Sue Magoo

Hi: I never gave up coffee. I started drinking diet soda too at about 6 months postop. I usually stir it like crazy, or leave the cap off to make it nearly flat. Life's too short to not start the day with a cup of coffee (alright, really 3 cups)! Best wishes to you with your band. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Jennifer: I'm glad to see that you are going to start an exercise program with your daughter. If you're working that many hours it is very important that you have time with her. Be glad that she wants to spend time with you because alot of 16 year old girls don't want to have much to do with their Mothers. With my daughter a nasty beast moved into her mind when she was about 14 and it stuck around until she went to college. Now she's 22, and next to her boyfriend of four years I am her best friend. I hope that you can find a better balance of work and home time in your life. It's all part of putting yourself first sometimes. It's better for everyone in your life if you take better care of yourself. Best wishes to you. Sue

Now is a great time to shop for next summer. All of the summer clothes are on sale now and you're probably going to be close to your goal by next summer. Something exciting to think about....... I love my band and my new flat tummy. While I was loosing I would buy the current size plus clothes in size 14 and 12. My starting size was size 26/28 and I'm wearing 12's and 14's now. I bought alot of "slightly used" clothes because I couldn't afford all brand new. Best wishes to you and have fun shopping! Sue

Hi: My dog ear is on the end of my stitch line which is on my right side about half way around. It doesn't lie flat like it should, it sticks out just a bit. Sue

Hi: I have the small band too. It's worked for me. I am close to my weight goal, and am at my size goal. I think I'm at 2.0 cc's. I was as high as 2.5 cc's, but never worked up to that since I was unfilled for tummy tuck in May 2009. If I lose another ten pounds or so I probably will need .5 cc's to be tight again. Right now I'm comfortable where I am. Best wishes to you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Erin: You may want try Hot Tea and if that doesn't help, try cold sugar free popsicles. One of them might help your throat while it also gives you liquid to keep you from getting dehydrated. Please share with us what the doctor tells you. I'm curious. I hope you feel better soon. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Jennifer: I had a tummy tuck in May 2009. Because I had rash issues I got some coverage from BCBS. My plastic surgeon said I only had to pay the difference between the time taken for an abdominoplasty and the tummy tuck for the o.r., and the o.r. team. She said I would have to cover about 1/3. My out of pocket was $6,800. I'm near Boston and I've heard we have one of the highest medical costs in US, so it may be alot lower where you are. If you're having issues with rashes and your insurance covers abdominoplasty, please make sure to mention it to your doctors so that they can document your file. Better than that, have them take pictures if you have a rash when you seen them. Good luck. Sue

Barbie: Sounds about right to me. I hope you're on mushies tomorrow. If you struggle tomorrow with liquids or mushies, please call your doctor. He may want you to do liquids longer or get a slight unfill. Good luck. Sue

Josie: Thanks for responding. I got a private message from someone who said that their surgeon covered the cost to repair the dogear and it was taken care of in the surgeon's office. Novacaine is a wonderful thing! I'll look into it further in a couple of months. It's only been 3 months, so I'm gonna give it a little bit more time. I wonder if it's because I've gained 8 pounds. Glad to hear you're back to the gym. A couple of weeks ago I did a 24 mile trip on my trikke. It took 4.5 miles, but I completed the ride. Have only ridden a couple of times since then because my shoulders killed for 3 days and then the weather got really hot up here. I'm looking forward to riding alot more with the cooler weather, at least until the fall leaves make it dangerous. I've been walking too. I've been unemployed (and bored!) since the end of April. I've been looking for a new job and there aren't many out there. I've had a couple of second interviews, but haven't nailed it yet. Fingers crossed for a job soon. I've gained 8 pounds since I stopped working, and I know it's because I'm bored and around the house too much. I'm sure I can drop it fast once I'm back working. As long as I can fit in my size 12's I'm not gonna let those 8 pounds bother me. Even with those additional 8 pounds my tummy's still flat! Best wishes to you. Sue

Hi: Funny how the fat fairy seemed to delay the wrinkles and then she disappeared when we lost weight. I think that a few wrinkles/crinkles under the chin and on the neck still beats three chins any day. I also think that we're way too critical on ourselves. Take a close look at your friends necks that are your age. Chances are you'll find that they're getting a few wrinkles too, but you probably didn't even notice they had them. Best wishes to reach your weight loss goals and become happy in the skin that you're in. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: I had my gallbladder out 9 months after being banded. It's quite common to have issues with your gallbladder after losing alot of weight. My gallbladder pain would come after eating. What my doctor said is that your gallbladder produces bile to help your food move through your intestines. So, if you eat something fatty it produces alot of bile and if there are stones or a blockage in your gallbladder you will have some pain. Some people have stones and never have pain. My pain would come after eating something spicy or fatty. I had to give up low calorie hot cinnamon candy for a while because the pain would kill. I know that you shouldn't eat fatty stuff, but if the pain comes again after you've eaten something fatty or high in calorie it could be your gallbladder. Best to call your doctor if it comes back again. Sue

