Sue Magoo

Hi: My rashes were very red and visible in pictures that both of my doctors took. It was a little bit swollen too. It really hurt and itched. The rashes weren't because of the area being dirty it was because of the folds rubbing against the skin underneath the fold. It was just raw from the chafing. Hopefully you will get some insurance coverage. Have you already called your insurance company to see what their requirements are? Sue

Hi: I had a problem with rashes. I showed one of my band doctors and he got all excited and said "that's how you get insurance to cover a tummy tuck". He took pictures. I called my primary care and she recommended a plastic surgeon. I had a rash when I went to her appointment too. My band doctor and my plastic surgeon worked together to submit it to BCBS and I was fortunate to get approval for a panniculectomy, which was considered to be medically necessary. I knew I wouldn't be satisfied with the results, so I asked the plastic surgeon to tell me how much out of pocket it would cost for me to get the full tummy tuck. She did some lipo too and lifted the mons area a bit too. I'm in the Boston area where medical costs are outrageous. The full cost of the tummy tuck was $21k. My cost for the upgrade from panniculectomy to tummy tuck was $7k. It may take a while, but please take pictures and go and see your doctor when you have a rash. It may save you alot of $$$. Good luck! Sue

Sandy: I had gallbladder issues about 9 months after being banded and had it out. It's an easier surgery than the band. They'll usually do it outpatient and my band was with an overnight stay. One thing I wish someone had told me is that when you have lost a bunch of weight and have a jiggly belly it really hurts after the gallbladder surgery when it moves. So, you may want to wear something that fits tightly after your gallbladder surgery to keep the jiggly down. Feel better soon! Sue

Mousek: Sorry to hear that it's painful and slow. Hope things improve soon! Sue

Hi: I've been banded since 2007. Had a slip in 2010 and got a new band July 2010. Recently have been having some right shoulder pain after I eat. It even happens sometimes after I drink. It starts near my right collar bone and sometimes the ache goes down my right arm. It can be very uncomfortable, but it subsides after about five or ten minutes. Anybody had this issue? If so, please share your experience with me. My insurance deductible is really high so I don't want to go to doctor unless it continues to be a problem. I've had the problem for about a week already, but thought it was stress related, not band related. Then I figured out it starts while or right after I eat, so it's probably band related. I may do liquids only for a few days and see if it resolves. Any advice? Thanks. Sue

Hi Mona Patty: I had a slip that was not painful. I don't know when it occurred. I noticed that I could eat more and that my scale was creeping up so I went to get a fill and when he did the barium swallow he saw the slip. You should probably get checked. Good luck! Sue

Diet Snapple beverages are yummy! I especially love the Diet Peach Iced Tea.

Good luck on Tuesday!

Hi: You may want to check out www.makemeheal.com It's kind of like lapbandtalk for plastic surgery folks. Best wishes to you. Sue

Hi: For sure you should call your doctor and see what he/she says about this pain after eating. In the meantime you should probably stick to liquids. I've had that horrible left side of the neck pain that travels down to your hand. It's awful! Let us know how you're doing and what the doctor says. Take care. Sue

Hi: There are two things I can think of trying. First, change the foods you are eating. Still make good choices, but make different ones. I don't know how this gets someone out of a stall in their weight loss, but sometimes it does. Second, write down everything that hits your lips for a day or two and see how many calories you're actually taking in. Sounds like you're doing great! Congratulations. Sue

Hi: I don't think you said how close to your surgery date you are. If it is very close you really should tell your surgeon because you probably shouldn't have anesthesia if you have a cold. Remember, it's always best to be honest with your healthcare partners. They can't react to things that they don't know. In the big picture, you've probably been overweight for a very long time and one month shouldn't make a difference. Take care. Sue

Hi: I have diet coke on occasion, but I stir alot of the carbonation out before I drink it. Quite often I open a can of diet coke and leave it in the fridge all day. Then I can drink it at night. My doctor says it's fine to drink diet soda as long as it doesn't bother you. Personally speaking, if I don't get enough of the carbonation out it comes back up . There's just not enough room for alot of bubbles down there. Sue

You look great! Congrats. Sue

Sounds exactly like my pain before having my gallbladder removed. I lost 125 pounds in 12 months. I had my gallbladder out just shy of the 12 months. So strange to have pain in right shoulder when my band would bring pain to my left shoulder. Best wishes to you. Let us know how you're doing. Sue

Hi: I was about ten pounds from goal when I had my tummy tuck, but had been holding steady for about 6 months. If you want your tummy to be the flattest and tightest I would wait until you hit goal. My plastic surgeon wants patients to be at a steady weight for about 6 months before she'll do a tummy tuck because she wants to make sure your nutrition levels are good to make for the best possible outcome for healing. Best wishes to you. Sue

you should check out www.makemeheal.com Their focus is on plastic surgery so I'm sure you'll find someone in Pittsburgh area there.

I think I wore mine at night for a long time because I would have pain in the groin area if I didn't, but only when I was laying on my side. Weird. Anyway, I almost felt more protected with it on. Maybe because so much of that area was numb for a long time. Anyway, I think I stopped wearing it after about 3 months. Sue

That's a great one! I can remember when I could stop using beach towels and it meant alot to me. Congrats!

How about "Satisfaction" or "Satisfied"?

Hi: I've had gallbladder surgery, tummy tuck, and band revision surgery since my original banding. Even though the doctors say they've done all that they can for me to prevent nausea it doesn't work for me. I always end up throwing up. I got completely unfilled before all three of the surgeries and was glad that I did. Best wishes to you.

Did you ask Insurance why you don't meet criteria? You should ask them so that you'll know what you need to do to meet their criteria. Good luck. Sue

Not only would I, but I did. Had stubborn small slip that wouldn't repair, so almost 3 years to the week I had revision surgery and got the larger band to replace my old band. I started at 324, went as low as 174, but gained up to 208 when my band was slipped. Now I'm hovering around 190 and hoping to get back to 180 by the summer. Taking off 125 - 150 pounds made all the difference in the world to me, both physically and mentally. Best wishes to you. Sue