AlienBandit
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Everything posted by AlienBandit
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I was banded oct 10 2009 and my doc found a tiny bit of erosion feb 2010. We decided to remove the band to let my stomach fully heal. I had the band removed Feb 20th as well as had some lipo on my stomach. I stayed in the hospital Saturday-Monday, stayed at home on Tuesday and went back to work on Wednesday. I felt fine again almost as soon as the band was removed. I spent a week on liquids and after that everything was great. I was told to wait 3 months for a new band but I waited 5 months instead and just got rebanded 3 days ago.
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I had that band too for a few months. It doesnt have saline inside? hmmm Ill ask my doc what he used then because he always called it saline.
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Weird feeling in my throat
AlienBandit replied to someuser's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I had a feeling like that a few weeks after i got banded the first time once I ran out of medicine. My doc said it was common and because of the tube they put down my throat. It took about a month to go away. Sometimes he would hurt to even talk to swollow thats hard for a teacher -
Fills 8 days apart?
AlienBandit replied to TXSassyGal's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
one of the reasons fills are so far apart time wise is togive your stomach a chance to get used to the restriction. Getting fills too fast can be BAD BAD BAD. I had erosion 4 months after surgery and one of the reasons we believe is because of my fills which I got too fast. In the 4 months since surgery I went from 0cc in my 10cc band to 8cc in my band by the time the erosion was found. If it wasnt for my doc doing a random endoscope check we would not have found it so soon. Be careful fast fills can be good in the short run giving you restriction but a couple of months from now you might find that you have erosion or problems with your stomach. -
when I got banded I went back to work 1.5 days after surgery. I am having a new band put in tomorrow ( Saturday) and will go back to work on Monday. I am a teacher so my job isnt about heavy lifting etc I just have to stand on my feet a lot. It will help with the gas I hope which I remember taking forever to go away.
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Oh, coffee, how I will miss you...
AlienBandit replied to 2beskinny's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Why no dairy? Also caffine can cause acid reflux which can cause band erosion. Alcohol can also cause band erosion. 4 months after my surgery I had band erosion and I was a coffee drinker and enjoyed alcohol as well. I am definitely changing my eating habits my second time around already stopped drinking coffee and alcohol its' been a week and I am still dying for coffee. Surgery in 3 days though so I want to do better this time. My doc also doesnt see a problem with coffee and alcohol though we are being cautious because I already had band erosion. -
There are a few threads about blogging. Just search them to see others who blog. I was banded in South Korea and started my blog to help others banded here as well. Now it can be good for anyone to read because I have had a few bumps in the road like erosion, losing my band etc. Just follow the link after this msg. The last few months I have been without my band and doing some lipo but in 4 days I will be banded again.
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My doc says one week liquids then one week mushies etc.
As for the surgery banding was painful but un banding was more painful because I had lipo done at the same time when I got my band taken out. It will be interesting to go through everything again as I get banded on Saturday and must go back to work on Monday and only one of my co workers knows about my surgery.
This time around I will have protein shakes for the liquid diet though last time I didnt have protein powder ( it is hard to find in Korea). I am already all set with powder soup at work for lunch and oatmeal for lunch when I am on the mushies phase.
Since being banded I have done so many other things like the band being removed, and a few sessions of lipo that I am kind of used to the pain by now though I am still a big baby about it and I hate needles more then ever. I can't wait till I can have a normal life again at my goal weight. Only 20 lbs away
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October 2009 Surgery Date?
AlienBandit replied to Daria77's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I am happy to say that I am being "reborn" in 5 days when I get my new band. I am also happy that in the 5 months I have been without my band I haven't gained a pound! So now I get two band birthdays Oct 10 2009 and July 10 2010 -
oh my gosh 3 weeks of liquid diet? You must have lost lots of weight by now! I think it is a great idea to be on liquids that long because it helps your stomach heal more.I am so afraid of erosion again I am going to try to do 2 weeks of liquid diet then 2 weeks mushy etc just to be safe. I am getting a different kind of band my second time around too so I hope it agrees with my stomach more. I'm glad your enjoying my blog. It will become more band related again next week. Only 5 more days till surgery
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disconnected port
AlienBandit replied to arellano8's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
search flying on this forum and you will see most people dont have any problems flying with the band. The first time I flew the next morning my stomach felt different but just kind of like I had done a little ab workout the day before no big deal. I fly quite often and it never bothered me when I had the band. -
what colour was the Fluid exactly? It seems like the only time there is discolored fluid is when the port or tubing is leaking. Hope you can figure this out. If I talk with my doc soon I'll ask him.
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Banded in october--updates please
AlienBandit replied to delfinajones's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
since my last post here in December so much has changed. my doc found erosion in Feb and I had the band removed. I am happy to say that in the 5 months I have been band free I am finally getting a new band on Saturday! Luckily I havent gained any weight since Feb that is a huge miracle, mostly thanks to my doc who insisted I get a balloon placed in my stomach. I can't wait to start losing weight again! I am only 10 kg from my goal weight:) -
Total Band Failure - 6 weeks post-op
AlienBandit replied to ymarhodes's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
I had erosion as well about 4 months after getting the band. It wasnt serious though only the size of a pea. My doc accidentally stumbled across it after doing a random full check up with an endoscope check ( i needed my tubing to be moved so he decided just to check my whole band since the tubing was hurting me a bit). After some meds my stomach healed and I didnt need the band removed but i chose to have it removed so my stomach could heal. I am getting a new one July 10th. I am sorry you have had so many problems. I dont know what caused my erosion but since it was so small and 4 months after surgery we are sure it didnt happen during my surgery. Just know your not alone. Some of us are the unlucky few who get the short end of the stick in these situations -
a chest x ray and a buran (sp?) swallow won't show the doc whether you have erosion or not. It will only show whether Fluid can pass through your pouch to the lower part of your stomach under the band. I would request a endoscope where the doctor puts a camera down your throat into your stomach. This is the best way to check for erosion. Some doctors use this as a last resort because they can not do it themselves and must send you to another doctor to check, plus it is expensive to check. I had erosion and my doctor who is qualified to do endoscopes checked me one day when i complained of a few hours of acid reflux. He found erosion the size of a pea. If he hadn't done that then we would not have found the erosion for a few more months ( when it would obviously have gotten worse) because I had no problem eating or drinking. It was really random and a complete surprise to find. I hope that you figure out what is wrong and it can be fixed easily.
