Mayster's Physical Observations

Barb, Becky and other posts have got me thinking... As folks that are 5 months post-op now (for the most part)...what are your physical observations about your body at this point in your journey? Here are mine: 1. I don't like the waddle that is forming below my neck. I think it makes me look gaunt. 2. Seeing your ribs when you raise your arms is weird. 3. Feeling the zyphoid process (as Barb shared the name) at the bottom of your breast bone is a bit unnerving and icky. 4. My breasts are deflating rapidly. 5. The veins on the top of my forearms are now sticking out. 6. I see my mother's hands - not mine. I see very thin skin and full veins on the back of my hands. How weird. 7. I still do not see my collarbones yet. I feel them. They are right below the surface but don't show yet which is okay by me. 8. What the heck happened to my arse? I look at a profile shot and my back comes down and there is a slight flare at the top and then it is flat! 9. Sharpeis have nothing on the skin below my arse. 10. The extra skin thing is getting gross on my inner thighs. Ick. Not to mention my breasts and belly too. 11. My skin is dry as a bone especially on my face. 12. About 40-50% of my hair is probably gone and what is here is brittle, coarse and dry. 13. I have dang extra skin on my forehead. I now have a wrinkle that runs all the way across. I hate it. 14. My belly is now a laproscopic roadmap with 8, count 'em, 8 scars. Kathy

I like feeling bones instead of fat! When I lie in bed, I can feel these funny bones that I think are my pelvis. My shoulders have bones that I didn't know existed. I do think I need a face lift, but because my skin forms keloids, I won't have it done. Rats. When I sit down, I feel bones. Most of the padding is gone. And this weekend, I need to get a push up bra so the girls will stop hanging at my waist. But boy oh boy do I have cute ankles and wrists! And my hands are much smaller (big thing with me for some reason). I had to put my wedding ring in my jewelry box today because it almost fell off. My hair stopped falling out when I started taking biotin everyday. The only medical problem I have now is anemia which is being treated with 2 iron pills (and ducolax) per day. I just wish I couldn't eat sugar at all. My life would be so much easier. Becky Jean

First of all, Kathy your picture is amazing!!!! You look so great!!! Wow, I can't say it enough! I'm so glad you gave me a hijack on the main messageboard. Yipee!!!! You've got me so excited! I'm with you on the body changes!! 1) the "girls" have gone south 2) inner thighs look gross 3) I didn't know what that was below my ribcage, but I could feel it. 4) I do admit that I LOVE feeling my bones. I haven't seen them in so long! 5) I too am taking biotin everyday and have noticed I'm losing less hair (scared to say it---knocks on wood) 6) I've recently had more energy!!!! Shawna

No ribs showing here, but I can feel them. My hips hurt when I sleep on my side - I can definately feel my pubic bone - I was just telling Aaron last night it's time for a new mattress. The flappy skin on my forearms bug me the most. I've gone from a 44DD to a 38/40 B and they're "low hanging fruit" if you know what I mean. The skin on my stomach and inner thighs, while not wrinkled, are crepe-y looking. My hair loss has REALLY picked up in the last couple of weeks - I don't know how much is from WLS and how much was the added stress of the tubal/biopsy, but it's bad. Although there's no bald spots, I'm now getting concerned about it where I always shrugged it off before. But... I have a well-defined waist - I can wear those 'fitted' looking button down shirts. I don't look pregnant anymore - just 'pudgy' in the belly. My chin is pointy again. My feet are almost pretty. Okay, not really, but they don't gross me out anymore... When I was shaving my legs the other day I didn't A) Pass out from the lack of oxygen, B) have a stroke or C)take 30 minutes because I could only bend down for a few seconds. My calves have shrunk to the point I could wear those awesome knee-hi "f-me" boots I've always wanted to buy. My wrists are dainty. Thanks, Kathy, that was pretty therapuetic...

Theraputic, you say... then my job here is done!

