AlienBandit

Just as everyone has said everyone is different after surgery. I didn't tell my work or ask for time off. I had my surgery on a Saturday afternoon and went back on the Monday. As a teacher it was a bit of a challenge but being on my feet helped get rid of the gas ( my doc wanted me to stay in the hospital longer because he thought my lungs might collapse but I didnt stay) which helped me recover faster.

the lapband 4cc I believe is the first generation lapband. It isn't really used in the states anymore but sometimes used in Mexico and Asia etc. I believe the use Jackut (sp?) has this band size. Here is some more info Band info

my blog is about my band and my plastics www.alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com

I have traveled with the band on flights as long as 3-13 hours and don't really have any problems. Sometimes my shoulder hurts a bit at take off but over all I can generally eat small mounts of certain things and drink liquids.

After my first band surgery I nearly cried when my doc showed me my belly button the day after surgery. It looked so gross and weird, I nearly regretted the surgery because it looked so bad. After a few weeks I tried to put back in my belly button piercing with no luck. Then I tried to put in the piercing from the top hole down and out came a whole lot of something that had gotten into the piercing and that was causing the trouble at the bottom hole. So why dont you try putting in the piercing from the top down just to see if it fits. If it doesn't try a smaller piercing just to get the hole started again. After 4 surgeries on my belly button now, it works every time for me

During surgery they put a tube down your throat. This is what is probably causing this feeling. I had it after my surgery and it was so annoying. I would wake up in the middle of the night from it, would lose my voice because of it during class while teaching etc. I called my doc and went to see him right away because it was freaking me out. He explained it was common and happens because of the tube. Here is my experience http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/week-two-post-op/

I have been banded ( a few months not in between bands) since Oct 2009 and I havent told my family yet. Why? Well I live half way across the world from them and with a low bmi they would freak out and think the surgery was pointless. They wouldn't understand as they didnt see how much weight I had gained. I did go home for a visit and they noticed my different eating habits but because I was sick they didnt think anything of it. When they came to visit me I was still eating differently so they questioned it but since I am almost at goal they didnt bother me with it. I will tell them one day just not yet. I am still having some plastics done and dont want to tell them everything I have done but will tell them the big things ( ie incisions I cant hide). I am not embarrassed I had the surgery, I just know they won't take it well. Not everyone wants to tell the world all about their lives and things they do. For me I didn't tell my family mostly because of distance, for my local friends I didnt tell them because friendships in Korea are messed up ( more details read here http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/to-tell-or-not-to-tell/) I explain my new eating habits a few ways depending on the person ( ie if they knew me for long, if they are new friends etc) Here are a few explanations I am on a new diet and restricting my breads/carbs etc I eat small more frequent meals and therefore my stomach seems smaller I am trying to eat healthier my stomach is adjusting to the change of foods ( food in asia compared to north america is very different)

My doctor has never said no to alcohol. He even said beer is ok if your not at full restriction. For me I stick to wine or mixed drinks were I can add more of the juice or Water to make sure I dont get tipsy too fast. Sometimes I have baileys and coffee or with milk, wine, cran vodka etc. My doc knows I drink and says it is ok as long as it is not all the time. Some docs are different and say no alcohol because it is empty calories.

I still drink and it is never a problem. I tend not to have beer now that I have good restriction but other drinks that are not carbonated are ok. Like others said be prepared for a low tolerance. I get tipsy after one glass of wine. The band is not supposed to restrict your life but give you more life. If you want a drink have one but dont over do it

At partyings and gatherings it can be easy to mingle and not bring attention to your self. If you move around and chat with lots of people they won't notice your not eating if your only spending a short time with them. As for drinking, wine is ok to sip with meals. As for bubbly drinks you can sometimes have some it depends on your band. I wait for the bubbles to disappear a bit and then slowly sip. You can still appear normal without having to shout I HAVE A BAND! As for dating if you don't want to spill the Beans right away then try to stick to dates that don't involve so much food or cook something that you can have. No one knows about my band and I have gone on dates and cook for friends all the time. It is only when I am overfilled that people wonder whats wrong with me. It is easy to get away with not eating a lot if you are the hostess because you can come up with excuses to have to get up and do things ( thus eating slowly and not a lot). I just pulled off Christmas with a group of friends with ease

Try to keep your old eating habits even though your unfilled. I know it can be hard but you might find you still have some restriction too. I was debanded a few months ago and even after I lost the band, I was still getting stuck on certain food. Even a month without a band plus 2 weeks of being unfilled before that and I didn't gain a pound! You can do this

I wish I had brought less. You dont spend that much time there so you dont need that much. I traveled alone so it was a pain to bring everything back home by myself. Here is a good list of things to bring http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/surgery-tips-and-first-photo-of-me/

I believe I waited 2 weeks but you should listen to your doctor and your body. If you try something and it is too much then don't continue. I think aerobic exercise would be ok but your stomach might hurt a little with some movements.

