AlienBandit

You should really call your doctor. It could be an infection or something not good. I started to get a pain an hour after my recent doc appointment and not even 2 days later unable to eat or drink wihout being in pain and also not being able tO move much etc I went back for a check up and was admitted right away and given tons of meds to avoif infection whic might be causing my band pain Good luck

I was 77 kg when I started doing lipo on different parts of my body. In lbs I didnt get my tummy tuck till i was 155 which was 10-15 from goal. Now i think i might settle at 145-150. I think it is best to wait until you atleas 20 lbs from goal before doing tucks etc but lipo before that is ok

My port wasn noticable until I lost a lot of weight. Finally I had a tummy tuck (well 3 ..... LOng story) and my port was moved under my muscle and now it is impossible to see or feel. There are people who have revision surgeries to move their ports if they do stick out. My blog has photos to show how my port used to stick put beside my belly button

My scars all look different depending on how they healed. If they healed right away then it is hard to see them. If they look a few weeks to heal then they are darker. Here is an old post of mine showing.... I think 12 scars at the time from my band, and plastics adventures. I will post another new photo soon since this was almost 6 months ago http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/band-and-lipo-scar-photos/

I had cold feet up until the minute they were knocking me out. Literally as I was lying on the table I tried to tell my doc I didn't want to do the surgery anymore and then BAM I woke up, everything was over and I was so glad I didn't get to finish my sentence. Don't worry we all go through this and I think it is the anticipation of it all that is so freaky. I can't imagine having to wait a few months or over a year before being banded. That would freak me out even more. Since I was self pay my consultation and surgery happened within a month of each other. Maybe that was a good idea or maybe it wasn't. I think if I had to wait longer I would have backed out.

I have a big problem with needles and when I say big I mean HUGGGGEEE! I am totaly freaked out by them. It seems stupid to get the band with such a problem with needles and pain but it was worth it. I am just so afraid of pain and always thought fills would hurt. I used to get my doc to freeze my stomach before a fill because I thought it would be so painful bu the fill needle. Though the thought of two needles in me was scary the thought of a painful fill was scarier. One time my doc convinced me to try a fill without freezing and it didn't hurt at all. It is just a little prink and then it's over. Now my port is located under my muscles which causes more pain but it is still not that bad. (and of course I am still afraid of needles). They will fill your band from where your port is located usualy near your biggest incision.

My brain and eyes havent connected yet with my true image. I felt skinnier at 170 lbs then I do not at 150 pounds. WhenI look at myself in the mirror I still see the big me. It has gotten harder to see myself sometimes because now I have had some plastics done I really dont recognize myself and I sometimes wonder who is looking back at me in the mirror. Maybe I should have accepted myself more before plastics or maybe it is good I didn't get used to the flabby me before I changed again. Who knows right? But either way I am with you guys of not used to the new and still changing me!

When I was first banded I could eat almost the same amount of food I did before surgery if I wanted to. I howver reduced my portion sizes. Once my fill was at a good amount I thought I was eating up to 1 cup of food per meal until a month later when I found a large measuring cup which turned out to be my 1 cup measuring cup and i had been eating 1/2 a cup per meal or less for a month and had no idea ( the writing is very small on my cups so I never read the number)

I have everything in small child or baby size. I use small utensils, bowls, plates etc. My co worker who knows I am banded laughed at first when she saw me using all this tiny stuff, but now she is used to it. Using normal sized things is weird now for me

My BMI was 33 when I was banded. I did not want to wait until it got higher before I did something about it. I am so glad I dealt with it when I did and wish I got banded sooner.

Wearing a two piece is something I dream about all the time. That is all I want to do this summer ( got a few more months). I am so close to goal but now with all this tummy tuck surgery scar hating battle I have going on in my head i am not sure if I will wear a bikini. I think wear what makes you comfortable. Who wants to go out wearing something you will just hate the entire time it is on? Go out, enjoy the weather and your new body

If you are afraid of feeling your port you can have a small revision surgery and have it moved. When I got close to my goal I had a surgery and my doc moved my port under my muscle. Before I could feel it and see it stick out of my stomach, however now when I go for a fill we must use the ultrasound machine to double check where it is because my doc pokes because it is hard to find. Also there are different size ports so you can ask your doctor before surgery to put in a low profile port.

stitches dont hurt but like someone said it might feel weird with them being pulled out. Staples hurt a little more to get out depending on whether you have feeling in the area. I had staples once around my belly button and I had to have the skin frozen before I had the staples removed. However after my recent panni/tt whatev you want to call it my doctor removed some staples and I didn't even feel it because I have very feeling in my stomach right now. Some of my current stitches are actually just one long stitch, through my incision instead of a few stitches close together. That will feel really weird to be removed but I don't think painful. If you're afraid of the pain, ask your doctor if he has something to numb the area before taking them out.

