Dealing with skin, body issues...

[blackcherry2002 5]

So July 28th will be 2 years since I had lap band surgery. I'm so glad I got it done and it's the best decision I could have made.

I've lost about 115 pounds...My waist at my belly button has gone from 53 inches to 28 inches..this has left some excess. The worst part about it is I don't know if I can tell the difference between excess skin and fat. So I keep looking at my stomach and see the same 53 inch belly. It's really holding me back from enjoying my weight loss and keeps me a size up because I have to find pants that I can tuck my stomach into and shirts that don't show all the lumps and bumps.

I'm looking into getting a Tummy Tuck. But that's a bigger surgery than the lapband; it's a lot to consider. I'm also at this point only thinking I can do it if my insurance covers it but at the same time I think it's something I need to do if I ever want to be comfortable (not even in love) with my body. I was looking at before and after pictures yesterday and I started crying because those stomachs looked like mine and after they were normal, beautiful...maybe it just gave me hope.

I know it probably sounds bad but if I were a mother like a lot of you maybe I'd feel better about it because it's like...yeah you know why my stomach looks like s**t? Because I created LIFE! HA!

Unfortunately it was a combination of bad eating which kept me a little chubby and a stupid malfunctioning thyroid that ballooned me up and caused a TON of stretch marks.

Just wondering if anyone out there is feeling a lot like me. And what do you think about the tummy tuck, think I should get it even if my insurance doesn't cover it?

(Don't get me wrong I don't have BDD or anything. Though not perfect a lot of my other body parts I'm ok with. However my stomach is bad to the point that it affects intimacy and makes me self concious constantly)

[Blaze21 5]

I understand the stomach issue. I have lost 113 lbs in abt two years (July 8th bandiversary). I know that what's left is indeed fat. I do have some loose skin on the bottom portion of my stomach, but it seems to be getting better. The top half of my stomach is just fat and I have a hard time fitting into sizes I would be able to fit into if my stomach was smaller. I haven't had any children yet, so a Tummy Tuck is not an option, even if I had insurance coverage for it. I have about 25 lbs left that I would like to lose, so hopefully most of it will come from my midsection. I refuse to be intimate with anyone because I am so uncomfortable with the way I feel about my body. Hopefully when I reach goal and have a smaller belly, I will feel differently.

[Teacher07 3]

Well dear we were literally the same starting size, currently are the same size, dealing with the same issues and I live about 45 miles north of you! How is that for coincidence. I will tell you I have done alot of research on having a TT done and was also worried that insurance didn't cover it that I would be SOL. However, Altru and Fargo plastic surgery are about 3 thousand MORE than a very good doctor I have found in Bismarck. It is Dr. Beckers plastic surgery institute in Bismarck/Mandan. He has been very good to answer my questions and send me alot of information. Check him out! :thumbup:

[blackcherry2002 5]

I actually have an appointment for a doctor here in Fargo. But my mom had looked into Dr. Becker once before. Only problem is that living in Fargo and with school, it would be easier to have the surgery here. It depends on if my insurance covers it. If anything I'll see if they will cover it. If they don't, I'll switch to Becker maybe and try to appeal.

I'm not sure:wink2:

[kkarryall 0]

I have lost 140 lbs and I definitely need a Tummy Tuck. I wear a size 4, but would NEVER wear a bikini!! I am scheduled for my tummy tuck on August 18th. Insurance claimed they would cover it after I jumped through a milliion hoops...now they claim they will give me about $2000 towards it, which will mean I will have to come up with about $10,000. But it is worth it to me....I have a lot of other things I would like to have done...inner thigh lift, breast lift, and brachioplasty...but the TT is my main concern...the other things will have to wait and insurance will not pay for them

[blackcherry2002 5]

wow you're Tummy Tuck is 12,000? It's only about $8,000 here in Fargo I believe. Even cheaper if I went to another city but...wow :bored: