Embarrassing problem

I have not posted much lately, but been lurking.... I had to come to this family for some much needed advice, only all of you would understand my dilemma... I have lost 130 pounds and have quite a large abdomen hanging down. It still has some fat in it, it is not all skin, and I am not ready for PS yet. Because it is still large, it hangs on my upper legs, I cannot get undergarments to fit, and I still am hiding it of course. I can wear 2X shirts, but find they are not long enough to cover and I go back to wearing my 4X-5X shirts because they are long enough. And of course they hang on me. So what do I do? I have tried a few underthings that are supposed to pull it in, but it just pushes it down onto my upper legs even more. And this makes it hard to exercise sometimes. Any suggestions are appreciated. I would like to find some kind of undergarment that pulls it up and in with comfort. Thanks, Pam

Hi Pam, You need to obtain a "lower body compression garmet" for yourself...one that just doesn't end at the top of the legs..but one that will go beyond and cover your legs too. They can be very costly...but it you only purchase one and use it kindly and hand wa**** it's all you should need (if you wear your underwear underneath it) You can do a search on google or yahoo on "lower body compression garmets" or the such and you should find a bunch of places...it would be better to find a local place where you can be fitted properly for it. Do you plan on plastic surgery to rid yourself of the extra skin? After losing a lot of weight, you should be able to wear smaller sized clothes and not have to "cover up". I hope that you can get some help to make yourself feel more secure. Ask your surgeon to refer you to someone that knows about compression clothing. Paula

Dear Pam T...I too have the same problem. I cannot wait for the day when I can have this fold removed. I am a size 16 top, but still need size 20-22 bottom to hold all my abdominal fold. Over the summer I took a trip to Sicily...I wore many sundress type outfits...I did find an undergarment...girtle like, but it looked like a pair of bike shorts at "Catherines" a plus sized clothing store on the Post Rd in Orange, CT. This held me in somewhat, and made me feel, and look slimmer. I also have the same problem about tops...always looking for shirts long enough to hide the belly! It is tough...even though I have lost a lot of weight, I feel as though I would be in smaller clothes and feeling better about how I look if I did not have this big-old-belly flap. I will also look into that compression garment thing...it may be more supportive than just a store bought girtle. Best of luck to you! Donna T...

Pam, I have a friend at work that went to a trade show and purchased one of these fromone of the vendors. when she came into work I was asked her if she lost weight. She looked great!!!! It held everything in and honestly she looked like she lost 20 lbs! http://www.slendertouch.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=22&osCsid=8c037c20d3fa4b20f01c5050d4f7ed75 I hope this helps!!! Good luck... Carmen

Hi Pam, you may want to try the tall sizes in T shirts as they are longer then regular T shirts. I have a Fred Flintstone body. Long torso and short legs and have found the extra lenght comes in handy. Take Care, Julio

pam, i have a friend and fellow GB patient who swears by "spanx" or "spanks" not sure of the spelling but they can be found on QVC terri

Thanks everyone for the advice, I will look for compression garments online, but I do see they are costly. For that much money, I want to try it on... I will check out Catherine's though, there is one in Waterford. I'll let everyone know what I wind up doing! Pam