Sue Magoo

Cowgrrl: I buy my clothes at thrift shops. I've gone from 26/28 now to 18, and XL for tops. Last week I got two bags of clothes for only $30. The pants were only $2.99, and some of the tops were $1.99. I have some stuff in my hope chest that is down to a size 14. I think that should get me through the summer. I don't skimp on bras, panties, socks, or sneakers. I am walking alot, so the footwear is very important. I love my cushiony socks. They cost about $5 per pair, but they're so comfortable. I usually wear a thin, tight pair of socks, with my cushiony socks over them. I used to have alot of foot pain - who wouldn't at 324 pounds! My piggies are very happy at 221. We just got a brand new salvation army store last year. I go there a couple of times a month and look to see what bargains are there. End of season clearance sale shopping is great too. Do you have a Kohl's near you? They have some nice stuff in their clearance racks now. You could plan to buy the size you will be at goal from the clearance racks and put them away in your "can't wait to wear" pile in your closet. You'll notice a savings from not eating out often, and also your weekly grocery bill should be going down too. I know mine has. Best wishes for your banding. Sue

Way to go! Congratulations. Sue

Edie: Congratulations! Can you please tell us about your year of maintenance? How is it different than when you're trying to lose weight? Sue

Hi Mary: I'm from Norwood, MA. Can you please keep us posted on your plastic surgery? I have a few questions. I will probably need this surgery too. Does your insurance cover the panni? If not, how much is your surgery going to cost? How much recovery time is involved - meaning how long do you have to be out of work? I'll pray for your quick recovery. Take care. Sue

Laura: Because you are this doctor's first band patient, I highly recommend you find another doctor with more experience because of the trouble you're having. You might want to ask your primary care doctor to recommend someone. Hope you feel better soon. Sue

Hi: I was banded last July. I dieted for 3 months before surgery, including the liquid diet for the last ten days pre-surgery. I almost fell on the floor when three days after surgery I had gained 9 pounds! I hadn't cheated at all. You might be retaining fluids like I did. The scale's been my friend since. I've lost 102 pounds since last April. Hope you feel better soon and start seeing the scale going down, down, down. Take care. Sue

Sades: At least you saw the famous "199". Congratulations. I'll join you in April. Sue

bjo: I know that the colposcapy is a bit uncomfortable, but not too bad. I don't know about the LEEP. Best wishes for a good outcome. Sue

Hi: I'm down 2 more. Yippee. I know that somebody with o.c.d. will straighten this out. Thanks. name.............starting#......current#......goal#.....togo# Anitak33...........245............218..........199.......19 Anna2766____.......232............232..........220.......12 TxArcher...........360............346..........345........1 Candle.............218............211..........207.......4 Cerrin.............350............350..........325.......25 chickatee..........188............182..........175.......7 Cookielover........202............202..........192.......10 cQQlgirl...........220............217..........210.......7 Faithmd............306............301.2........296.......5.2 georgiagirl........275............265..........260.......5 Hollyberries.......298............298..........285.......13 Hoppingto..........350............314..........294.......20 Irishmae11.........233.8..........234..........219.......15 Jennie1976.........290............251..........235.......16 jfran..............187............181..........177.......4 Jillrn.............176............171..........166.......5 Jsrico.............255............178..........165.......13 juliegeraci........220............220..........210.......8 KarenG.............207............194..........189.......5 keekahari..........220............217..........205.......12 kjl315.............237.5..........231..........220.......11 legster............223.5..........212..........199.......13 LessnLess..........172............168.5........164.......4.5 liz_hager..........202............198..........190.......8 Manatee............188............177..........175.......2 Mandyjo............191............187..........180.......11 metawnny...........252............252..........240.......12 MJRouse84..........274............233..........218.......15 nip50..............250............241..........238.......3 Rainer.............264............252..........248.......4 Redtulips3.........248............233..........226.......6 RenewedHope........228............215..........210.......5 rharriet...........367............256..........248.......8 Sades..............229............199.7........189.......10.7 Skinny_Jill........195............190..........180.......10 Stacy73............230............223..........222.......1 SueMagoo...........230............222..........220.......2 Sunny112...........145............145..........140.......5 Susan4794..........240............240..........225.......15 Suzzzie............303............294..........290.......4 SWEETY.............180............174..........170.......4 Trystelle..........219............211.5........205.......6.5 Twilight...........206............194..........185.......9 uxbus5.............240............240..........230.......10 want2lose..........236............236..........225.......11 wombat712..........154.8..........148.6........140.......8.6 __________________ __________________

Hi: I'm 48 too, and had full hysterectomy, but think I'm post menopausal because I get hot flashes every night. Anyway, I've lost 102 pounds since last April. I was banded in July. So, let's see what that does to your doctor's stats! Good luck. Sue

