Women Only! Very Personal!

[karebare714 14]

This is totally disgusting and something that I have never asked anyone in my life. I am 27 yrs old and over 300 lbs. My husband was only with two other women b4 me and each only once, so he doesn't have much comparison (not that I would dare ask). I am having lapband next month (hopfully), and expect to lose lots and lots of weight! My vagina is very fatty (gross I know), especially right above it. I can't even beleive that I am telling all of you this. I want to know if any of you had this problem before the surgery and did it shrink with the rest of your body. You can't exactly exercise that body part now can you. If any of you have had this problem please tell me so I can quit feeling so weird.

Thanks

[MADE IT 2 MY GOAL..OH YEAH 0]

:blushing:You're not alone I assure you in this department. I too, have the fatty thing going on. I guess when you gain weight, EVERYTHING is affected huh. I think I rememer reading a post about this question in the powder room gone wild forum on this site. I don't remember what the answer was, but, I think I will hope over to the forum and look around for it.

[Kat817 19]

Yours is not a unique situation, around here they refer to the condition as a FUPA----Fatty Upper Pubic Area, and it is quite common. It loses fat about the same as other areas that you cannot exercise a muscle underneath to tone. Slower, but as you shrink, it will too....some.

I lost the bulk of my weight and saw a plastic surgeon---because the vast majority of my weight was in my stomach, and a TT was a dire necessity. At that time, he said he would also do what is called a Mons Lift. When they make the incision to pull the upper stomach down, they make it where they can Lipo the pubic mound and pull it up as well. If need be, they often laser hair removal prior to the surgery.

I was astounded at the difference it made!

My suggestion to you, is to seriously work your band and lose the weight in a healthy fashion, so your body keeps up with the weight loss, and you don't get that droopy skin look.

If it is causing you problems now, be it physical, or emotional, bring it up with your Dr. Have it documented. For instance if you get a UTI, ask if it could be affected by the excess skin and fat in the area. Anytime you see the Dr, for anything that is at all weight related, skin rashes under your breasts or pannus (stomach apron) have the Dr. look at it, and document it. This way down the road, if at all possible insurance might cover the surgery. If you wait until you are ready for the surgery, they seldom do. If it is a long term documented health issue, they often will cover.....my TT, lipo, and mons lift was all covered.

Til then, it seems your DH loves you......and it is time to learn to love yourself. Maybe instead of concentrating on how it looks or how fat you feel it is.....maybe concentrate on making the sexual encounter GREAT for both of you. That will matter to him much more than if you have a little extra cushion!!!

Trust me, I bet this worries you much more than it does him!!!

Kat

[karebare714 14]

Thank you both so much. I needed to know that others have this prob, and there is acually a term for it. I know he loves me and I need to start working on my self esteem. It seems to be getting worse. Since I have been going through the 6 month diet I haven't lost but 5 lbs. I do good for a week or so then I start thinking that I will never be able to enjoy my foods again and I start to binge and gain it back. My husband has lost 45lbs and I have lost 5, this makes me angry at him and I know that this is stupid. I am really angry at myself. I have some problems that I need to work on. I am very lucky to have him. We were high school sweethearts and have been together almost 11 yrs. He must be thinking I am loosing it. I have had mood swings like crazy latley. This 6 month wait is just too long. Getting this surgery is all I can think about. I hope I can go back to being my old self once I have a date. I go to the nutritionist Tuesday and to my last dr apt for the 6 month Wednesday, I have already seen the psychiatrist. So I am hoping for 4 to 6 weeks. Wish me luck. I will try to stop ranting now. Thanks

[Kat817 19]

If you have the option through work or through any sort of program to talk to a therapist or councelor, I would take total advantage of it!

Mood swings are quite common, and I hate to be the barer of bad news, but sometime as weight loss increases and you lose quickly following the surgery---the mood swings and irritability increase! It is due to an influx of estrogen into the system.

