Sue Magoo

Hi: I didn't have a program fee and the group I went to does fabulous follow up and has a free support group too. You might want to shop around a bit. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Sounds like you're doing great. It's good when the drains come out because then you don't have to worry about them pulling out, etc. My doc said I could walk right away, so I did. Can't wait to see your pics. Glad it's going so well for you. I'm 7 weeks out from tummy tuck and only have pain when I sneeze. I still have to wear spanx - glad it's not a hot summer! I love my band and my new flat tummy. Sue

Hi: The 4cc band worked fine for me. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: My doctor always recommends 1 day liquids, 1 day mushies, then back to regular foods. If your doctor wants you on 3 days of liquids, then you should probably do at least one day of mushies before moving on to regular foods. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: I got partial coverage from BCBS Hmo Blue New England. They covered the panniculectomy portion of my tummy tuck. My out of pocket cost was $7,000. I'm very glad that I got it done, but it was alot more painful than I expected, primarily due to nausea and dry heaves. I'd do it again in a heartbeat though. I had rashes under my tummy's excess skin. The rashes were documented and photographed by both my band surgeon and the plastic surgeon. It took about 3 weeks to get the approval, but it did get approved. Best wishes to you in getting some coverage from BCBS. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi Jamie: Before being banded I had to do a 10 day liquid diet that was very low calorie. I started to mourn food at that point and that continued until I could have mushies. I just missed overeating and I felt sad about it. During the weight loss period you may start to feel better about yourself because you are doing something that is good for you and your energy level should increase. After you've hit goal you may still feel fat, especially if you have alot of excess skin. I had a tummytuck in May 2009 after losing 140'ish pounds. Since then, I don't feel fat unless I look at my legs. Hope the band works for you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: It's possible to have restriction from postop swelling. I suggest that you slow down the size of your bites or sips and chew chew chew, just like a bandster that has restriction. Hope this helps! I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: Another trick is to buy some very small bowls. That way your mind will see that your bowl is full and your tummy will get only a small amount. Best wishes to you with your new band. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: Why not be the nice friend who offers to be the designated driver? I don't think wine was on our list of acceptable options until we were on full solids at about 4 weeks after surgery. Good luck and have fun. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Jenzea: I watched the Big Medicine episode you're talking about. I was pissed when they were telling her that a banded patient will only lose 5 lbs. per month. That woman was well over 400 lbs. and she had a huge hernia. It seemed like they were trying to encourage her to get gastric bypass instead of lapband by telling her that the lapband will only have her losing 5 lbs. per month. That woman needed to loose as much as fast as she could because of that huge hernia. I believe that lapband losses average 1 to 2 lbs. per week. When I started my weight loss program (pre-surg 3 mos) I weighed 324. Surgery date 287. One year after surgery I weighed 182. I got as low as 174, but am in the 180's now. I'm happy to be there. Some people will be closer to one pound per week and will loose 50 lbs. in a year, or they could be like me and loose 105 lbs. in a year. Exercise will help too. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

I'll pick healthy and poor. I remember seeing a show about lottery winners once. They all had one thing in common after winning huge lotteries - they all got fat! I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: I don't have experience with the surgeries you are having. I had a full tummytuck 6 weeks ago and the only time I have pain is when I sneeze. I didn't get my energy back until about 4 weeks postop. You might want to check out the website www.makemeheal.com as there are alot more plastic surgery patients there. Good luck. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: I've always been kind of a lightweight when it comes to drinking. Before being banded I would have 3 drinks and I was all done even though I weighed well over 300 lbs. I've only had one drink since my band. Had a mudslide with my daughter when she turned 21. Mudslide tasted yummy but was too thick for me and my band. Ended up not staying down. I think some of the people at my support group say that they drink wine often and don't have issues with it. The men at support group said it's hard to drink beer because of the carbonation. I usually stick to diet cokes when I go out and I stir the bubbles out of them. Have fun, and always remember to have a designated driver. I love my band and my flat tummy! Sue

Bonnie: I am just a touch younger than you. I have to warn you that having this surgery could cause a problem - you might feel 20 years younger after you loose the weight! Not a problem for me now, but it's a possibility. I love my band and my new flat tummy! I started at 324 and I'm in the 180's now. I have more energy than I ever thought I could have. I think it's very important to make sure that you choose a surgeon with great aftercare. I think it can be critical to a lap band patient's success. So, please be careful in selecting the right surgeon/medical group. Because the band will be part of you for the rest of your life you'll have a relationship with your band doctor for a very long time, so pick one that is committed to providing band aftercare. Best wishes to you. Sue

I had a very similar issue with the back aches after eating. Come to find out I had gallstones. It's very common for people who've lost alot of weight in a brief period to get gallstones. I hope you feel better soon. You should probably go to your primary care doctor if it continues. My pain was intermittent and the pain would radiate in the middle and sometimes move up my shoulder on the right side. If you do have gallstones they'll probably remove your gallbladder - pretty easy surgery - very similar to lapband. Hope you feel better soon. Sue

Wow! Congratulations. Sue

If you choose to tell people about the band I would recommend a comeback something like "This is the last time I want to be on a diet. The band will help me loose the weight, but the best part is it will help me maintain my weight loss for life. The worst part about dieting is that 95% of people gain their weight back. The band will prevent me from gaining my weight back again." Best wishes to you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: I had a desk job so I could have gone back sooner than I did. I took 2 weeks off and I was glad that I did. I was very tired after the surgery. It could be from the anesthesia, but I'm not sure. I had to take a nap every day. If you have the luxury of being able to take two weeks I would go for it. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: You should be able to eat most vegetables and meats. The key is to eat tiny bites and chew them like crazy. I had issues with eating too fast when I first started solid foods. I had to buy myself a one minute timer to slow me down. You've committed by having a surgery that can assist you in loosing your excess weight. Now it is time for your head to get into the game by making the right choices, weather it be food or exercise. Unfortunately chips and popcorn go down easy for most bandsters. Try to make some healthier, low calorie choices. If your choice is popcorn please choose the lower calorie popcorn. I hope that slowing down and eating smaller bites and chewing like crazy will allow you to eat most foods and get the band advantage - small meals = weightloss. Best wishes to you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi Colleen: They make a suppository for nausea. Not a nice thought, but better than suffering from nausea. Like some of the others said, please call your doctor to make sure everything's okay in there. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: Mine doesn't have any foam on it. My doctor said that if I was going to buy an extra one, just to make sure it has "bones" in it so that it doesn't roll up or down. I bought one at JC Penney online that did the trick and it doesn't have any foam. In fact, it's flattering. I'm supposed to keep wearing my compression garment except for bedtime and I'm 5+ weeks post tummy tuck. I see my Doctor in ten days and hopefully she'll cut down on the time with the binder because I'm thinking the weather will be getting hot soon. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: You may want to ask your surgeon for the scripts before you get banded so that you can just ride right home when you're recuperating from the surgery. You'll want to make sure you have alot of non-carbonated drinks at home as well as sugar free popsicles. Sugarfree popsicles helped me go from 324 to 181! I still drink diet soda, but I leave it open in the fridge to get most of the carbonation out. The pain meds were too strong for me. They added to my issues with nausea so I stopped taking them the day after surgery. You might want to make sure you have liquid tylenol at home too. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: Two friends of mine used to take Fosomax, but had to stop. Both of them had bad acid reflux from it. One of them had it so severe that she had bleeding ulcers, and now she had a bone infection in her mouth. These can be side effects from Fosomax. Neither of them are banded, but I just wanted to let you know that it can be a tough drug on the stomach. Best wishes to you. Sue