1 Month Post Plastics, 1st Update
(deactivated member)
on 1/19/09 11:28 pm - St. Paul, MN
on 1/19/09 11:28 pm - St. Paul, MN
Hi Everyone!!!
Well... it's been a ride. A frickin wild one! I will spare any ramblings right now but photos are up. 7.5 pounds were removed... I'm down a little over 10 pounds in the 4 weeks since surgery & have had some complications. I'm still pretty swollen & will likely drop a few more from what the doc has said. The pain was truly unreal & the recovery has been a biotch! I will be glad once I am back to "normal"... although I am already extremely pleased & know my pain & suffering will not have been in vain!!! I will write more later. Oh, to clarify, I had plastics on 12/19/08 with Dr. Kovanda of Midwest Plastic Surgery out of Edina, MN (he is AMAZING) - he did a breast lift with shape reconstruction & nipple relocation, upper & lower tummy tuck (above & below belly button) including muscle repair, medial thigh lift & a mons lift. I would NOT recommend this much work at once... but have a list of reasons & thankfully it worked out for me. Anyway, I will certainly try to post more soon & will get into why I say hell no to that much work at once. Oh - and insurance approved the work (except he did the muscle repair included in the other procedures since they wouldn't cover that part)... that will be part of my further ramblings but insurance DOES pay for things when they are proved to medically necessary & when the proof is provided along with a good medical team. I have had some minor complications - several openings on the thighs, some lymphadema in a breast & a few skin infections... a UTI from the stupid catheter & other random information but I don't think anything uncommon.
Thanks to so many of you following this saga... and I hope everyone is well. Happy new years - new year, new me!
Well... it's been a ride. A frickin wild one! I will spare any ramblings right now but photos are up. 7.5 pounds were removed... I'm down a little over 10 pounds in the 4 weeks since surgery & have had some complications. I'm still pretty swollen & will likely drop a few more from what the doc has said. The pain was truly unreal & the recovery has been a biotch! I will be glad once I am back to "normal"... although I am already extremely pleased & know my pain & suffering will not have been in vain!!! I will write more later. Oh, to clarify, I had plastics on 12/19/08 with Dr. Kovanda of Midwest Plastic Surgery out of Edina, MN (he is AMAZING) - he did a breast lift with shape reconstruction & nipple relocation, upper & lower tummy tuck (above & below belly button) including muscle repair, medial thigh lift & a mons lift. I would NOT recommend this much work at once... but have a list of reasons & thankfully it worked out for me. Anyway, I will certainly try to post more soon & will get into why I say hell no to that much work at once. Oh - and insurance approved the work (except he did the muscle repair included in the other procedures since they wouldn't cover that part)... that will be part of my further ramblings but insurance DOES pay for things when they are proved to medically necessary & when the proof is provided along with a good medical team. I have had some minor complications - several openings on the thighs, some lymphadema in a breast & a few skin infections... a UTI from the stupid catheter & other random information but I don't think anything uncommon.
Thanks to so many of you following this saga... and I hope everyone is well. Happy new years - new year, new me!
(deactivated member)
on 1/21/09 12:53 am - St. Paul, MN
on 1/21/09 12:53 am - St. Paul, MN
Hi! Thanks for the compliments. I didn't have a denial/appeals process thankfully. I have private insurance from a local insurance company through my employer (a major medical system in MN). They've been awesome & don't have many exclusions. That said, I know several that have the same coverage to get denied for similar stuff so I know many factors are at work & it wasn't all them. I had rashes/discoloration & other stuff going on (if you look in my profile I blogged about some of it in December I think). Basically my surgeon submitted a full page letter detailing the issues & what he recommended & WHY he recommended it. Then he included 20+ photos (some docs don't even send pix till a denial/appeal process starts). Approval was back about a week later. It was pretty seamless which I am grateful for & realize that's not the case for everyone. I did have backup, though, I had been taking photos of/documenting rashes/all irritation for many months. My best suggestion is find out what your insurance guidelines are for the specific procedures. We used the guidelines to know what points to highlight for the company. A doc can only say so much in a letter to an ins company so if the guidelines are there they can better know what is a must to point out & what is optional (obviously more info is best but they can't ramble forever). Get those guidelines by calling or going online to your ins co website (tummy is panniculectomy (no muscles in that - most won't cover muscle repair) and breast lift is mastopexy arm lift is brachioplasty and thigh lift was listed on mine as medial thigh redundancy removal although there must be a medical term). If you can't find a guideline sheet for whatever procedure you're looking at, call your insurance company for more info. Good luck & feel free to e-mail as I'm not around the boards too much or always check back the posts.
Best,
Jalyssa
Best,
Jalyssa
(deactivated member)
on 1/21/09 12:57 am - St. Paul, MN
on 1/21/09 12:57 am - St. Paul, MN
Hi Rebecca,
I'm just going to copy & paste from above so as to wear my fingers down, lol. Not sure if you check back the boards or just notifications so I will put it in here rather than say (look at the other reply). Take care!!
