AlienBandit

My doctor advises not to drink fizzy drinks often but said they are ok. I drink beer and soda sometimes but not often maybe once a month? I just dont like it anymore!

I have been unfilled and without a band since I first got banded in 2009. When I was unfilled I was worried I would gain weight but it was only for 2 weeks and I didn't gain any weight. I watched what I ate and was hungry faster etc but did ok. I was bandless for a month before I got a BIB balloon and I actually found that having no band after being banded was almost like having a band! food got stuck sometimes if I didn't chew enough ( was eating things I couldnt eat with the band) I even pb'd a few times, it was so bizzare. I was lucky to again not gain any weight when I went a month without a band. In summary from my experience having an unfill will take you closer but not completely back to being without a band.

Though my doc says eating and drinking at the same time isn't good, he did say sipping small sips of wine during a meal is ok ( I keep my band a secret so I need to appear normal) I think you're ok to drink a glass of wine, since its been a few weeks since surgery.

You might be swollen or over filled. This happened to me last year and I tried to live with it and it was hell. I went for a small unfill and it didnt do anything, went for 2 more within 2 months and finally I was better. Just bceause the scale is moving doesnt mean you're losing weight the right away. Now I am filled back up agian I was over filled at 5.5 went down to 4 and now I am at 6 and basically at my sweet spot maybe need just a little more. I wish I had gotten my first unfill sooner and a larger amount. Being overfilled isnt good or safe. If you get unfilled, once you heal and your stomach goes back to normal you can always get fills again.

My list is short and simple 1. Wear a bikini ( if I cant wear a bikini by this summer I'll scream, Ive had so many surgeries) 2. Run a 5k race I have never been a runner. I'd love to do one of these with my friends.

I fly all the time and because of where I live, flights are usually 6+ hours. I never have much trouble eating when it comes to flying but I also dont eat things that I know would get stuck like bread. My best advice would be to order the low calorie meals on the plane. It is usually softer things like fish, eggs etc instead of chicken and beef. This makes it so much easier to eat while flying. I have never had a problem drinking Water while flying. My longest flight was 14 hours no problems.

I am not going to lie I have had an unfill before going on vacation but that was because I was a little too tight. However I never get unfills before long flights. My band doesnt really seem bothered when I fly a long time even 14 hours in the air and it is fine. Honestly it is up to you whether you want to try to get an unfill or not. Most of us dont see the point because the band is a change of life and not a when I want to kind of thing.

I used to have a tattoo right on my hip that I got when I was skinny a few years ago. 70 pounds later it didn't look so bad but I worried what it would look like when I got skinny again. I lost my weight and the tattoo just went right back to the way it used to be. I was so excited, but then I had a tummy tuck and it was cut off. I guess it depends where these tats are to whether they will look terrible or not. All my other 7 tats I was never worried about because they arent in areas where my skin has changed much.

I have heard of ppl getting their nipples pierced to change how their nipple look ( if they are flat inverted etc). It def makes things look different. I have mine done and with barbells in them and not hoops they never hurt unless I am bra-less and they catch on something

After my first band surgery, I nearly cried my incisions looks so gross. I had never had surgery before and was keeping this surgery a secret and the incisions freaked me right out. I then had a few more surgeries and now my doctor and I can't find my incision scars, they are so light! It has only been 9 months since he last used those incisions ( unbanding rebanding and lipo a few times) and even with them being cut many times they are still not noticeable at all. Here is a post I made in Sept with some of my incisions. Things have even changed so much since then http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/band-and-lipo-scar-photos/

My doc has no problem with carbonated drinks. He says just to let it sit out awhile before drinking it to get rid of some of the bubbles. I can still drink beer, soda etc but I actually don't like the feeling soda leaves in my mouth I always have to brush my teeth after drinking something like that.

It is best to ask your doctor what he prefers. When I had my surgery I took out my belly button ring ( they do the surgery near or in your bb), tongue ring ( a tube goes down your throat) and earrings. I kept my nose ring in.

My doctor was very strict about all piercings to come out. However my nose piercing must be cut out ( it is the one with the ball at the end). When I went for surgery I explained this and the nurses were not pleased but they let it pass. After a few surgeries I got tired of struggling with other body piercings so I stopped taking them out too. Again the nurses were not pleased but I said unless the doc wants to put them back in for me after surgery they are staying in. Since then they know what to expect and that I will have some piercings in me at surgery time. Of course they are no where near the surgery site, but if they were I would of course take them out. Every doctor is different and if you explain what you can do ie plastic container instead of a earring, maybe they will let it pass.

I can drink beer without much problem. It does make me really full so I try not to drink it a lot.

You had drains in for 5 weeks?? Wow that is nuts! I am only recovering from a revision and it is getting frustrating because usually I literally jump right back from any surgery. This one will be the death of me I only have one drain and i only ever had one drain. This one will def be staying with me till it is draining less than 30cc per day. I don't see that happening any time soon though because it is still draining over 100cc per day. Maybe if I didnt lose my first drain ( I ummmm accidently cut it off and had to take it out myself. Don't worry laugh but dont hurt your self, it was a funny moment I know) and try to go 4 days without a drain I'd be drainless by now. I know I need this drain because without my drain I was bursting at my incision and it doesnt look the best right now. I hope you dont need another drain. Enjoy your freedom

How are things with the drains? Have you still got one? I sadly had an accident with my first drain and lost it for a few days and now my doc put it back in. I'm nearly 4 weeks post op and still draining about 150cc a day. This is insane! So I have a random question about your post op state. Do you find you are stiff once you stand up after sitting for a while? I am not sure if it is because I have my drain (causing maybe a suction feeling or something), but I am so damn stiff in my thigh and stomach area ( where the swelling is). Hope things are healing well.

Lots of people love to blog on here. It is good to keep track of your past thoughts etc. I started to blog because I was keeping my band a secret and no one knew and there was no one to vent to etc. Now my blog has turned into a big thing here because my doctor gets so many of his new patients to check it out or talk to me if they want more info or have questions. search blogs on here and you will find tons. We are all at different stages of our journey so it is fun to read along and learn from others

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?