Sue Magoo

Betsy: I was the "post band" representative at my surgeons' lapband seminar recently. He asks someone who's been successful with their band to be available to answer questions when he's speaking with potential newbies. Last month one of the perspective bandsters asked about pregnancy. My surgeon said that he recommends either getting pregnant first, or getting pregnant about a year after reaching goal. I think it would be very hard to be a newbie bandster while being pregnant. Also, it may be hard to get the proper nutrition unless you're completely unfilled. Best wishes to you newbie bandster. Sue

Look at you Allie. Your legs don't touch! Congrats on how great you look! Sue

Hi Ladies: I'm guessing it all depends on where your port is and how deep it is. My port is just below the middle of my rib cage and it's not visible at all. There is a scar above it, but other than that it's not noticable at all. Mine feels like it's only about 1/8 inch below the skin but it doesn't stick out at all. I know that there are plenty of people whose ports are noticeable. I know that my plastic surgeon spoke with my band surgeon before my banding. She discussed my being unfilled prior to the plastic surgery. She told me that she wasn't even going to touch my port because it was high enough that it wouldn't be in the way of my tummy tuck. It'll be interesting to read how others respond. Sue

My doc says you shouldn't eat anything larger than one die. Like the others said, it's so important to chew well. If I swallow something the size of these dice and don't chew it well I'll be in trouble! Best wishes to you with your band. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

MaryJo881: Please call your band doctor. If you're having trouble keeping food or liquids down and having reflux you should see your band doctor and get some or all Fluid out. You should really talk with your band doctor before having endoscopy. Also, endoscopy can be difficult for banded people. Another reason to call your band doctor. Please call him/her tomorrow and make sure they know what you're going through and tell him/her that you're having an endoscopy. They may have to unfill you completely before the procedure! Best wishes to you. Please let us know how you make out. Please update this thread so that we can learn from your experience. Take care. Sue

Gwenn: Congratulations on your loss to date. I am very familiar with the "flap" that you talked about. I was able to get partial insurance coverage because of rashes that I had. The rashes were recurring and were very uncomfortable. Both my band doctor and the plastic surgeon had pictures of my rash when it was quite inflamed. The plastic surgeon submitted the pics along with a bunch of other paperwork to my insurer and I got about 1/3 coverage. I don't know the exact coverage because I don't know the entire procedure cost. It depends on your insurance too. You'll probably do best if you do have medical insurance that covers panniculectomy or abdominoplasty. Either way, go to a plastic surgeon that has worked with weight loss surgery patients. You may be able to get referrals from your doctor and/or from this website. Best wishes to you. I'm very happy that I got a tummy tuck! Sue

natisme: I hope you've been taking your multi vitamins. It's so important. Another thing that I struggled with was giving up caffeine at the same time as I started my liquid pre-op diet. I am glad I did all that then because the end results are tremendous! Best wishes to you newbie! Sue

BarbBee: I'm sure you're already at the hospital. I hope all went smoothly. Remember, you must take it easy! I look forward to reading your post-op posts. Take care. Sue

Hi Allie: Best wishes to you for a quick recovery from your thigh surgery. Please remember to take it easy! I look forward to reading your posts. Take care. Sue

Peggie: Sounds like you may be swollen from the stuck incidents you've had. As far as being able to eat if you're standing up it's probably because your abdomen has more room when you are standing up, so your band has more room too. If it were me having this problem I would go on all liquids for a day or two and then mushies for a day or two and then try eating solids again. If you have difficulties with solids after giving your pouch a rest then you should definitely call your doctor. You don't want the swelling to get out of hand because then you'll risk having worse problems. One thing to remember is that eating shouldn't be painful and if it is you should call your doctor. Let us know how you make out. I hope you'll feel better soon. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: I did get nervous about anesthesia, etc. before my surgery. Then I remembered that carrying around 324 pounds for much longer seems to be way more risky than any minor surgery. Good luck with your surgery on 11th! Sue

