You could cut down on the polygons; a base mesh doesn't need to be detailed, leave the detailing for the sculpting app. I wrote a tutorial that covers this process: http://jasongordy.com/pages/tutorial/page1.html
Thanks for the feedback. This tutorial is exactly what I've been looking for. I read through the whole thing, and it confirmed what I knew, and added a few super valuable tips. Thanks! So I guess I burn this one down and build a new one.