To PLASTIC or not to PLASTIC that IS the question....

oh my OH peeps..

I keep going back and forth on my whole plastics question..

heres a rundown on where my head is at...

I have developed in the past 2 weeks an awesome rash under my Pannis(?)

(the apron of deflated skin that hangs ever so beautifully (not) and hits my upper thighs..)

this is good b/c if I start to document I may be able to get a tummy tuck covered...

I really didn't think at the beginning of this whole journey that the hanging skin would bother me

just as long as a lost the weight and got healthy..

well guess what I have a VICIOUS  hatred towards this flap of annoyance

that I, swing, Pull, push and genrerally want to rip off my body

that I NEVER thought would even take up an ounce of my attention...

I hate how thick it makes me look around my middle (since that is where the majority of my weight was)

even with my compression tank which I wear every single day I still look thick (ehh to me anyway)

so you would think that clearly I should and will do it...BUT...

Im scared ****less of another surgery and in my head one that is vanity driven..

what if I get an infection, what if it kills me, leaving my kids w/o me all because 

I didn't like the way I looked..

 I was raised by a, how can I say this delicately,

 a woman who always had a negative comment if anyone took any personal pride in themselves

IE: exercise, hair color, clothing, plastics (who's SHE trying to impress??!!!)

and God forbidyou went on a vacation w/o your kids..

what's she trying to escape them..

doesn't she want to be with them...selfish..selfish...

anywho I've worked past most of that but some stuff just...STICKS..

sorry to unload but I really have a fight going on in my head...

Oh boy-  I understand where you are coming from.  I had VSG almost 3 years ago & a tummy tuck last summer.  I too felt it was a vanity surgery.  After all, my goal was to become healthy- no more diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol - and I did!  BUT- the hanging skin was driving me crazy!  My internist ( he's also a family friend) helped solve my dilemma- I was sure he would tell me it was a vanity thing.  I was completely surprised by his response.  He told me i would probably never feel "finished" until I had the surgery,  that I deserved it. And he was right.  Best decision post VSG that I made.  My recovery was long, much more intense than I expected, but well worth it.  

Jeanne

I couldn't have said it better myself!  Go for it if it bothers you. You deserve it.

Thank you!! 

Thank you!!

you actually brought tears to my eyes as I read this,

I have such guilt for wanting it..

I don't feel finished, when I see it I see a constant reminder of

the weak, depressed, unhappy person I was..

most insurance will not pay for a tummy tuck even with medical necessity, what they will pay for is removing the extra skin , but not tightening the muscles, some will pay for the skin removal and hospital and allow you to pay the rest for the tummy tuck  

Thanks for the heads up..

Im willing to self pay all the way 

this of course,  being stated before I have a consult

and choke on the numbers being thrown out at me LOL!!!

I, too, suffer from the same thoughts as you as I prepare food !my abdominoplasty. The thing that propels me forward is to look at it from  a health and medical perspective. As I age (I'm 47) that apron will get bigger, saggier and more prone to infections and rashes. Older skin is more delicate. Do I want to have to deal with those issues as I get older? Or worse, need someone to help me with my rashes if I get sick or infirm? No, thank you. I'll have enough aging issues to face. That's why I'm doing it now. I'm taking vanity off the plate and doing it so it won't create bigger concerns in years to come.

You owe it to yourself! I consider this procedure part of the wls journey to health. Good luck.

WOW THANKS!

I never looked at it that way.

Im 48 and the thought crossed my mind to do it before I turned 50 

being as I heard surgery risks go up after that age.

I have battled the same mental demons and emotions as you when deciding if I should have plastics.  Going back and forth over my guilt about using this money (because it's a LOT) and thinking about all the other things I could do for my family with this money - whew!  It's a ****load to process.  

The excess skin is really messing with my head.  Although my wonderful hubby loves me just the way I am, I don't feel sexy and it impacts my desire to be intimate.  I hate that when I'm wearing gym clothes it looks like I'm fat...and that fat jumps up and down with me. I hate it that I have to camouflage the excess belly skin.  I hate it that I've worked super-hard for the last year to build muscle and that you can't see any evidence of it in my mid-section (even though the doc tells me I have strong abs).  I'm a very visual person and I. NEED. TO. SEE. IT! 

My weight problem got really out of hand during my first marriage (18 years with the last 8 of them super-unhappy) and my ex and his family were always judging me for it.  And not quietly either. When I was talking to my therapist about the history of my weight problem and my dilemma (should I do it, should I not), I got very emotional and teary.  She said: "Having plastics is really about letting go of old baggage for you, isn't it?  Literally."  And BINGO! I realized that yes, that's what it's all about.  I can't "see" myself as the new Tracy until I get rid of this old skin.  For me, the old skin represents years of unhappiness, self-abuse and neglect.  I need it gone for my mental health.  

My LBL is set for July 8th.  My mom and sister-in-law are dead set against this.  They just don't get it and think I look "fine".  Everyone thinks I look "fine".  They don't have to be with me naked, they aren't walking around in my skin, they haven't spent the last 3 years (including pre-op) fighting this disease and still seeing a vivid reminder every day of my deep unhappiness and failure to take good care of myself for almost 30 years.  

Get your mom out of your head, grayC.  It sounds like she isn't a very happy person and isn't able to enjoy other people's good fortune and happiness.  You go find your happiness and revel in it, honey! 

I am a big believer in "do what makes you happy" (hmmm, this hedonistic personality trait may have contributed to my obesity!) and you should make the best decision for you, but i have to say, I am 8 weeks post-op from a lower body lift and breast lift and I feel INCREDIBLE.  I am back to my full workouts and wore a bikini this week, for the first time in my adult life!  It was painful for the first day or two after surgery, but not beyond that.  My body finally looks fit, and like Tracy I have been working very hard to exercise and build muscle but you couldn't see it until I had plastics.  I was also scared about dying from an elective surgery, but think of the delicacy required in removing 80% of your stomach!  This surgery is just cutting skin (and in some cases muscle, hence the pain) but I felt confident in my surgeon and he didn't let me down!

I hope you find the peace to make the decision that is best for you!  Good luck!

My plastics post is here.