AlienBandit

I fly every 1-2 months sometimes 10-12 hours one way and never had any big issues with my band. I find it is best to request low calorie meals to eat ( they usually serve fish, eggs or softer kind of foods) and if I eat slow the food never gets stuck. I always prepare a just in case plan and bring yogurt or a soft kind of food to eat in case my band disagrees with the food served during the long flights.

The 5 day pouch test is amazing. I use it to help me get back on track and see if I need a fill or not. Good luck

Where I am language is a great barrier between doctors and patients, so when I met with one out of the two doctors I had appointments with, I was sold because he was fluent in English. He is also a plastics doc so I dont have to worry about problems with plastics and my band which is a bonus

Maybe you are not chewing your food enough? Sometimes if I eat bread that is too soft it makes me so nauseous but not the normal bandster food stuck feeling. Perhaps watch what it is that you are eating that is causing this feeling and avoid that food. Soft breads cause my stomach to go crazy and convulse it isnt fun at all.

Here are some recipe ideas. I tried to keep up with it all but fell behind a long time ago. http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/?s=recipe Good luck

Many people ask me if they should consider the band or not ( as they talk to my doc who gives them my info) and the question I always ask them is, is it better to wait until your fatter to get banded or get banded before you get to the point where insurance would cover you? I was banded at a bmi of 33 but I wish i had gotten banded sooner. I knew my weight was going up and I should not have dragged my feet. Why wait till your bigger? That means your body changes more, stretches more and it means you have more to lose. I paid out of pocket and never regretted it. I have had weight issues for years and all the money I put into Dr Berstein diet, weight watchers etc equals to half of what I paid for my surgery!

Sometimes I get off track and recently I got wayyy of track. It happened after I was overfilled for almost a month after that I declared a month off of being a bandster. But then the month after that I traveled South Africa, had a few surgeries and before I knew it the scale was going up. Then I went to Canada for a visit and then had surgery again. I am now about 10-15 pounds up from my lowest weight ( which wasnt even my goal weight). This has all happened in only 3 months. My solution for this problem? I am starting the 5 day pouch test to get back on the right eating track and I am going for a fill hopefully next weekend. There I will talk out my food issues with my doc and see what he says. Dont let this get you down. Take it as a learning experience and get back on that horse. It will always be there waiting

each persons stomach looks different with the port. My stomach really showed the port even though I am not at my goal weight yet. Here is what it looked like a few months ago http://alienbanditinkorea.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/dsc_1302.jpg I have since had the port moved (it was even a low profile one) and the bump is now gone.

I have cravings for different things all the time. When that happens I try to find something that could replace that craving (ie sugar craving I have strawberries or a fruit). If after a while ( a week or so) I am still madly craving something I just give in and have it once. Usually by that time the craved food isnt as good as I thought it would taste and that is the end of that.

Hmmm there are good hospitals in Shanghai? I have a friend who lives there but travels to Korea to see the same doc I go to because she says all the hospitals there are shit (she even tried a doc in CHina who did more bad then good to her band and she needed it replaced). Look up the user name p-body. She might be able to give you more insight. Have you met anyone banded by these doctors?

I'm a teacher and went back to work right away. I had my surgery on a Saturday and went back to work Monday. I spend some time standing during the day and some time sitting. Was it the easiest thing in the world no. Was it super hard no. I just had to take it easy going up and down stairs but other then that it wasnt too bad. I tend to be a baby if people care for me so living alone and working right away helped me toughen up and I recovered fast because I was moving a lot to help get rid of the gas. It is possible! Don't worry.

For the first few months after I was banded my saline would come out blue. My doc said it was coloured to make sure there was no leaking. Now it comes out clear because he changes the saline and gives me fresh saline each fill. Once I was having problems with my stomach and he suspected a leak, infection or erosion so he checked my fill and said if the colour of the saline was different ( not clear or blue) it could mean something was wrong like one of those three things. Maybe you should have an endoscope check? I dont mean to freak you out, but usually a change in colour means something is going on. Good luck and keep us posted

Ever since I got baned there has been more gas. It is embarrassing and annoying but won't seem to go away. However when i had the balloon it was much worse. Guess it is something you must live with....

I used to be able to see my port. It drove me nuts. It wasnt that bad but you could see it ( photos on my blog). When I had a tummy tuck I asked for my port to be moved. Now it is under my muscles. I can't see it and I can't even feel where it is sometimes. This is so much better. Some people are bothered by the fact they can see their port, others aren't. You can do something about it though if it bothers you.

I had that feeling after surgery. I thought I was going crazy. I did the surgery and didnt have any support. No one knew. Not my family or my friends. After a while the anxiety went away and now everything is fine. NO one still doesn't know I am banded but life is good and I am happy with my band.

