Panniculectomy 2013 After Gastric Bypass in 2010 - LA

History-- Had a Gastric Bypass in Oct 2010 and lost weight from 276# down to 157#. I was offered to have Panniculectomy in Oct 2011 but decided against it due to my Major Hypothyroidism and getting it under control and stable. Also I was so thin facial wise that I felt unattractive. So, I decided to put a few pounds back on. So over the next 22 months I gained a few pounds. Now I weight from 165-170# and I like the way I look. After stabilizing my weight for 18 months I decided to pursue the Panniculectomy. I saw my primary provider (PA) on Aug 2, 2013 and he gave me a referral to see the surgeon. On Aug 6, 2013 I seen the surgeon for the first time and he said I was a candidate for a Panniculectomy even with having a prior Abdominalplasty in 2002 at the weight of 220#. I never dreamed at that time I would have the opportunity to have a gastric bypass in the future. So 8 years later I am presented with the opportunity to have gastric bypass due to my health issues: hypertension, hypothyroidism, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Sleep Apnea, Chronic joint pain, (CHF) Congestive Heart Failure, Depression, and hypercholesteremia. My highest weight was 276# in Oct 2008. And in May 2010 I weighed in at 267# when I was offered the gastric bypass. After extensive research, nutritional education, and a lot of prayer, I decided to pursue the Gastric Bypass and so glad I did and wish I would have done it earlier in life, but was unable to insurance wise, as well as finance wise. I am blessed to be married to a Retire Chief Warrant Officer 2 and have Tricare Prime health insurance.

Well I seem to be doing really good. I still have two JP Drains which is still draining quite a bit but I'm healing. The only concerns I have at this time is my feet and legs are staying swollen a lot and I'm drinking water like crazy. I drink at least 6 bottles of 16.9 oz each daily and I have really had to start being aware of my water in take and count my bottles. I'm about 4.5# up on the scale from what I was pre-op weight but I know I still have a lot of edema in my abdominal area, feet and legs. I wish all the extra swelling would go away. My incision looks good and healing well. Some of the incision looks a little uneven but I feel like time will help them settle down and blend more with my other skin tone colors. I go back to the doctor on Tuesday to have my JP Drains removed and I'm looking forward to it in a lot of ways but I'm also scared of possible swelling with the drain being gone. I will just have to wait and see the !!!

Went to my 2 week follow up after Panniculectomy and the two JP Drains were removed. I took two Percocets as directed by physician, 45 mins prior to my appointment. It was not bad at all, a burning sensation when they were removed but only for a very few seconds. Feeling pretty good and loving my new look. I will have to take some pictures.