Has anyone had a tummy tuck?

[sushee]

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.