Sue Magoo

Hi: Instant cream of wheat is yummy. I especially like the maple flavor. It's a thinner consistency than oatmeal, but similar. I try to make it with FF milk to make it a little thicker than when made with Water, plus it gets some Calcium in. In my store it's near the instant oatmeal boxes. Another thing to try for something warm in the morning is to heat up apple sauce and add strawberries or blueberries to it. Yummmy. I love my band and my new flat tummy. Sue

Big Tom: You need to find a new LapBand doctor to review your situation with you. You shouldn't be pb'ing all the time and it may be causing you harm. You can probably find a new LapBand surgeon here on this forum. Best wishes to you and your future band success. Sue

You look alot younger in your after picture. Congrats on your success!

Hi: Maybe he was looking at your xrays again because your surgery is on Monday and he noticed the hernia. I had a hiatal hernia repair when my band was put in. Not a big difference as far as I can tell. Hope all goes well with you and your band. Best that you'll be in the hospital overnight because that way you'll have somebody watching you closely during the first 24 hours after surgery. They'll give you some powerful meds too that should help with the pain. Take care. Sue

Gatorgal: I think this is very common. I am a mouth breather so everything gets dry at night while I'm sleeping. I believe this is what makes me tighter in the morning. If I have a couple of cups of coffee then I wait an hour or two and then have my breakfast and I'm fine. I've heard that even just warm Water will help loosen things up, but I love coffee so that's my choice for morning beverage. Good luck with your band. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Potatie: I saw your post about being worried about the pain. They can give you this pain pump that they hook up inside you so that you can push a button to get instant anesthetic relief over your abdomen when you need it. It only lasts a few days, but it really saved me from alot of pain. I would use it just before trying to get out of bed and it numbs the area that was having the most pain. It only lasts for a few minutes at a time, but it certainly does help. I cannot remember what this thing is called, but maybe someone else can pipe in with the name of it. Oh yeah, when the pain medicine is gone you just pull the very thin leads out and throw the whole thing away. Good luck! Sue

Hi: Your doctor should know how much he should take out to give you relief. You should get in there quickly before you have alot more problems. I hope you feel better soon. Take care. Sue

Hi: That is not acceptable. Like Jack said, the aftercare is the most important part. If you cannot get responses from your surgeon or his office before the surgery, good luck afterwards! Time to change surgeons, even if it means a delay to your banding. Best wishes to you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Paige: You already know that my recommendation is Dr. Peggy Howrigan. I suggest that you take a look at www.makemeheal.com to see who other people in MA are using. You may be able to see pics of their results, etc. I wrote to Alex (Mr. LapBand Talk) and asked him if he could add a thread for plastic surgeon suggestions, but he never responded. I guess he might have not liked my suggestion. Good luck! Sue

Hi: Maybe you should ask your band surgeon what he/she thinks about it. Also, if you don't get unfilled, can they unfill you right away if you need it? They probably can, but it may be difficult to get into the right position for an unfill if your stomach is full of stitches. Let us know how you make out with it. I'll be wishing you the best. What day is your tummy tuck? I wish you'd gotten more responses to your posting. I love my band and my new flat tummy. Sue

Hi: Sorry I don't have an answer for you. I got laid off in April and my insurance switched from Blue Cross HMO Blue New England to a crappy Healthnet plan. I have been putting off getting a fill because of the cost. My new plan may cover none, or only some of the cost of a fill. I hope to find a new job soon with a Blue Cross or Tufts or Harvard Pilgrim plan. I've heard those are the best plans for bands. I hope that CIGNA is good for you and your band. Good luck to you. Sue

Hi: I wouldn't risk it because there can be alot of swelling with TT. I have nausea issues with anesthesia, so there was no way I wouldn't get an unfill. Even with all of the extra anti-nausea meds they gave me I was still dry heaving for the first 24 hours post op. I got unfilled the day before tummy tuck and got refilled about 3 weeks after tummy tuck. I had to wait until I could stand the pain of the position I need to be in to get a fill - very stretched out. Good luck with your tummy tuck. I'm very glad that I had one. Sue

Kim: I suggest that you call your doctor too. Seems strange that you have such a delayed reaction. Please let us all know what your doctor says so that we can all learn. I hope your problem goes away soon. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: I had issues with eating too fast too. I finally bought a bunch of one-minute timers from www.unclesgames.com They did the trick and they were cheap. I would take a bit, tip the timer, and not take another bite until the sand was all in on the end. This did the trick for me. Best wishes to you newbie. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: Loose skin is part of loosing a significant amount of weight. If you're young and have better elasticity in your skin you may have less of it. If you only need to lose 50 pounds, and not 150 like me, you'll probably have alot less loose skin than me. Tummy tuck was a necessary thing for me and I'm glad that I had it done. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: I am wondering if you take meds with MS that are interfering with your weight loss? My Sister has MS and was taking meds that had a side effect of weight gain. Maybe you should discuss your weight issues with your Neurologist, Nutritionist, and your band doctor. Another thing I thought of when reading your post was whether you are getting enough nutrition or not. Are you getting at least 1200 calories per day? If not, you could be making your body go into "starvation" mode. I hope things improve for you soon. Sue

Hi: My doctors tell us if we want diet soda go ahead and have it. The carbonation may bother you if you're tight. For me, the carbonation is an issue. If I don't get most of the bubbles out I can't keep it down. What I do is leave a big bottle of diet coke on the counter with the cap off for a couple of days. The fizz is gone, but I can still taste that it's diet coke. Works for me. I love my band and my new flat tummy. Sue

Hi: I would have pain in my chest first, and then I would regurgitate everything I ate if I tried to eat a six inch sub. Ouch! Haven't had any subs for more than two years because I know it doesn't work for banded people. I can eat one slice of pizza as long as I eat small bites at a time and chew the heck out of it. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

bigbaby: My flat tummy was created by Dr. Peggy Howrigan at Newton Wellesley Hospital, Wellesley, MA. She was great - skilled, caring, gentle. Her office staff is very good too. Best wishes to you with your plastic surgery. Sue

SpideyMom: I hope you feel better soon. I have found that I have issues if I wait too many hours between meals. So, if I have lunch at noon'ish and can't have dinner before six I try to have a Cereal bar or fruit or something at around 4 o'clock to hold me over. It makes a late supper much easier if you have a healthy snack late afternoon. Don't be too hard on yourself. You're on the LapBand learning curve. I'm still on the learning curve after two years. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: You might want to check out www.makemeheal.com to see if someone has posted about him there. I sent an email to Alex to ask him to add a thread for plastic surgeon recommendations by state and he never responded. Good luck. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Good luck to you Bostonmomma from a Norwood, MA momma. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: I really don't know how to convert to the metric system, but I can tell you that on average bandsters lose 1 - 2 pounds per week, so in a year a person can lose between 50 to a hundred pounds. Personally speaking. The day that I saw my surgeon in 2007 I weighed in at 324. One year later I was at 199. If you start now you'll have a better chance of being thinner for your wedding. I lost 38 pounds in the three months before my banding because I knew it would make my surgery safer and I was so tired of carrying all of the weight around. Best wishes to you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue