New to this all- experience welcome

[Guest]

Hi all.

Recently weight loss surgery has been a viable option for me, and I have an appointment in a few weeks to discuss this with the surgeon. I've done a lot of research on both the benefits and drawbacks and feel I have a logical perspective on the situation and what it's designed for-not looking for a quick fix.

I do have questions I'd rather ask those who have experienced the journey as opposed to medical websites:

1. Will there always be loose skin, regardless of the situation/weight lost/type of surgery? For example, I'm 5'5", female, 32 and weight 240 (with other weighted related health concerns). Loose skin is my biggest concern out of all of this.

2. Is POTS a real concern? Has anyone felt their POTS has improved due to their health getting better?

3. Has anyone with chronic pain/fibromyalgia type situations felt the surgery has helped with these symptoms? Made them worse?

I'm sure I'll have more. I apologize if these have been asked before-I tried searching and there was so much information I felt a bit intimidated.

Thank you all for your help in advance.

[AJ Tylo 1,398]

Assume any negative will be outweighed by the negative - Yes there will be loose skin! alternative is to keep the way your are going and take the fat and skin to the coffin shortly after a long miserable disease

Pots I do not have it but I can tell you you will be healthier when less FAT and blood flow should improve

No clue but i have seen FIbromyalgia posts here alot search them here -

Welcome and enjoy the journey

[VIN_IN_AL 55]

5 hours ago, Keatsy said:

1. Will there always be loose skin, regardless of the situation/weight lost/type of surgery? For example, I'm 5'5", female, 32 and weight 240 (with other weighted related health concerns). Loose skin is my biggest concern out of all of this.

I know 4 people I see almost daily who have had WLS within the past 3 years and I keep open communication with 3 others from my WLS support group from last year. The question of loose skin is a complex one, as someone already mentioned in a previous message there really is no consistent diagnosis, simply to many factors that are involved.

So it’s nearly impossible to come up with a pre-surgery answer to the level of loose skin you may have to deal with, however you do have some options to consider when you do find yourself with that extra skin. Obviously, a man’s situation may be different then a woman’s when it comes to dealing with loose skin, also one’s financial resources will be a factor. If you think of it, you only have two options. You either deal with the loose skin and consider the weight loss a major positive over the negative of loose skin or you have it surgically removed. Here is a quick survey of the people I know and what they have done:

• Female - 46, lost 85 pounds, spent a boat load of money on plastic surgery. I must be honest and say it was money well spent, she looks fantastic, totally different person.
• Female - 62, lost over 175 pounds in 2 years, her plastic surgery to remove loose skin at the stomach level was deemed a medical necessity and was completed. However, the loose skin on her legs and arms was not and currently she is trying to save money for a future visit, she will be heading to Mexico to get it done I am told.
• Male – 55, lost 79 pounds year 1, gained back 45 pounds in year 2, struggling to get back on track, schedule to revise sleeve to bypass later this year, no loose skin issue currently.
• Male – 60, lost 103 pounds year 1, gained back only 20 in year 2, history of gaining and losing weight over the last 10 years, does not care about loose skin at the moment.

[catwoman7 10,856]

once you lose the weight, you'll wonder why you wasted even one brain cell worrying about loose skin. I would take loose skin ANY DAY over weighing my former 373 lbs. ANY FREAKING DAY!!!

[AZhiker 2,251]

Yes, I have some loose skin, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. I am 64 years old and I lost all my weight in 7 months and looked pretty saggy, but it has actually tightened up in the past 5 months. I lived in continual pain before surgery. I cannot remember a minute that I did not have back, knee, hip, and foot pain. I already had one knee replacement and was becoming more immobile from pain in the un-operated knee. It was due to be done very soon. Since losing the first 50 pounds, I have had NO PAIN! NONE! My un-operated knee has actually expanded in the joint space, whereas before it was bone on bone. I walk, hike, swim, and bike with no pain.

I also got the doctor's blessing to discontinue my C-PAP, as my extreme sleep apnea is GONE, as is my asthma, GERD, and high blood pressure. My blood sugar, HDL and triglycerides and all normal now. I didn't get any fungal infections in my skin folds last summer! My thighs don't rub together now, so no chaffing when I wear a dress. I can ride my mule, get off the floor by myself, and keep up with my grand kids. I could go on and on and on about how my life has changed since WLS. It is the best thing I have ever done for myself.

A little loose skin? Really? Who cares? Not me. I have my life and health back and loose skin is such a small price to pay for all I have gained. People tell me all the time how good I look, and that I look younger, even with loose skin.

[momof3_angels 465]

19 hours ago, Keatsy said:

1. loose skin

2. Is POTS a real concern?

3. Has anyone with chronic pain/fibromyalgia type situations felt the surgery has helped with these symptoms? Made them worse?

Not going to answer in general terms, but as I have experienced so far:

1) You weigh a little more than I did at start (226.8). We aren't so big that we are guaranteed to have loose skin. I have loose skin shortly after a big drop in weight, but it resolves after a while. My problem is more that the fat isn't as firm, so I have "jello" in different parts of my body while I tone it. Anyhow, these issues are all temporary for me. While I am not ready to wear a 2 piece swimsuit yet.. I now look great in a 1 piece that holds my stomach in a little bit. And I am doing Pilates regularly to tone my body. It is helping already.

2) The only tachycardia I have, is my normal tachycardia. Nothing new. Do go through periods of dehydration and dizziness, but that improves with each passing month. My BP is also lower (always normally low, but now a lower normal to low BP). It is more similar to where I used to be before I gained the weight, but now sometimes it is too low for me to take my medicine for my tachycardia.

3) Don't know about fibromyalgia specifically... but most chronic pains improve or go away, depending on what caused the pain in the first place. But pain due to issues because of obesity usually improve greatly. But you may experience new (usually temporary) pains. For example, I am much more active again and when I take really long walks my knee hurts, so I am getting it checked out. My PCP thinks it is simply due to me increasing my activity so drastically from 6 months ago to now, and I might need a little physical therapy to strengthen the knee.

Hope this helps! And I agree with others... benefits far outweigh the risks and loose skin is a small problem compared to obesity and the health problems it causes.

Edited February 19, 2020 by momof3_angels

[BostonWLKC 806]

I was 242 and mid 40s.
No loose skin for me but everyone journey is different

Good luck with yours!

[Guest]

Wow, thank you all for the perspective & experience. I've been wanting to make this plunge but I wanted to get a bit more information, which I feel I need. I have my appointment for a consultation in a few weeks & I'm excited about the possibility of improving my life.

[Guest]

4

On 2/18/2020 at 2:08 PM, AJ Tylo said:

Thank you!

Assume any negative will be outweighed by the negative - Yes there will be loose skin! alternative is to keep the way your are going and take the fat and skin to the coffin shortly after a long miserable disease

Pots I do not have it but I can tell you you will be healthier when less FAT and blood flow should improve

No clue but i have seen FIbromyalgia posts here alot search them here -

Welcome and enjoy the journey