1. My face is thin and really cute now! I'm very happy that I have no hanging skin on my face or waddle under my chin - but boy, oh, boy do I have it other places! 2. I've got some serious bat wings. 3. When I stand up straight you can't see the hanging skin above my belly button, but if I bend at the waist, it looks like a huge busted balloon - big time skin on the abdomen. 4. I have a nice sized apron, too. 5. My thighs and butt are the last to be losing the weight, but I am noticing some sagging starting there, too. 6. I've gone from a 44F to a 40DD, but I'm thinking I may actually be a 38D now - I'm on the last hooks on my bra and there's a bit of room in the cup. Gotta go bra shopping again. Oh, and about 1/3 of the cup is filled with just skin. 7. I'm wearing my wedding band on my middle finger now - it fell off my ring finger last week. Pre-op it was so tight I could barely get it off. 8. I was wearing a 9 or 9-1/2 W shoe and am now wearing 8-1/2 M. My calves are still a bit too big for me to wear the "f-me" boots that Becky mentioned. Big calves run in my dad's family and I've always had them, so I may not be able to ever wear them 9. I can pull my leg all the way up and put my foot flat on the couch (basically wrapping my arms around my shins) and paint my toenails. 10. I can (sorry - TMI, I know) lay on my back and look down and see pubic hair! I've never been able to see it without lifting my gut out of the way and even then (at times) I couldn't see it. 11. I'll echo the shaving the legs thing is much easier now as is most personal care. I had to contort my body in a very strange way to clean my nether-regions and back side. Easy now. 12. I've lost my 'butt shelf'. 13. I see collar bones 14. I can see my ribs and xyphoid when I lay in bed. 15. Hubby can wrap his arms completely around me with room to spare 16. One word: SEX 17. I like the way clothes look on me now, have no problems tucking in a shirt and putting on a belt anymore. 18. I think about 30 pounds of the 100 I've lost are from my hair, LOL! The hair loss has slowed down quite a bit, though. I had TONS of hair pre-op (every beautician that I saw commented on it). It used to take me 2 full bottles of hair color to do my hair (it was shoulder length) and now it doesn't even take 1 full bottle (and it's a bit longer than shoulder length). 19. I've not had the problem with dry skin, actually my skin has looked really good. 20. I think one of the greatest benefits is that my family is becoming much more health conscious now. (I know, this isn't an observation of me, but my family...) My son (who will be 8 in Dec.) is now a label maniac. He reads the labels of everything and is wary of eating anything with too much sugar or no protein, LOL! I told him that it's okay to eat something if it doesn't have protein, but I had to be a bit careful with it. My daughter (who is 12 and overweight) has lost a bit of weight since my surgery and my husband is with me at the gym all the time. Michelle 340/240/175

Me too, on the wedding band! Because of my DH's job, we switched our bands out to plain titanium bands (he welds, machines etc. and it was ruining his band). You can't size titanium so for now it's on my middle finger and when I'm done losing, I'll have to get a new one.

Well, here goes: My breast are bigger and fuller and have gotten very perky. My stomach is flat as a pancake. My arms look like sculptured model arms. My skin is as soft as a baby's butt. My thighs are firm and sexy. My butt is hard and tantalizing. oh wait.....this is my fantasy body (lol)!!! Just wanted to make sure you girls were paying attention!!!!

Hi maysters, Guess I'll share my observations also: 1. My face and neck have shrunken. I do have a bit of a waddle also when I look in the mirror I see these flaps of skin on my cheeks with a deep crease. It startles me when I see it because it shows how much I really do look like my siblings. 2. I do see collarbones and it is great to see them again. 3. Sometimes when I am talking and gesturing with my hands I see this skin on my forearms that sort of waves back at me. 4. I also see my mothers hands...and my skin even looks alot like hers did. Resembling the top of brownies cracked and shiny. 5. My rings are flopping around and I am surprised so often by one ring when the stone slides around to the underside. Wondering to myself...what is that??? 6. My daughter was taking my monthly pic's today and my husband walked by and said my legs were turning into sticks. 7. Shopping this weekend I kept getting glimpses of myself in the mirrors or in the window reflections...It surprised me that THAT was really me. 8. My ankles are getting skinny and are rarely swollen anymore...but do swell some especially after a day with alot of company and rushing around doing all the extras. 9. The upper legs and inner thighs are looking like they belong to a very old lady. All wrinkly and saggy. 10. I have a flat rear end not unlike a flat tire. 11. I do celebrate the growing flexability and much reduced degree of joint pain. Before surgery the pain was nearly unbearable some days. It is not completely gone but the weight loss has relieved alot of pressure and stress on the back and joints. While shopping Sunday I marvelled at the way I discovered my feet to be painfree as I walked around and shopped and then walked to a distant parking spot. Prior to surgery if I was on my feet more than 2-3 minutes my feet ached and throbbed . I am very grateful for all these blessings, They have made my life much easier and much more comfortable. I feel much more attractive and more alive and "present" in each day. I seem to respect myself more and feel a great deal less shame about my personal appearance. It's great to hear all of your observations too. Mary