Cinerbelle

This is a letter that Christina wrote. I saved it because I thought it was so well written. I hope she doesn't mind me posting this without her permission.

"To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter to request the following surgical procedures:
· Breast Reduction
· Thigh Lift
· Brachioplasty

My name is Christina and I am 32 years old. On March 31, 2004 I underwent a Gastric Bypass and have successfully lost 129 pounds. My original weight was 274 pounds giving me a BMI of 47 and I was considered Morbidly Obese. My current weight is 145 giving me a BMI of 24.9, which is considered normal. I am 5 feet 4 inches tall. I have kept my weight off and am considered successful by my surgeon. I eat right and exercise regularly. I have made a dramatic lifestyle change. However, due to the excess skin I now have some problems that are making some tasks impossible or limiting my abilities.

I am requesting the breast reduction due to the fact that I have severe back pain for which I am now taking Vicodin every four hours prescribed by Dr. Wine (My Primary Doctor) and that has caused me to have a lack of concentration and causing me to be tired most of the time. I do not enjoy, nor do I wish to continue to take pain medication, however it was my last resort until I can alleviate the pain in my back from the excess weight of my breasts. I also have endured painful rashes under my breasts, mainly the right breast. The skin gets irritated, especially while working out and becomes raw. I have developed many rashes under my breasts, with some weeping and oozing. The smells from these rashes are horrendous. I have a very small frame now and cannot tolerate the extra weight. When I had my Gastric Bypass my breasts were a size 48EEE/F. My breasts are now a size 36DD. That is too large for my body frame. I am forced to wear only a sports type bra in order to function. My posture has suffered and the pain in my shoulders and back is too much to bear. I am not requesting an enhancement or implants. I merely would like to have my breasts smaller and lighter.

I am requesting a thigh lift as well. My inner thighs have a “melted candle” like look to them, which is embarrassing. However, I can wear pants to cover that up. The reason I am requesting this is due to constant rashes, sores such as black heads and boils on my inner thighs, which cause a tremendous amount of pain, and chaffing which occurs every time I wear panty hose because my thighs rub together. I am in a job where I must dress up and that includes wearing panty hose, so I must wear them and it causes me a great deal of discomfort and pain when I do. I am unable to perform some sexual functions, which causes me quite a bit of distress as well. I have exercised quite extensively hoping that the skin would reduce on it’s own; however it hasn’t. I have difficulty exercising due to the inner thighs rubbing on the exercise bike causing chaffing and rashes also. I am just asking for the extra skin to be removed. I know that the rest is up to me.

I am requesting a brachioplasty or arm lift also. On April 1, 1996 I underwent a right shoulder arthroscopy with Dr. Helgager at Tri-City Orthopedics. He repaired my shoulder from an accident that occurred earlier that year and was dislocating frequently. The surgery was successful, but left me with my right arm sagging due to not reattaching all of the tissue inside. I now have asymmetrical arms and the right one is heavier than the left. I am unable to lift my right arm without help from my other arm. I have trouble and weakness in both arms due to the excess skin. I am unable to shave my armpits properly due to the skin folds in my armpits, and I have cut myself several times attempting to do this. I also suffer from rashes to my armpits, and right underarm as well as my trunk from where the arm folds rub on it. I have had weepy and oozing sores under my right arm as well. I am content having the right arm done to make my arms symmetrical, however I do realize that I would have the best results having both done simultaneously.

I do not feel as if any of these requests are unsubstantiated. I am not asking for cosmetic surgery, I am asking to be freed of the excess skin that I am carrying causing me pain and difficulty in my every day activities.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. I do have pictures of some of the rashes I have endured. I also have endured rashes to my pannis and belly button infections. I am not requesting a tummy tuck at this time, due to the fact that I am getting married in July and do wish to have children. Therefore I am not considering this type of surgery at this time, unless it was ruled that my back pain also stemmed from that and I could have children with such a procedure.

I have done all of the hard work to get to a normal weight, and have exercised religiously to try and tighten my skin on my own. I did not want to endure these painful procedures at all, however I cannot do anything more and know I must resort to surgical intervention. I also know that having all of these procedures done at one time would be cost effective and save me from enduring more anesthesia than necessary. I am willing to do this, even though I know it will be painful.

I sincerely appreciate your consideration in this matter.


Sincerely,"

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