Sue Magoo

I had to pay $500 overnight at hospital fee. In addition, I had to pay $175 for psych appointment. Now that I'm banded I have monthly consults with surgeon. If I get a fill there is no copay. If I don't get a fill then I pay $20 copay for the visits. Sue

Hi Lenore: Welcome to a fellow Bay Stater. I was banded last July and I have to say that it's the best thing I've ever done for myself. It's been relatively easy for me with few problems. However, recently I found out I have gall stones so I'll have to have my gall bladder removed soon. It's not an emergency at this point, so I'm trying to put it off until I can laze by the pool to recuperate. Fingers crossed. As far as the lap band goes, it's a relatively easy surgery. I believe that exercise is a "must" if you want to succeed. I certainly couldn't have lost 114 pounds without walking my butt off. Getting used to eating less is much easier once you have restriction. Until then it's more of an attitude adjustment to succeed prior to gaining restriction. You have to have your mind ready and act accordingly and then your body follows. Any questions, feel free to throw them my way. Although I've only been banded since July I consider myself to be experienced at this point. Welcome and best wishes for your success. By the way, I live in Norwood, and was banded last July at Caritas Norwood Hospital. Sue

Tracy: Congratulations. Remember to rest and relax after surgery. Sue

christall: I think that it's important to think about it in much smaller increments. I like to think about it one pound at a time and then it doesn't get so overwhelming. I also give myself rewards along the way. Exercise is important too. It doesn't have to be going to the gym. Just get outside and walk. I really like walking now. With my MP3 player it's a great escape. Good luck. Sue

Carla: I'm guessing you shouldn't be having blood in your urine. I think you should call your doctor. Hope you feel better soon. Sue

Bigbaby: Please tell me how you make butternut squash soup. I love butternut squash and soup works good on a cold day. Please let me know. Thanks and congratulations. You're so close to onederland. I'm about ten pounds behind you. Sue

Hi: I've been banded since July and have lost 114 pounds. I think a good part of my loss is attributable to all of the walking that I've done. Now that I'm getting down to fighting weight I am thinking I should make sure that I'm working hard enough when I walk. There was no question about that a hundred pounds ago. I bought one of those fitness watches with the heart rate monitor, pedometer, etc. What heart rate should I be shooting for? I'm 48 years old, current weight is 210, and I'm 5'7" tall. I'm going to be walking, not running (yuck!). Please let me know if you know the answer. Thanks.:tongue: Sue

Hi: I've been banded since July, have recently been having a bit of gurgling going on and have pb'd more than usual. It's been about two months since last fill and gurgling just started this week. Have lost about 20 pounds since last fill, so band shouldn't be getting tighter. Is gurgling a sign of being too tight? What's up with this gurgling thing? Anybody else? Sue

I say eeeeewwwwwwww! That's so disgusting!

Max: pb means "productive" burp. It's not quite puking because the food hasn't gone all the way down. It's kind of like regurgitating. It's when my belly cop (band) is doing it's job and sending things back if it has too much. However, it's been sending back food and I haven't overeaten. Sue

StephC: Can you please pm me too on insurance coverage for ps? Thanks. Sue

Mary Rose: Sure have been exercising. I really enjoy it now, though it was a chore at the beginning. I walk at least 5 miles per day 6 days per week. On the 7th day I usually still get a couple of miles in. Been walking my butt, and everything else off! Thanks. Sue

Amanda: Give yourself a little time for you band to start working. I found that I was getting depresssed when I was still starving. Once you get some restriction you'll realize that you can still eat, just not alot. Then, after a few more pounds come off you realize that all of a sudden your feet don't hurt any more. Your tight jeans are getting loose. You start to sleep better because it's not so hard to roll over. You realize that you hardly ever get heart burn anymore. You start to see that you might be losing one of your extra chins. It's these things that will help to take you out of your funk. Take care, and give yourself some more time. I find that a good brisk walk helps me to get out of a depressed mood, especially with music blasting in my mp3 player. Hope you feel better soon. Sue

Bigdaddy: Congratulations. Don't worry about that tummy of yours. You men take it off so quickly that you make us women jealous. I think of my band as my belly cop. There's been a few times that my belly cop stepped in and stopped the traffic to send the food that shouldn't enter back out. I love my belly cop, because I was 324 pounds without it. Good luck. Remember, any weight you can take off prior to banding makes the surgery safer and recovery easier. Sue

