Can an Obese Person W/hx of Abdominal Surgeries and Hernias Have an Abdominoplasty?

Many thanks to all who responded, but I have a special comment for Dr. Rosenblatt. Sir, I resent how you put me down. My priorities are just fine and your remarks were way out of line.

Re. the others who responded, I appreciate the advice you gave me. Here's an update: last weekend it looked as though there was a dramatic shift in my abdomen, so I went to the ER. I didn't want to take any chances, given my medical history. A ct scan revealed that I have another hernia, and I was told it was so large it probably won't get strangulated or incarcerated.

Funny thing is, that is what I was told about the first hernia in '09. It got strangulated a few months later.

So far my bowels are working fine. My stomach just looks awful, almost like I'm 9 months pregnant on one side. I wish I had a picture, but I don't. Try to imagine what a "w" looks like. If you're facing me, the right side of that "w" (meaning the left side of my abdomen) is very large and hangs down further than on the other side.

The surgeon I had last year is reluctant to operate on me, given my weight, which I believe is now 360-370. I'll go to my primary care provider in about a week to discuss this with her.

The surgeon from last year was going to look over the ct films, but his nurse told me this afternoon that she didn't know if he had a chance to do so yet, and he won't be in the office again until next Wednesday. In the meantime, I have to be on pins and needles, wondering what will happen to me. My track record with respect to hernias is not good.

Re. weight loss, it hasn't been easy for me, esp. since my surgery last year. I would give anything to be able to do more, but gastric bypass (or a less invasive procedure) is looking better. The other day I ran into a friend who had gastric bypass several years ago. He told me that when his operation was done, he had a hernia that was repaired at the same time. I didn't know that was possible.

I'm going to continue looking at my options, but I would appreciate further input re. my situation. I didn't realize that I neglected to put my weight down in my original post. To the doctor who said that abdominoplasty can be done safely - do you still feel this way, given the new information I have? Can an abdominoplasty be done to strengthen my abdominal wall so I won't have repeated hernias?

Lastly, re. my belly button - it is slightly off-center but doesn't look too bad. It appeared to be mangled after my surgery in '09 but it somehow got corrected last year. All three major abdominal surgeries - hysterectomy in '04, hernia surgery #1 in '09 and hernia surgery #2 in 20111 all have incision in the middle of my gut that are so close together they look like one.

Thank you!