I think that because the band allows you to have a little bit of almost everything it makes it easier. I mourned overeating for a while after banding. Occasionally I miss being able to overeat, but the positives that go along with the weight loss far outweigh the negative of missing that "full feeling". Sue

Hi: I'm in Norwood, MA. I was banded July 07. I love my band. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll be glad to try to help. This forum is great. I didn't find it until after I was banded and it's been a site that I visit daily since then. Where are you being banded? I was banded at Caritas Norwood Hospital. Best wishes to you. Sue

Good luck Habby. Funny thing, when I was typing Habby at first I typed Happy. Hopefully you'll be very Happy soon! Sue

Barbee: Sending positive thoughts and best wishes you way for the surgery on the 18th. I look forward to reading your posts. Sue

Ooops. I forgot something. I had issues thinking about having to lost 150 pounds. It was far too overwhelming to think of such a large number. I figured out that for me I needed to just think about one pound at a time. It made it much easier for me. So, you may want to forget about the 100 pounds you want to lose and concentrate on just the next pound and then do it over and over and over and over again. Good luck! Sue

Hi: Have you tried counting your caloric intake? If your body burning is correct at 2700 to 3000 you should be losing quite a bit unless your calories are too high. You can track both your calories and your calorie burn by activity on my daily plate. If you search for it I think it's on LIVESTRONG.com. If your calorie burn is that high and you're calorie intake is low (like 1000 to 1200 per day) and you're still not losing you should talk to your doctor about what could be going on. If you haven't had a fill in a long time you should probably go and check in with your surgeon and get your fill up to the level that you need. Another thing to do is to switch around your foods. I tended to get in a rut with eating the same thing each day. When I would plateau I would change my foods and sometimes this would help me out of a plateau. I wish you well with your band. I love my band! Sue

Hi: If you're throwing up brown stuff it could be blood. It looks like coffee grounds sometimes when it comes up. Please keep on trying to get your surgeon or go to emergency room. Hope you feel better soon. Sue

Hi: I can get a hiccup or a burp or a runny nose if I'm full. At the first sign of being full I have to stop or I will have a PB. I can slime sometimes from a PB too. If you find that your full signal comes after only 1/2 cup of food, then that's probably all you need for a while. Then, you'll start to notice that you can eat 3/4 or 1 cup and that's probably when it's time to get another fill. Best wishes to you newbie! I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Heidi: Our band have minds of their own. Sometimes out of the blue a band can seem tighter and cause reflux and tightness. I recommend that you call your doctor and get a small unfill at the least. He/she may want to do a barium swallow to check your band too. Hope all goes well. Please let us know what he/she says so that we can learn from your experience. Thanks. Sue

Hi: Please don't cancel your appointment. Your doctor should be understanding if you've been under that kind of stress and if he doesn't, go find another doctor. Don't be afraid to tell him about the circumstances and tell him that you want to refocus on your band now that you're past the chaos. It sounds like your daughter is out of the hospital. Now it's time to focus on getting back on track. I'm guessing that you're not at your sweet spot yet, so please go get that fill and go back to doing things the bandster way. I hope life gets easier for you. Sue

Hi: What a hoot! I've had something similar happen a couple of times and I smile the rest of the day! Congrats on your success. Sue

Hi: I don't count calories or carbs or Protein. I've been banded for 2 1/2 years and have never counted them. That would be too much like "dieting". My doctor tells us to eat healthy, take a multi-Vitamin, and exercise. Works for me. I usually have one of the following for breakfast. Yogurt w/a tablespoon of granola, warmed 1/4 cup of fat free milk with 2 tablespoons of granola, cup of cheerios, cereal bar, a couple of pieces of fat free cheese, cream of wheat, oatmeal, or a peach crisp that I make with instant oatmeal and no sugar added peaches. I have one pancake or 1 1/2 pieces of french toast sometimes on the weekend for a treat. I lean toward the warm choices during the winter. Best wishes to you finding foods that work for you. Keep on trying. Sue