Sue Magoo

Andrea: I didn't have any pain with the fill that I had, but I've only had one. My doctor didn't use fluroscope with fill, just felt for the right spot, injected fill, and put a bandaid on it. Good luck making your decision. Sue

Renee: I had the pleasure of going through my double closet this weekend. I ended up with five cartons of clothing that I brought to Salvation Army store. In addition, I gave my sister about three cartons of clothes. I've lost 81 and I'm never going back to size 26/28 again! Get rid of it, but please donate it. Take care and congratulations. Sue

Hi: I'll be there on the 20th of November. I'm Sue. I couldn't tell your name from your LBT name. Anyway, nice to meet you. I was banded 7/26. So far it's been going well. I hope to get another fill on 11/21, he wouldn't fill me on 10/20. I think the Glasgow's are great, especially Adam. Arthur is a bit reserved, but very nice too. The office staff is great too. I haven't updated my ticker yet, but my loss was 81# this morning. Yeah! I'm one pound away from halfway there. I have a total goal of losing 164 pounds. Hope to meet you there in a couple of weeks. Does an experienced bander like you have any advice for someone who's been banded only three + months? Take care. Sue

Hi: It probably is the weight. I was carrying around 324 pounds earlier this year. Some of the things I was feeling, fatigue, numbness in one leg, lower back pain, generally feeling like crap, and got winded alot. I started doing a modified-weight watchers diet 4/23/07. I was banded 7/26/07. I have now low 81 pounds and I am walking 5 miles per day, plus some days I do eliptical too. I lost the numbness in my leg after about 40 pounds lost. I still get tired in the afternoons, but I feel great most of the time. I knew I was ready because it was becoming such a burden to carry around all of these extra pounds. I am halfway there and I am so glad that I got the band because I had a huge appetite that I couldn't control without the band. Good luck. Sue

I've lost 41.5 since I was banded on 7/26/07. I lost 37 between making the decision (April) and getting banded. So, it's worth staying faithful. It's worth it! Best wishes. Sue

DSW: I think it's very normal to feel hungry after the swelling goes down, and before the first fill. I think I've seen this referred to as "bandster hell". I went through it too. That is why the band is a tool, not the end-all. You still have to try to eat smaller quantities of good choices, and exercise during this period so that you don't gain back what you've lost since the surgery. However, I remember someone saying that you're not expected to lose until you get filled. Good luck, and know that it's very common to get hungry before first fill. Good luck. Sue

Rain: Congratulations! Isn't it amazing how much difference there is with 70 pounds gone. Smaller pants are one of the best parts. Good job! Sue

Lori: Not only are you down 50, but you're halfway there! Congratulations. Sue

Beckie: I have rewards set up for myself, but not specific dates, just set them to specific pound goals. For instance, I told myself I would get myself a great MP3 player for walking when I lose 50 pounds. I attained that goal in August and got myself a great Zune by Dell. Love it, love it, love it. I walk 5 miles per day, so it's great walking company. My next reward will be when I lose 100 pounds. I'd like to pay a personal trainer for some exercise help when I reach the 100 pound mark. At this pace, I should hit that goal late December, or January. That personal trainer should help me getting to the next goal. When I reach 150 pounds I'd like to take my Daughter on a cruise to Bermuda from Boston, so I'd like to have that happen next summer, but that will be a stretch. I'll have to see how that goes, because if it happens late next year we'll have to go on some other cruise because the Boston to Bermuda stops running in the early Fall. Then, when I hit my goal weight I'm going to spend some of my retirement money on a tummy tuck. I'm sure that by the time I lose 164 pounds I'll be needing one! It sure makes it more fun if we can reward ourselves for the milestones along the way. It seems so difficult to think about the long-run, but to think about it in 25 and 50 pound increments it seems more attainable. Good luck, and happy rewards and goal attainment to you! Sue

No way, you inspire me.

Katleen: I had my lapband surgery a week before you. I had my baby in 1987 and managed to put on way more than 100 extra pounds after giving birth. Don't worry about your first fill. It makes life easier because it'll help you eat less. If your doctor is anything like mine it wasn't any worse than a flu shot. I lost 38 pounds before I got banded, and now have lost 39 pounds since banding - total 77 since end of April. Good luck with your fill. I'm hoping to get my second fill on 11/20. I'm getting hungry again and don't know if I'll be able to hold off for 2.5 weeks. If I gain a couple of pounds I'm gonna call and see if he can see me sooner. Good luck band-buddy. Sue

Vanessa: If you haven't already, take a trip to the drugstore and buy some gauze pads and some medical tape to put them on with. Unfortunately you'll need a few big gauze pads to put on the port site (4 x 4 or so), and they charge alot of $$$ for those compared to a bandaid. You might also want to make sure you have sugar free popsicles at home. I found that my throat was sore after having the tube during the surgery. Good luck. Sue

