AlienBandit

Whe you're on liquids, your social life might suffer, but the band is meant to give you a better life, not take it away. No one knows I'm banded so when I have to do liquids it sucks, but I am able to be normal most of the time. Don't worry it will get easier.

As someone said since the port is stitched to your muscles, it might hurt for a bit. I was able to sleep on my stomach a few days after surgery but my port did hurt for a while. I wondered if my port flipped because it used to be able to move a bit. It sat right at the top of my pants and so if my pants were too tight it would push the port around. However it was fine and any post op pain I had disappeared after a monthish.

My doctor says the first fill can be 4-6 weeks after surgery and then fills can be done 2 weeks apart any time after that depending on whether your hungry or not. When I first got banded I was hungry even after fills so if I saw my doc a week apart he would ask if I wanted a fill and I would say yes depending on the scale and how I felt. Everyone is different though so listen to your body.

Thats good you finally got some answers. However "after some research" and "doing some testing" should NOT be necessary! Your doctor should have your band code number that is on the band recorded on a sticker that is included in the box of stuff that all bands have. Therefore a quick check of your records, they should be able to see this info that would state the band type ie Lapband AP and the size S ( meaning 10cc) or L (meaning 14cc) with a code number. It is something that could have easily been checked out in a split second by the first doctor ( who sounds like an idiot). I would def ask to see your surgery notes from the day you had surgery as this information is important for you to have ie if you move and go to another doctor etc.

Where are you going for fills since you were banded outside of Canada?

I have never had a bad reaction to lido but you really don't need it. Fills dont hurt without it. I am so freaked out by pain and needles and so I used to get lido before a fill but my doc made me try once to avoid an extra needle and 10 minutes of freak out time and it was fine.

I think it depends on the doc and each personal case. For me I waited 7 weeks for my first fill. My doc wanted to give me a fill at 4 weeks but I was freaked out by the needle and didnt feel mentally ready so I waited and I was supposed to get a fill at 6 weeks but waited until 7 weeks for a fill. I was losing weight and therefore a fill wasnt really needed. However I have a friend who was banded by the same doc who got a fill at 2 weeks. She wasn't losing weight, was hungry and able to eat too much so the doctor asked if she wanted a fill and she said yes. If it is before the time for your first fill and you want one sooner, see if you can discuss this with your doctor.

I had mega problems with my port. Even with a low profile port it stuck out. It wasn't so bad when I first got banded but when I had the band removed and then the band put in the scar tissue in the port area plus the port made it stick out even when I was 40ish lbs from goal. My doc wanted to do a mini tummy tuck ( that we then extended) to get rid of the port bump and move the port but even once it was gone from a certain area there was still evidence of where it once was. Here are a few links to photos Here is my stomach before lipo, band removal and when my port wasnt a problem http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/home-from-the-hospital-and-photos/ Here you can see a little even without the port in place anymore that my stomach sticks out a bit http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/does-this-food-make-me-look-fat/ Once I got rebanded my port really stuck out http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/07/20/10-days-post-op-photos/ Even a mini tt didnt do much for my port and it was moved. This is from scar tissue left over I am told http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/almost-3-weeks-post-op-tummy-tuck/ A month later the damn problem is still there http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/11/26/6-weeks-post-op-tummy-tuck-photos/ Finally after a few months my doc went in mega pulled my skin, removed scar tissue and voila http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/a-whole-new-alien-with-a-whole-lotta-photos/ I would def talk to your doctor about your concerns and what he can do to prevent your port from being so noticeable. I seem to be his only patient whos port loved to show off.

Hey Jen! Dont worry about the band. You won't be able to feel it really. The band gives you a better life not takes it away. I am so used to my eating habits and have good restriction sometimes I forget I even have the band ( then I get stuck and remember oh yea!). It doesnt control my life. I know what foods work and dont and my diet is simply changed to accommodate that. I have kept my band a secret from my friends. At first I avoided meals with them until I was able to eat normally. Now we go out and I am able to get foods that I either share ( luckily in Korea everyone is about sharing so it is easy to get awa with not eating a lot) or take left overs home. At first they questioned why I ate differently but when I just said I was on a diet and then started to lose weight they stopped asking. Now they are just used to my eating habits.

Maybe your Iron is low. Mine is really low right now and a flight of stairs nearly kill me. That shouldnt be ok since I am only 10 lbs from goal and 150 lbs at 5'6. Make sure to take a multi Vitamin and maybe an iron pill for now while your body adjusts to your change in eating habits. Good luck

My doctor doesn't have a problem with bandsters drinking caffine, he actually has a coffee machine on the recovery floor As for the headaches, I would try to slowly reduce your caffine amount and maybe try to take more Vitamins etc. I say this because I started getting headaches at the hospital after surgeries when I didnt have a coffee in the morning ( it is a habit to have benefiber and at least 2 coffees in the morning). One of the other patients suggested I continue to drink a coffee in the morning even at the hospital and that helped with my headaches but then it turned out that it was actually low Iron that was causing the headaches. Now I take an iron pill in the morning, and I haven't had a coffee in over a week!

Hey Winning, you have already contacted me through my blog but just wanted to post on here to say hello too in case you want to send me a msg here. As the person above stated the sleeve can be a good option for a weight loss surgery with less post op care but in South Korea you are required to have a family member in Korea who lives here to be able to have the surgery done ( or so I have been told). I researched the sleeve once because I thought of getting it here and a person I spoke to that got it had to fight for her surgery even though she lived here ( but was foreign) for many years and her fiance was a Korean living here. Where are you from originally and how much time are you planning on staying here? Have you checked out our yahoo korean bandster group?

unless you get a fill that is almost the amount of your band I think you will be fine. The first fill is never usually much. I would go for the fill and let the doc know you are going on vacation soon. Maybe book a just-in-case unfill appointment for a few days before you leave just in case. My first fill was nothing at all and I got 4cc put in my then 11cc band

I have never heard you cant have homemade shakes before! I think that is retarded! I live in a country where we cant get premade shakes like atkins etc. I use high Protein low carb shake mix like this http://alienbanditinkorea.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/presents-presents-presents-bikini-photo/ I mix it with milk or Water some ice cubes and sometimes some fruit and I am good to go

I enjoy a few drinks here and there and it hasn't killed me. Yes it is empty calories but if you up your gyming or lower your calories or eat super well I am sure it won't hurt you. Just don't over do it because you will be a lightweight. Also be careful of wines. For some bandsters it makes you tighter.

Like everyone says things will get better and in time you will learn what you can and can not eat. Since I live in a foreign country, i didn't get the chance to see someone to talk about good foods, bad foods etc. I had to depend on my own research and talking with my doc. I have learned so much since then and now help my docs patients with eating, foods etc. Getting the band is not the end of your life. I have been able to keep my band a secret from everyone. I can go out eating, drinking with friends etc and no one suspects a thing. You just need to learn how to juggle everything in your life. You can do it!

I never woke up in any of my surgeries ( all plastics except the band) except I did wake up earlier then anyone expected after my band. I remember waking up still strapped down, naked and they were suctioning my mouth. When I moved a bit I startled everyone in the room and then they were surprised that I was very calm about it. I dont think you have to worry they are very good usually about putting people under unless you go to a very bad place.

Getting the band is not taking away your life. You can easy go to high school, college etc after being banded. The band gives you a better life not a worse one. Don't worry about it. Your eating habits will be different but you will be ok. If the band made life so hard I wouldn't be able to keep it a secret from all my friends Good luck!

I waited 7 weeks for my first fill. I am so afraid of needles it took me that long to be prepared for the first fill. My doc wanted me to get a fill at 4 weeks but i said no way and made an appointment for 2 weeks later I then pushed back for another week. Long story short, though my weight loss was slow by the time the 7th week came, I didnt gain any weight without a fill. Don't worry! I would wait for my doc to come back. 6 weeks isn't that long. This can be a good time for you to get used to the band and still learn new eating habits. Remember the band is a tool not a magic wand. Your first fill won't stop you from eating bad things

Do you have a low profile port? You can ask for this switch to be done if you dont. My port used to stick out really bad. It was really bothing me so I had the port moved, but it still left some dead space where it used to be so then i had my skin pulled down ( and cut off). I dont think there is really anything else you could do

My sweet tooth went away. I was really surprised because my family is big on sweets. However my sweet head has not gone away. I don't live in a place were certain sweets ( "western" sweets like cadbury) are around so when I go to places that have these sweets ( Canada, US, South Africa etc) my sweet "head" takes over and I just eat and eat the sweets! They don't even taste as good as I remember but in my head I "want" them because I can't get them where I live.... *sigh* we just cant win. Don't feel guilty though, you have realized your mistakes, admitted it and now its time to move on and eat right

Gosh I hope for your sake that the fill stays put. Now don't painc if you lose restriction. With my first few fills i would feel resitrction for a few days and then nothing as the saline settled. Fingers crossed for your band

I paid 5,000 US for my band in Korea. Though getting the band abroad might not seem like a good idea I live here so it just made sense. Yes I'll be moving out of here sooner or later but 5,000 is a whole lot better then 20,000 I'd probably pay in Canada

I was banded with a bmi of 33 and have PCOS I went into surgery (october 2009) at 210lbs ( not my highest) i believe ( 95kg) and by February 2010 I was 170 lbs. Sadly I had band erosion blah blah blah anyways basically went 5 months without the band got a new band July 2010 and by Nov 2010 I was 150 lbs. I have basically stayed there since and am hoping to lose my last 10 lbs to get to my goal of 140 lbs. Basically if I ate right and worked out then I lost weight, if I slacked then so did my weight loss. You can do this just don't get discouraged if you dont lose a lot fast as you dont have a lot to lose to begin with.

Don't forget that they stick a tube down your throat in surgery. A while ater my surgery, i started to get a choking feeling or something caught in my throat feeling at all times of the day. food wasn't what triggered this feeling because sometimes it would wake me up in the middle of the night 6-7hours after I ate. I asked my doctor and he explained my throat was just sore from surgery and it would take some time. It wa finally a month post op I believe when it finally went away. Not a fun feeling. Hope things are better.