Sue Magoo

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

Hi: This happenned to me with my band surgery too - 9 lbs. It was all fluid and it started to leave me on the fifth day after surgery. You'll know because you'll start peeing like crazy! Welcome to bandland. Sue

Sounds like the same symptoms of low blood sugar. I've had this happen a couple of times. Please speak with your doctor again and maybe he/she can modify your pre-op diet slightly. Let us know how you're doing.

Your energy level will get better but it may take a while if you're like me. Keep up with the protein shakes and take multi vitamins. With me I believe that part of the fatigue was caused by depression because I was mourning overeating. That went away as I saw success on the scale. Best wishes to you. Sue

Hi Steph: I had a tummy tuck because after losing 150 pounds I had an apron of excess skin around my abdomen. As far as the boobs go they become somewhat deflated with all of the fat leaving them. Part of that may be an age issue as I'm 51 now. I think younger people have more resilience as far as their excess skin goes. Best wishes to you. Sue

Hi: I got my tummy tuck when I was still 20 pounds overweight (according to bmi). I started at 324 got down to 174 and leveled out at 180 for about a year. My plastic surgeon wanted me to be at a stable weight for at least 6 months before plastic surgery to have the best healing results with my nutrition at a good level. I healed very well and am very happy with the results in spite of the fact that I'm about 10 pounds heavier now than I was in May 2009 when I got my tummy tuck. If I could just get focused I could lose that ten in a couple of weeks, but I guess I don't want it that bad. Best wishes to you. Sue