Having the band won't stop you from living life and having many things we consider yummy. Honestly you might be able to find many places here where we complain that we can eat bad foods like cake etc too easily. For me I have been banded more than a year and no one knows I am banded. I am able to go out and eat,drink etc with my friends without setting up any red flags ( unless I am overfilled etc).

I didn't lose too much weight ( highest weight 220 lowest 150) but I still wanted a tuck. Actually it was a panni because my muscles were left alone. Anyways I wanted one done because my belly button was wrecked after 3 surgeries ( band in, out and in again) and I had some extra skin. As for a boob lift that is something I am debating about because my boobs changed size but don't look too, too bad but I am young so of course want to be perfect. I won't get implants because one foreign thing in my body is enough for me.

What band size do you have? What was the amount of your fill? Usually you won't feel much different after your first few fills. With my first 2 fills with my first band I felt no change. With my second band my doc filled me during surgery and I didn't know and thought i was empty because I could eat a horse 3 times a day. You just havent reached good restriction yet. Don't worry you'll get there

I love the pouch test! I did it 2ce in the past ( check out ym blog and search for the test for my experience) It helped me get back on track, got rid of cravings and helped me see whether I needed a fill or not

A few years ago when I lost weight I made it to 150 ( 2 times) and then always gained it back. After that I was determined for my weight to be 135ish as my goal. When I got to 160 even 150 seemed impossible so I changed my goal to 140 and now at 150 with a few tummy tucks and lipo I am almost happy with myself so I might change my goal to 145. I am already within a healthy bmi range so we'll see how things go.

sometimes it is good to shock your system and change things up. I went backpacking for 2 weeks in Asia last year and ate different things good and bad and lost 3 kg in 2 weeks. I couldn't believe it!

The topic of flying with the band and fills comes up a lot. I have flown tons of times with my band. Sometimes the flight is 1 hour and sometimes ( my longest time so far) the flight is 14 hours. The funny thing for me is I never have a problem eating on the plane even when I am filled well. Actually my last flight ( 3 flights, 24 hours total on the planes, longest flight 14 hours) I was over filled and though my shoulder hurt while taking off I was able to eat food more easily in the air then I could on the ground. My band got tighter but somehow food was still able to go down. Everyone is different. Also some people fly just days after being banded ( ie if they went to Mexico) so again I don't think it is anything for you to worry about.

Wow, what a difference in responses here. For me personally I am not a big wine drinker but had a few sips 7 days post op my band. I am still here, alive and successful in my weight loss. My doc did say it was ok so thats all that mattered to me.

When I first got banded I kept my mouth shut. I told my co teacher in case of an emergency and that was it. I didn't have any support except from my doctor and some of his nurses. I live far from my family and didn't want to stress them out. I knew my friends here wouldn't understand so I decided to do all this alone. Since I was self pay I didnt even see a shrink or anyone to talk to about the foods to eat etc. My doctor helped a lot with any of my questions but it was still sometimes a challenge. He encouraged me to talk with other patients and then I began my blog ( to help myself and anyone else interested in being banded in Korea) and people started asking me things about my doc and having surgery in Korea etc. Since then my blog has blown up and I have no problem talking to patients of my doc's or banded people but I still havent told anyone else really about my band. Finally 8 months after being banded I cracked and told my best friend back home who supported me. Now that I am doing so much plastics I told my pet sitters so they would understand why I was asking them to watch my pets so often. Other then that I keep my mouth shut. People I find here in Korea are so judgmental about the band (if they are a foreigner). I have told some Koreans and have always gotten lots of encouragement from them. However I havent had the guts to tell my friends or family yet. I will eventually but for now I choose to walk this road alone. It's not that I am ashamed at all but I know people will think I am nuts for getting the surgery and I don't want anyone to worry about me while I am still losing weight, having plastics etc. It will be easier to tell them once everything is done and I can say "Look I am happy, healthy and alive"

With my first band I never hiccuped or burped. With my second band things were ok will I was slightly overfilled. Then I would get hiccups if I ate too fast or when my stomach was full and I had to stop eating. Now I am a little unfilled and I only get hiccups when I eat too fast. It is a good excuse for me when I am out eating because that gives me a reason to stop eating for a while.

I am dying to wear a bikini like you wouldn't believe. After a year of tons of lipo and now 3 tummy tucks, that is all I want to wear. I am still healing but thats all I can think about.

bandster turned plastics addict here