Another Newbie (from Korea!)

[Steeners 0]

Hello,

I've been lurking around the boards for a little while and now that I've got my surgery scheduled I thought I would finally make a post.

My husband and I are Americans living in Daegu, South Korea (about 4 hours south of Seoul). I decided to have lap-band® surgery here because it's only about $6000 to get it here, and you don't have to jump through nearly as many hoops to get it.

I had my first consultation on October 23rd, and my surgery is scheduled for October 30th! My doctor only requires full liquids for 2 days post-op, then mushies for 5 days, and my first fill can be a week after surgery. He also does unlimited band adjustments free for the first 3 months after surgery.

I was a little shocked at first to hear all of this, but he's performed over 1000 procedures in Korea and last year he received an award from Allergan for performing the most lap-band® procedures in Asia. He also showed me many before/after pics of his patients (a few foreign patients as well). It really makes me wonder how necessary everything that American docs make you go through really is.

My only concern is that there's not a nutritionist meeting, so I'm really having to do my research on foods to eat and calories and whatnot. Thank goodness for this forum! You guys are a wealth of information and such an inspiration!

[AlienBandit 10]

YYAAYYYY more foreigners in Korea being banded! Trust me I understand the whole eating thing it is a challenge without someone there to help you along the way but this website is great. You can talk to other people and learn from them

You can do this. Good luck!

I think I might have met your doctor before but I am not sure. What band are you getting? There are two different lapbands brands ( as well as the SAG band) that are in Korea the new one lapband AP just got approved by the Korean FDA in July 2010.

Edited October 27, 2010 by AlienBandit

[Steeners 0]

I'm not sure what band exactly, I know it's by Allergan though. My doc is Dr. Kwon at Yedain Clinic near Apgujeong Station.

P.S. I've read your blog, congrats on all the progress :-)

[AlienBandit 10]

Hmmm it might be the old band 4cc or the new band 10cc or 14cc.

Hope the surgery goes well :sneaky: Good luck :w00t:

p.s thanks for the compliment. I am sure you will do good too

[Steeners 0]

I know it's the 10cc band. I was armed with a list of questions when I talked to him and that was one of them :sneaky:

Thanks for the encouragement, I'm getting kind of nervous now that it's so close. Also, I just got a cold yesterday so now I'm worried that it will interfere with getting the surgery. I'm sure it won't, but I really just want to get my lap-band already!

[AlienBandit 10]

Does Dr Kwon have an english website?

[Steeners 0]

Unfortunately, no. His Korean site is http://cafe.daum.net/lapbariatric though.

Does Dr Kwon have an english website?

[isaviolinist 11]

Hey! Just saw this post! Just wanted to say hi I don't live in Korea but I'm engaged to a Korean. Last time I was in Korea, not only did I get stared at for being white and being a white girl dating a Korean, but I obviously got stared at for being roughly the size of 10 Korean women put together. I love my future in-laws, but my fiancee's mother is constantly asking if we've lost weight (she's taking us to Hawaii in December and I'm praying she sees a difference...the last I saw her was in May and I probably dropped 20 pounds since then, and am hoping to let go of 20 more before the end of December). I was telling AlienBandit, we met my fiance's aunt for lunch and she gave me a gift certificate to Shinsegae, but when she handed it to me, I could see in her eyes that she was thinking "Here you go. I don't know what the hell you can buy there". It was a fun trip, but depressing at the same time. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing my fiancees family at our wedding and wowing them with my skinniness lol. I know it won't be skinny by Korean standards (I'll never be a size 1 or 2) but it will be healthy!

Anyhow, welcome to LBT! this is a great resource! I hope you're starting to feel better from your surgery! Walking around really helped me - I tried to walk as much as possible. Kept my muscles from getting tight and helped some of the gas and other pains. I'm following your blog - can't wait to see your progress!

[Steeners 0]

Oh man, I have to say that I don't envy you and having to deal with Korean in-laws and weight It was bad enough when I was teaching adults and the women were always either giving me diet advice ("Eat rice! Don't eat so many hamburgers!") or just flat-out commenting on how fat I am.

I guess one good thing from all of it is that it's made me really see myself how others do--I'm fat! I think living in the US kind of made me put blinders on and I really didn't see just how fat I'd gotten. This is one reason behind the name of my blog.

[isaviolinist 11]

Oh man, I have to say that I don't envy you and having to deal with Korean in-laws and weight It was bad enough when I was teaching adults and the women were always either giving me diet advice ("Eat rice! Don't eat so many hamburgers!") or just flat-out commenting on how fat I am.

