Sue Magoo

No way, you inspire me.

Katleen: I had my lapband surgery a week before you. I had my baby in 1987 and managed to put on way more than 100 extra pounds after giving birth. Don't worry about your first fill. It makes life easier because it'll help you eat less. If your doctor is anything like mine it wasn't any worse than a flu shot. I lost 38 pounds before I got banded, and now have lost 39 pounds since banding - total 77 since end of April. Good luck with your fill. I'm hoping to get my second fill on 11/20. I'm getting hungry again and don't know if I'll be able to hold off for 2.5 weeks. If I gain a couple of pounds I'm gonna call and see if he can see me sooner. Good luck band-buddy. Sue

Vanessa: If you haven't already, take a trip to the drugstore and buy some gauze pads and some medical tape to put them on with. Unfortunately you'll need a few big gauze pads to put on the port site (4 x 4 or so), and they charge alot of $$$ for those compared to a bandaid. You might also want to make sure you have sugar free popsicles at home. I found that my throat was sore after having the tube during the surgery. Good luck. Sue

Rensan: You might consider speaking with your human resources department to find out if they have a booklet from the bcbs group yet. It may include notes about exclusions. I had BCBS in MA and it was really a piece of cake. It was all handled by my surgeon's office. The office staff at my surgeon's office is wonderful!My BMI was just over 50, so there was no question that I needed the procedure. I was fortunate that it was not excluded on our medical policy at work. Good luck. Sue

Jessica: I think that everyone gets stuck, at least once. So, don't make the same mistake I did. I tried a sip of Water figuring that it would move the stuck tunafish one way or the other. Then I felt like I was going to drown in my own kitchen. After that I found somebody said something on this site about taking the tiniest sip of something if you feel stuck. I get a horrible pain in my left shoulder when I'm stuck. I hope it never does happen to you, but it happens to most people at least once. Think small......think slow.......good luck. Sue

Hi: I've found that my biggest issue since being banded is slowing down when I'm eating. I've adjusted to smaller bites, but I still want to shovel them in. I found a one-minute hourglass timer that I now keep next to me when I'm eating. After I have a bite I tip over the timer and wait until all of the sand flows through before I can take another bite. Seems to work for me. If anyone's interested in trying this, I ordered the timer from Unclesgames.com online and they were only $1.50 each. I ordered five of them because I know that I'll lose a couple and I wanted to have at least one at home, one at work, and one at my Sister's house, and one in my bag for going out to eat. I hope this idea helps anyone else who has an issue slowing down. Take care. Sue

Congratulations Fred. You've already lost ten pounds since surgery. That's fabulous. Keep up the good work. Sue

Molly: If you're not ready, you're not ready. Let me ask you a few questions though: Do your feet hurt all the time? Do you hate clothes shopping because you'll be going up a size again? Do you get out of breath just walking ten feet? Do you worry about sitting in a chair because you're not sure it will hold you? Do you worry about being around in twenty years because you've carried way too many pounds for way too many years? Do you have comorbidities that will send you to your grave early? I'm 48 years old, so I know what it's like to be in your forties and near 300 pounds. I weighed 324 six months ago. I was banded three months ago. I feel and look like a new person and I don't regret it for a minute. My only regret is that I didn't do it two years ago. But, you have to do what is right for you. You might just be getting cold feet, maybe not. Good luck and I hope better health for you in the near future, whichever decision you make. Take care. Sue

Trystelle: Congratulations on the 98# you've lost. I am one of those people with well over 100 pounds to shed. I know how you feel. We shouldn't feel jealous though, because it doesn't do any good. Concentrate on all of the success you've had so far and just keep that scale headed in the right direction. Keep up the good work. Sue

DonnHoll: Wow! Congratulations. I cannot wait to join you in onederland. Keep up the good work! Sue

Hi: Can't see it, but it feels like I have a flat rock under my skin. My port is just below my rib cage in the middle. Good luck. Sue

Try changing the foods you're eating. I think sometimes our bodies get used to what we're having and somehow changing foods changes things. Good luck. Sue

Hi: I get this pain too. I talked to my doctor about it. He said that it's because I'm irritating my esophogus and there's a nerve that runs along side the esophogus that goes up through your shoulder and neck on the left side. I hate this pain. I get it when I eat too fast, or too big of a bite. The first time I got it was when I got stuck. So, it's my slow down, take smaller bites, or stop eating signal, but it stinks because it can be so painful. I find that it goes away after about an hour or so. Good luck, and remember, eat slow, small bites. Take care. Sue

Welcome. I too had my surgery with the Glasgows. Mine was on 7/26. I was alot heavier than you though. I started at 324 and now I'm 249 - down 75! I actually like the exercising part - though my exercise is all walking - and a little bit of eliptical. I bought an MP3 player - so I listen to great walking music and escape every time I walk. I don't want to think about how slow the weight loss would be without the exercising. I walk between 4 to 5 miles per day. Do you go to the support groups. If so, maybe I'll see you there. Good luck.

