so i've been thinking about my pscy eval.

Hey Everyone I'm sure most havent read my profile and so probaly dont know much about me. So let me first just say that I have an anxiety factor thanks to my depression. So since I've had my pysch eval today I've been pretty nervous. I keep thinking about what the counselor said about loose and sagging skin, and I have to be honest and say its freaking me out a bit. WHat should I expect? Am I going to look okay? I'm just very very nervous. Anywho I weigh 300 pounds. I was wondering if anyone has any after pics of thier skin issues that I could see. I swear to GOD on everything holy that I am just curious as what to expect, and so would never belittle anyone in anyway. I just cant imgaine what my body would look like with loose skin. Flab I got that picture pretty good. I see that everyday....so if you can find it in yourself to help me out. I would very much appreicatie it. It will probaly help me sleep tonight About the psych eval. It seemed to me the counselor focused on what I would look like after surgery. It seemed he kind of set it up for me to focus on it. I did tell him that looking good is a side factor and that my main goal is to be healthy. I told him that I am a jinx and that is the biggest barrier to my surgery. I told him that I thought 150 pounds is a good goal for me that I would be happy at 175. I also told him about my depression issue, and some things associated with that. He said he thinks the surgeron will see that as an issue to surgery.That he might want me to go to therapy. What do you think that means? He said he would support me to have the surgery? I'm so nervous about the whole thing. I told him that I would be fine with the surgeon requiring therapy like he mentioned because honestly I am afraid of changing on the inside not the outside. What do you make of all this???? Thanks for indulging and reading this Amanda

Amanda, I just had my psych eval also and I am a little alarmed at what I was told. I have depression and anxiety also...lost my first husband in 1988. When dr was questioning me...more like an interrogation....I began to cry. That was a very difficult time of my life. The psych dr said I wasn't over that and not handling it very well. He made it sound like he would not approve me for surgery. First of all, I am a very emotional person. I can cry over tv commercials. I cry at my soap operas. Of course I will never get over losing my first husband, the father of my children. They are still dealing with it and will continue to all of their lives. I am not suicidal and do not understand how it relates to weight loss surgery. At least your dr focused on an aspect of the surgery. I have not read your bio yet so am not sure of your age and how long you have been overweight. Younger skin is more elastic than older skin. I know I will have droopy skin but hope I look better with clothes on. Don't intend for too many people to see me with them off! If loose skin causes irritation etc. insurance might pay for plastic surgery but not for looks only. I know there are some pictures of gals out there who show the excess skin. If I come across one, I will let you know. Hang in there! I have to go talk to the psych dr again on the 21st of Nov. Then I am ready to submit it all to insurance and get a date set.

Amanda, Go to this website and check out Dixie's "tummy tuck" album. This may give you some idea about the stretched out skin. I did read your profile....all of it. Sounds to me like you have had your share of problems. Hope all is going well for you and hubby and jobs are stable now. Your children are adorable, but you already knew that! Caleb looks like a child model. http://photobucket.com/albums/b69/dixielee50/ Take care. Sending hugs your way. I think you need them!

Amanda, Loose, sagging skin is a very real and pretty much definite result of losing a tremendous amount of weight. The surgery can get the weight off you, but it doesn't do anything for what's left behind, and that is skin. And the larger you are now, and longer you have been obese determines how bad your problem might be. Everybody has their "issues" with the remainder of their bodies once the weight is off. For some people, their breasts bother them the most. For me, it was my pannus. The pannus is the loose, hanging abdominal skin that is all stretched out from years of obesity. Other people are terribly bothered by their hanging skin on their arms. My arms are pretty decent, especially after building them up with weight lifting. Dealing with the loose skin issue far beat being fat for me. Any day I would prefer to deal with that pannus than to be 265 pounds anymore. You can die of obesity-related medical conditions. you aren't going to die of a hanging skin on your belly. You can do something about it later. My suggestion to you is to go forward with the WLS, and deal with the aftermath of your body when you get to that point. Seriously, a hanging belly is the least of your troubles right now. Being morbidly obese is the issue you might want to just focus on at this point in time. Fix your obesity, and then deal with the skin issues later after your body recovers and you get used to being a normal size. Here is a picture of my pannus and then post op after my panniculectomy if you are interested in seeing it. http://s103.photobucket.com/albums/m136/jeanlewis_2006/ jean

Dear Amanda, As for the sagging skin, it is better than the fat. I have been overweight since childhood and am down 184 pounds. Everything droops. But I buy good foundation garments and that helps. I will never look like someone who hasn't struggled with obesity, but I'm okay with that. Life is too good to worry about perfection. I do agree that we need to work on our head and habits as we work on our weight loss. But it doesn't have to be a consecutive thing. You can work on them at the same time. If you think you will not be successful because of any personal issues, you are right to be honest and up front about it. But I will say, I wish I could have done this earlier in my life. While I realize I am now on a diet for life, so to speak, I can do it now in a way I could never do it before surgery. The surgery has allowed me to be successful and get the weight down to a manageble place. I didn't always feel deprived and negative about the process like I did with diets but actually empowered and in control of what I ate and did. So any history of failure with diets is not predictive of failure with wls. Have you made changes in other areas of your life? Are you someone who embraces new ideas and continually grows? Those are the qualities I found important for success. If you have the insurance to cover therapy, you might want to do it for a while whether required or not. If you can't afford it, be sure to find a support group to be able to share with through the process. Good luck, Sally

Amanda, I haven't read your profile. I read a lot of textbooks & can't afford to get eyestrain. So when I see a page with a black background I skip it altogether. It is attractive though. I'm the one whose photobucket Linda sent you to. If the pictures scare you, let me assure you that you probably won't look that bad. I started at a 53 BMI. You can see how large I was in the first picture. On top of that I am 55 years old, probably old enough to be your mother. Young skin tends to bounce back better than old stretched out skin. That's not to say it will be prefect or even nice when you get down there but it probably won't be all that bad. I know lots of gals who never have skin removed, as a matter of fact,the majority of weight loss surgery patients do not get it done. About the psyc eval, do pay attention to what he says. The psychologist told me that she was concerned that I would have a difficult time replacing the food habit. I laughed it off. However, this last summer I went through some really bad times when my sister got sick & we thought we were going to lose her. I turned to my old friend food as my only source of comfort & gained 15lbs. I am struggling to get those pounds off again. The psychologist was right. That snacking habit came flooding right back to me & it took over. Dixie