Suzanne: I was confused about this too, so last appointment I asked my Dr. He said that I have a 10 cc band, which means it's 10 centimeters in length. The 10 cc band only holds 4 cc's maximum for fill. He told me that he hasn't filled anyone yet over 3 cc's and he's been banding since 2005. At my support group they brought this up too. The other Dr. said that they're using only the bigger bands now because they've found that on some people the smaller band is too tight and you can't go backward. If it's too loose you can fill it, however if it's too tight it's a problem for the patient until they lose some weight, or have the band removed if it's way too tight. I think that one of the benefits of the smaller band is that you don't have to go so many times for fills to find your sweet spot because there's less area to fill. The Dr. said it's more difficult to find the sweet spot in a larger band. Good luck with your band. I have only 1.5 cc's now and I think it's good for me for now. Take care. Sue

Sades: I have the same problem with grazing at night time. I try to chose the lowest calorie things I can find, like sugar free popsicles. Sometimes I eat five of them! Sometimes I crush ice in the blender and mix in crystal light and eat it with a spoon. I think of this as my head-hunger beast. Sometimes I just have to go to bed early, or take a hot shower, or anything that can't involve eating. That's how I tame my beast. Good luck. Sue

Hi Everyone: This is my first superbowl since going to band land. I got through the holidays fine, but I'm bugged about the superbowl and knowing that I can't chow down on this "holiday". Any suggestions for low calorie superbowl Snacks? Sue

The last time I was stuck I sat in a chair and bent as far down as I could and reached as far forward as I could. I did this about four times and up came the offending food. Hope you feel better soon.

Ladies: Thanks for the laugh. It's been a while since I laughed that hard. Sue

Hi: I'm glad that I stayed overnight because I had big issues with nausea post op. I don't think I would have been able to walk to the bathroom the first 12 hours, so it's a good thing I was at the hospital and they brought one of those silly bathroom/toilet chairs over next to my bed. The slightest movement made me have dry heaves until I got off the morphine. Best wishes for a quick recovery. Sue

I think it's normal to be scared. Just concentrate on the end result and it may help you to get past this pre-surgery panic. Think about it logically, too. You probably picked a good surgeon that's performed this operation lots of times. The complications possible are slight. It's probably more dangerous to not have the surgery and continue to gain weight. Go look at the before and after pictures and then imagine yourself in one of those after pictures. I had a hysterectomy, elbow surgery, appendectomy, and gave birth to a 8 1/2 pound baby girl. The lap band was by far the easiest of all of these. Best wishes for you to recover quickly and heal fast. Sue

Hi Rhapsody: Welcome. You might want to look at the threads that are for some of the more specific categories. For instance, there is an age-related thread. There is also a location-related thread. There are also threads related to band dates. Welcome. I love my band 99.5% of the time. Sue

Lovingheart: I didn't do any of the testing until I went to my surgeon. I had to have the usual blood work, an ekg, sleep apnea study, barium swallow, and a psych evaluation. Everything except the psych evaluation was covered by insurance for me. Sue

Miss Monaaz: Isn't the head hunger a killer! I find that if I keep as busy as possible the head hunger doesn't come as often. It's like a beast that lives inside of me. Best wishes for your success. Sue

Caz99: My bmi was 51 when I first started. I think it's somewhere between 36 and 38 now. I still have 64 pounds to go to goal. My only regret with the lapband is that I didn't get it when it first became available. I did get it as soon as I found out about it. Good luck, and feel free to ask any questions. I didn't know about this site until after I was banded. There's so much helpful information here. Take care. Sue

Juli: I know exactly what you mean. Sure, I look better now than when I was fat, but I still look horrible when I'm naked. I was divorced three plus years ago, and I hadn't thought about dating until I lost weight. Now I have lost 100 pounds and I know that I'll never feel comfortable in front of anyone in the nude with this belly fat hanging down and the tops of my legs are ridiculous too. So, like you I have that carrot hanging down in front of me for plastic surgery. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to get any of it covered by insurance, so I'll be spending my retirement money. Oh well, what's a couple of more years when I've already been waiting this long. Good luck to you and keep your eye on the prize! Sue

Thanks Trystelle. We do have alot in common. You are doing fabulously! I know you'll be there first, so I'll see you in Onederland. Save a spot for me. Sue

thankful1: Sounds like you're stuck to me. Was your fill on Wednesday, 1/23, or 1/16? If it was 1/16 I would call your doctor. If it was 1/23 I would go back to liquids for a day or two, then mushies, then solids. I hope you feel better soon. Sue

Special K: Thank you. I'm not sure about the pictures. I didn't take any pictures before the first 38 pounds. I do have pics from 3 days after banding, but I'm in my bra:redface: and shorts - what a sight! I'm planning on waiting until I get down to Onederland to post any pictures. I am proud of my accomplishments, but even with 100 pounds off it's not a pretty sight. I may need to get help from a shrink with this, or maybe a plastic surgeon, or probably both!. Maybe I'll feel more comfortable in my own skin when I'm down to 199. Thanks again for your encouragement. Sue