Worry sets in...

[simplyseahorse]

Hi all, I have been pretty positive throughout this journey in spite of the fact that my surgery will be delayed until after the New Year.....but........

I am using an app that my surgeon suggested. This app also has a Facebook group. Don’t get me wrong, people are nice there like they are here, but there has been some pretty graphic stuff I guess I wasn’t ready for. First was some pics of a lot of sagging skin. This is something that has scared me from the start. I expect some, but I am hoping with some working out especially in that area, I won’t have a lot more sag then I have now. Next are the incisions. Looked like a LOT of cuts to me.......now I feel like I will be thinner but wrapped up to keep sagging skin from dragging the floor and I will look like I have been in a knife fight. I have been really anxious all day.

Is it worth it?.......Do I need a reality check and this is what to expect or were these extremes???????

[Christie13]

I am 4'11" and have lost 99 lbs. That is a lot on someone my height. I am 44 years old. Here are my progress pictures taken in August. I can tell you that while I have some loose skin, it is not bad at all. And now you really can't see my scars at all. I have to really look for them and I am 13 months out. I think the key to skin sag is making sure you hydrate your skin with lotion and drinking lots of water, get your protein in, good nutrition, exercise, and take your vitamins I don't have any regrets. Being fat was way worse for my ego and also for my health.

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[BamaBrit]

I was worried about the same thing. I didn’t really have A lot of loose skin until my last 20-30 pounds. I’ve got some on my lower abdomin and some on my arms from where I carried most of my weight. I had five inscisions of which you can only see one of now and it’s maybe an inch in length. Is it worth it? HECK YES! I’d do it all over again. I’ll tell you like I tell my own patients at work, DO NOT do an internet search on anything medical because more than likely you’ll find a worse case scenario picture and not a regular run of the mill example. Don’t let the pictures put you off from going into surgery and enjoying your own weight loss sleeve journey!

[simplyseahorse]

Thank you for sharing that. I am 5 ft 7 inches and want to lose around 100 lb as well. I can see what you mean, your scars healed nicely and I would be thrilled with that little loose skin!

[simplyseahorse]

Agreed Bama. I just got such a terrible feeling after seeing all of that at once. I know it is reality but I also think that person didn’t do much exercise or anything. There were questions about that. Just left me freaked out.

[BamaBrit]

I’m 5’1 and have lost 111 in less than a year and the saggy skin I have is minimal. Most extreme cases you see are from patients not moving around in a regular basis or maybe they carried most of the weight in one particular area.

[simplyseahorse]

That is another good thing. Although I have a big stomach, my weight is pretty evenly distributed.

[Stacey03]

Hi Seahorse, I think some sites can really freak you out. Also I think some people can make a real meal of medical stuff, I mean this in a kind way but gosh some people really do get dramatic on stuff that wasn't dramatic at all. It's peoples perceptions. You are an individual and your experience will be your own. You know all this :-)
I'm so pleased to see christies post above because she is a great example of someone who has lost a heap of weight but also added exercise and lotion and vitamins and she shoves some collegen in her coffee. She looks after herself and there is the result. Maybe you might have a bit of loose skin but gawd you will be healthier than you were before... plus spanx!!!!!! Maybe I'm just odd but I don't give much of a fig about loose skin, but that's maybe because i don't think I will have too much. Maybe it's different if you are younger and dating etc. I think it's valid and okay to want to do something if you didnt like it so then there is surgery.
But OMG you are going to be super healthier, you know this. I also think it is normal to have a worry about things when you're getting close to surgery. Shut down that page for a bit and have a lovely bubble bath and a martini... in fact have the martini for me as I don't know when I will be able to drink one again. Make it dry and dirty ;-) You'll be fine, you're nearly there xx

[Arabella25]

Seashore, you will be the next Christie.

[sraebaer]

Worth it?!?! I hate to break it to you, but being obese looks a whole lot worse than being a regular sized person with a little saggy skin that hides well under clothes. If it doesn't you can always wear compression garments or have plastic surgery. I work out and have kept the skin to a minimum, but I didn't have a super amount to lose, so your results may be different. And the scars, mine are gone. Totally gone. They were teeny tiny in the first place.

Sorry, but I always think it's silly when people say they are so worried about saggy skin, a little hair loss, following a pre-op diet, not eating like a pig, etc. I would think they would worry about being fat and unhealthy. From a formerly fat and unhealthy person, who is currently regular-sized and healthy. Not to mention my life has changed 100% for the better. I think it's time to look at the big picture. Get excited!!

[azladyrider]

I keloid scar (Google it if you aren't familiar) so phhhhtttt any normal scar looks amazing to me but then again I have huge protruding scars on my chest and arms and stomach and had them since I was 13 - added to them over the years with surgeries for various issues. The TT scar is below my bikini line and if someone I get naked with has a problem? Guess what? It's their problem not mine. I once got asked why I wear low cut tops with the "horrible scar on my chest" and I just laughed and said the same as above - NOT MY PROBLEM it's yours. I wear a bikini, low cut tops, crop tops all with the scars - funny thing is that my friends say "what scars" when I say something about having them treated like I used to and if someone isn't a friend then who cares? I sure don't.

[simplyseahorse]

Yes Stacey, they can freak you out sometimes. Thank you for acknowledging that my freaking out might be legitimate. OF COURSE I know that this will all be worth it in the end - but last night hard in many ways for me, and that was the icing on the cake. I appreciate those who were positive with responses - that was what I needed.

[simplyseahorse]

True Lazy - scars can be only the roadmap of where we have been - we should wear them well!

[simplyseahorse]

Srabaer - I guess you didn't understand where I was coming from. You don't have to break to me how awful I look now - I know it full well. Pretty much think we all did if we had much to lose. The picture of the incisions that I saw were massive which is why I asked if normal. Also the amount of skin again was massive. I worry because the surgery that I have read about for removing skin is worse than the sleeve! I don't care about the cosmetics of saggy skin, I care about the rashes and such.

I do worry about being fat and unhealthy. I worry all of the time. Maybe that is because among other things, I have panic disorder. Maybe that is why I took your post to be a bit harsh. I am going to chalk it up to that anyway and move on.

[DHB]

Like you, I hit an anxiety wall. Realized I had so many issues swirling around so I wrote down my list of everything possible, from dying to getting too thin. Then I researched them one by one. Learned this surgery is safer than a c-section or gall bladder surgery. Knocked off the rest one by one. Decided if I really hated saggy skin I could have plastic surgery. (Doubt I would, but I could.) I don't know if this approach will help you, but I needed to stop the swirling in my brain.

The one thing I can answer is the scar issue. As soon as the surgical tape fell off I started using Vitamin E oil and Mederma. One month later my scars are already fading. My husband is shocked. He had laparoscopic abdominal surgery a year ago and my scars have faded more than his. I think it depends on your skin type but I do think using Vit E and/or other scar cream makes a difference. (Not that I'm planning on wearing a bikini.)

Anxiety is normal but you can handle this. You already know from reading this forum that some people don't follow their doctor's protocol and then wonder why things aren't working out well. If you take this seriously (and you are) you'll be fine.