Hi! Thanks for the compliments. I didn't have a denial/appeals process thankfully. I have private insurance from a local insurance company through my employer (a major medical system in MN). They've been awesome & don't have many exclusions. That said, I know several that have the same coverage to get denied for similar stuff so I know many factors are at work & it wasn't all them. I had rashes/discoloration & other stuff going on (if you look in my profile I blogged about some of it in December I think). Basically my surgeon submitted a full page letter detailing the issues & what he recommended & WHY he recommended it. Then he included 20+ photos (some docs don't even send pix till a denial/appeal process starts). Approval was back about a week later. It was pretty seamless which I am grateful for & realize that's not the case for everyone. I did have backup, though, I had been taking photos of/documenting rashes/all irritation for many months. My best suggestion is find out what your insurance guidelines are for the specific procedures. We used the guidelines to know what points to highlight for the company. A doc can only say so much in a letter to an ins company so if the guidelines are there they can better know what is a must to point out & what is optional (obviously more info is best but they can't ramble forever). Get those guidelines by calling or going online to your ins co website (tummy is panniculectomy (no muscles in that - most won't cover muscle repair) and breast lift is mastopexy arm lift is brachioplasty and thigh lift was listed on mine as medial thigh redundancy removal although there must be a medical term). If you can't find a guideline sheet for whatever procedure you're looking at, call your insurance company for more info. Good luck & feel free to e-mail as I'm not around the boards too much or always check back the posts.
Best,
Jalyssa
I'm just going to copy & paste from above so as to wear my fingers down, lol. Not sure if you check back the boards or just notifications so I will put it in here rather than say (look at the other reply). Take care!!
Hi! Thanks for the compliments. I didn't have a denial/appeals process thankfully. I have private insurance from a local insurance company through my employer (a major medical system in MN). They've been awesome & don't have many exclusions. That said, I know several that have the same coverage to get denied for similar stuff so I know many factors are at work & it wasn't all them. I had rashes/discoloration & other stuff going on (if you look in my profile I blogged about some of it in December I think). Basically my surgeon submitted a full page letter detailing the issues & what he recommended & WHY he recommended it. Then he included 20+ photos (some docs don't even send pix till a denial/appeal process starts). Approval was back about a week later. It was pretty seamless which I am grateful for & realize that's not the case for everyone. I did have backup, though, I had been taking photos of/documenting rashes/all irritation for many months. My best suggestion is find out what your insurance guidelines are for the specific procedures. We used the guidelines to know what points to highlight for the company. A doc can only say so much in a letter to an ins company so if the guidelines are there they can better know what is a must to point out & what is optional (obviously more info is best but they can't ramble forever). Get those guidelines by calling or going online to your ins co website (tummy is panniculectomy (no muscles in that - most won't cover muscle repair) and breast lift is mastopexy arm lift is brachioplasty and thigh lift was listed on mine as medial thigh redundancy removal although there must be a medical term). If you can't find a guideline sheet for whatever procedure you're looking at, call your insurance company for more info. Good luck & feel free to e-mail as I'm not around the boards too much or always check back the posts.
Best,
Jalyssa
(deactivated member)
on 1/21/09 12:44 am - St. Paul, MN
on 1/21/09 12:44 am - St. Paul, MN
Hi Nicole,
Yes it's the pubic area not the lower part or lips area. It really wasn't sagging at all... it was kinda chubby but he only did it because of the way he made my insicions, it was easy for him to flatten it out a little. It wasn't a procedure I would've even considered & was not necessary but I'm cool with him having done it & it "fits" the other areas since they're flatter/smoother all around. Would've looked funny to have everything in the area (thighs/lower tummy) surrounding this fat puff! Lol. Started at 320 & am 183 right now. Just depends on your skin, your ethnicity usually plays into it due to skin differences, how big you are/were, how long you were at your heaviest... and luck! The pubic area is the same skin factors (that list) as the rest of your body. Kinda just part of the process to have skin left over in one or more areas.
Yes it's the pubic area not the lower part or lips area. It really wasn't sagging at all... it was kinda chubby but he only did it because of the way he made my insicions, it was easy for him to flatten it out a little. It wasn't a procedure I would've even considered & was not necessary but I'm cool with him having done it & it "fits" the other areas since they're flatter/smoother all around. Would've looked funny to have everything in the area (thighs/lower tummy) surrounding this fat puff! Lol. Started at 320 & am 183 right now. Just depends on your skin, your ethnicity usually plays into it due to skin differences, how big you are/were, how long you were at your heaviest... and luck! The pubic area is the same skin factors (that list) as the rest of your body. Kinda just part of the process to have skin left over in one or more areas.
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