I think my family and friends love when I am on a "diet" or eating healthy because I love to bake and cook more. It helps me avoid eating bad things because I get to make it and smell it and thats good enough for me

Unfortunately there isn't a black and white answer to these questions. Doctors are different, people are different, weight losses are different and we heal differently. My doc for instance generally says 4-6 weeks after being banded to get a fill. However with my first band, I waited 7 weeks. He wanted to fill me at 4 weeks but I wasn't ready so I made an appointment for my 6th week but chickened out and got my fill on the 7th week post op. He didn't seem to argue with me about that With my second band my doc said to wait 4 weeks I went back on my 6th week and we were surprised to find my doc actually filled me during surgery and had forgotten about it. Sometimes docs fill you during surgery I believe if the band is very loose. As for healing again this changes with people. My first band after a week I had my stitches removed from my small incisions but my belly button incisions stayed stitched for 2 weeks post op. My second band everything was removed 1 week post op. I do know someone banded that had to be restitched and stapled for 3 months post op because she wasn't healing well. So try to keep your incisions clean, dry and take good care of them and your stitches will come out faster hopefully

I believe he said because of the material it is (acidic kind) and expands in your stomach. I even brought it in, to double check he knew what it was and he said yes don't use it.

I always use benefiber. You can get a kind even with some b Vitamin in it. ( here is a photo http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/presents-presents-presents-bikini-photo/ ) It is great because it has no flavour and dissolves even in Water. Don't use Metamucil. My doc said this was bad bad bad and I shouldn't use it ( of course AFTER I bought a large container of it )

I fell off the wagon and hard a few weeks ago because I need an unfill badly. I never got back up after that. I stressed for a few days making things worse so I just said to hell with it. I am not stepping on the scale or stressing about my weight until Jan 5th ( when i get back from vacation). After that I will focus on losing more weight. For now I am happy to maintain and proud of the goals I have achieved this year.

You are already recognizing that you made a mistake and want to fix it. That is great! We all have our bad days. A little coffee drink is much better then a big feast at a fast food restaurant or a large amount of fried foods etc. Just accept that it was a mistake and promise your self you will follow your doctors orders etc. It takes a long time to change our eating habits and ways with food and drinks. However a little treat every once and a while isn't that bad. I enjoy a cafe mocha sometimes or now that it's winter a hot chocolate here and there but I then eat very healthy after and maybe cut out a carbish food. I learned not to stress over that and be thankful it wasn't a 1,000 calorie meal instead. When I stress I make even worse food choices so I just accept and move on. Also in terms of the straw, I have heard that you can't drink through a straw something to go with gas or bubbles in your stomach and something about it can cause a slip or something I don't know. My doc never said straws were bad.

I used to measure my food out sometimes but also tried to listen to my stomach for full feeling etc. After a while I stopped measuring because I was using smaller dishes so I guessed them to be able to hold 1 cup worth of food. I would never eat more then what those items would hold. A few weeks ago I was baking and grabbed what I thought was my 1 cup measuring cup to get flour only to find my true 1 cup measuring cup still in the flour bag! Turns out I had been measuring and eating up to 1/2 a cup of food and I didn't even know it. Everyone is different really because our stomachs are different, our bands are different and our fills are different.

I have restricted myself from many things since being banded. However I would cheat every once in a while. I set of goal of 140 lbs by Christmas and was getting really disappointed I wasnt going to reach that. Then I decided to look on the brighter side and be happy for what goals I have met this year. As a reward i decided to declare myself bandless and just do whatever I wanted until the new year when I can try to finish reaching my goal weight. I have found since I have done this the things I do eat that are "bad" I don't even like anymore. I have eaten some bad things I did enjoy but also found i didn't want to eat a lot of them. Not because I knew it was unhealthy but because a few bites were satisfying enough. Even though I say to myself it's ok to eat fast food etc I still find myself at the end of the day craving chicken and salad or eggs over fried chicken etc. As a bonus with all my bad eating I haven't gained any weight sometimes you just gotta let your hair down and enjoy life a little. Don't stress over the small stuff

Any time you lose a lot of weight fast you lose your hair. A few years ago I dropped 50 lbs in 3 months and went to the doctor with half the hair i should have had in a bag instead of on my head. I was freaking out but he told me it happens with fast weight loss. Increase your Protein, slow your weight loss and you should be ok. I didn't lose a lot of my hair as fast this time around losing weight because it took me longer to lose the weight.

Everyone is different as our bodies heal different. I slept on my stomach maybe a week after surgery but after banded the second time I slept on my stomach right away. I understand how hard it can be when you can get comfortable. It was hard for me to roll onto my stomach but when I finally did things felt better. Good luck

I am so glad I live where there are no reeses pieces. I swear if I did I would eat them all the time. I love Peanut Butter and they are so good. I think a little snack is ok but in moderation. Maybe next time go to the movie theatre and get a smaller bag or sneak in a small bag so your not eating a lot. As for popcorn my band has days where it loves it and hates me but kernels popcorn ( caramel etc) always goes down easily. I think the band needs to be wired to our brains and our stomachs

You can do a quick internet search of lapband vs realize to see some good info. Also those are not the only bands out there. Here is a little info and photo of some bands http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/bands-very-important-please-read/ Depending on where you are some bands might not be FDA approved or used by many doctors in your area. If you have any specific questions it might be easier for us to help you out. There is TONS of info!