Sue Magoo

Hi: I had my gallbladder out 9 months after being banded. It's quite common to have issues with your gallbladder after losing alot of weight. My gallbladder pain would come after eating. What my doctor said is that your gallbladder produces bile to help your food move through your intestines. So, if you eat something fatty it produces alot of bile and if there are stones or a blockage in your gallbladder you will have some pain. Some people have stones and never have pain. My pain would come after eating something spicy or fatty. I had to give up low calorie hot cinnamon candy for a while because the pain would kill. I know that you shouldn't eat fatty stuff, but if the pain comes again after you've eaten something fatty or high in calorie it could be your gallbladder. Best to call your doctor if it comes back again. Sue

Congratulations! You look beautiful! Be proud of your accomplishments and enjoy your new body. Sue

Karen: I was struggling with my new "wrinkles" too. I think that when I was fat my skin was so stretched that I couldn't have wrinkles. After I lost about 70 pounds I started to notice them. I think that the wrinkles are part of aging and we were due to get them anyway, so the heck with them. As someone else said, there's always plastic surgery if you hate them enough to pay for it. I hated my excess skin on my abdomen enough to spend $$$$ to get rid of it. I'm so glad that I did. Someone told me that now I have the abdomen of an 18 year old! As long as I look younger than my ex-husband then I'm okay with it. Right now I look like I'm closer to 40 and he's looking closer to 55 and we're both 49, so right now I'm at a good place. Give it some time, and see how things level out when you get closer to goal. Some of it may improve. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: Check out this website and see if a trikke is a good fit for you. It is low/no impact and the best part is that it is alot of fun! Forget about the one with the motor - won't help you accomplish your weight loss goals. www.trikketampa.com Let me know if you have questions about it. I've been riding since April 2008 and I love it! Sue

Please call your doctor and insist that he see you today! You shouldn't let these kinds of things linger because it can do more damage that way. Also, being dehydrated is very dangerous - can even kill a person. I hope you feel better soon. Let us know how you make out with your doctor. Sue

Hi: It always took me a few days to feel the full effect of getting a fill. I would be fine leaving the doctors office and I would get tighter later on. As long as you keep liquids down you are probably okay for today. But, if you start to get dehydrated call your doctor. You'll probably need a slight unfill. Another thing is that the band can be tighter in the morning because you get dryer at night (especially if you are a mouth breather when you sleep). Try to have some hot liquids in the morning and see if that helps to loosen you some. Hope you feel better soon. Sue

Hi: I have issues with nausea when I take prescription pain killers. I switched to liquid tylenol as soon as I got home from the hospital when I was banded. As far as the headache goes, if I go without caffeine I get a headache. I never gave up coffee and I never will! Hope you feel better soon. Sue

Hi: I had a tummy tuck back in May 2009. I think I'm getting a dog ear on one side. I'm just wondering if anyone knows if this can be corrected in the plastic surgeon's office or not? Also, does the plastic surgeon usually charge extra for this if you already paid for the tummy tuck? How do they fix it? Please share your experience with me if you've had a dog ear and had it corrected. Thanks. Sue

Wow, 18 pounds in a month! Congratulations.

I used to walk alot, but I was getting bored with it. Someone on this website asked if anybody's tried out the trikke. I looked it up and asked some questions, and then I bought one. It's a great workout and alot of fun. I'm going to try to put a picture of me on my trikke here. I trikked 24 miles on 8/8 - my longest ride yet. If you're interested in looking into it, check out www.trikketalk.com or www.tampatrikke.com Trikking August 2009 - 24 Mile Ride.bmp

Hi: I stayed overnight and was glad that I did. I had very bad nausea and dryheaves from the anesthesia after surgery for the first 18 hours or so. It was much better to be there and also to have a barium swallow to make sure my dryheaves didn't cause my band to move. Best wishes to you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! My only regret with my band is that I didn't do it sooner! Sue

Hi: You may want to get liquid Vitamins too. You'll only need them for the first couple of weeks. I also recommend sugar free popsicles. They continue to be my nightly snack. Hope all goes smoothly for you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: I read somewhere else about someone who slipped their band while they were getting in or out of their kayak from a abdominal twisting motion. If you haven't had a barium swallow yet your new bariatric surgeon will probably recommend one. I hope you feel better soon. Let us know how you make out. Sue

Nazzy: Here in the Boston area hospitals and surgeons are very expensive. Even though I had almost 2/3 coverage by insurance (panniculectomy coverage), I had almost $7,000 out of pocket costs. My portion had to be paid in advance of the surgery. I hope you live somewhere that the medicine is just as good, but at a lower cost. Like Laura, I think it was worth every cent! Sue

Please call your doctor right away. Not good to mess with breathing difficulties. Hope all goes well. Let us know how you make out. Sue

Sparkles62: I've seen the abcircle pro on commercials, but never watched the entire ad. It really looks cool. A few of questions on it. First, how much was it? Second, besides the core what does it work on? Third, is it hard for a somewhat clumsy person to do? Thank you. Sue

Hi: You may want to check on makemeheal.com Good luck! Sue

Phyl: Thank you. You have made alot of progress and you'll be there before you know it! I never joined the Lucky #7's because I didn't know anything about LBT until a few weeks after I was banded. I have enjoyed reading yours and your friends threads over the past two years though. I still read it often. It is so nice that you've found some friends that it seems will be lifelong friends for all of you. Good luck with your knee surgery. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Emilie: Try looking at the website makemeheal.com They probably have some pictures before & after a panniculectomy. I saw some pictures somewhere for that, but I cannot remember where. I wasn't happy with what I saw for me. However, you may be happy with it. You may even try googling panniculectomy images. Best wishes to you. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi Laura: I hope your first day back to work went well. Did you get any compliments on your new flat tummy? Rest up - going to be a tiring week for you. Take care. Sue

Hi: My doctor told me that a panniculectomy only takes care of from the belly button down. So, if you have any excess skin above the belly button it wouldn't be taken care of. In addition, when they do the full tummy tuck they tighten the abdominal muscles back tight like they should be. If you have a panniculectomy there is no muscle tightening - only cutting and stitching. To me it seemed like way too much pain and recuperation time to not get it done all the way. Best wishes to you with your future plastic surgery. I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

I've been where you are. My BMI was just over 50 when I started two years ago. The thing that kept me on track before the surgery was knowing that by having only liquids I would be safer during surgery. I hope that this helps! My only regret about being banded is that I didn't do it alot sooner! I love my band and my new flat tummy! Sue

Hi: My surgeon showed me some of her other patient's before & afters and she told me that I could expect results just as good as theirs. She was spot on. I love my new flat tummy. Best wishes to you. Sue

Pickles: Getting a lapband is a lifetime committment to yourself, your band, and your doctor. You may have to switch doctors at some point, but it really is so important to see a doctor that you feel comfortable with. If your surgeon is arrogant now I cannot imagine how he'll be in the future with you. My doctor was just as pleasant and supportive with me every time I went in, even the couple of times that I had gained a few pounds along the way. I know that my doctor wants his patients to succeed because he genuinely likes people and wants them to loose their weight because in most cases they'll be happier people. Do you really want to go and visit an arrogant doctor every time you have to go to him? Best wishes to you and your band. Sue

Pickles: If he was vague I would run to find a new surgeon. You don't want someone that you'll have to trust his expertise and visit with many times during the first year to be vague with you. Good luck. Sue