My drains were in for only 2 days ( because i went back home and my doc doesnt like patients leaving the hos with them ) but when I was swollen with too much liquids I had to have them put in again and I drained for a week and then I was fine. If you are tightly wrapped it won't happen often. Since the drains are so small you dont need a stitch to cover the area once taken out usually ( I did have a staple put in the second time) I have no idea what the onQ pack/pouch is. I never had my muscles touched during surgery so it wasn't that painful for me As for time off work. At first I had a mini tt and was off for 5 days. It was the most boring time of my life. I didn't need that much time off ( I mostly sit all day at work). My other times I didnt take any time off work, but would take it easy at work. I would sit and lie down through out the day. Lying down is the best sitting is ok but can bother your stomach some with the wrap. It depends on how much work you are getting on your muscles I guess and if you are getting lipo. I have no feeling in my stomach from tons of lipo so my tt wasn't that painful I got my tt about 10-15 pounds from goal. I am not sure I will ever get to goal it seems nearly impossible. Hope the surgery goes well

Sometimes after my iv's are taken out my veins collapse a bit and then there is dry blood in the area where the vein collapsed. The first time it happened it freaked me out. It looked like a large bump under my skin. My wrist was so sore I couldn't bend it certain ways and I couldn't wear a watch. When I went for a check up I showed my doc and he took a little needle poked the area and drained the little blood. It was fine after that. Any other time this has happened ( a few times since then) i go to my doc about it but usually after a month the bump goes away on it's own. If it doesn't my doc says he can poke it again if I want him to. Maybe that is what you have?

I never heard of this until after I was banded. I thought it was interesting to hear because after my surgery my doc gave me a glass of Water with a straw to drink out of. Though i don't usually use a straw with drinks sometimes I do when I am out and it has never been a problem. Sometimes docs say it is bad sometimes other docs dont seem to think it is a problem. It is like the topic of chewing gum some are for or against it.

Is this what you are talking about but done under the band? My doc has done this with some patients and I have considered it but not sure if a doctor in Canada would take me on a patient with this done as wel as the band.

During surgery they stick a tube down your throat and put gas in your stomach. It might be from the tube or the gas that is giving you problems. For a few weeks after my surgery I was having a feeling like I could burp or a choking feeling that was freaking me out. My doc checked me out again and again and said it was just from the tube and there was still gas in my lungs so I had to be patient. It finally went away but what a pain. You're not alone! Don't worry

The band doesnt stop you from living, it helps you live longer. I am Canadian but I live in Korea and travel to a different country once ever 1-2 months. The band has never stopped me from trying new foods, drinks etc in different countries ( though I have learned what things I can't wat while in other countries like dried apples when I was in South Africa) Flying on a plane has never been a problem and I am even able to eat during flights ( sometimes 12 hours long). When it comes to alcoholic beverages, I can drink carbonated but I don't really enjoy it. I prefer to stick to wine and little sips of wine while eating my doc has said is ok occasionally but not a lot and not often. Good luck

I love the couch to 5k but I have to admit I have never completed it. I have never been a runner but use the treadmill often. I like how it builds you up to being able to run longer, I just hope one day I'll actually be able to complete it. I am going to try starting it again in a few weeks after my next surgery.

When you are overfilled that badly sometimes doctors want to take out your entire fill. I got a fill once (1cc) and was fine for a few weeks then bam I couldn't swollen even Water. Finally after 3 weeks of hell because i couldn't get in to see my doc I finally saw him and he wanted to take out my entire fill ( 5.5cc in 10cc band) but since he has placed 4cc in my band during surgery I was afraid my band might slip if he removed the whole fill so he took out 1cc. 2 weeks later I was still not doing good so he took out another .5cc and then 3 weeks after that I was still having a hard time but refusing to surrender my entire fill he took out another .5cc. It took 2 months before my stomach was normal again. Next time I have a problem like that I will definitely let my doctor call the shots instead of being picky and refusing to be completely unfilled. 10 days unfilled is much better then 2 months of hell. Now I am back at 5.5cc and need another fill but I am so traumatized from the last problem I am reluctant in getting another fill. Good luck

I would die if I couldn't chew gum. I love gum. When I am head hungry or just bored and I want food I chew gum. I have also swallowed gum (by accident) when I had good restriction in my band and nothing happened. It freaked me out and I was super worried but it was like nothing bad had happened at all. My doc says gum is ok.

Afew months after I got my first band I went out eating with a friend and couldn't believe how fast he ate his entire meal. I sometimes forget how slow I eat until I am out with others. The first time I was disgusted with how fast people ate was when I went to McDonalds with a friend ( yes not the best choice) by the time I ate 2 chicken nuggets my friend finished his entire super sized big mac meal AND his drink! Then i gave him my fries to eat and he devoured them because I even got 2 more bites of a nugget. Having the band has really opened my eyes to how people can eat so many calories so fast and not even think about it.