Dab: Awesome job! Please tell me what you've been doing for activity - besides not eating much! Congratulations. I don't even know you and I am proud of you. Sue

Congratulations KY teacher: I can't wait to join you in Onederland! I'm only 10.6 pounds away, but I'm sure it's going to take a while. Hopefully by end of April. Do you feel different? I was thinking the other day that I know that I look thinner, but I'm still fat. I'm wondering when you start to feel like a "normal" sized person. Sue

Tina: Wow! You look fabulous. I'm sure you feel great too. Congratulations. Sue

Hi Kimberly: I think we met at the last support group meeting. I hope all went well with your surgery. It's been a couple of weeks. How are you feeling? Sue

I would recommend being honest. It's a tough economy right now. You don't want to lose your job because of being caught in a lie. Sue

Hi Allison: I was banded with the Glasgows last July. I can't say enough good things about the Doctors and their staff. I can remember that when I started the banding journey with them I went to the seminar too. I can remember seeing somewhere that they treat their patients like family. It's so true. The office staff is always helpful. Both of the doctors are kind and gentle and genuinely care for their patients. I'll give you a recent time that Dr. Adam's been so helpful. I had a bad night with abdominal pain that I thought was unrelated to the band. I went to my primary care doctor and she sent me for an x-ray, did some bloodwork, and said I'd probably need an ultrasound. Somehow, the x-ray results ended up on Dr. Adam Glasgow's desk as well as my primary care. My x-ray was done on a Tuesday. On Thursday evening I got a call from Dr. Glasgow asking if I was okay. I asked how did he know that I wasn't feeling well and he explained that he was provided a copy of my x-ray report. I told him that I was feeling better but that my primary care was doing some tests to see if it was an issue with my gall bladder. I told Dr. Glasgow that I would keep him informed of the rest of the testing. He told me that if I'm having a health issue that concerns me, it concerns him. I sent him an e-mail to tell him when my ultrasound was scheduled for. He actually showed up during the ultrasound because he was there on rounds and knew that I would be there. He discussed the scan while the technician was doing the scan. End result, I have a very caring surgeon that will be taking my gall bladder out in the next few months (hopefully not sooner). Sorry so long-winded, but I want to give you a level of comfort in knowing that you've picked the right surgical group. I haven't had as much contact with Dr. Arthur Glasgow, but I'm pretty sure that Dr. Adam's been molded by his Father because they seem to be very similar, other than age. The support group is great too because it's always so helpful to talk to fellow bandsters face-to-face. I look forward to seeing you at support group some time. The next meeting is on 3/25. Will you be there? I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have. Welcome to the lap band journey. Mine's been very succesful so far. I live in Norwood. Sue

Congratulations Wheetsin! Nothing better in the world than babies. Hope you have an easy pregnancy. Sue

Massa36: I weighed 324 last April 23rd. This morning I was 211. I can't believe it's been less than 11 months and all of this change. I wish you well in your journey to band land. Sue

Hi: Has anybody had their gall bladder removed recently? I just found out that I have gall stones and doctor said it's gotta go. If you've had gall bladder removed after your band, please tell me what it's like. Does it effect your band? Is it as easy as band surgery? I had big issues with nausea after band surgery first 12 hours. Did you have nausea issues after gall bladder removal? Thanks. Sue

Becca: Awwwwwww. How sweet! Congratulations. Before you know it the X will be gone. Great job! Sue

jjsmiles: Congratulations! Tears, you bet. Cheers or tears. I did both when I hit 100 pounds lost. It really is a huge accomplishment. Be proud and stay the course along with me. I weighed 211 this morning. So, we're close in weight. I was banded last July. I had started dieting on a modified weight watcher-type diet end of April last year. It's been a great 10+ months for me so far. I hope that you continue with your terrific success. I did something silly to celebrate my hundred pound mark. I bought myself a beautiful ring - aquamarine. I haven't ever bought myself jewelry like that. I guess I shouldn't have though because after spending $400 that I shouldn't have I lost my beautiful ring. Oh well, wasn't meant to be. I wanted to have something tangible to look at to remind me of how well I was doing with my battle of the bulge. Are you going to do something special to celebrate? Best wishes for your continued success. Sue