I feel ill when I think of the extra skin I'll have

It's completely understandable. This is likely not your first or your last "extra hard/emotional day" - they happen to all of us. Just know that they will pass, and hopefully before you know it you will be a couple of years down the road, happier, healthier, and wondering what all the fuss was about ;)

I thought that in my capacity as the Human Shar-Pei I would weigh in on this, as it were.

In the 16 years since my surgery, I have lost about 150 pounds and maintained it.  I had my loose abdominal skin (of which there was plenty -- when I was in my Aquafit class bouncing around to Abba, I was pretty mu*****ontinuous danger of being socked in the face with my own gut) removed the year after my surgery.

I have lots of loose skin -- on my upper arms, on my thighs, and behind my knees for some reason -- but I'm also 59 years old and not posing for Playboy any time soon.  My abdomen is also covered with scars -- from my VBG, from my panni, from my two C-sections -- and I have a charming little man-made belly button, having lost the factory original with the panni.  As for the girls, they've been heading south for the last 30 years.

In short, I've lived in my body and I've earned every scar, scratch, wrinkle, stretch mark and bump.

I've no doubt you could lose your 110 pounds with Opti (never had the stuff, as it wasn't part of the protocol when my surgery was done back at the turn of the century, but from what I hear it's like prepping for a barium enema every day for months) and a few months of lettuce, but I will lay serious money that within two years you will have gained back that 110 and, if you're lucky, only the 110.  Most likely, if you're like me -- or like a lot of us here -- it'll be more like 130 or 150 or 200.

In the decade before my surgery I gained and lost that same 150 pounds at least three times.  After my surgery, it went and stayed gone.

As others have said, I'll take the loose skin over the rolls of blub any day -- at least with the loose skin, I can contain it with Spanx, and nobody ever died of saggy underarms.  They have, however, died of morbid obesity.

This response is AMAZING!

Well said... I went into this journey with the frame of mind to GET HEALTHY, so when i see the saggy skin in the mirror it just reminds me of how much FAT used to be on my body and how hard my poor heart had to work to keep me going every day.. My grandson loves my Bat wings too LOL....Cheers everyone..Krista..

I used to worry about the loose skin when I was pre-surgery as well.  But I would take my loose skin any day over being 200 lbs overweight!!!

Only you know what is right for you and your body.

At 20 months post op I am dealing with loose skin now, mostly on my belly, thighs, and upper arms.  I do not like it and was very upset, even though I knew what was coming.  Like others I would rather have loose skin than the health and mobility problems I had as a morbidly obese person.  I have not heard of one person who did not think it was worth the trade-off, if that helps.

I know others have said this and I also know you were having a bad day but even if you lose the weight "naturally" chances are still pretty good you will still have loose skin. 

You our have come so far. Don't think of this as the easy way out. If you had any other life threatening disease where surgery would help to control it, would you hesitate? Would anyone tell you not to have it?

You've got this. You're in the home stretch of the waiting game. I'm pretty sure your emotions are perfectly normal. I'm at the start of the process but feel free to remind me of this when my turn comes. 

Wow thankyou! My emotions have been wild and I'm sure it doesn't help now that I'm on Opti- but really thankyou I appreciate your words.. You said you are at the start? How far have u gotten so far?

I've only had my orientation. I have my Social Worker appointment on June 22, Nurse Practitioner in July and Nutrition class in August- I'm hoping to have my surgery within a year.  I've called in for cancellations at TWH but haven't been very successful.