Sagging Skin

Ok so I have lost 231 pounds so far, I still have a good 75 or more left to go (I have no idea of a goal weight).  But the amount of weight I have lost so far is causing MAJOR skin sagging.  You can see it in my arms but it's not so bad.  But lately I notice my stomach is saggy and kinda caving in, my inner thighs  are totally hanging and flabby.  The girls are.....we'll just leave it at droppy lol.

My question is this.  I know it is not even time to consider plastic surgery yet, so I have to live with the sag, but how do you handle it??  I just think it looks awful and while my husband is the only one *****ally sees these areas,  I see them and just can't stand it.  He tells me it doesn't look as bad as I think and that I am beautiful.  But that is hard to believe when you are looking at the sag!

How do you get thru this part of it??

Thanks
Robin

PS After all the time I spent in the hospital and nursing home I have a huge phobia of hospitals and such now.  A real aversion I never had before.  I don't even know how I am going to go thru Plastic Surgery!  But I guess if there is a will there is a way!

Robin

MOST PLASTIC SURGEONS WILL MAKE YOU WAIT 18 MONTHS AFTER SURGERY.  I WOULD GET TO CLOSE TO GOAL WEIGHT.  REMEMBER, DEPENDING ON WHAT PS YOU ARE HAVING YOU CAN LOOSE A LOT OF WEIGHT JUST FROM SKIN ALONE.  GOOD LUCK TO YOU.  I AM GONNA HAVE A BREAST REDUCTION AND A TOTAL LOWER BODY LIFT TOO.. GOD WILLING...

Robin,
I totally understand the aversion to hospitals and even to surgery in general!!!!  Oh yeah!  .... I've been working diligently to get my labs in shape so I can get more p.s. ...but, I kind of self sabotage just cuz of that aversion!!!  Yikes! ...sharp things and me are not a happy marraige!!  LOL!

Sooooo.....what I"m hearing is that the skin is buggin you but not your hubby.  The thing is, he doesn't have to pack it around all day, tuck it in your jeans, lift it up to powder and wear special underwear to suck it in!!!!  It sounds like you've got a fab man that loves you to pieces and is proud of you!  So, put yourself at the top and just take good care of YOU!!! 

Give me a call  (480) 814-7466, if you have any p.s. questions (I know a fab plastic surgeon, *wink, wink*)......BUT....I'm hearing that your labs may be a problem for ANY surgeon if you've been having struggles getting your vites, proteins and other stuff in, right?  P.S. is HUGE and we all need to be in top notch condition or we can just expect complications (i.e. wound healing, soromas, big pain, etc.)

As a rule, someone is generally ready for a consultation when they approach their goal (like you).....and have leveled off with their losing for at least 3 months.  There isn't a magic number of days or months post-op.  Everyone is different.  And.....some people find that the skin removal actually gets them to their goal!!!!  My guess is that with that huge amount of successful weight loss.....that your last few is just the "junk" that needs to be thrown out with the trash! (or donated to help others:)  )

This is an exciting place for you to be!!! 

Enjoy your journey!!!! 

I don't think I am ready for plastics yet, My stomach still has a lot of weight and is the biggest part of me now.  Plus I don't even know how I am going to afford it because we need to do some fixing on our credit to be able to finance it.  I do have to get on the ball with vits and all meds.  I have such a hard time and always have.  I really don't understand it because I took all kinds of meds pre-surgery and every morning i got up and took them and every night i took some more, blood pressure, allergy, depression, migraine, pain pills, advil.  And now I have like nothing compared and can;t seem to remember.  It's killing me (probably litteraly).  But it's an ongoing battle!

Just reminded me of something I am grateful for about the surgery.  I used to take vicodian and advil three times a day because my legs ACHED so much from carrying all that weight around.  I took that for years and luckily never got addictted, I guess I have a high tolerance for meds, but I don't hurt like that anymore so I don't take any of that anymore!!

Thanks Joyce for always answering post and being so positive.

