AlienBandit

I used to obsess and keep track of all my fills etc and was dying for my green zone. Now I have lost track and can't remember how many fills I have had. I also screwed myself over and got super swollen once and needed 3 unfills so how do you count that into your fill to green zone count right. Just try to focus on good eating exercising etc. Everyone is different and sooner or later you'll get to your green zone

Gosh I'm sorry your fills are so painful. Thats stupid that they cant give you some sort of freezing. My doc uses something called lidocaine I think and it works basically right away. My port is under my muscles and I just had a tummy tuck revision so I am super swollen. Fills are so painful I nearly pass out and that is even after my doc freezes my stomach. Thankfully my doc has a fluroscope machine thing that he uses now when I get a fill. Last week I got a fill using this machine and it didnt hurt at all and I didnt even need freezing. Maybe you should ask about another method of getting fills. I hear ya with not wanting to go back. Even after my last breeze of a fill I am still afraid to ask for another!

I have been banded for quite some time and sometimes felt a ltitle tired but it never lasted long ( usually after a surgery). However this last month I have been extremely tired, sleeping all the time etc. I thought it was because i was recovering from surgery but I happened to need a blood test done for a working visa and it turns out my Iron level was super low! 2 months ago it was at 12 ( healthy range 10-16) and right now it is 8.9! So thats why I am tired. Maybe you are having the same problem with your iron level?

My first stuck episode I got stuck on a Vitamin and thought I was going to die. It wouldn't come up or go down and it hurt to move, breathe walk etc. Going to bed was so hard because I would have to wait a few minutes, endure the pain of moving wait a few more minutes and then move again. That night was terrible. I had to sleep sitting up and even the next morning once the pill passed my stomach was so sore, it felt almost like I was banded again. I saw my doc that day who said everything was ok thank goodness. Since then I have gotten stuck but never that bad. Hopefully this won't happen to you.

Don't be nervous if this is your first time being put under. I have had many surgeries and am so used to being put under I never worry about it anymore. For me they set me up on the table, I chat with the nurses, I hear my doc come into the operating room, I get injection with a big white tube of something that stings a little, my doc says hello, if I have time I remind him of my requests ( no staples etc) and then I am out. Sometimes I wake up still strapped to the table (if it is a short surgery where I am not drugged as heavily), sometimes I wake up on the way to my recovery room and sometimes I wake up in my recovery room. Then I just relax and nap. Seriously being put under is no big deal.

Usually for me since I have gotten my first fill and all other fills after that about .5cc is missing each time. Since your doctor is not sucking the band dry when taking out your fill, the missing amount is most likely just sitting in the band tubing. If you are concerned and this amount increases with every fill, talk with your doctor.

Well good luck and let us know how it goes. I'm still draining around 150cc per day but I only have one drain. I hope it goes soon. I hear ya on what to wear. I'm a teacher and so my students are starting to notice the bulge on my hip and some have actually seen it. I can't wear the same thing every bloody day but I dont have that many long shirts.

Milking the drains does help for sure. My drain sometimes get a little stuck with fat so I have to milk it all the time. Also I found I drained faster if I emptied my drain more often. The first 50cc fills fast. Past that doesn't fill so fast. I understand living alone and trying to rest is hard. I took no time off work, live alone, have dogs and kept my surgeries a secret so I had to appear normal all the time. What amount must you drain per day before they remove your drain?

It depends on where you are/ where you get the surgery. I live in Korea so far from others but a tummy tuck is 5,000 US here and a lift ( no implants) is 3or 4,000 US ( I cant remember). Places in North America are usually more so sometimes people go to Mexico where it is cheaper ( Less than 10,000 US). The best advice I can give is wait ATLEAST a year before doing anything. I only waited 6 months before my tuck and kind of regret it because I see how much my body has changed since then and now I am not considering as many surgeries as I was before ( my boobs were terrible and now not so bad they have changed so much!)

I always eat after my work out. I used to eat before my workout but found i would be hungry again after and would eat a little. If I wait until after I would still eat the same amount so to me it makes sense only to eat after.