Hi: I've found that my biggest issue since being banded is slowing down when I'm eating. I've adjusted to smaller bites, but I still want to shovel them in. I found a one-minute hourglass timer that I now keep next to me when I'm eating. After I have a bite I tip over the timer and wait until all of the sand flows through before I can take another bite. Seems to work for me. If anyone's interested in trying this, I ordered the timer from Unclesgames.com online and they were only $1.50 each. I ordered five of them because I know that I'll lose a couple and I wanted to have at least one at home, one at work, and one at my Sister's house, and one in my bag for going out to eat. I hope this idea helps anyone else who has an issue slowing down. Take care. Sue

Rensan: You might consider speaking with your human resources department to find out if they have a booklet from the bcbs group yet. It may include notes about exclusions. I had BCBS in MA and it was really a piece of cake. It was all handled by my surgeon's office. The office staff at my surgeon's office is wonderful!My BMI was just over 50, so there was no question that I needed the procedure. I was fortunate that it was not excluded on our medical policy at work. Good luck. Sue

Jessica: I think that everyone gets stuck, at least once. So, don't make the same mistake I did. I tried a sip of Water figuring that it would move the stuck tunafish one way or the other. Then I felt like I was going to drown in my own kitchen. After that I found somebody said something on this site about taking the tiniest sip of something if you feel stuck. I get a horrible pain in my left shoulder when I'm stuck. I hope it never does happen to you, but it happens to most people at least once. Think small......think slow.......good luck. Sue

Congratulations Fred. You've already lost ten pounds since surgery. That's fabulous. Keep up the good work. Sue

Molly: If you're not ready, you're not ready. Let me ask you a few questions though: Do your feet hurt all the time? Do you hate clothes shopping because you'll be going up a size again? Do you get out of breath just walking ten feet? Do you worry about sitting in a chair because you're not sure it will hold you? Do you worry about being around in twenty years because you've carried way too many pounds for way too many years? Do you have comorbidities that will send you to your grave early? I'm 48 years old, so I know what it's like to be in your forties and near 300 pounds. I weighed 324 six months ago. I was banded three months ago. I feel and look like a new person and I don't regret it for a minute. My only regret is that I didn't do it two years ago. But, you have to do what is right for you. You might just be getting cold feet, maybe not. Good luck and I hope better health for you in the near future, whichever decision you make. Take care. Sue

Trystelle: Congratulations on the 98# you've lost. I am one of those people with well over 100 pounds to shed. I know how you feel. We shouldn't feel jealous though, because it doesn't do any good. Concentrate on all of the success you've had so far and just keep that scale headed in the right direction. Keep up the good work. Sue

DonnHoll: Wow! Congratulations. I cannot wait to join you in onederland. Keep up the good work! Sue

Hi: Can't see it, but it feels like I have a flat rock under my skin. My port is just below my rib cage in the middle. Good luck. Sue

Try changing the foods you're eating. I think sometimes our bodies get used to what we're having and somehow changing foods changes things. Good luck. Sue

Hi: I get this pain too. I talked to my doctor about it. He said that it's because I'm irritating my esophogus and there's a nerve that runs along side the esophogus that goes up through your shoulder and neck on the left side. I hate this pain. I get it when I eat too fast, or too big of a bite. The first time I got it was when I got stuck. So, it's my slow down, take smaller bites, or stop eating signal, but it stinks because it can be so painful. I find that it goes away after about an hour or so. Good luck, and remember, eat slow, small bites. Take care. Sue

Welcome. I too had my surgery with the Glasgows. Mine was on 7/26. I was alot heavier than you though. I started at 324 and now I'm 249 - down 75! I actually like the exercising part - though my exercise is all walking - and a little bit of eliptical. I bought an MP3 player - so I listen to great walking music and escape every time I walk. I don't want to think about how slow the weight loss would be without the exercising. I walk between 4 to 5 miles per day. Do you go to the support groups. If so, maybe I'll see you there. Good luck.

My bmi was higher than my surgeon likes for banding, so as soon as I made up my mind I had to lose weight. So, I started dieting on 4/23, though I wasn't banded until 7/26/07. Though, I did go through a weekend of "last eating". I had to have some of my favorite things before the two week pre-op liquid phase. I probably shouldn't have, but I don't regret it. I did tell people I was having it done. They've all been very supportive, with the exception of one friend who is very leary of modern medicine anyway. I had been walking one or two miles per day most days of the week prior to being banded. However, once my mind was made up I made sure that I didn't miss a day - even though my feet were killing me. Not easy carrying 324 pounds around. I don't like "Protein drinks". I drank sugar free carnation instant Breakfast with added Protein powder from GNC. I never tried any others. This was tolerable. Good luck, and wish you alot of success.

Good luck Karlvr! You have a great attitude, and that's half of the battle. Best wishes for a quick recovery. Sue