fearing the loose skin monster !

tyvm... i just dont want to look like a monster when i drop the weight... about 6 people at work have had the surgery and so far at least 4 have gainged back alot of it... this is a hard thing to but i feel i must do it to be a live for my next birthday in oct.. so i'll just have to see what happens

I totally understand. I am almost 3 years post-op so the "honeymoon" stage is over. This is not a cure-all and it is not an easy journey, contrary to what a lot of people may want to believe. It is a tool. It is a jump-start, so to speak, to a different lifestyle that YOU will ultimately have to be emotionally and mentally committed to. The surgery only does so much. It will help you in the first year or so a lot. You will lose a great deal of weight rather quickly and then your body will re-adjust to everything you have done to it and it is possible to start to gain weight again. It is difficult. You really have to change your relationship with food and commit to a change of lifestyle. But it is possible as you can see by the # of success stories you hear so you need to buckle down and count yourself as one of those who will have your own success story. All the best to you. Plan your strategy and take one day at a time. First priority is to prolong your life and increase your level of health. Down the line, you can worry about the asthetics of excessive skin.

again very good advice .. i'll try to keep it in mind when i'm freaking out haha

tyvm for the info

I too was worried about the "Loose Skin Monster".... but, I just plugged thru....I didn't want my fear of what was to come to hinder me getting on that table and going thru with my RNY. THAT was definitely the most important step for me to take to stay healthy! Now, a year out....I do have a bunch of loose tummy skin - but, it's not as debilitating as I once thought it would be. Do I plan on having a TT still?? YOU BETCHA! I can live without it for a bit...but, I still want to have a TT. So, just so you know...stay on track, keep your mind focused to keep you into getting into a healthy weight range... and then later you can work out all the details with all the plastics you might want or need. BTW...I have a friend that lives in Michigan that is getting ready to have FREE plastics b/c it's a hospital that takes the skin and uses it for burn unit victims. Anyhow...you might look into that for yourself later....ok? Just a thought. Good luck to you...and I look forward to hearing more from you... Deborah~

well i have uhc... i dont think they are going to do too much as far as the reconstructive surgey... but i do have a hernia in my belly button and have what they call saddle bags around my back.... that extra skin hurts when you turn over in bed at night and it gets caught under you... i guess i'll just have to show up at the drs off everyday crying about the skin till they cant take it any more.. they need to understand it is NOT enough just to get healthier , we need to look better as well , for an all around well being.

I had UHC for a year. It was good for a lot of the more routine things and for simpler procedures I needed. General health care. But when it came down to me researching plastic surgeons in New York, I personally found that the surgeons on my short list (who were among the highest recommended) no longer accepted UHC even for partial payment. This was upsetting for me. I had to knock 4 surgeons off my list of 6 because of UHC. Now, this is not to say you will not be successful in finding a surgeon who accepts it. I'm just cautioning you that not as many take it as other insurance plans. I ended up waiting it out and switching during the open enrollment period back to Aetna so that I could get my first choice surgeon, Dr. Thomas Sterry and I am so happy I did.

Oxford Freedoms title of the policy is called "Reconstructive and Corrective Surgery (Cosmetic Surgery). This is why I mentioned reconstructive. I just called to reconfirm my appt and asked how long the consult would take and she told me 20 minutes. Well I don't think that's a good start. Consults should be longer, right?