During surgery they put a tube down your throat. After my surgery I had a really annoying lump in my throat feeling and sometimes a choking feeling that lasted up to 6 weeks post op I think. Maybe that is what you are feeling. I would talk to your doctor and hopefully it goes away soon.

i think sometimes you just drain a lot after surgery. With my mini tummy tuck I didnt need drains however when I changed it to a full tummy tuck and then an extended tummy tuck I did need drains. Right now I am 16 days post op my last surgery and still have a drain and it drains about 100cc a day. The amount increases with the more activity I do. So maybe rest lost and try not to be too active even if you feel ok and hopefully things will heal fast and you'll get rid of your drain soon. I am really starting to hate my drain. It's hard to come up with an outfit every day to hid it at work :S

I am 20ish lbs from goal and I still feel fat. Actually I had more "I feel skinny" days when I was 40 lbs from goal then I do now. Now I look at myself and think I look fat but then I have to remind myself that those really tiny jeans I never thought I could fit into ever again are now too big so that means I am small. It is hard to overcome that and feel thin. Good luck!

I have not had this procedure done but I have talked to my doctor about it and he has shown me books written on this matter and before and after shots. How I have seen it done is they kind of cut a stretched out m or w shape just under your boobs and pull the skin up. The incision goes from your one side to the other and looks quite small. The results photos I have seen look good. Maybe if I have time I'll steal his book and snap a shot of what I have seen. I will also ask what it is called exactly ( maybe he knows it by a different name).

After surgery our stomachs are very swollen so filling the band would be a terrible idea for most people. I know people who could barely eat for more than 6 weeks because their stomachs were so swollen with the band empty. My first band I came out of surgery empty but my second band I got 4cc put in my band during surgery and could still eat a horse. All doctors are different on this matter. It is best not to get a fill during surgery for most people because your stomach needs time to heal. If you get a fill too fast that can cause problems ( ie not being able to eat, or even erosion). Good luck on your journey

I used to have the SAG band ( swedish band similar to the realize band). For my restriction I need 10cc in the 11cc band and could still eat things without getting stuck ( but restriction was still good). Sometimes people need fills like that. I know two others with the same band who have 11cc in their band and even 11.5cc for restriction. The bands are all different and so are our stomachs. Now I have the lapband AP s and have a fill of 5.5 cc and am almost at my sweet spot so strange how the bands are different.

When I am full I get the hiccups and get burpy. If I onl get the hiccups it means I am eating too fast. If I hiccup and then burp it means I am done. Everyone is different. Burping is such a pain and I think really gross but if that is how my body wants to tell me I am done, then thats ok.

I prefer morning work outs. I have so much more motivation and last longer then if I were to go at night. I get up, walk my dogs, get dressed, work out and then go home and eat breaky and get ready for work. It gives me so much more energy for the day if I work out in the a.m

Swelling after surgery can cause some restriction. But maybe also your doctor gave you a fill during surgery? This sometimes happens. Enjoy the restriction while it lasts. This is a great way to jump start your weight loss journey

This is a problem I have and it drives me nuts. I take benefiber every morning and it usually helps me out. After any surgery though I find the meds must clog me up because it takes days before I am regular again. Be careful about taking too much fiber etc. You don't want to over do it and then have the opposite problem.

Do you know if he takes on patients not banded in the country?

that sounds like beginning of bandster hell. The band is not a magic wand it is a tool. If you dont follow the rules ( ie no more then one cup of food per meal) it wont work for you. Until you get a fill you might be able to eat lots but it doesnt mean you should. Try to stick to the rules and dont worry your not alone. We've all been there.

I had a low bmi so when my doc looked at my liver, he said it wasn't too fatty and I'd be fine for no pre op diet. Some doctors require you do it, some dont.

I live half way across the world from my family and getting the band freaked me out so much because I was afraid if something went wrong i'd be alone etc. Eating was also an issue because in Korea it is hard to communicate that you cant eat certain things etc. You will be able to eat out, eat normally etc but in smaller portions. Don't worry this is a great thing your doing for your self

I live in Korea where all food is spicy and it doesnt bother me. I also enjoy cinnamon allllll the time. I love cinnamon gum. tooth paste, on my pancakes, on my toast etc. It is a great flavour!