Wow.... WOW.... WOooooooo HOooooooo! Um... Hmmm... skin...
Hey everyone...
Today is my 11 month anniversary of my surgery and I got a bit of a present... I am now 1/2 the woman I used to be!
I started this weighing a whopping 374 
pounds. At 5'5", that gave me a BMI of 62.2 .. Yeah, I know, HUGE. Not anymore though! 
Today I weigh 187!!!!!! That is 1/2 the weight of 374 and my BMI has come down 31.1. That is 1/2 too! My goodness, there really was a woman hiding under all that fat...
I still have a way to go... about 40 more pounds at least, but I am feeling great and doing great and I know that I will get there.
Now I am beginning to wonder about all this skin 
... Yuck. I am kind of wondering what I would be weighing right now if I didn't have so darn much extra skin. Then I wonder how to figure out a "goal weight" if I have that skin and how much I REALLY weigh under that skin?!?!?! I am a bit terrified to have surgery to remove it because of my brush with death with my WLS last year, but I now have a hernia which my doctor will have to fix anyway so who knows? I am really trying to figure this all out. Anyone else thinking about the skin or had something done about it or well, whatever your thoughts I welcome them...?????? Tell me what you are thinking please!
Best,
Amy
I started this weighing a whopping 374 pounds. At 5'5", that gave me a BMI of 62.2 .. Yeah, I know, HUGE. Not anymore though! Today I weigh 187!!!!!! That is 1/2 the weight of 374 and my BMI has come down 31.1. That is 1/2 too! My goodness, there really was a woman hiding under all that fat...
I still have a way to go... about 40 more pounds at least, but I am feeling great and doing great and I know that I will get there.
Now I am beginning to wonder about all this skin ... Yuck. I am kind of wondering what I would be weighing right now if I didn't have so darn much extra skin. Then I wonder how to figure out a "goal weight" if I have that skin and how much I REALLY weigh under that skin?!?!?! I am a bit terrified to have surgery to remove it because of my brush with death with my WLS last year, but I now have a hernia which my doctor will have to fix anyway so who knows? I am really trying to figure this all out. Anyone else thinking about the skin or had something done about it or well, whatever your thoughts I welcome them...?????? Tell me what you are thinking please!
Best,
Amy 
Amy!!
Congrats with your weightloss. You must feel wonderful. I am only 11 days out and have not yet had to deal with skin. (I will though) If you can get your insurance to pay for plastics I say go for it. You are healthy now and should pull through just fine with the surgery. You have come this far why not all the way?
Just my two cents! :0). Keep up the good work and good luck with your journey.
-Brandy
CONGRATULATIONS AMY!!!!
I am very much looking forward to getting this excess skin dress "taken in."
There's enough room in this skin for someone else my size to ride shotgun 
So, it needs be taken care of so I can exercise adequately, and so I can feel like a gorgeous beast for my girlfriend. 
Ok, so I already feel like a gorgeous beast for her, but I do wish to be able to wear less foundational undergarments to feel comfortable. And I do wish to not have these skin rashes (which I'm great at curing but sick of getting).
Your story makes it PAINFULLY obvious why you'd be leery of a new surgical journey, but even still - look into your heart to decide what's right for you. For me I'm getting this stuff hacked off! I know pleanty of folks who don't and they don't regret it for a second.
You're a total hottie Amy,
Keep up the great work,
~Lara:fairy;
So, it needs be taken care of so I can exercise adequately, and so I can feel like a gorgeous beast for my girlfriend. Ok, so I already feel like a gorgeous beast for her, but I do wish to be able to wear less foundational undergarments to feel comfortable. And I do wish to not have these skin rashes (which I'm great at curing but sick of getting).
Your story makes it PAINFULLY obvious why you'd be leery of a new surgical journey, but even still - look into your heart to decide what's right for you. For me I'm getting this stuff hacked off! I know pleanty of folks who don't and they don't regret it for a second.
You're a total hottie Amy,
Keep up the great work,
~Lara:fairy; 
First off... CONGRATZ! What a milestone!
If it helps any Amy... typically plastic surgeons are leary of taking any more than 15 lbs of extra flesh off at a time b/c of blood loss, healing time, etc... So you could guess how much you would weight after plastics. If you think you can get the rest of that 40lbs off, then do that first.... that way if you decide to have plastics, you will be happier with your results.
Also, when it is time for plastics, first look for a board certified plastic surgeon and then look for one who is expierenced in Gastric Bypass patients and finally look ofr one that does their procedures in a hospital and not in their clinic. With your history you are better off in a hospital that is equiped to handle anything that may arise. Even if that means having to travel and getting a motel or something. (That is what a firned had to do, she traveled 140 miles for her surgeon but it was worth it. Once he got her rolled over for her belt cut skin removal he realized she had no ooty... sista can't live without a booty, so he "lifted" her butt for her! LOL!)
HTH!
Brightest Blessings for a Wonderful Day~ 
Jamie M.
Weight- 257/234/146
BMI- 44.1/40.2/25
Height- 5' 4"
Surgery Date: 1/19/05
No matter what size, we are all Goddesses inside!
If it helps any Amy... typically plastic surgeons are leary of taking any more than 15 lbs of extra flesh off at a time b/c of blood loss, healing time, etc... So you could guess how much you would weight after plastics. If you think you can get the rest of that 40lbs off, then do that first.... that way if you decide to have plastics, you will be happier with your results.
Also, when it is time for plastics, first look for a board certified plastic surgeon and then look for one who is expierenced in Gastric Bypass patients and finally look ofr one that does their procedures in a hospital and not in their clinic. With your history you are better off in a hospital that is equiped to handle anything that may arise. Even if that means having to travel and getting a motel or something. (That is what a firned had to do, she traveled 140 miles for her surgeon but it was worth it. Once he got her rolled over for her belt cut skin removal he realized she had no ooty... sista can't live without a booty, so he "lifted" her butt for her! LOL!)
HTH!
Brightest Blessings for a Wonderful Day~
Jamie M.
Weight- 257/234/146
BMI- 44.1/40.2/25
Height- 5' 4"
Surgery Date: 1/19/05
No matter what size, we are all Goddesses inside! 
Nancy,
Thanks for the kind words, and welcome to the board 
...
As for words of wisdom I can only tell you that this surgery can change your life in incredible ways, but only if you let it. I think it's important for us to remember that this surgery is only a tool. To make it work for you, you have to be ready to change that relationship that you have with food into a healthy one. Food is a fuel for me now. It isn't a celebration or a friend when I have a bad day.
As soon as you change the way you think about, feel about, and react to food, then good things start to fill the void that food did (or at least I thought it did) before.
I wish you nothing but good on this journey. Learn everything that you can now before you have surgery, and it will be the best gift you will ever give yourself. 
Take good care,
Amy 
...
As for words of wisdom I can only tell you that this surgery can change your life in incredible ways, but only if you let it. I think it's important for us to remember that this surgery is only a tool. To make it work for you, you have to be ready to change that relationship that you have with food into a healthy one. Food is a fuel for me now. It isn't a celebration or a friend when I have a bad day.
As soon as you change the way you think about, feel about, and react to food, then good things start to fill the void that food did (or at least I thought it did) before.
I wish you nothing but good on this journey. Learn everything that you can now before you have surgery, and it will be the best gift you will ever give yourself.
Take good care,
Amy Most Active
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