myself for the first 3 days, I know TMI, but you want "all sides" haha :)  The pain was not as bad as the recovery for my RNY in Jan., 2007.  But close.  They do give you plenty of meds.  You also get very weak and just sore and tired, really for months.  You also swell for a long time, so you don't see the results immediately.  Maybe in months' time.  

If I could advise anyone, it would be the DEMAND an anchor cut if you have had WLS.  And it's not a magic bullet.  I looked at tons of pictures online of before and after's and mine wasn't even close.  I was very mad that my doc didn't do lipo, maybe I needed that with an anchor cut...I did notice he took my before picture, but not my after picture :(

 wow! i had no idea all that went into the arm surgery. not being able to wipe? i don't know if i could deal with that. i cash paid for wls so i'm expecting to pay for my platics. but$10k for TT and arms sounds really cheap to me. i mean its a lot of money don't get me wrong. but in the scheme of things it sounds on the low end.

It was on the low end but I got what I paid for!  The PS is the sweetest guy and a friend of my husband's friend so he saved us a little money.  If he had given me a fleur de lis, and it looked good, I would be so happy.  I looked no better than I did before surgery and now this uppoer roll is the grossest this ever.  It is the hugest muffin top you have ever seen, full of loose skin.  But since he is a friend, I can't tell him exactly what I think...but I think he knows I am disappointed with the results.  He said, "we could do a little lipo here" the last time he saw my upper roll.  It's like WTH, I just paid you 10 grand and now you want to put me back under, do surgery on me, and make me pay thousands more dollars?!!  I am not some rich Hollywood celebrity!

As for the arms, EXTREMELY painful recovery.  You walk like Frankenstein for the first week, your arms wrapped in bloody bandages.  You cannot bend them down to wipe yourself.  Whomever takes care of you has to be someone you love and trust and who will not get grossed out with your bodily functions.  Thank God for my Mama, that lady is a saint!

I wish I had more people talk honestly to me about the realities of PS, like I am doing now to you.  If I had beautiful results, I would have said it was all worth it...But after the pain from the first 3 weeks, you get depressed from the swelling and weak from surgery.  The swelling makes you so sad because you can swell bigger than you were before the surgery.  It's just not a magic bullet, you don't come out with a tummy like models on SELF magazine unless you are tiny to begin with...

More info on the wiping yourself issue:  You can wipe your front area maybe after 2-3 days...if you are on meds.  But if you have to do #2, you arms don't bend back for you to wipe.  So you have to wipe from the front.  That is, assuming you can go #2.  The pain meds gave me the most painful constipation I have ever had, and i have to get magnesium citrate to clean myself out, I was so sick.  Just imagine Frankenstein arms and the limited movement you can do...

 wow! i am really glad to hear you giving me all the details. i'd rather know what's in store. for sure. thank you.

Here is my .02...

I had my RNY in March of 09, and then the following December had my TT, then just this last Dec found out I am expecting. I'm currently almost 9 weeks and so far everything is fine. I did have the Anchor cut and couldn't have been more pleased with my results. I had my TT knowing full well that I would eventually want another baby, I talked to both my OB and my surgeon and they both asured me that it would be fine for me to expand my family. My surgeon said that he has had several patients who have undergone TT and then had happy healthy pregnancies with very little negative body issues, he did say that a revision would be no problem if I decided i needed one.

I have zero regrets over having my TT. For me it made ALL the difference. It was so disapointing to have lost over 100lbs, and still feel fat because of all the loose skin i carried around my middle. Even if  my skin does strech out some it won't ever be as bad as it was, and that's okay by me! lol. I say go for it...but that is based souly on my experience, so take it for what it's worth! Good luck and keep us posted

 congrats on your pregnancy! :) 

thanks for sharing your story with me. i'm so torn because i am deathly afraid of plastic surgery. i'm scared of pain. of painful recovery. scared to death. but i would hate to have lost all the weight only to still feel fat with the skin. like you, i don't care if it stretched out again because it'll never be as bad as it is now.

i appreciate your feedback.

Well...I had the gastric bypass nov 2008...had my pannilectomy may 2010...he tightened some of my muscles as well. I had the cut from my hips and it actually overlaps my c-section scar from almost 7 years ago. SO I healed very fast and had lost 160lbs prior to the panni removal. We did not think that we could have children as we went thru fertility the 1st time and that was a miracle as my husband who had cancer was told they were mystified that he got me pregnant after 3 IUI's...so..we go to the beach in july...I boogie board, drink wine...go down waterslides...and kept telling my husband I had a "hard ball" in my uterous...I had started combat fitness right after my surgery in may and figured it was all the exercises tightening my tummy...OH NO...I was pregnant. I am now almost 32 weeks pregnant and I ahve to say I have only gained about 12 lbs and people say I do not even look pregnant. My skin at my hips and above my crotch line are still nice and thight and my scars fell fine. So I will keep you updated and let you knwo what happens after. I will say that I ahve continued my combat fitness/self defense classes and plan on it. I an scheduled for a c-section march 3st and they will use the same scar line as the panni removal...good luck!

 wow! what a story! congrats on your pregnancy. do you have before and after pics on your page?

how was the recovery from the pannilectomy? also how much did it cost and was it covered by insurance? 

are you glad you got it?