Robin

Woooo Hooooo on ditching the meds and leg pain!!!!  Doesn't that just make ya wanna dance??!!!!  LOL!!!

I totally understand about the vitamin deal.  Whats up with us???  It's like if I skip a day then I think, oh well....I won't bother today either cuz I've probably already done damage?  I'm like "what the heck?"!!!  We go through MAJOR surgery with all kinds of little surprises and junk after surgery and then we sabotage our future health!!!

I went a full year without being consistent and man did I pay (that's when I barely was able to crawl up on the scale to see that I weighed just 98 pounds!!!! Yikes!!!)  .....I had to do my own personal intervention cuz my fuzzy brain wasn't hearing anything Dr. S or anyone else was preaching!  I called Vitalady (Michelle) and did a little "truth and dare" conversation and she dared me to try a regular routine of all that she was sending me.  Life began again after about 2 weeks of the plan...then I added the gluten free diet and I've been on nothing but uphill energy ever since!!!

BTW, Vitalady said that any of us who are HM's can just call her (866-vitalady).  Tell her or office staff what your procedure was and they'll talk you through exactly what you need.; put together a package just for you and stick it in the mail asap!!!  I buy $300 worth of supplements at a time so I don't have to worry about it for months and months and so I get the free shipping.  Then I get myself in front of a good t.v. show with my mini muffin baking pan....and divide out the pills in each little muffin area.  I scoop them into one of those little ziploc pill bags (buy zillions at Walmart or any drug stores for pennies).....and then I can grab a little bag each morning and take them with me if I'm in a hurry or set them by my puter if i"m working from home.  They're in my face and I TAKE them!!!!!  It's working.

Find your own system that works for you.  Do a little self talking and your own intervention.  Make a plan and tackle it with gusto.  You can do the baby steps of exercise, water, etc later when you're feeling perkier.  One positive change at a time is NOT overwhelming.

You CAN do it!!!!  ..... Let me know, K?!!!

Joyce,

I love your positive messages they really help me!!

Dr. S yells at me every time I go in about the vitimians!!!!!   (LOL on a funny side note my husband would try to remind me to take my vit's and I would get mad at him and snap at him.  Last time I saw Dr S I was getting tests done and he and my husband were talking and my husband ratted me out about the yelling and Dr. S SCOLDED me for yelling at him.  Nothing like being scolded at by your surgeon for yelling at your husband LOL.  I felt so bad that I really try to not do that anymore!)

I have a huge pill box my husband bought me that has a section for every day of the week and under each day it has morning, afternoon, evening, and night with a place to put your pills for each time period. 

But I think my biggest problem is I can't stand the taste of the chewable multi vitimian (Barratic Advantage)  Dr. S said I could take centrum and sallow it BUT two things, one I would have to take an additional ADEK vitimian and I started taking the centrum and would throw up right away for like 3 hours then be out of commission the rest of the day.  So I went back to BA. 

I also read on the main board  or somewhere about a web site that you input all your pills and it sends you a text message when its time to take them I signed up for it but it's not working I have to figure that out cuz I think the reminder will help.

I also am actually afraid that I will lose too much weight.  I barely eat anything!!  I don't eat 6 times a day and most meats do not agree with me anymore.  I think I live on fruit.  I also love salad and cheese. 

As for exercise that has to wait till I am more steady on my feet, the atrophy did a number on me and I am still going thru physical therapy, I walk a lot by myself now but have NO stamina.  I also have very bad nueropathy in my hands and feet since the surgery.  When I was in the hospital in December they did a spinal tap on me and didn't find anything, they told me in PT that as I walked more it would get better and go away but that is not happening.  I am trying to get into the nueropathy clinic at Banner Good Sam for some relief.

Wow!  I didn't mean to poor all that out but it feels really good to talk about it on here where people understand.  I was afraid to mention my trouble with vits and protien for fear of getting lambasted for it.

I plan on calling Vitalady like you said.

Robin