I guess one good thing from all of it is that it's made me really see myself how others do--I'm fat! I think living in the US kind of made me put blinders on and I really didn't see just how fat I'd gotten. This is one reason behind the name of my blog.

Yea, I never would want to pain my future in laws in a bad light, because they really are wonderful and they do love me (and they really spoil me!), but the first thing out of my fiance's mom's mouth everytime we speak to her, is "did you lose weight?"

I agree with you about Korea making you realize that you're fat. I knew I was fat but it was much easier to just forget about in the US (except when I was with my family...my mother might as well be Korean...shes obsessed with me losing weight too). In Korea, it was impossible to ignore.

Anyhow, I hope you are recovering nicely!

[honk 780]

"Yea, I never would want to pain my future in laws in a bad light, because they really are wonderful and they do love me (and they really spoil me!), but the first thing out of my fiance's mom's mouth everytime we speak to her, is "did you lose weight?"

Sorry but they are painting themselves in a bad light. It is rude to ask a question like "have you lost any weight?" I think your fiance needs to tell his mother to shut up or you will tell her for him. Period. You are starting a relationship where she feels confortable humiliatiung you. That's a fact. If you don't stand up for yourself now this is how your future will be. I know people will think I am being petty or mean spirited but you need to show her boundaries NOW. This is not really a culteral issues it's a rudeness issue.

My guess is you don't ask how oftenshe and her husband have sex. To me it's the same kind of question.

[AlienBandit 10]

"Yea, I never would want to pain my future in laws in a bad light, because they really are wonderful and they do love me (and they really spoil me!), but the first thing out of my fiance's mom's mouth everytime we speak to her, is "did you lose weight?"

Sorry but they are painting themselves in a bad light. It is rude to ask a question like "have you lost any weight?" I think your fiance needs to tell his mother to shut up or you will tell her for him. Period. You are starting a relationship where she feels confortable humiliatiung you. That's a fact. If you don't stand up for yourself now this is how your future will be. I know people will think I am being petty or mean spirited but you need to show her boundaries NOW. This is not really a culteral issues it's a rudeness issue.

My guess is you don't ask how oftenshe and her husband have sex. To me it's the same kind of question.

It is not that Koreans are trying to be rude, it is a different culture and that is something you must understand. Asking if you lost weight etc is the equivalent to asking how you are or if you are in good health ( the exact translation meaning of the korean hello)

Koreans are very concerned about health etc. Weight is something that is an open topic here and no one is insulted when the issue comes up. I had my surgery and my co teacher wanted more info for her sister because she thought her sister needed the surgery. I explained that was rude to suggest and she explained that it is in the interest of her sisters health etc.

Yes it might be hard for you to understand but the woman is probably simply trying to make conversation. There are many things we do and say in western culture that is insulting to them but we don't understand why.

[isaviolinist 11]

"Yea, I never would want to pain my future in laws in a bad light, because they really are wonderful and they do love me (and they really spoil me!), but the first thing out of my fiance's mom's mouth everytime we speak to her, is "did you lose weight?"

Sorry but they are painting themselves in a bad light. It is rude to ask a question like "have you lost any weight?" I think your fiance needs to tell his mother to shut up or you will tell her for him. Period. You are starting a relationship where she feels confortable humiliatiung you. That's a fact. If you don't stand up for yourself now this is how your future will be. I know people will think I am being petty or mean spirited but you need to show her boundaries NOW. This is not really a culteral issues it's a rudeness issue.

My guess is you don't ask how oftenshe and her husband have sex. To me it's the same kind of question.

Hey honk :frown: I know that it may seem like its not cultural and its just rude, but it really is cultural. Koreans, in some ways, are actually much more blunt and to-the-point than Americans (I don't know if you're from the U.S., but I am, so I'm just going to compare to Americans). At first, I was taken aback because I had just met her and I REALLY wanted her to like me since (even though my fiance and I weren't engaged yet when I met her) I knew I was going to marry her son. But now I realize that she wasn't trying to be offensive. And she does make it a point to tell me that she is concerned for my health and not just saying it to be mean or put pressure on me. Since she really does love me like a daughter, I know she just wants me to be happy and healthy. She's a rheumatologist so she often talks to me about the effect of obesity on my joints, which I need to hear. And I know that my joints are better when I'm thinner.

As far as hearing her tell me these things all the time...well, she lives in Korea and we live in the states, so I don't hear it everyday I would never tell my mother-in-law to shut up as I really do love her and she's so good to me, but I do understand your feelings...its hard to understand another culture unless you're immersed in it.