just gotta ask....

I really love this board. You are all so good at sharing your thoughts, fears, struggles and rewarding experiences. It inspires me and makes me feel "normal" for the first time in my life. So I need ask a couple embarassing questions that have nagging at me. What do you do with the hanging skin as you lose weight? I mean literally, how do you dress with it, so it doesn't bulge out and flop around, or chafe? How do you deal emotionally with being all jiggly, when you finally are not as big as you were? Do you still feel smaller, and move and bend better, or does this skin get in the way still? And while I'm asking the things that are worrying me, what about this ng tube they tell me I will have in after I wake up. How do you keep from gagging? I'm serious here, i've only had surgery once and before then I thought I would die if I ever had to have it, so going through this willingly was amazing me until I found out about the ng tube. Thanks so much for being out there. You're all amazing

Hello Well I am just about 9 months out and let me tell ya the skin thing is an issue however there are things you can do to hide it. I can't stand mine. I was 455 pounds when I started and now I am down to 325 and it is really bothering me. I try not to concentrate on very much but I do wear a lot of long sleeve clothing and mid arm clothing. As far as you lower body you can purchase a body shaper and that should help with the jiggle you are talking about. I workout at least 4 days per week atleast for 1 hour sometimes more so my lower half is doing pretty well for the most part. The only part about my body I have issues with are my arms. Now as far as the NG tube mine was out when I woke up. Not everyone wakes up with a tube down there throat. I hope this helped a little. Lorraine

Julie, I started my pre-op journey in January 06 (after fighting my HMO for 1.5 yrs) and had surgery August 06. I've lost 224 lbs since I started this journey (124 pre-op, 100 since surgery) and I have all sorts of skin flopping around. My upper arms, whom I have named Hoppy and Bob (stolen from Garrison Keillor), have lives of their own. When I shower, Hoppy and Bob sway like hula dancers. Sometimes, when I reach quickly for things on an upper shelf, Bob clops me in the face! I have two butts now -- in addition to the butt in the back, the hanging skin on my stomach now looks like a butt in the front. Sometimes, if I move just so, the front butt makes slapping noises. You know what? I don't care. I can do more now than I could at 530 lbs. I can fit into chairs and not worry about breaking them. I still need supplemental oxygen, but it's at 1.5 liters instead of 4, and my PCP is confident that before long, I will no longer need it. I can shower and reach everything that needs to be reached. I can fit in the car, and while I'm not 100% mobile, my mobility is much improved. In short, my quality of life has already improved significantly, and I'm not done losing weight yet. It's not that I'm not vain, it's just that I'm more focused on the weight loss right now. I'll worry about the skin later. As for the ng tube, I didn't have one. When I woke up from surgery, what I noticed was that I felt like someone was sitting on my chest. After couging a few times, that feeling went away. I had discomfort the first night after surgery (my stomach felt like I'd done 1000 situps), but by the next morning, I felt fine. I had lap RNY and was in the hospital two days. Kix

Julie, I'm 21 months out and I do have issues with hanging skin, but, not quite as bad as I had imagined! I think it is because I exercise quite a lot and really follow all the rules about drinking water and taking my vitamins and eating very healthfully. My doctor says those things really make a difference in the skin area. I do plan on getting a tummy tuck when I've saved the money. There is hanging skin on my legs and arm, but, I can live with it. I just feel so much better with the 150 lbs gone...it is so worth it!!!! Hugs, Lori P.S. They had my NG tube out before I woke up, so other than a sore throat, that was it.

greetings julie i'm in agreement with the other responders...the skin is horrible, but i'm in such a better situation now than before, it's kind of like "yeah, the skin sucks, but so what?" i'm down 276 lbs...i have yards and yards of excess skin, and am not in a financial position to do anything about it...but life is SO much better, i can live with the skin. i didn't have an NG tube when i woke up. best of luck to you. deb

hi Julie! I'm only 4 1/2 months out and have lost 100 pounds, and I have started to notice the skin sag a bit - I have about 90 more to go and I imagine by then it will be flapping all over the place! The only time it bothers me is when I work out, I make some funny noise It may bother me in the future, but right now I'm so happy to feel good that the skin is just a side issue. As for the tube, I had the same fear before my surgery! I had a friend who had woken up after surgery to find the tube still there, but that is very rare. On top of that, he said that they sedated him very quickly and he doesn't remember a thing after that. Next thing he knew he was awake with no tube. Just prepare yourself for the possibility but don't completely freak out about it - I think I was panicked ahead of time and apparently I put up a fight in the pre-op room (I don't remember this but they had to sedate me 3 times before I would lay down). And all this time I thought I was calm and worry free

Hi Julie!!!! I'm not sure what the NG tube is? Is that the breathing tube? If so, mie was removed before I woke up. Are you sure that your doc keeps yours in? THe catheter being removed was fine and even having the drin removed was no big deal. Try not to worry too much abouthe MG tube because the rewards of havin ghte surgery will be worth it! As for the skin. Yes, I sag all over. Surprisingly, I don't have as much stomach skin as I thought I would. It does not hang low enough for insurance to cover a tumy tuck for me. But I have lots and lots of skin and jiggly FAT on my butt and thighs. they are soooo huge! Plus the cellulite and stretchmarks look worse than before. My arms are also horrible. I plan to have them done first this summer plus the loose upper back skin. My boobs are nothing but skin - no tissue left at all. Preop, I was a DD cup now I'm a B cup. Yes, it bothers me a lot. To be honest, I am very unhappy with the way my clothes fit because of the skin and the lower body fat I cannot seem to get rid of. I've given up trying to find a pair of jeans that will accomodate my loose skin and various jiggles. But having said that, I'll take being an ill-fitting size 12 over going back to size 28/30 any day!!! I'm presentable with clothes on, but without clothes is a different story, but I'm chronically single, so no one has to look at me except me. To help rein in by out-of-control rump, I use Bally body shapers in "firm". They're real tight, but they work magic smoothing out my lumps and bumps so I look decent in public! They also help with chafing. I had one rash but since I started using the body shapers, my thigh and stomach skin does not rub anymore. Plus like Lori said, the exercise and water do help some. Anyway, even with the skin, I move better, bend better, and look and feel much smaller than I ever have in my entire life. It's totally worth it even if plastics would never be possible. I have some pictures of my arm skin posted in my profile. If you want to see, go to my June 14, 2006 blog entry. My loose arms skin is even worse now than it was in those pics because my arms are more toned now than before, so the skin hangs even more. I am working on getting some more pics posted - "after" pics and more loose skin pics. Good luck Sweetie! Hugs, Tracy

HI, I started at 453 and now am 333. I have been 300+ since I was 13, so my skin is pretty bad. I look at my arm and it is like something is hanging on , but now at least I can see my arms!. My tummy is hanging , but is not as bad yet as I am afraid it will be. My upper thigh is where I look the worst...my tummy does hide that some though. I can tie my shoes and reach everything in the shower now and dont feel like it is a chore to get in and out of the car. It is so worth it! I do have my long line bra and dont leave home without a girdle now. I already have a belly button hernia, so I hope I will get insurance to cover the abdominoplasty in a year or two. Shellie

Hi, is the belly button hernia a result of the excess skin?

I have to admit that sometimes I am just fascinated by the extra skin--it is like its own separate entity! I swim, so I will watch it float or respond to the waves and just be amazed. (It doesn't take much to entertain me!) While I don't like the floppiness and plan on a tummy tuck, breast reduction, and arm lift, I do still see it as a sign of success. I know what it was like to have all that loose skin full. My legs and thighs are really bad, but I am too chicken to have those done. Pants rule! Sally