POSTED UNDER Panniculectomy Reviews
Last Weekend Before Panniculectomy and Lipo (3 Days to Go)
UPDATED FROM cabowser
3 months post
13 weeks post op panniculectomy, lipo and belly button reposition
so now it has been 13 weeks since my panniculectomy surgery. I'm voice texting so I will apologize in advance for any errors. I've been back to work since week five and everything is going good in that respect. I still find there are some things that I have difficulty with such as getting down on the floor and I still can't sleep very comfortably on my side.
Other than that my incision has healed pretty well with the exception of three holes that are still in the front and this apparently is because my body keeps spitting out stitches. Whenever I go in to see my plastic surgeon he takes out whatever is coming to the surface. It doesn't hurt and afterwards things he a lot better but it has been slow going. nothing is infected and everything looks and feels fine with the exception of the little holes.
People comment all the time on the difference in my shape and I love not having that huge bowling ball of fat on my front. I'm able to wear clothes that fit normally and tucking in my shirts but I still have a tendency to want to dress in a shapeless clothes because I still have that mentality of wanting to hide in clothes. I keep having to remind myself that I don't have to hide my shape anymore.
I'm really glad that I didn't have any breast surgery because since my panniculectomy I find that I'm happier with my chest.
Every time I see my doctor it's reassuring because he is so kind and wonderful. I'm very glad that I went to a close by local doctor because I've had to see him so many times due to the spitting stitches.
many times I can't even remember what it felt like to carry that huge weight on my front. I really can't remember the first several weeks of my recovery. As time goes by I'm living more in the here and now and I feel a lot freer and younger since I'm in much better shape.
I plan to get back into the pool soon for swimming. I used to swim for exercise all the time but I quit because I hated being in a bathing suit and now I'm looking forward to getting back into the water again. I just need to buy a new bathing suit. One that fits.
Other than that my incision has healed pretty well with the exception of three holes that are still in the front and this apparently is because my body keeps spitting out stitches. Whenever I go in to see my plastic surgeon he takes out whatever is coming to the surface. It doesn't hurt and afterwards things he a lot better but it has been slow going. nothing is infected and everything looks and feels fine with the exception of the little holes.
People comment all the time on the difference in my shape and I love not having that huge bowling ball of fat on my front. I'm able to wear clothes that fit normally and tucking in my shirts but I still have a tendency to want to dress in a shapeless clothes because I still have that mentality of wanting to hide in clothes. I keep having to remind myself that I don't have to hide my shape anymore.
I'm really glad that I didn't have any breast surgery because since my panniculectomy I find that I'm happier with my chest.
Every time I see my doctor it's reassuring because he is so kind and wonderful. I'm very glad that I went to a close by local doctor because I've had to see him so many times due to the spitting stitches.
many times I can't even remember what it felt like to carry that huge weight on my front. I really can't remember the first several weeks of my recovery. As time goes by I'm living more in the here and now and I feel a lot freer and younger since I'm in much better shape.
I plan to get back into the pool soon for swimming. I used to swim for exercise all the time but I quit because I hated being in a bathing suit and now I'm looking forward to getting back into the water again. I just need to buy a new bathing suit. One that fits.
UPDATED FROM cabowser
1 month post
6 wpo panniculectomy and lipo
I'm feeling much better. I pulled a groin muscle accidentally and have been icing that. My belly swells but it resolves after a while. I go back to work tomorrow. I work as an autistic paraprofessional in a children's school. Sometimes I need to go 0-50 chasing a kiddo and right now I'm not moving that fast.
I'm so glad I didn't do breasts. Now that my tummy is small my own boobs look good.
I'm so glad I didn't do breasts. Now that my tummy is small my own boobs look good.
Replies (2)
Who was your doc and can you tell me what your height and weight were before the surgery?
I was 5 foot 7 220 lb prior to surgery. Strangely enough I'm 5 8 and 1/2 now because my back is so much straighter and 198 lb. my doctor is Dr. Jeffrey Antimarino in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and he is phenomenal.
UPDATED FROM cabowser
1 month post
Nearly 5 wks post op panniculectomy
I have had a rougher than average recovery because my surgery was so extensive in that I had such an amount of skin and fat to be removed. You'll see that in the photo that I'm going to attach.
I am so happy with my surgery but the recovery has been hard. The best I can say is it a try to take it hour by hour day by day and as time goes by it does get so much easier.
also because I'm a person with a lot of anxiety generally I worry about things going wrong but my doctor has been super supportive and encouraging.
my incision is healing really nicely except in the very front of the abdomen and that has been requiring some bandaging but my doctor says it's going to be fine in time and to just not stress over it and to take care of it by covering it.
I find I've been able to get back to most of my normal activities. My work doesn't start up for almost 2 weeks yet.
One of the things that I find helped me the most was I bought a new binder off of Amazon for about $16 and it is so much better than the hospital one. I would so encourage anybody to get one of these binders. My hospital binder head velcro that tore at my incision in the front and because it's numb I didn't feel it and now I have to wait for that to heal.
Another thing that I liked was using the poise unscented urinary incontinence pads between the binder and my incision in the front. It makes sitting and driving better because the binder doesn't cut into the area that hurts.
it's only looking back at the pictures and seeing where I started from and these pictures and I'm showing are from the day before surgery, all of those things that used to bug me before surgery, the weight, the smell, the infections and not being able to fit into places and not being able to get down on the floor with children to play all of those things are gone now except for the fact that obviously I'm not yet able to get down on the floor.
I'm very happy.
I am so happy with my surgery but the recovery has been hard. The best I can say is it a try to take it hour by hour day by day and as time goes by it does get so much easier.
also because I'm a person with a lot of anxiety generally I worry about things going wrong but my doctor has been super supportive and encouraging.
my incision is healing really nicely except in the very front of the abdomen and that has been requiring some bandaging but my doctor says it's going to be fine in time and to just not stress over it and to take care of it by covering it.
I find I've been able to get back to most of my normal activities. My work doesn't start up for almost 2 weeks yet.
One of the things that I find helped me the most was I bought a new binder off of Amazon for about $16 and it is so much better than the hospital one. I would so encourage anybody to get one of these binders. My hospital binder head velcro that tore at my incision in the front and because it's numb I didn't feel it and now I have to wait for that to heal.
Another thing that I liked was using the poise unscented urinary incontinence pads between the binder and my incision in the front. It makes sitting and driving better because the binder doesn't cut into the area that hurts.
it's only looking back at the pictures and seeing where I started from and these pictures and I'm showing are from the day before surgery, all of those things that used to bug me before surgery, the weight, the smell, the infections and not being able to fit into places and not being able to get down on the floor with children to play all of those things are gone now except for the fact that obviously I'm not yet able to get down on the floor.
I'm very happy.
Replies (2)