Mom who lost 150 POUNDS after weight-loss surgery says she was left with 20 pounds of excess skin that she has to ‘roll up’ – and admits she was happier when she was heavier
- Claudette Hawk, 59, from New York, recently underwent gastric sleeve surgery
- She lost a total of 150 pounds but has said she was happier when she was heavier
- The mom-of-two revealed she has been left with excess skin that she ‘rolls up’
A mom-of-two who underwent gastric sleeve surgery to lose weight has said she is now struggling to cope with the 20 pounds of excess skin that it left behind.
Claudette Hawk, from New York, shed half her body weight following the procedure but has since candidly revealed that she was happier when she weighed 316 pounds.
The 59-year-old, who now weighs 163 pounds, having gone from a size 19 to a size 10, thought she would be ecstatic after having surgery but has been left devastated by the resultant mounds of skin.
She has said that she is unable to look at herself in the mirror or have sex with her husband, and is forced to ‘roll up her saggy skin to look like boobs.’
Claudette Hawk, 59, (pictured before surgery) from New York, underwent gastric sleeve surgery to lose weight has said she is now struggling to cope with the 20 pounds of excess skin that it left behind
She shed half her body weight following the procedure but has since candidly revealed that she was happier when she weighed 316 pounds (pictured after her surgery)
Claudette (pictured after the surgery) thought she would be ecstatic after having surgery, however, she is now miserable and is desperately trying to remove her painful excess skin
The mom-of-two decided to undergo the gastric sleeve surgery when she became too big to play with her granddaughter and had no option but to crawl up the stairs to her apartment.
Claudette, who works as a flower delivery driver, said she felt more attractive before shedding the weight, and is now so self-conscious that she doesn’t let truck driver husband Thomas, 65, see her naked.
She said: ‘When I looked in the mirror when I was heavy, I [was able to look at myself]. Now I don’t like looking in the mirror other than at my face. I don’t like my body at all. It’s horrendous.
‘I used to have a nice set of breasts, now I look like I have cow udders. I try not to look at my body.
‘I have no boobs, they are flat and hang down. I roll them up and put them in the bra so it looks like I have boobs but I don’t. They’re nothing you’d want to look at.
‘The tops of my legs are like elephant stumps, they’re very heavy with the skin hanging there.
The 59-year-old said she felt more confident before she underwent the surgery, adding: ‘I’m more self-conscious about my body now than I was when I was bigger.
‘I would never go out in shorts or a T-shirt. I wear compression hosiery, sleeves, a belt around my belly.’
The mom-of-two (pictured before the surgery) decided to undergo the gastric sleeve surgery when she became too big to to play with her granddaughter
The flower delivery driver (pictured after the surgery) said she felt more attractive before shedding weight and is now so self-conscious that she doesn’t let truck driver husband Thomas, 65, see her naked
The 59-year-old, (pictured with her husband before the surgery) said she felt more confident before she underwent the surgery
Claudette, who explained she had an active sex life prior to the weight loss, revealed she now struggles to be intimate with her husband due to the excess skin.
She explained: ‘It affects intimacy. I don’t let my husband see me without clothes on. I did when I was bigger.
‘It’s hard because we did have a pretty active sex life when I was heavier which I’m still trying to wrap my mind around.
‘I feel like I’m not attractive to him now with my body looking the way it is, which is why we don’t.’
She added that the excess skin didn’t just affect the way she looked as it also left her with painful ‘rashes’ and was making it harder for her to perform everyday tasks.
‘The skin gives me rashes where the skin is overlapping and there’s a funky smell. It’s a constant thing. The extra skin on my arms pulls and the gravity makes everything heavier and harder to do things,’ she explained.
‘It can be painful so I wear a lot of compression garments.’
She added that the excess skin doesn’t just affect the way she looks, it has also given her painful rashes (pictured)
Claudette, (pictured before the surgery) who explained she had an active sex life prior to dropping pounds, revealed she now struggles to be intimate with her husband due to the excess skin
The 59-year-old (pictured after the surgery) explained: ‘It affects intimacy. I don’t let my husband see me without clothes on. I did when I was bigger’
Now, she is desperately fundraising $15,000 for surgery to have the painful excess skin removed, the muscles in her stomach tightened and a boob job in the hopes she’ll be able to finally get her life back.
Although the surgery is pricey, Claudette is hopeful it will boost her confidence and mood.
She said: ‘I’m hoping the surgery will change things but there’s no guarantee.
‘The surgery is quite expensive. I think I would be able to look at myself and emotionally happier because even when I take a shower, I get in and out.
‘It would save time because I wouldn’t have to use all the compressions. I have to get my body all secure so it takes me a while to get dressed.’
Claudette said her body went into shock after the gastric sleeve surgery meaning she wasn’t able to exercise, which she thinks may have contributed to the excess skin.
Now, she’s desperately fundraising for surgery to remove the painful excess skin so she can finally get her life back (Claudette pictured before the surgery)
Claudette (pictured before the surgery) said: ‘The surgery is quite expensive. I think I would be able to look at myself and emotionally happier because even when I take a shower, I get in and out’
While Claudette (pictured after the surgery) doesn’t regret the surgery because it allowed her to shed pounds and keep up with her granddaughter, the extra skin leaves her in pain
Speaking about her journey, Claudette revealed that she first began gaining weight when she became pregnant with her first child at the age of 19.
And, when she had her thyroid removed after being diagnosed with cancer in 2006, she put on more weight.
Claudette said: ‘In 2016 the weight really started causing me problems with walking, I could barely walk up the stairs to my apartment, I would practically crawl.
‘I have a granddaughter that I couldn’t do as much with. My doctors never mentioned my weight so in my head I had nothing to worry about.
‘When it started to impede what I could do and I basically never left the house and couldn’t participate with my granddaughter I wanted to change,’ she revealed.
Claudette concluded: ‘I had a horrific experience with the sleeve but I never regretted having it no matter how bad I felt because I was losing weight. It took my body a really long time to adjust.
‘I knew there would be excess skin because I was overweight for so long and I was told as long as after the surgery I exercised it wouldn’t be so bad but I couldn’t exercise because I was in bad shape. It wears me out.’
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