slim4three

Hi,

I am new here, although I have been reading posts for a couple of months. I'm thrilled to be joining this forum. I am three months into my 6 months of required classes. I was hoping I could get input on some questions I have.

Has anyone had gastric bypass and not experienced severe hair loss.? I have lupus and my hair is already very fine and thin and this is a major concern for me.

Has anyone not had a terrible experience with sagging skin/breasts? Is it possible with proper exercise to lessen the severity of this. (I have about 100 lbs to lose, I am 5'4" and I am in my early 40's)

And, lastly, I am having surgery at Magee womens hospital in Pittsburgh. With Dr. Anita Courcoulas. Has anyone here had this Dr. or hospital and if so, could you let me know what you thought of it/them?

Thanks for any input you can give me.

poet_kelly

I have heard a few people say they didn't lose much hair, but most people lose some. Some lose more than others. If you make sure you get all your protein and vitamins in, that might help. But you will most likely lose some, no matter what you do.

I've lost 118 pounds so far, and my loose skin is not too bad. I have some, but it's not awful. If you lose 100 pounds, you're gonna have some loose skin. My breasts are really saggy, though, and that does bother me. I want a breast lift. But I don't know how I'll ever afford it. My surgeon told me exercise would not help much with loose skin. When we are overweight, we actually grow extra skin to cover our bodies. Once you've grown that extra skin, you can't ungrow up. Exercise will tone your muscles which will help you look better, but it won't get risk of excess skin.

Kelly

__________________
RNY 11/4/08

surgery/current/goal
270/147/130

Hychap2009

Hi welcome to TT.

__________________
Height 5ft 2"
2004 Highest weight: 22 stones/308 lb
[COLOR="Purple"]2009 Current weight: 19 stones/266 lb/121k[/COLOR
BMI: 53.2
BMI Member No. 7

Weight Loss Surgery: Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy

Added to waiting list: 23 January 2009
Pre-Assessment date: 3rd July 2009 (accomplished)
Assessment call back: 10 July 2009
Transvaginal Ultrasound: 7th August 2009
Surgery date: 30th November 2009
GYM RAT ♯145
The race is not for the swift but for he who can endure to the end.

ardita

Welcome to TT! Your questions are good ones and poetkelly pretty much covered what to expect. Most do experience hair loss. IT can be a lot but it is not permanent. It can be minimized by focusing on proper nutrition. You can do a search or consult with your nutritionist about which specific nutirents to make sure to keep up, mostly your protein and biotin.

As for saggy skin, it is a natural and unavoidable outcome of significant weight loss. Those fortunate enough end up having cosmetic surgery to try to tighten things up but at the end of the day, whether or not one has cosmetic surgery, I haven't heard anyone wish for weight over the wrinkles! I was pretty close to where you are when I began, at 5' 4.5" and had about 95 pounds to lose. Have lost 47 so far and other than minor sagging lower tummy and the skin on my thighs seeming a little wrinkly, i don't have any noticable issues.

Research around; there is a lot of good information on the Thinner Times forum. Glad you are here!

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Phatlady

Too funny Slim4three, cause I was on the phone for hours with my skinniest friend last night as she goes in tomorrow to get....a BOOB JOB!
She is 5'7" and 51 years old with, ready for this, 14% body fat and needless to say no boobies! (Boobies as in New Jersey Housewives "Boobies!").
I told her the one thing I am looking forward to is losing my 48 DD's cause they are a pain in my ass, actually more accurately my shoulders and neck and back. Too bad I could not donate mine to her....but I am sure mine will be little saggy sad sacs when I am done with the weight loss.
My dream is to get a body tuck and breast lift. I would love to be a size B.
I have been blessed with exceptionally tight skin but I can tell you that in the past two years I have noticed a huge difference in the tautness and I know after all the fat abuse I have put it under and at my age, there is NO hope for my boobs.
I don't want to scare you and everyone is different but I think once you are out of your early twenties, it is hard to fight gravity and your skin has a harder time bouncing back. Also, the swiftness of the loss of weight does not allow for enough time for exercising as you lose slowly and keeping the tautness. (Something I had managed in the past).
My best friend is a plastic surgeon, the good news at our age everyone is getting a little something tweaked.

Highlandlass

Hi, Although I do have sagging skin (and I'm much older that you) I have been one of the lucky ones (so far) not to have much hair loss. I worried about that too. My hair is quite thick and full of body, and although I keep it short I love it! You might also be lucky enought not to lose any more than you have, who knows! As for the sagging boobs and belly, the slower you lose the more likely it will tighten up a bit, but the WLS helps us lose quickly making it more likely that we have that extra skin droop. I'd sure rather the sag than the sickness!

__________________
*** Rhonda ***

Highest weight - 292
Height - 5' 8"
Weight on date of surgery (15.6.09)- 270.5
Today - 224.5
First Goal - to be in Onederland

slim4three

So true! Gravity is not our friend. I've already had my boobs done once - at 27 yrs old I had a breast reduction. I went from a 34DD+ to a 34 B (I was not heavy yet) I gained all of my weight from around age 29 to the present. There's no way I'll be having any plastics done (budgets tight) so I'm hoping for the best. Right now I'm a 40D - I'm hoping I'll have a little shape left - expectations aren't too high - just don't want to trip over them As heavy as I am I don't have any stretch marks so I'm hoping that I was blessed with good skin elasticity, also! Either way I'm looking forward to getting all of this weight off. I'm actually more concerned about the hair loss. I have lupus and already have very very thin hair on top of my head. I currently take biotin and folic acid and under dr.'s orders I use rogaine. I'm hoping that if I'm diligent with my protein it won't be too bad. I guess time will tell!

Phatlady

SLIM, the best advice I can give you is to exercise a lot during your loss, it will be the best thing to keep your skin as tight as possible.
After my last 85 pound loss I had no loose skin, just new muscles and firmness. I have no delusions now but I am still going to try to minimize it.
I do not know if the Lupus will preclude you from doing that, but when I say exercise a lot, I do mean 6 to 7 days a week, stretches, biking, walking, swimming. Probably a good hour a day, and if you can, the best thing to do is strength training. Do not know if you have a YMCA nearby, I do not but in the town where I work, it is fabulous. If you could do weights and stretches with a trainer four days a week and then go for a half hour swim and on the other days walk or bike, you will not only feel good but it will keep you from getting as flabby and droopy.
As far as the boobies, the only thing I know helps is to wear a wonderful soft support bra-even to bed to keep the pull off the skin. Personally I sleep naked so for me, droopy boobies will have to be the option. The only person I know who sleeps with one on is Haley Barry and OMG, she is so gorgeous and genetically blessed anyway...
Out of curiousity, does the doctor think your Lupus might be improved with the surgery?
Sorry about your hair situation.
My doctor also recommends Nioxin Shampoo and Conditioner.
I color treat the heck out of my hair-platinum blonde from brunette and grey! So, I started using the Nioxin already, that and Biotin, can't hurt.
But the best advice from the MD is push the protein, which is challenge for me at this stage.

slim4three

About how much protein are you supposed to get in? I thought I had read that you were supposed to get 80 grams a day. I imagine that it is tough in the beginning. To answer your question: my lupus dr. said he doesn't see any reason why I should not have the surgery. With my lupus my major symptoms besides hair loss are extreme fatigue and joint/muscle pain in my hands/arms. So, I'm hoping the weight loss should help by alleviating so much pressure on my joints and of course the less weight I'm lugging around the less tired I will feel (at least, I'm hoping). Dr. says it won't take away all symptoms but it might ease them up a bit.