Sue Magoo

Hi: You might want to break out your crockpot and look for some good, simple recipes. Crockpot with meat and veggies and some type of sauce works very well for the band. Seems to make most meats very tender! Sue

Just like the band experience, slips can vary by person. I didn't know mine slipped. I started gaining weight and could eat more than before with my slip. I thought I needed a fill and my doctor did a barium swallow and to my surprise I had slipped and got totally unfilled. My slip was small and it just expanded the size of the pouch above my band. Had band replaced three months ago and all's well so far. Sometimes slips fix themselves, but mine was stubborn and wouldn't budge. Best wishes to you. I love my band! Sue

Had mine removed 9 months after banding. Common problem for people that lose weight fast. Best wishes to you. Pretty easy surgery and recovery. If you have loose skin on your abdomen wear something that fits tightly while you're recuperating from gallbladder surgery. Less jiggle feels better. Take care. Sue

Hi: I had a slipped band too. I got my band replaced in July after trying for two months to get it back into position without surgery. Second surgery was easier than the first because they didn't have to mess with the port, so fewer incisions. Pre-op diet was different than with first band. Didn't have to do liquids for ten days like first time. Post-op diet was same as first time because you have to baby the band for a while tummy is healing. Best wishes to you.

Thank you for sharing this. I look forward to watching the show and wish you the best. Sue

AZPete: You really should have an appointment with your doctor to have him/her do a barium swallow to see if your band is in proper position and if the barium is moving through the band as it should. I hope you don't have a slipped band. Heartburn is not supposed to happen routinely. Please get it checked and let us know how you made out. Take care. Sue

new_renee: A panniculectomy is when they just cut off the excess skin and sew up what's left. A person that has a panni may not have a belly button when the surgery is done. A tummy tuck involves cutting off the excess skin and tightening the abdominal muscles and moving the belly button. Probably if you Google images and put in both procedures you'll see the difference. My insurance covered the panniculectomy because I had skin breakdown and rashes that were documented (in pictures too) by both my band doctor and my plastic surgeon. They submitted it to my insurance company. Best wishes to you. Sue

Hi: I'm here in MA, so medical costs are very high. My insurance covered a panniculectomy. In order to get a full tummy tuck I had to pay almost $7,000 out of pocket. I believe that was about 1/3 of the total cost. Good luck! Sue

Hi: I had my band almost 3 years when I slipped. Don't know when it slipped, but probably in March or April 2010. I went in May 2010 to get a fill because I could eat more and started gaining. Come to find out I was slipped and that's why I could eat more because my stomach had this extra pouch coming out on top of band. Got new band in July and so far it's great. I've lost 19 pounds since then and am 9 pounds from my goal. Best wishes to you and getting a second band. Keep us posted. Sue

Hi: Never had anything like that except when I had gallbladder pain. Hope you feel better soon. Please let us know how you make out with the doctor. Sue

Hi: I think that the difference is that mine was regular and they make a cut from hip to hip and tighten the muscles and move the belly button to where it belongs after they reposition everything. I believe that the inverted T means that they cut like an upside down T across the bottom hip to hip and up the middle. I was fortunate that most of my excess skin was below my belly button so I didn't need to have the inverted T. Good luck. Sue

Hi: I had a small slip that wouldn't repair itself so I got rebanded after almost 3 years. I didn't know I had slipped. I went in to get a fill because my scale was creeping up and I could eat more. Dr. surprised me when he said I had slipped. I don't have any idea when or how the slip came. Good luck. I love my band #2. Today I am finally just overweight again. My original high weight was 324. I got as low as 174 (August 2008). Got up to 208 when my band wasn't working. Today I'm 189! Hope your band works again soon. Sue

Hi: Had my tummy tuck May 2009. Worth every penny and every bit of the pain! Good luck to you. Sue

Hi: I saw your blog today and you're freaking amazing at how you bounce back from things like this. You should really rest and take it easy because even though you feel great you need to give your body time to recover. Take care and congratulations on your flat tummy with a little belly button. I have to say that my belly button is one of my favorite things about my tummy tuck. Having previously weighed 324 pounds and having had a 8 1/2 pound baby, my belly button was wide and deep. My new belly button is tiny and I love it! Sue

Hi: I like it so much I did it twice! I started at 324 lbs. size 26/28. I got as low as 174 and size 12 which is just below average size for women. I was banded 7/26/07. My band slipped sometime this past spring or winter, not sure when it happened. I went to get a fill because I was eating too much and gaining weight and found out I had a slipped band in May. Had a new band put in 7/20/10. While I had a slipped band I could eat almost as much as I wanted to and my weight went from 190 to 208. Since being rebanded my weight is down to 191 and I have a goal to get back down to 180. My band keeps me in control and I really need this tool to keep my weight in check. I think of it as my belly cop! My only regret with my band is that I didn't get it in 1992 when it first became available in the U.S. Best wishes to you. Sue

I had Blue Cross Blue Shield of New England at that time, but have switched due to a job change since that time. Good luck! Sue

Hi: If your pee is almost the color of Water you're getting enough liquids in and your urine probably won't be extra smelly. If your urine is yellow/gold in color you're not getting enough liquid and your pee will be extra smelly too. I know from experience. I'm not sure exactly how the ketones effect things. I try to drink enough but if I drink enough to make my urine clearer then I can't sleep because I'm up peeing three or four times during the night, so I trade back and forth on getting enough liquid in. When your band is at a restricted level you can't drink fast, so it's important to have a drink handy most of the time so you can sip from it when you're in that time period between meals when drinking is okay. It's hard to balance sometimes. Take care. Sue

Hi: I had rashes and it was uncomfortable. My surgeon's office documented my rashes (including pictures) and the plastic surgeon's office did two. Between the two of them they did the magic paperwork (including the pictures) to have the panniculectomy approved for me by insurance. I opted to pay the additional cost to get a full tummy tuck. It was well worth it. Best wishes to you. Sue

Hi: I wish I'd put a water-resistant, heavy duty mattress pad on my bed because one of my drains leaked on my new mattress, right through the mattress pad. From reading your blog I know that you're planning only a very short time away from work. Make the best of the rest time you can get. Eat healthy foods and don't worry about working out and exercising. It will wait for your body to heal. Take care. I look forward to hearing more about it. Sue

Hi: I was allowed to shower on day #3 post-tummy tuck. I hope you don't have to wait two weeks. If so, there's always sponge baths and lots of deodorant :thumbup:. Sue

Hi: I had a full tt, not a panni. Where the muscles were tightened was one of the sorest part and I don't think you'll have that with the panni. It was alot more painful than the lapband, but so worth it! Keep in mind that it is a big operation and you need to eat well, sleep well, and take it easy while you're recuperating. It's not a time to stress about your lack of exercising because you'll get back in the swing of things once your tummy is healed. Best wishes to you. I hope to hear about your experience soon. Sue

Hi: I just looked it up. Pre-op (3 months) 37 pounds lost, and then the following numbers in each consecutive month post 14, 15, 11, 9, 3, 9, 9, 6, 12, 3, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4. The other thing besides eating right and exercising is consistent follow up with your surgeon and attending support groups with fellow bandsters if possible. You need to stay on top of your fills to ensure that you are getting your band adjusted as necessary. In addition, I think it helps to be accountable on their scale as well as my own. Best wishes to you. Sue

First, try warm tea to see if that will go down. Second, if that won't go down go to ER because you're going to get dehydrated and that can be very dangerous. Third, find a new band doctor as this one stinks if he can't squeeze you in when you're suffering. You may want to find a group to go to that has more than one doctor so that they have their own backup system in place for when one doctor isn't available. I get so mad when I read about doctors that don't take care of their patients. Please let us know how you make out. Take care. Sue

Hi: I read on your profile that you had no aftercare for the past 7 years. I think my doctor recommends annual visits after the first couple of years. I am sorry that you're losing your band and I am sorry that they didn't find your problems before the erosion started. Best wishes to you. Sue

Hi: I think that I had 7 pounds total removed between tt and lipo. Best wishes to you. Sue