Sue Magoo

lindata: I just had to have a colonoscopy last week. Cleansing products are sold over the counter. Be warned though, you will have explosive bowels that are completely uncontrollable! The doctor said that I have diverticulitis (sp?) so he wants me to take miralax twice per day. That stuff's horrible too. I'll live with the pain instead of embarassment as that stuff has the same effects as the pre-colonoscopy cleansing. Good luck. Sue

Hess: Hopefully your swelling will go down soon. Remember, if you cannot drink you must call your surgeon! You can do real harm if you get dehydrated. Take care. Sue

Big-D: You're doing fabulously! You're not even filled yet and you've lost so much. Congratulations. It gets easier once you're restricted. Good job. Sue

Cindi: I had to laugh at your comment about keeping the razor handy for the chin. I actually keep tweezers in the car and pluck in the car all the time. One day I glanced over at the car next to me and another 40 - 50'ish woman was plucking too. LOL! I started menopause symptoms when I turned 40 because of taking tamoxifen. Seemed along with the chin hairs came another 40 pounds. Thank goodness they're gone! We have something else in common too. I've lost 111 pounds as of this morning and have about 50 to go. I'm not sure exactly what my goal is because I'm guessing that at 160 pounds I'll be in a size 12. I'm shooting for that size 12. Good job with the exercise. I really enjoy walking alot. I have yet to go to a gym to start strengthening exercise, but I'm hoping to start by April 1st. I know it's a bad excuse, but I cannot stand the thoughts of getting out of work, out into the cold, going to work out, and then out to the cold again. I'm in New England. So, I figured I'd wait until 4/1 to start going to the gym. Right now I'm walking 5+ miles, or 2 hours per day, 6 days per week. Congratulations on your 100+ pounds gone forever. Sue

Kim: I was banded on 7/26/07. However, I started dieting on 4/23/07. So, I've been very fortunate and have lost 111 pounds (as of this morning)in just over ten months. I hope you do well too. There are many people on this website that have inspired me along the way. Take care. Sue

JRC: The carbonation is the issue. I know the shoulder pain is horrible because it happens to me when I eat too fast or get stuck. I'm surprised you're eating small meals already. I had to do liquids only for three weeks, then mushies for two weeks, then food. Alot of doctors have different ideas of post surgery meals though. Take care, and skip the beer and soda for a while because your pouch doesn't have enough room for all of those gas bubbles. Sue

jfran: You are doing so great! Congratulations on just being overweight. I can't wait to join you. In fact, I'm going to go and look at the bmi charts to see how many pounds to go for that. I still have 15 to go to Onederland, so it'll be quite a while, but another goal to shoot for. Congratulations again. I forget that comedien's name who used to say "You look maaaaaahhhhhvvvellous!" Sue

Hi: I chose the band because it has less risk for surgical and post-surgical complications. Glad I did it, only wish I'd done it sooner. I also like that it is completely reversible. In my sick mind I am thinking that some day a scientist is going to develop the magic pill that will allow everyone to eat without gaining. Hope so, anyways. In the meantime this works for me because I had such a huge appetite, and the band is my tummy police - won't allow me to overeat, ever again! Good luck. Sue

Hi Kim: I did a modified "weight watchers" diet for three months prior to surgery, and the ten day pre-op fast. I lost 38 pounds before being banded. I think it may have made surgery recovery easier. The day after surgery I was out walking and hanging around at the pool. I think that the pre-surgery liquid diet might be a bit much for more than the two week pre-op requirements. I can remember how hungry I was getting when it was liquids only pre-op. Good luck. Sue

Hey Onelove756: Congratulations on getting started on your journey to bandland. I am from Massachusetts too - Norwood. I started by journey last year at about this time. I think I went to seminar in March, Doctor in April, various tests May and June, and got banded in July. As of this morning I'm 109 pounds lighter! I'd like to lose about 50 more, or whatever it takes to get to size 12. My regret about my band is that I didn't do it ten or twenty years ago. I have good wishes for you and I'm glad to see that you're taking charge of your issue to take care of the problem. Let me know if you have any questions as I've been in bandland for a while. Take care. Sue

I just wanted to share. For the past 20-something years I've been obese to super obese. So, I've always had to use a beach towel as a bath towel. This morning I used a standard bath towel and I was able to wrap it and tuck it around my chest and it was closed all the way down. Yippee. Beach towels are just for the pool now! That'll save room in the laundry. Sue

