shinyapple
crunchy in milk
Hi folks! Let me preface this by saying I am NOT a post-WLSer, but have lost a significant amount of weight after having part of my pancreas removed due to an insulinoma. My doctor has shaken his head at me more than once since none of them expected this to be a side effect, but regaining my mobility and having a generally improved state of health has been an advantage. My highest weight was 606, though that was brief, and eighteen months since that time has seen me drop to around 350 at 5'2". Still nowhere near tiny, but much smaller.
My question is this: when do you know it's time to consider surgical removal of excess skin? I'm not loving my upper arms being more than half batwings, nor the drapes around my sides and the weasels in a stretched out sock otherwise known as my breasts. My bigger concern though is my pannus and thighs. My lower belly is deflated and mostly just rests against my upper thighs, which are half skin and folds as well.
Since December, I've had an on-and-off issue with what I thought at first was a yeast infection, was finally told was an allergy, and has recurred periodically despite changing to entirely perfume and dye free products. The areas where my legs and body meet, as well as where my pannus hits my upper legs/groin area, are uncomfortable, sometimes itch, and yet there is nothing there. I find myself showering two to four times a day, letting the hardest spray from the hand-held just beat the crap out of the seams of my legs, as that is the only thing that seems to alleviate the feeling for a while. I'm far from dirty, am very particular about what bath and laundry products I use, and still don't know what to do.
So...is this something due to the excess skin? Could I be experiencing skin breakdown or deterioration already? I'm not certain my POS insurance provider will cover the plastic surgery/reconstruction, but if that's the answer and paying out of pocket is the solution, I may bite the bullet and get it done. I can wait on any upper body work, but the health concern is what's getting to me. I've looked and looked and tried to find info, but there isn't much I can find on excess skin after weight loss other than passing remarks about potential infections or the need for surgery to remove it.
Have any of you faced this problem? Am I being paranoid or should I see someone about it? If so, where do I even go? It's not a gyno issue, I doubt a dermatologist wants to check out my crotch, and it doesn't seem to align with what my GP would handle either. I just want to find a solution where I don't feel like I need to either scratch my skin off, scald myself in the shower, or be afraid to ever consider sex again because whatever someone sees on my upper thighs would make me appear diseased. (Yes, I have built it up in my head into something horrible!)
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance and I hope my question isn't intruding from a non-WLSer.
My question is this: when do you know it's time to consider surgical removal of excess skin? I'm not loving my upper arms being more than half batwings, nor the drapes around my sides and the weasels in a stretched out sock otherwise known as my breasts. My bigger concern though is my pannus and thighs. My lower belly is deflated and mostly just rests against my upper thighs, which are half skin and folds as well.
Since December, I've had an on-and-off issue with what I thought at first was a yeast infection, was finally told was an allergy, and has recurred periodically despite changing to entirely perfume and dye free products. The areas where my legs and body meet, as well as where my pannus hits my upper legs/groin area, are uncomfortable, sometimes itch, and yet there is nothing there. I find myself showering two to four times a day, letting the hardest spray from the hand-held just beat the crap out of the seams of my legs, as that is the only thing that seems to alleviate the feeling for a while. I'm far from dirty, am very particular about what bath and laundry products I use, and still don't know what to do.
So...is this something due to the excess skin? Could I be experiencing skin breakdown or deterioration already? I'm not certain my POS insurance provider will cover the plastic surgery/reconstruction, but if that's the answer and paying out of pocket is the solution, I may bite the bullet and get it done. I can wait on any upper body work, but the health concern is what's getting to me. I've looked and looked and tried to find info, but there isn't much I can find on excess skin after weight loss other than passing remarks about potential infections or the need for surgery to remove it.
Have any of you faced this problem? Am I being paranoid or should I see someone about it? If so, where do I even go? It's not a gyno issue, I doubt a dermatologist wants to check out my crotch, and it doesn't seem to align with what my GP would handle either. I just want to find a solution where I don't feel like I need to either scratch my skin off, scald myself in the shower, or be afraid to ever consider sex again because whatever someone sees on my upper thighs would make me appear diseased. (Yes, I have built it up in my head into something horrible!)
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance and I hope my question isn't intruding from a non-WLSer.
