AlienBandit

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.

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