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New, afraid i will be talked into the other surgeries
AlienBandit replied to bonster4097's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
a lot of doctors prefer the other weight loss surgeries because they dont require so much after care. With the band you must go many times for fills check ups etc and this can be annoying for some doctors because they don't make a lot of money off the after care. If you prefer the band then i would switch to another doctor who will be more supportive of your decision for wanting the band. -
Anyone interested in a Christmas challenge?
AlienBandit replied to lauragshsu's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
I am so in for this challenge. I hope to be at goal for Christmas I dont get rebanded for another 2 weeks so I think I should be able to reach my goal weigh loss of 10 more kg by then. -
Ankle weights for the rest of my life?
AlienBandit replied to Bella Luna's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
you want to weigh more to be approved for surgery? That might work for weigh ins but they also weigh you before surgery ( in hospital outfit) and if you weigh less they might suspect something. Also you dont want to say you weigh more then you do because they will give you more drugs then your body needs and that can be harmful. -
I blog as well. I started it so people who are banded in Korea could see life through another bandster but then it turned into reading the experience of a bandster who has had erosion, lipo, balloon etc. There are many different things and challenges that can happen to bandsters that might be interesting for you guys to read. Since then I have also basically turned into the foreign bandster rep for my doc as people ask me about him all the time. The topics that last few months werent mostly about banding because I lost my band but I am getting banded again soon so it could be good to read about someone being banded twice.
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Heavy drinker considering surgery
AlienBandit replied to bayareanan's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
alcohol can help cause erosion why bother if your only going to hurt your stomach? Plus you get drunk so much faster after being banded. So unless you want to be wasted 3 times a week it would be best not to drink so much when banded. -
So I have had my band for 3 months now and I am dying to go bungee jumping! DOes anyon know if that would be a good or bad idea. I know all doctors have their own opinions so I am just wondering what other doctors think besides mine. I havent asked him yet but see him this weekend and will ask. I wouldnt be too worried if it was the type of jumping where the rope is tied at your ankles but in Korea I have only seen this type of bungee jumping... Since the rope goes around my stomach area I am a little nervous :S
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Band and bungee good or bad?
AlienBandit replied to AlienBandit's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Hey guys so I went jumping and it was intense. I chickened out of the ankle jumping just because my vertigo was bugging me ( and I just ate lunch which meant my food would be above my balloon which made me nervous for jumping) but did the waist jumping with the highest bridge available to jump from in Korea. Next time I will ankle jump from a lower bridge. If you want to live vicariously through someone here is my friend who jumped before me. He took a video while jumping. You can hear my friends root for me ("come on Jaclyn") as I stood on the ledge while he is jumping. When I get my video my friends took i'll post it to. I higly recommend this -
New here, from Canada
AlienBandit replied to BlackBerryJuice's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
It is strange how I struggled for years with losing weight and keeping it off yet I have been able to maintain my weight for the last 5 months. Yes I have a balloon in my stomach but it doesnt so much for me as I can drink and eat whatever I want ( sometimes too much like alcohol ooops ). I am actually surprised I didnt gain any weight as the last few months have been easy. These last 20 lbs will be hard though for sure. But trust me it is possible :bored: -
Young, excited, nervous and paranoid
AlienBandit replied to a topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
Luke, if you really knew me you would think i was lying when I talk about all the surgeries i have had since getting my band. I am freaked out too by things like anesthesia awareness but worst of all needles period. Since my band I have had a few lipo sessions and a balloon placed in my stomach and not once did I ever wake up during surgery or be aware of what was going on during my surgery. Having said that every time I go for surgery I always wake up immediately while still on the table of course after everything is finished and it has never been scary ( i was told that my liver or something must be very healthy because i wake up and am alert and can even walk back to my room if I wanted to). When I do wake up it is nice to see the nurses and hear the doctor tell me how things went right away instead of waking up alone in my room with no one to tell me the outcome. Something like anesthesia awareness can be mentioned to your doctor so they can assure you about your fears. Good luck on your journey -
New here, from Canada
AlienBandit replied to BlackBerryJuice's topic in Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story
Hey! I am Canadian too but got my band in Korea. We almost sound the same though. I always had lot of problems with losing weight and keeping it off. Since surgery was too expensive in Canada and I would never qualify because my bmi was never 40 I got the surgery when I moved to Korea. I started at 205 lbs a bmi of 33 and right now I am 160 lbs with a bmi of 25. I lost my band due to erosion 5 months ago and thankfully didnt gain any weight back. I get a new band soon which will hopefully help me get to my goal of 140ish lbs. I just want to let you know that it is possible to lose all that weight with the band and your goal of 145 wont be too far away. Good luck :bored: