Sue Magoo

Anybody heard from Potatie yet? I'm starting to worry :tongue2:! Hope all is well with her. Sue

Congratulations! Your pictures and your story are awesome and inspiring. Sue

Jacob: Congratulations on your successes. You look great! Sue

Alilash: No, most insurances don't cover tummy tucks. However, some may cover a panniculectomy (panni). They may cover a panni if you are having medical issues because of the excess loose skin on your abdomen. I was able to get coverage for my panni because of recurring rashes under the pannus. A panniculectomy is the removal of the apron of excess skin on your abdomen only. It doesn't usually have the beautiful result that a full tummy tuck has. If you check out www.makemeheal.com you can find some pictures that show both procedures. My out of pocket cost for the tummy tuck was about $7,800 after the insurance coverage for the panni. Start saving if you think you are going to need a tummy tuck. It's a painful procedure, but it's well worth it. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Allie: I didn't have a problem with the toilet while I was recuperating from tummy tuck. I'm 5' 7" so maybe because I'm on the taller end of the scale it was easier for me to sit on the toilet. I did have one other thing to recommend. I have a showerhead that can be either handheld or up on the shower wall. I think that was helpful for rinsing off without bending. Hopefully the pain meds will be good for you. Or, at least keep you asleep alot so that you don't notice how comfortable or uncomfortable you are. I remember being kind of a zombie for a few days at home until I cut back some on the pain meds. I would sleep for 3 hours and stay awake for an hour, then sleep for 2-3 hours, and stay awake for an hour again, so on for a week or so. I got a complete unfill prior to tummy tuck because I have big issues with anesthesia and nausea. Good thing because I had dry heaves for the first 24 hours postop. Didn't get refilled until about 2 - 3 weeks out from tummy tuck. Had to wait until I could stretch abdomen straight enough for lapband surgeon to put fill back in - my port is near rib cage. Again, let me know if you have any other questions. I got help from others before me on this site, so we all have to pay it forward. Take care. I wonder how Potatie is doing? I'm surprised I haven't seen any of her postop posts yet. I hope she's just sleepin' it off. Sue

Allie: I can understand your concern. I only had a tummy tuck with some extra lipo. My procedure was alot simpler than what you are having done. I wish I'd had the $$$ to get breast implants too, but it wasn't in the cards for me. As far as the pain goes, the pain pump is a life-saver for the first few days. I had the kind that they tape onto your abdomen and you push a button when you need some extra anesthetic over your internal wounds. It helped alot to press the button just before getting out of bed or up from a chair. My worst pain was in the groin area from the lip she did down in that area. I couldn't actually lay on my side for a few weeks because I would get such sharp pains shooting down there. One of the blessings of tummy tuck surgery is that when they cut off all of the excess skin they also cut alot of the nerves. For me, this means that alot of my tummy was numb for a long time. The feeling has been coming back, but I'm not quite there. As far as helpful things to have at home. I bought one of those "wedge-type" pillows. In hind-sight I would have been just fine piling up pillows instead. Waste of money to buy the wedge. I suggest that you get some really loose sweat pants and some pajama tops that button up. The sweat pants should have pockets to hold your drain bulbs. You'll also want to make sure you have some slip-on shoes and slippers because you shouldn't be bending for a few weeks. You may want to buy an extra binder, or a Spanx type of garment. You'll have a binder on 24/7 for several weeks. It's actually going to become one of your best friends for a while. It's very comforting. Take care. I look forward to reading your posts and hearing about your recovery. My LAP-BAND® doctor told me to start taking extra Vitamin C before the plastic surgery because it would help in healing. I did heal pretty well, so you might want to do this too. Remember, you'll need to eat nutritional foods to help with the healing too. You probably won't be hungry for a couple of weeks, but it's important to make sure you get in enough good calories. Another thing to remember is to stay on top of the pain meds. Don't wait to have pain to take a pill. Because if you wait too long the pain can be so bad that it will bring on nausea. Nausea and abdominal surgery aren't compatible! I have issues with pain meds and nausea so I had to decide whether to bare the pain or risk the nausea. Risking the nausea usually won for me. Remember, the pain is so worth it! Sue

Hi: I'm more than two years out and I don't miss food. Once you are past the pre and post-op liquids and mushies stages you'll be able to eat almost anything you want, in small quantities of course. I do miss the full feeling that you get after overeating. However, I don't miss buying size 26/28 pants. There's trade offs for most good things in life. Best wishes to you for your band successes. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Katie: I hope you are resting comfortably! Take care. Sue

Hi Greg: You should call your doctor. Either your primary, or your band doctor. My band doctor wants us to call if there's anything going on between our chins and our knees, so if it were me I'd call my band doctor. I know someone who had constant pain with their gallbladder because it was badly infected. My gallstones pain was intermitent. Please let us know how you make out. Take care. Sue

Congrats! Onederland is a great place to be. Best wishes for your continued success with your band. Sue

Hi: I think I was on Clear liquids for two days and then could have the shakes and other liquids for the next ten days. The pain does go away after a couple of days. I hope you feel better soon. Sue

Katie: Tomorrow is your big day! Best wishes to you for a flat tummy and not too much discomfort. Give us an update when you feel up to it. Take care. Sue

Hi: I ride a trikke and have issues with guzzling Water in warm weather. I ended up buying a hydration back pack so that I could sip water throughout my ride. If I guzzle it just comes right back up. But, if I sip constantly (easy to do with the backpack) then I'm okay. They're less than $30 at Walmart. Well worth it for a long ride, walk, or run on a hot day too. Also, you can put a beverage like Gatorade's G2 in so that you keep your electrolytes in balance during a hard workout. Very brave of you to do 27 miles! Congratulations. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Katie: You're so brave! I'm sure you're going to get great results. Don't forget to buy some new cute panties for December. You won't want to wear them until you're done with all of the drainage. Panty shopping was a fun thing to do while waiting for the big day. And after the tummy excess is gone you can actually see the panties :drool:! I'd have to say that there were two embarassing things from the tummy tuck. First, the picture taking - totally naked! Yikkes! She takes pictures every time I go :scared2: Second, the morning of surgery, she came in to mark my skin prior to the surgery. She had me stand naked, in front of her. Then, she knealed (sp?) on the floor in front of me. Her face was directly across from my privates. So embarassing. I'm sure she's seen lots of naked formerly obese people, so I'm positive it was only embarassing to me. All of it, so worth it. The end results are the prize! I'll be thinking of you. Please send us an update as soon as you feel up to it. Take care. Sue

Hi Kathy: My swelling wasn't too bad. One of my drains fell out on its own too early and that is the side that I had more swelling on. I think it was alot worse when I was more active than I should have been. Remember, it was a big surgery and your body needs to rest and heal. I was vigilant about wearing my compression garments the first two months, but didn't wear it after that. I still have some swelling after a long day, but I don't have many of those. Crazy how drinking alot of fluids helps us not retain fluids, but that's how I hear it works. So, try to increase your Fluid intake for a while and see if that helps. I wish you well with your recovery. Sue

Hi: I gained 9 pounds in the first 3 days post-op. It's just Fluid retention. I think it was day 5 or 6 when I started peeing like a sun of a gun. I dropped five pounds in one day because the fluid finally left. I was surprised with the weight gain, but my doctor told me it was very normal. As long as you follow the band rules you'll start to lose and keep losing. Best wishes to you newbie. I love my band and my new flat tummy. Sue

Jill: Sounds like you're not getting in enough calories. Try shooting for about 1200 calories a day and get some exercise in. You may see a melting effect :sad:. Best wishes to you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Katie: My Sister had some waterproof pads (quilted on one side and plastic-like on the other) to put under where I sleep so I did put them under the mattress pad on my bed. I did get one spot on the mattress pad, so I'm glad that I used the pads. The drains are kind of tricky and there can be little accidents, so better safe than sorry. Another thing is that you're not going to be totally with-it while you're taking pain meds, so that can lead to clumsiness. I spilled some of the drainage one time when I was trying to measure it. It's so worth the discomfort. Best wishes to you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi Katie & Tiffany: Loose sweat pants with pockets are a good pick for the ride home and for the first week or so because of the drains. The drains have these plastic bubble-shaped things at the ends that collect the draining Fluid. It's easy to put them in your pockets if you have loose sweat pants on. Best wishes to both of you. It is really amazing what a difference it makes to look down and see a flat tummy. Sue

Hi: Instant cream of wheat is yummy. I especially like the maple flavor. It's a thinner consistency than oatmeal, but similar. I try to make it with FF milk to make it a little thicker than when made with Water, plus it gets some Calcium in. In my store it's near the instant oatmeal boxes. Another thing to try for something warm in the morning is to heat up apple sauce and add strawberries or blueberries to it. Yummmy. I love my band and my new flat tummy. Sue

Big Tom: You need to find a new LapBand doctor to review your situation with you. You shouldn't be pb'ing all the time and it may be causing you harm. You can probably find a new LapBand surgeon here on this forum. Best wishes to you and your future band success. Sue

You look alot younger in your after picture. Congrats on your success!

Hi: Maybe he was looking at your xrays again because your surgery is on Monday and he noticed the hernia. I had a hiatal hernia repair when my band was put in. Not a big difference as far as I can tell. Hope all goes well with you and your band. Best that you'll be in the hospital overnight because that way you'll have somebody watching you closely during the first 24 hours after surgery. They'll give you some powerful meds too that should help with the pain. Take care. Sue

Gatorgal: I think this is very common. I am a mouth breather so everything gets dry at night while I'm sleeping. I believe this is what makes me tighter in the morning. If I have a couple of cups of coffee then I wait an hour or two and then have my breakfast and I'm fine. I've heard that even just warm Water will help loosen things up, but I love coffee so that's my choice for morning beverage. Good luck with your band. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Potatie: I saw your post about being worried about the pain. They can give you this pain pump that they hook up inside you so that you can push a button to get instant anesthetic relief over your abdomen when you need it. It only lasts a few days, but it really saved me from alot of pain. I would use it just before trying to get out of bed and it numbs the area that was having the most pain. It only lasts for a few minutes at a time, but it certainly does help. I cannot remember what this thing is called, but maybe someone else can pipe in with the name of it. Oh yeah, when the pain medicine is gone you just pull the very thin leads out and throw the whole thing away. Good luck! Sue