Congratulations! You look beautiful! Be proud of your accomplishments and enjoy your new body. Sue

Karen: I was struggling with my new "wrinkles" too. I think that when I was fat my skin was so stretched that I couldn't have wrinkles. After I lost about 70 pounds I started to notice them. I think that the wrinkles are part of aging and we were due to get them anyway, so the heck with them. As someone else said, there's always plastic surgery if you hate them enough to pay for it. I hated my excess skin on my abdomen enough to spend $$$$ to get rid of it. I'm so glad that I did. Someone told me that now I have the abdomen of an 18 year old! As long as I look younger than my ex-husband then I'm okay with it. Right now I look like I'm closer to 40 and he's looking closer to 55 and we're both 49, so right now I'm at a good place. Give it some time, and see how things level out when you get closer to goal. Some of it may improve. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: Check out this website and see if a trikke is a good fit for you. It is low/no impact and the best part is that it is alot of fun! Forget about the one with the motor - won't help you accomplish your weight loss goals. www.trikketampa.com Let me know if you have questions about it. I've been riding since April 2008 and I love it! Sue

Please call your doctor and insist that he see you today! You shouldn't let these kinds of things linger because it can do more damage that way. Also, being dehydrated is very dangerous - can even kill a person. I hope you feel better soon. Let us know how you make out with your doctor. Sue

Hi: It always took me a few days to feel the full effect of getting a fill. I would be fine leaving the doctors office and I would get tighter later on. As long as you keep liquids down you are probably okay for today. But, if you start to get dehydrated call your doctor. You'll probably need a slight unfill. Another thing is that the band can be tighter in the morning because you get dryer at night (especially if you are a mouth breather when you sleep). Try to have some hot liquids in the morning and see if that helps to loosen you some. Hope you feel better soon. Sue

Hi: I have issues with nausea when I take prescription pain killers. I switched to liquid tylenol as soon as I got home from the hospital when I was banded. As far as the headache goes, if I go without caffeine I get a headache. I never gave up coffee and I never will! Hope you feel better soon. Sue

Wow, 18 pounds in a month! Congratulations.

I used to walk alot, but I was getting bored with it. Someone on this website asked if anybody's tried out the trikke. I looked it up and asked some questions, and then I bought one. It's a great workout and alot of fun. I'm going to try to put a picture of me on my trikke here. I trikked 24 miles on 8/8 - my longest ride yet. If you're interested in looking into it, check out www.trikketalk.com or www.tampatrikke.com Trikking August 2009 - 24 Mile Ride.bmp

Hi: I stayed overnight and was glad that I did. I had very bad nausea and dryheaves from the anesthesia after surgery for the first 18 hours or so. It was much better to be there and also to have a barium swallow to make sure my dryheaves didn't cause my band to move. Best wishes to you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! My only regret with my band is that I didn't do it sooner! Sue

Hi: You may want to get liquid Vitamins too. You'll only need them for the first couple of weeks. I also recommend sugar free popsicles. They continue to be my nightly snack. Hope all goes smoothly for you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: I read somewhere else about someone who slipped their band while they were getting in or out of their kayak from a abdominal twisting motion. If you haven't had a barium swallow yet your new bariatric surgeon will probably recommend one. I hope you feel better soon. Let us know how you make out. Sue

Nazzy: Here in the Boston area hospitals and surgeons are very expensive. Even though I had almost 2/3 coverage by insurance (panniculectomy coverage), I had almost $7,000 out of pocket costs. My portion had to be paid in advance of the surgery. I hope you live somewhere that the medicine is just as good, but at a lower cost. Like Laura, I think it was worth every cent! Sue

Please call your doctor right away. Not good to mess with breathing difficulties. Hope all goes well. Let us know how you make out. Sue

Sparkles62: I've seen the abcircle pro on commercials, but never watched the entire ad. It really looks cool. A few of questions on it. First, how much was it? Second, besides the core what does it work on? Third, is it hard for a somewhat clumsy person to do? Thank you. Sue