AlienBandit

I was self pay but there are no insurances in Korea that cover the lap band surgery. Lucky I didnt have all the hassels of trying to get surgery in North America though :biggrin: How did everyone manage to cover all their costs? Between surgery and student loans I am drowning

Dont worry both pains are normal from what I have been told. I would get the worst choking feeling at all times during the day and night. For a while it would wake me up at night hours afte eating and drinking. When I went to see my doctor he explained my throat was still healing. I am a teacher and therefore need to talk alot and it was affecting me working during the day because I had to take a second for the choking feeling to go away if I was teaching. I went back to work 1.5 days after surgery and it didnt bother me till I stopped taking the meds the doctor gave me ( one week after surgery) Now that I am 4 weeks post op it has finally gone. As for the back pain it took 3 weeks for the gas pains to go away and for me to feel better. I would get that sort of pain if I excerised. The gas took forever to leave! A new pain I didnt get till a week after surgery was also my teeth and they were killing me. Mostly I took tylenol if my teeth hurt or if my throat was hurting too much and it went away.

for some reason my doctor said potato chips were ok right now because i just had surgery. I tried and sadly it was almost too easy to eat chips. Thankfully chips in Korea are mostly gross so I wont be eating those often. Maybe once I get a fill they will become more uncomfortable to eat.

I am so used to drinking right before meals so now after surgery I find it a little hard because when I am making my meals I like to drink water or something but that means I must wait another 30 minutes before eating. You get used to it but I still catch myself cursing that I didnt have a drink sooner. I feel like eating making me thirsty so I sometimes dont want to eat because I want a drink instead.

My doctor cut the staples in half and then pulled out each side. I had to get him to freeze the area as I am the worst when it comes to pain. He laughed at me because apparently I was the first person who needed freezing to remove staples. I swear though there are still some parts of the staples in me. Let me know how the area feels a few days after you get your staples removed. I am interested to see if someone else has the same feeling.

I got stitches but when I had mine removed one incision was not good so the doc stapled it. Once the staples were "taken out" I can still feel something weird in the spot where the staples were. I asked my doctor and he said it was the tube to the port I feel but I dont believe him I was not impressed with the staples and even refused to have another incision stapled after it opened up. Cant wait for an x-ray to see if there are still parts of the staples in me. Has anyone else felt some hard spot where their staples once were?

B12 shots are amazing and so much better then taking the Vitamin orally. I used to get b12 shots for a diet I was on and it helped me lose so much weight and I had so much energy my roommates thought I was nuts. You wont crash really till you stop getting the shots. I used to get them 3 times a week. Once I got it once a week I slowed down a bit but I used to leave my house at 6am and get home at 10pm and still have energy after the gym, school and working full time.

nope that wasnt me I am from Canada. I do remember the nurse mentioning that the person who had, had surgery didnt want to see someone earlier. Hope you feel much better then that day :drool:

I slept on my tummy again maybe 3-5 days after surgery. It was uncomfortable at first but better then having my dog sleep on my stomach. My tummy didnt hurt for long after surgery though so maybe thats why it was easier. Or maybe it is because I just right back into my old routine that I didnt have lots of pain after surgery ( apparently I am one of those people who go back to work right after surgery etc). It was my lungs and chest that hurt forever. I actually found it more comfortable to sleep on my stomach after surgery.

I think it would be great for other patients to be able to talk with each other. I had my first appointment with him the day u were banded. Maybe i almost met you because he asked me if I wanted to see if the person who was banded that day would let me talk with them. I was in a rush so he never asked.

I will go back for visits but it will be a few years before I live back there.

Wow there are quite a few people here that live in South Korea and were banded here. I thought I would be the only home. How is everyone's progress going?

I find if I eat and drink at the same time it makes me feel very uncomfortable. A week ago I ate dinner and drank Water too soon after with my Vitamins and I thought I had to go to the hospital I was in so much pain for hours after ( but knew they couldnt do anything for me really because I didnt have a fill). It is strange that I have restriction without a fill. There are many things I cant eat already so that is why my weight loss is good I guess. I also have not experienced "Bandster Hell" yet. Fingers crossed for that

