Excess Skin Removal
Donation protected
Hey Everyone,
My Name is Claire Smith, im 39 years old and I live in the Midlands.
I have now lost a total of 15 stone 2lbs through diet and exercise with Slimming World. Ive had no medical interventions of any kind. I started slimming world at over 27 stone and I now weigh 11 stone 10lbs. My BMI is 25.8 which is still classed as overweight by 0.8 due to the loose skin I am now carrying.
As you can see from my pictures, I have a large amount of loose skin on my tummy. I also have it on my arms and thighs but these areas are not as bad, and I can live with them. My tummy is where I carried the majority of my weight, so naturally as the weight came off it became apparent that my skin was not going to shrink back into place. I also had a c section with my only son Ezra and this has contributed.
The doctors have said the skin weighs anything between 12-16lbs. It affects so many different areas of my life.
It causes sore areas under where the skin is that bleed and get infected if not cared for correctly, and I have to wear underwear that holds my tummy in tightly to help prevent this. On a bad day I can barely walk due to the pain from the lesions. If I dont wear the pants my tummy sways all over the place and makes a loud slapping noise if I move quickly which is so embarrassing when I am trying to play and have fun with my son in public.
I suffer with really bad back pain due to the excess weight pulling on my back all the time.
The main issue I have is my mental health around this, its made me feel like all the hard work ive put in and im still the same obese girl I was before. I wont go swimming because im so self conscious, beach wear, anything close fitting is just a no go. In clothes when I can't see it it feels amazing but as soon as im back to just my underwear or naked the mirror is my enemy.
I started losing weight because it was affecting my chances of ever having children due to PCOS and through an amazing chance I fell pregnant with my beautiful boy Ezra. I dont regret losing the weight and I am so much happier than I was when I was morbidly obese but I am still not where I want to be and that is affecting me both mentally and physically, and its draining on a daily basis.
I went to the NHS to ask about the surgery for skin removal and I was referred for both mental health support and to the plastics team at Derby. I received an appointment for a consultation and then a week later I recieved a letter from a consultant there that said I was not eligible or suitable for surgery and to speak again to my GP. I was heart broken. Having spoken to my GP I was turned down for 4 reasons:
1. Because I chose to lose the weight purely through hard work and determination and did not go to the doctors or NHS for help they had no official record of my weight loss. They refused to take my slimming world record or a letter from my consultant as proof.
2. My BMI at 25.8 is still classed as overweight and regardless of the skin they want it to be under this. To get my BMI where they want it and then have the surgery I would actually need to gain weight to be in the healthy weight band.
3. I haven't been at target for at least 12 months. I have to prove I can maintain my weight loss.
4. Even though I have been suffering medically with sores and lesions because I havent documented this through the NHS for at least 12 months I am not eligible.
It is impossible for me to meet this criteria. I am now at a point where only private surgery is a possibility for the skin removal. This is going to cost a lot of money, I have saved some but I am just never going to be able to afford the total cost, and I can't imagine never being able to have this chapter closed. I hate even doing this page, I feel embarrassed and I want to make it clear I dont expect anything from anyone, I don't want to be seen as begging in any way shape or form.
So this is me. Whatever is raised will go towards my surgery and anything over that (if that miraculously happens) will go to a charity of choice.
I hope you understand and dont judge me for this
Thank you for reading
Claire
My Name is Claire Smith, im 39 years old and I live in the Midlands.
I have now lost a total of 15 stone 2lbs through diet and exercise with Slimming World. Ive had no medical interventions of any kind. I started slimming world at over 27 stone and I now weigh 11 stone 10lbs. My BMI is 25.8 which is still classed as overweight by 0.8 due to the loose skin I am now carrying.
As you can see from my pictures, I have a large amount of loose skin on my tummy. I also have it on my arms and thighs but these areas are not as bad, and I can live with them. My tummy is where I carried the majority of my weight, so naturally as the weight came off it became apparent that my skin was not going to shrink back into place. I also had a c section with my only son Ezra and this has contributed.
The doctors have said the skin weighs anything between 12-16lbs. It affects so many different areas of my life.
It causes sore areas under where the skin is that bleed and get infected if not cared for correctly, and I have to wear underwear that holds my tummy in tightly to help prevent this. On a bad day I can barely walk due to the pain from the lesions. If I dont wear the pants my tummy sways all over the place and makes a loud slapping noise if I move quickly which is so embarrassing when I am trying to play and have fun with my son in public.
I suffer with really bad back pain due to the excess weight pulling on my back all the time.
The main issue I have is my mental health around this, its made me feel like all the hard work ive put in and im still the same obese girl I was before. I wont go swimming because im so self conscious, beach wear, anything close fitting is just a no go. In clothes when I can't see it it feels amazing but as soon as im back to just my underwear or naked the mirror is my enemy.
I started losing weight because it was affecting my chances of ever having children due to PCOS and through an amazing chance I fell pregnant with my beautiful boy Ezra. I dont regret losing the weight and I am so much happier than I was when I was morbidly obese but I am still not where I want to be and that is affecting me both mentally and physically, and its draining on a daily basis.
I went to the NHS to ask about the surgery for skin removal and I was referred for both mental health support and to the plastics team at Derby. I received an appointment for a consultation and then a week later I recieved a letter from a consultant there that said I was not eligible or suitable for surgery and to speak again to my GP. I was heart broken. Having spoken to my GP I was turned down for 4 reasons:
1. Because I chose to lose the weight purely through hard work and determination and did not go to the doctors or NHS for help they had no official record of my weight loss. They refused to take my slimming world record or a letter from my consultant as proof.
2. My BMI at 25.8 is still classed as overweight and regardless of the skin they want it to be under this. To get my BMI where they want it and then have the surgery I would actually need to gain weight to be in the healthy weight band.
3. I haven't been at target for at least 12 months. I have to prove I can maintain my weight loss.
4. Even though I have been suffering medically with sores and lesions because I havent documented this through the NHS for at least 12 months I am not eligible.
It is impossible for me to meet this criteria. I am now at a point where only private surgery is a possibility for the skin removal. This is going to cost a lot of money, I have saved some but I am just never going to be able to afford the total cost, and I can't imagine never being able to have this chapter closed. I hate even doing this page, I feel embarrassed and I want to make it clear I dont expect anything from anyone, I don't want to be seen as begging in any way shape or form.
So this is me. Whatever is raised will go towards my surgery and anything over that (if that miraculously happens) will go to a charity of choice.
I hope you understand and dont judge me for this
Thank you for reading
Claire
Organizer
Claire Smith
Organizer
England