Pastor Chuck Cody

Although I have not had my surgery yet - I thank my doctor for telling me all along about weight loss and skin sagging. I am 47 and male. One of the main reason I have held off on the surgery is the saggy - excessive loose - too much skin issue. It can't shrink back as quickly as it was stretched, And this more than a vanity concern as is the lapband. I more 175 lbs over weight according to Michelle Obama. I have diabetes now and have had high b.p, for too long. Like you all and my doctor i / we have tried every diet out there - medifast, atkins, south beach, ketogenic, and while we could crash weight with some form of major carb restriction the rebound gaining was horrible. I think I have - no I know I am having a real issue with the removal of skin (call it any name or procedure you want) following major weight loss as COSMETIC. It is not in the category of me choosing to have (forgive me here for the lurid example) girth added to my a certain part of my anatomy, Nor is it straightening my broken nose, or shaping my lips (God forbid) but you see what I am getting at? There is a point at which after making a major change in your body's composition that I think it is medically necessary to have a procedure that reshapes and refits the skin to the body. Otherwise you are limiting your life. It is hard to move with the excess skin so exercising becomes difficult - chaffing is the norm....and the once motivating and gratifying look in the mirror is now depressing - I already have dang man boobs -imagine when gravity hits the lack of fat holding it there,,,I can only imagine the body issues this creates in women. So I;d like to start a drive to see the word cosmetic removed from this surgery - it carries stigmas of vanity and choice - neither of which are at play here. Now God bless you if you want to go further and you want enhanced cosmetic surgery - hey you've earned it - but lets make a line that removes the stigma from medically and mentally necessary and that which is not....

I am preparing to get branded no banded...and I totally get your post. About 20 years ago a friend of mine was 27 yrs old and weighed 450. He had one of the early gastric bypass surgeries, He had to attend counseling for year with a group that had the procedure and some considering it. Although I don't want to wait a year there is some merit to speaking candidly over time with people going through this. My friend was horrified to have anyone over to his home after the surgery. Even a good friend like me. His main reason the bathroom situation was truly horrifying. I do pretty well with biological realities. I'm the one who handles my kids broken bones, blood, vomit, etc. But this was a whole other thing. Now I know the procedure is different and they even say since the intestine is not being shortened there should be nothing that stinks. Well obviously you all know it does. I would be curious medically to know why. Is the flora and fauna depleted post surgery? Do the liquids contribute? When hard foods come in are they ones that produce gas, and stinky excrement? I know that began and vegetarian diets are often high on the ripeness scale as opposed to red or white meats. As for the shoulder pain it is referred pain that occurs when we mess surgically with the digestive system or if you have a gal bladder full of stones. Why does it refer to shoulder - see an acupuncturist - seriously. I have appointments with mine lined up daily for 2 weeks after the surgery.