If you are prepared for it, and know to expect it, sometimes it is easier to handle, knowing this too shall pass!

The stress of waiting for a date is really bad!!!

The band will help you, but you really must be ready to accept that, and learn to handle the emotional eating, as it does nothing to help with that for minimally a couple of months----the first while it is ALL you! You have to allow for time for the band to heal and set into place before you can begin fills in an attempt to find good restriction, which sometimes takes a few fills.

I am not trying to discourage you in any way---the band works, and makes losing weight possible in ways you never ever expect!! BUT you have to have your head about you for the first few months especially, or the discouragment can get the best of you, especially if you are already dealing with mood swings and iritability!

Has your Dr. diagnosed you with PCOS? Often times the emotional issues combined with the difficulty losing weight, are what triggers them to check.

Hang in there......it CAN and it WILL happen if you work with it!!

Kat

[blackcherry2002 5]

wow...def. check out PCOS.

I had some thoughts that I might have it. Inability to lose weight, excess hairyness, acne, mood swings...when I told my doc that while doing my thyroid check maybe I could check my hormones just to make sure they were all normal...and he said "Honestly that's rarely ever the case" and he refused to test my hormones even though i asked...

[Carrie_C 9]

You will most likely still be able to eat your favorite foods after being banded. I thought the same as you, and I had many 'last suppers'. But I can eat almost anything now, only in much smaller portions.

[Kat817 19]

I would print out a list of PCOS symptoms and list what you fall into and take it to my Dr. If he ignored me, I would move on to the next Dr. Whether it be a PCP or your gyno. There is nothing really that can be done to "fix" it or cure it.....but the knowledge of what is going on with your body----will make it easier to cope emotionally if you are one of us slow losers.......but you know what....I may have been slow, took me 2 years and a few months to lose all my weight, not just a few months, but the point is I did it!!!! And you can too, regardless of the diagnosis!

Hang in there, but also be your own advocate in regards to your health you deserve to know what is going on. He works for YOU!!!!

Kat

[SanDiegoPhotog 0]

You know, I don't have PCOS, but I have mood swings. And the stress of selecting a doctor, going through the tests, and waiting for my date was a lot. I was definitely emotional. THEN, I had just mellowed out and was SUPER happy about my band and then I got all crazy again with the mood swings. I have always had severe PMS or PMDD, but it was made soooo much worse with the rapid weight loss. So, if once you get the band and your weight starts to drop like crazy, just be prepared for an emotional roller coaster. The increase of estrogen can cause moodiness.

And, I hear ya on the guy thing . . . my husband thinks about losing weight and he does! It sucks sometimes when I'm working my ass off and he does nothing and can lose weight!

[karebare714 14]

I was diagnised with polycystic ovarian disorder when I was 18. I am extremly hairy and know that it affects my moods but didn't know that it also makes it harder to lose weight. They said at that time that I had a total of over 200 cysts on my ovaries and that I prob couldn't have kids. I have a 6 yr old daughter. It took 2 yrs to get pregnant, but I did, if it takes two yrs to lose the weight I will do it. My dr thought I had ovarian cancer back then, so when he told me it was polycystic I was estatic. I don't have all the pain in my lower stomach that I used to. Thanks for all the support.

[Carrie_C 9]

With everyone talking about PCOS I am wondering if I have it. I also have pain in my lower sides and I am losing very slow, a lot slower than others who had the surgery the same day as me. I also have a lot of mood swings. How do you know if you have it? Do they do an ultrasound?

[*slim* 2]

With everyone talking about PCOS I am wondering if I have it. I also have pain in my lower sides and I am losing very slow, a lot slower than others who had the surgery the same day as me. I also have a lot of mood swings. How do you know if you have it? Do they do an ultrasound?

I had an ultrasound and had my hormone levels checked. Some other symptoms include extra facial hair, pain during sex, either extra heavy periods or sometimes complete stopping of periods. I could go on, but those are the main ones that I have heard about. I hope this helps.