Alright time for question 1002-3. So I was banded Oct 10th. I went to get some of my last stitches out on the weekend and the doctor wanted to give me a fill. I was really surprised he wanted to do that so soon. Then he told me he was going to give me a 5cc fill and I thought he was joking! My band is only 11cc that is almost half filling the band. Since I have lost 9kg ( 20 lbs) in those 3 weeks since surgery I told my doctor I wanted to wait. He was surprised because apparently most patients want fast results which I want to be safe and lose weight slowly ( Koreans expect things instantly). How long did everyone wait before getting their first fill? My doctor scheduled me to come back in two weeks for my first fill but I think I will cancel it and wait until I am not losing any weight. Even without a fill I have restriction, so I am scared to get a fill. I also dont want 5cc in my band right away. Is 2cc a good start for a first fill? Its amazing how differently doc do things with lapband. I also had lunch with my doctor that day and he gave me a Vitamin drink and said I can eat and drink at the same time because I dont have a fill yet. I thought that was strange too (because i always wait 30 minutes between eating and drinking and I do feel restriction without a fill). Other peoples input would be great. Thanks

Hey so I am from the Peteborough area but banded in South Korea. It would be great to chat with someone who is from the Peteborough area as I will return there some day. Where were you banded?

Hey everyone I am just wondering if anyone has PCOS and got lap band and how things are working out. Anyone on meds associated with PCOS? Any symptoms or do they disappear once you have lost weight. It would be great to be able to talk with people who have PCOS and had Lap band surgery.

I have had that problem with potassium before. Youcan go to a pharmacy and ask what they have. I know there are tablets ( ones that have the powered form of the item inside) or there is a kind of pottaseum tablet that you dissolve in water and drink. That kind is a very large amount of potassium so might be best to cut in half and have only half at a time.

banded October 10th so far so good :cursing:

There are machines that have photos of what areas your working. Look at the photos. You want a machine that works the muscles around your shoulders. You dont need a boob job if you work those areas good. Maybe ask someone in the gym if they know. Last time I lost a lot of weight I worked the right muscles and didnt need a boob job. Now just gotta get there again. Next time I am at my gym I will try to see what the machines are called that I use. To describe one machine that is good ( because I cant remember the name) it is one where you sit down with the machine behind you. This machine works your arms and shoulders muscles. It is a machine where you place your arms up against a padded area on each side of you with your arms at a 90 degree angle. You then have to pull foward. Sorry I am bad at describing:blush: I will try to find out the name of that machine.

Romiga, yes indeed it is a small world. I'm def eager to see how you did with the long flight to the states. Good luck with your fill and flight

I actually have an 11 cc band apparently but I asked the doctor how muchbove the band can the "pouch hold" he said 10cc quantity before it goes below

Ok so I have to admit that I didnt have to go through all the crazy appointments to see tons of doctors and other people to get the lap band surgery ( which I think people should be more greatful for as it gives you more interaction with people to ask more questions and have conversation about the surgery otucome etc). It was actually very easy ( as I am in Korea). In saying that I see now that I missed a lot of things I should have asked and/or done and doubled checked BEFORE my surgery. Anyways I swear that I asked my doctor before about the pouch but today we were just chatting and he mentioned the pouch and I said well its bigger then this model right ( he has a body model to explain the stomach, band etc) and he said no remember it is this size. I thought he was joking. Then he told me my pouch can only hold 10 CC thats nothing! Thats prob not even 1/3 of a cup! I thought it was like half a cup size ( well that is how much Soup etc I would measure out though never eat it all). Now I know I have def stretched my pouch already and i am only 2 weeks post op EEEKKK. How big are everyone else's pouches? I always hear 1/2 cup or 1 cup measurements to eat.

Welcome to the other side. I had surgery a few weeks ago and my doctor kept telling me to cough after surgery. Apparently it helps with the gas. It took me days to cough, so I guess it cant be that bad

hair loss is very common with weight loss when you lose a lot of weight. A few years ago my mom and I went on a diet ( high on Protein, lots of Vitamins, b12 shots etc) and we both lost a lot of weight and a lot of hair. When we went to the doctors he said to make sure we were taking our vitamins and not to worry as hair loss is common with weight loss ( because your body is getting used to change of food and body chemicals change with less weight etc). Anyways it did grow back... now I am just waiting for it to fall out again now that I have been banded

as bad as it sounds.... I cheat almost everyday. Its not that I mean to cheat but I am a teacher... in Korea. To most that wont make sense but it is the biggest compliment when a student wants to share their candy or food with you. So when you are offered something then you must take it. If it is small like one little candy you must eat it right away and then explain how good the candy is. Since I am the "fun teacher" my kids love to give me candy. If it is one candy I eat it, if lots come my way at one time I explain that I will eat it all after class. Saying no to a students candy is like telling them they are stupid ( bad bad bad in Korea). So I dont have a choice. My co-teacher likes me after having this surgery because after class I always come into the office with some new things for her to eat.