My bmi was higher than my surgeon likes for banding, so as soon as I made up my mind I had to lose weight. So, I started dieting on 4/23, though I wasn't banded until 7/26/07. Though, I did go through a weekend of "last eating". I had to have some of my favorite things before the two week pre-op liquid phase. I probably shouldn't have, but I don't regret it. I did tell people I was having it done. They've all been very supportive, with the exception of one friend who is very leary of modern medicine anyway. I had been walking one or two miles per day most days of the week prior to being banded. However, once my mind was made up I made sure that I didn't miss a day - even though my feet were killing me. Not easy carrying 324 pounds around. I don't like "Protein drinks". I drank sugar free carnation instant Breakfast with added Protein powder from GNC. I never tried any others. This was tolerable. Good luck, and wish you alot of success.

Good luck Karlvr! You have a great attitude, and that's half of the battle. Best wishes for a quick recovery. Sue

Dozy: I started at 324. I was at 249 this morning though I haven't changed my ticket yet. I think one of the biggest challenges was to kick the exercise up a notch. I have managed to do this though through the hot summer months it was very difficult. I am walking between 4 to 5 miles per day and have recently started using an eliptical too. It really killed at first because my feet hurt from being so heavy, but it's getting easier as the pounds come off. Good luck. Sue

mona patti: The meetings in Norwood are for the Glasgow's patients - can attend before and after being banded. They have specific seminars for pre-banding. The support group is attended primarily by people that have already been banded by the Glasgow's.

Don't be worried. I didn't expect it, but gained 9 pounds from surgery - Fluid retention. It will start coming off - just stick to the post op diet and you should be fine. It may take a few days to come off, but all of a sudden you'll start peeing like crazy! Good luck.

Javern: I had surgery at Caritas Norwood Hospital with Dr. Adam Glasgow. Dr. Glasgow is in a partnership called Glasgow & Glasgow LLP with his Dad. They're both very nice and caring. Their office staff is fabulous. I recommend them highly. They have monthly support group meetings too. The hospital went okay too. Good luck. Let me know if you have any questions about them. They have a support group meeting this Tuesday night. You should call and sign up for the meeting if you want to attend. I think there phone number is 781 769 5550.

If I remember correctly, it was all liquids. They recommended sugar free carnation instant Breakfast drink made with skim milk. In addition, anything sugar free to drink. In addition, I think we could have Soup broth. Sugar free popsicles and fudgsicles too. I think that sugar free popsicles are helping keep my sanity. Good luck, and stick to it because if your liver shrinks the surgery is safer.

Hi: Pb'ing is productive burping - something comes up. Sliming is when something gets a bit stuck and your body creates this "special saliva" that's about ten times thicker than normal saliva. When you try to spit it out it comes out in a string about a foot long. It's more slimey than normal saliva, so I'm guessing that's where it got the name. It is so gross, and it's very painful too. Actually though, it kind of makes the pain go away when it's all done. I think it's what the weight loss/lap band devil does to make you eat slow, small bites, small quantities. I've heard that it happens to everyone. I read about it here on the forum before it happened, so I wasn't surprised when it happened. Good luck - small slow bites of small quantities keeps the slimey's away. Take care.

I love the show too. It started on TV last Spring. I was banded in July. They've shown 2 or 3 people that are being banded. It was very educational for me to watch. I didn't know yet about LBT so that was my pre-surgery education in addition to going to a pre-surgery seminar. I like how they show people who get plastic surgery too. It really covers the entire transition for some people that were very large. I look forward to seeing updates too. Well worth tivoing, or dvr'ing.

I actually gained 9 pounds in 3 days post surgery. Then it started coming off. I could actually tell it was coming off because I suddenly started peeing like a beer drinker! Good luck. It should come off soon. Sue Magoo H-324/S-287/C-252/G-160

Rain: It could be from being more active. Keep up the good work. Sue Magoo H-324/S-287/C-252/G-160