[lapbandbarb 0]

Yours is not a unique situation, around here they refer to the condition as a FUPA----Fatty Upper Pubic Area, and it is quite common. It loses fat about the same as other areas that you cannot exercise a muscle underneath to tone. Slower, but as you shrink, it will too....some.

I lost the bulk of my weight and saw a plastic surgeon---because the vast majority of my weight was in my stomach, and a TT was a dire necessity. At that time, he said he would also do what is called a Mons Lift. When they make the incision to pull the upper stomach down, they make it where they can Lipo the pubic mound and pull it up as well. If need be, they often laser hair removal prior to the surgery.

I was astounded at the difference it made!

My suggestion to you, is to seriously work your band and lose the weight in a healthy fashion, so your body keeps up with the weight loss, and you don't get that droopy skin look.

If it is causing you problems now, be it physical, or emotional, bring it up with your Dr. Have it documented. For instance if you get a UTI, ask if it could be affected by the excess skin and fat in the area. Anytime you see the Dr, for anything that is at all weight related, skin rashes under your breasts or pannus (stomach apron) have the Dr. look at it, and document it. This way down the road, if at all possible insurance might cover the surgery. If you wait until you are ready for the surgery, they seldom do. If it is a long term documented health issue, they often will cover.....my TT, lipo, and mons lift was all covered.

Til then, it seems your DH loves you......and it is time to learn to love yourself. Maybe instead of concentrating on how it looks or how fat you feel it is.....maybe concentrate on making the sexual encounter GREAT for both of you. That will matter to him much more than if you have a little extra cushion!!!

Trust me, I bet this worries you much more than it does him!!!

Kat

Kat-

Thank you so much for all that great info. and advice! It really helps to have someone tell it like it is after they have gone through it! Thank you for giving us the heads up about documentation for insurance purposes! I am curious to know how much scarring comes with a TT. I lost 100 lbs about 7 years ago. It took me about a year. I moved and stress set in and I gained it back.Getting the Lapband has been the best thing I could have done and I hope with this "tool" once I lose it,I will keep it off this time. Of course, then I was only 36 and my knees were in much better shape. When I lost it then, I did not really need any plastic surgery. I know it is really hard to know but do you think that this will be the case now when I lose it? I just wonder what you or anyone else thinks. I didn't give it too much thought till now and I will ask my Dr next Sunday when I get my fill. Thanks! You are a true inspiration!

Thanks, also to you, karebare for posting this question for all of us! Good luck with your surgery.

You are about to enter the journey of your life! Here's to health:thumbup:

Edited September 9, 2008 by Barb12590

[Carrie_C 9]

I had an ultrasound and had my hormone levels checked. Some other symptoms include extra facial hair, pain during sex, either extra heavy periods or sometimes complete stopping of periods. I could go on, but those are the main ones that I have heard about. I hope this helps.

I have all of those symptoms except for the facial hair. I have to go to the gyno soon anyway, so I am going to ask about it. But I have heard the treatment is birth control pills, and I'm already on those, so I don't know if there is any help for me.

PS Does anyone else think this needs to be moved to the powder room?

[DivaStyleCoach 89]

Hey Ladies,

The description of symptoms of PCOS sound a little like something my DD is going through - she is 17 1/2 (can't forget that half - she insists) and is very fuzzy/hairy. She has super thick sideburns, has hair growing down her neck in the back, and also across her shoulders in the back. She also has a tough time losing weight - though I know some of that is because of her eating habits (she's a sneak eater) and her relative lack of activity (just walks to school, no other focused activity).

She hasn't mentioned pain in her lower body, but I do know she has some heavy periods occasionally. I have made a gyno appt for her because she has some other concerns, but should I mention PCOS?

Our family history includes fibroid tumors - could she have one at under 18? I think I'll have to make a list of concerns and questions for the Doc...