Hi, everyone. I am pre Sx. I should be getting Sx date within the next 2 weeks. I am a little nervous, but excited. I have been struggling along time with my weight. I'm sure everyone here can empathize. I have a couple of acquaintances who have had the Sx and seem really happy about it. One has lost about 150 lbs in a year and a half. My other acquaintance lost 125 lbs in about 5 months. Those are big accomplishes. I wanted to know if anyone had really bad excess skin. Was there anything you did to help prevent it? Also can anyone recommend ideas on how to make your pureed food. What I was told I will be eating this for a while. How much size wise. I watched a documentary and they used ice cube trays to measure their protein meals. Anyone else have suggestions.
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WazzuCoug
Member
Everyone's loose skin story is different. With very little doubt, if you are going to be losing more than 50-100 pounds or more, you will have some loose skin somewhere. I can certainly see where mine is developing. Genetics and age play a role in skin elasticity, so there are some people who have skin that bounce back fairly well, but there are plenty of people in their 20s with loads of loose skin, and people in their 50s who don't have that much.
There is also very little you can do about it. There are many people who have suggestions, but there isn't any real clinical evidence that anything works better than just letting your body do its thing and then deciding on whether or not you are okay with it, or not. Losing weight slowly seems to be the best way to allow skin to rebound somewhat, but it still depends on starting size, genetics and age somewhat.
The best thing I can recommend is to accept that it is most likely going to happen, and if you already know that it is something you'd want to get surgery for, then start saving money now in a special surgery savings account. You'll be losing weight for 12-24 months after surgery, and then most plastic surgeons will want you to maintain your weight for at least a year after that, so you probably have two to three+ years to save up enough money to put toward skin removal surgery.
Some insurance companies will pay for it if the loose skin are causing rash, sores, fungal issues and/or other issues that aren't treated effectively by other means. If it does seem to be causing skin or other issues (after you've established that you have loose skin) be sure to talk to your PCP about it, and make repeat visits to document the issues so it is easier to make the case for insurance.
There is also very little you can do about it. There are many people who have suggestions, but there isn't any real clinical evidence that anything works better than just letting your body do its thing and then deciding on whether or not you are okay with it, or not. Losing weight slowly seems to be the best way to allow skin to rebound somewhat, but it still depends on starting size, genetics and age somewhat.
The best thing I can recommend is to accept that it is most likely going to happen, and if you already know that it is something you'd want to get surgery for, then start saving money now in a special surgery savings account. You'll be losing weight for 12-24 months after surgery, and then most plastic surgeons will want you to maintain your weight for at least a year after that, so you probably have two to three+ years to save up enough money to put toward skin removal surgery.
Some insurance companies will pay for it if the loose skin are causing rash, sores, fungal issues and/or other issues that aren't treated effectively by other means. If it does seem to be causing skin or other issues (after you've established that you have loose skin) be sure to talk to your PCP about it, and make repeat visits to document the issues so it is easier to make the case for insurance.
missyinacage
Member
Hi, Healthy. Welcome to the group. As the self proclaimed meal prep queen, I have LOTS of ideas re: portioning. The hospital sent me home with a sleeve of 1oz plastic medicine cups for the beginning. If you can't get medicine cups, a shot glass works for the first few weeks. Ice cube trays are about the right size for the first few weeks but seem like it might be messy, unless you buy a covered one. Also, invest in a set of storage containers. Or just pick up a few from the dollar store. I use the 1/2 C the most. They are wonderful for portioning out your food whether you prep or not.
As for pureed food. You can just add broth, water or even gravy to pretty much anything and blend it to puree consistency. My programs actually gave us a recipe for pureed grilled cheese. (Eww!) I mostly stuck to pureed veggies, soups and slow cooked chili type meals that are pretty soft anyway. And those you can pulse in a blender for a few without ending up with a weirdly textured mush. We have lots of puree recipes in the recipe forum. Good luck to you on your upcoming surgery!
As for pureed food. You can just add broth, water or even gravy to pretty much anything and blend it to puree consistency. My programs actually gave us a recipe for pureed grilled cheese. (Eww!) I mostly stuck to pureed veggies, soups and slow cooked chili type meals that are pretty soft anyway. And those you can pulse in a blender for a few without ending up with a weirdly textured mush. We have lots of puree recipes in the recipe forum. Good luck to you on your upcoming surgery!