Nope but nearly scored a freebee (on account of a breast recon I"m having, they take tissue from your tum and turn it into a bosom ) .
Just wanted to pop in and let you know there are some circumstances where you can get it done with a medicare rebate - ie if it's causing you skin problems, if you're left with a nasty post-c/s overhang, if you've lost of a lot of weight, etc. Worth discussing with your gp while you're exploring your options.
^ Does the 'overhang' bit only count for c/s's?? I am, unfortunately, not blessed with good skin elasticity and after two kids my gut is shot - I can feel the muscles underneath the skin are tight (ie toned), but there's a big gap between them where they haven't knitted back together, and I have a huge, saggy, wrinkly flap of skin hanging down over the waistband of my pants. I am dreaming of a tummy tuck but it's so expensive... if I could find a way to save a few thousand bucks (without going to the extent of an 'overseas holiday') DH might be more willing to let me get one
I am interested to get one too and once I have got to my goal weight (5kg to go till first goal) then I will look into it more .. I want to be able to maintain the weight I have lost first as well..
My overhang of skin is probably from having a c section from my second child, but i also have wrinkly skin above my belly button from my first, which i am told will be pulled down with a tummy tuck tuck, so they will be smoothed out.I have been to see a Dr Rubenstein and also another place called Corumbyia House. Although Corumbyia House is cheaper $8790.00,and after you get up to $2500 back depending on your health fund, it is only a day stay and you have to go home with drainaige tubes. Dont really like that idea. Dr Rubenstein makes you stay in hospital 3 or more days depending on how you feel and it is just over $10000, but you can get up to $4000 dollars back depending on your the level of your health fund. I am seeing another doctor on the 14th, a friend of mine says he only charges $5000, but i am not just looking at the cost issue. I want to feel 100% comfortable with who I choose. I wont be able to have it done until next year cause im saving. Ive been saving since the beginning of this year $80 a week.
My mum had a tummy tuck & lipo done last week. It's been almost 12 months and she looks fantastic. She's gone from 100kg to 80kg without even doing a great deal. The remaining 10kg she wants to lose she'll have to do on her own. She said it was quite painful afterwards, for about 6-8 weeks. She said the tummy tuck was worst than the lipo for pain. She has the flattest stomach though, it looks awesome. Can't remember how much she paid for it, so I'll get back to you on that one.
i spoke to one of my mum's friends last night about it and her daughter had it done last year apparently. Don't know by whom though. She said that she was in a lot of pain for some time afterwards. She too said that it looked great post recovery and that when she does gain weight a little her tummy isn't affected by it.
I so can't weight to get it done
Glamourcide- MD is right it's only considered medically required for c/s, obese people, and those who have lost a considerable amount of weight and have excessive over hang.
The price differs by up to 50% depending whether it is medically required or not.
My plastic surgeon said that mine would be $5k given that i had 2 c/s and the other $5k is covered by Medicare. He said though, that private health insurance is a must due to the lengthy stay in hospital following the procedure.
ok, Mum said hers cost about $10k and got $1k back from private health insurance and a little more back from Medicare. She can't remember how much she got back from Medicare. We're in North Qld though, so it's usually a bit more expensive up here than down south.
TD, do you know why it's only considered medically required for c/s?? What makes a saggy post-c/s belly different to a saggy post-vaginal-birth belly?
Just wondering as a good friend of mine had a c/s with her son a few weeks before I had DD1 (vaginally) and her belly's in better shape than mine - I know every person is different but I'm just wondering what the logic behind only c/s bellies qualifying for rebates? Is there something in the c/s procedure that does more damage to your abdomen (I mean, obviously, cutting through all that skin and muscle etc, but apart from that), but at the end of the day isn't a tummy tuck for aesthetic purposes?
I think Glam, its cause you get a bit of a depression in the skin where the scar is, and it causes more of a pouch.
I`d be interested to hear if there is some other reason.
A tummy tuck, as such, isn't covered by Medicare. A simple panniculectomy MAY be if the 'overhang' is bad enough to be considered an 'abnormal structure'. This can be from weight loss, or a c/s, but not necessarily only from a c/s. I lost a lot of weight from having lapband surgery and never ever had a c/s, but qualified for Medicare rebates for the panniculectomy portion of my lower body lift because my overhang was bad enough to be qualify for reconstructive surgery.
A panni is a straight cut and remove. There is no 'tightening' of the underlying stomache muscles as you would have with a tummy tuck. You get no tightness in your skin (by pulling the skin down to to flatten the bumps), no body contouring, sometimes you don't even get a new belly button (depending on your surgeon). They cut off the overhang, and sew you back up. Most of a panni is covered by Medicare if your overhang is 'bad' enough, but the end result is not great.
A tummy tuck is more expensive because you're paying for extras over and above a panni. A panni is a straight removal of the 'abnormal structure' but the other stuff associated with getting an upgrade to a tummy tuck is considered 'cosmetic' and therefore does not attract a Medicare rebate. Lipo then costs even more. A lower body lift, like I had, costs the most.
My surgery costs about $26k all up, but after PHI and Medicare rebates, I paid $16k out of pocket. My torso looks better than when I was 18, BUT I have a lot of scars in the exchange. Not that DH seems to mind. It was either the scars or lots of excess, hanging skin. I prefer the scars.
Pain wise - it was bearable. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Now, almost 5 months out, I mostly forget I have had the surgery. I would do it again in a second, but the surgery was a complete success, so really, I don't need any more surgery than I've already had.
Last edited by sushee; September 7th, 2009 at 12:12 AM.
I am not worried about the pain at all, i had a natural birth for my first and cs for my second, i suffered more with the first i was in labour for three days and then took 9 month to recover from it. My stiches down below got infected i couldnt even walk, my scond was a breeze after having an emegancy c/s, i was up the next day. They say a tummy tuck is similiar to a c/s. If thats the case im not worried at all.
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Has anyone had a tummy tuck?
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