Hannah: I just got home from support group meeting. The surgeon brought up colds and flu season and spoke about how the post nasal drip can cause the band to get too tight with inflamation. He said you're better off to give a call, get a small unfill, and then get it filled back up in a week after you feel better. I just wanted to let you know what the surgeon said because it was only an hour ago. I hope you feel better soon. Sue

Hi Thindolphin: I'm in Massachusetts and I have Blue Cross Blue Shield. Good luck. Sue

I took two weeks off from work but I combined my surgery with a two-week by the pool vacation. I could have returned to work after a few days, but it wouldn't have been as much fun! Sue

I'm getting braver! The first one is from July 2007 three days after surgery in my DD's messy room weight was approx. 287. I lost 38 pounds before I was banded. Thankfully I don't have any pictures from my high of 324 pounds. The second one is from this past weekend, 7 months post surgery, ten months dieting, weight approx. 218. Still quite heavy:redface:, but did you notice those collar bones, LOL! If anyone knows how to make them smaller, please do. Thanks. Gotta run - support group tonight. Sue

Barelovers: Congratulations. You're starting your journey to a healthier you. Try to relax, and do get your nest ready for some restful, comfy days. Change your sheets, put the softest blankets and pillows on the bed. If you have a recliner, put sheets and soft blankets on that too because it might be more comfy for sleeping the first couple of days. Make alot of ice cubes, and make sure you have sugar free popsicles. Check out the t.v. guide to see what's coming on in the next few days. Or, go rent some dvd's to watch. Rest, rest, rest so that you heal well. Take care, Sue

Molly: Way to go! It's these NSV's that keep us going. Thanks for sharing because on days that we don't have our own NSV's we can get inspiration from those who do. Thanks again. Sue

Hi Fed Cop: Welcome. Feel free to ask questions. I've been banded for 7 months and have been doing great! I love my band! Sue

Hi: Sorry if this is too graphic. PB is a productive burp. It's not quite vomiting, but it is puking up whatever is in your pouch. The food hasn't quite made it into your stomach to mix with all of the acids in your stomach, so it's more like regurgitation than regular vomiting. I slime if I eat too fast, or too much at once. But primarily if I eat too fast. I think of it as a visit from my spit snake. It's really gross because it's very thick (kind of like egg white) spit. It quite often is followed by a pb. I wish you well. Sue

Hi: I suggest that you go and join Weight Watchers so that you can learn to eat right. If you practice portion control and smarter eating practices maybe you can lose weight without being banded. I would try that first because you may not need to be banded if you could eat better. Sometimes our body tries to hold onto calories if it thinks it's in starvation mode. It goes into starvation mode if you eat only once per day. The lap band won't work if you're going to eat only once per day. I hope it works out for you. Sue

Hi: I can feel my port, but I cannot feel my band, and don't expect to ever be able to feel the band. My doctor told me the band is up under your rib cage. Sue

Staindgal: I could have written most of this ten months ago, but now I feel so much better about myself now that I'm down 107 pounds. I cannot tell if you are banded by your message. If not, I hope it happens soon. If already banded, get back on plan and let the band do half of the work and you do the other half. I hope things improve for you. I'm sure that there's someone in those pictures that deserves to lose the weight and have a fuller life. Take care. Sue

Hi Rain: Sorry you got sick. Good thing it was on a donut though. Cold day in hell before I eat tuna fish again because of getting stuck, dr. sent me to e.r., had to have a cat scan, morphine for pain, etc. That happened my second week on mushies post surgery - hadn't even been filled yet. I wish it had been something good, like a donut! Too bad ice cream, potato chips, and chocolate chip Cookies don't get stuck easy:wink_smile:! Willpower and smart choices keep us going, but every once in a while a person needs a small treat. I can remember before support group one week a woman was talking about having eaten an entire whopper at burger king. I was almost sick thinking about the pain that would have caused me. She said it went down fine. Better luck next time you eat something yummy:ohmy:! Sue

Amy: How inspirational! You look fabulous. Congratulations. Now take a rest and give yourself time to heal. Take care and thanks for sharing your pics. Sue

Hi: I told everyone, and they're all complementary and supportive and have been the entire time. I think it helps that they can see my commitment to changing my unhealthy habits. They see me walking all the time and eating small amounts. As of this morning I've lost 107 pounds and that's since last April 23rd. So, ten months since I started dieting. I was banded 7/26/07. Since banding I've lost 70 pounds. I'm averaging 2.4 pounds per week since starting last April. So, screw what others think or say. Work the band and exercise and you'll have success. Take care. Sue