LstNTranslation

I haven't logged on here in absolute ages, and this is the first post I came across. Funnily enough, I'm headed off to Bali tomorrow morning for 4 or 5 days. I've been several times since I was banded, and I've pretty much gotten Bali belly every time. As you say, a little Immodium usually does the trick, no further complications. Where in Bali are you staying? We always stay in Sanur.

I do alot more reading than posting here, but this particular thread really struck a chord with me. I spent the first 25 years of my life being quite thin & attractive. I thrived on the attention I rec'd. Then I began packing on the pounds but still managed to find myself a bit stunned when I woke up one morning FAT!! And to add insult to injury, we moved to Hong Kong in 2001 (we're still here, and probably will be for another 10 years). I could almost handle the skinny Chinese girls, but all of the other expat wives I'd befriended were all quite thin & svelte as well. On any given day here, I was by far the fattest person you'd see all day - keeping in mind that I'm 5'9" and my highest weight was 240lbs. I still managed to stay very, very social, but there wasn't 10 minutes in a day that would go by that I wouldn't obsess about my weight. But now here's where it gets interesting. You'd think that someone who quite thrives on being smack in the middle of the social circle would CRAVE weight loss comments. But noone here (except my husband) knows I've had WLS, and I've actually slowed down my own progress so as not to raise suspicions. How weird is that??? I've purposely only had one small fill since my surgery in April so that when we all go out to dinner I don't a) have problems with anything we order and :eek: don't have to eat just such a tiny portion that people would talk. So far I've been able to explain my 45lb weight loss thru a couple of stays at intensive health spas (they're everywhere here in Asia), and just walking my butt off every day. So is that about the strangest thing you've heard, or what?

I was banded on 4/19, and have had little to no pain or discomfort almost from the beginning. Yesterday, I noticed a "knot" about 1.5" wide and maybe 2" long radiating out to the left from the main scar in my stomach - it feels like it's attached to what I thought was my port. It moves around a bit, and is tender (probably because I keep poking at it :nervous ), but not overly painful. I'm a bit whigged out about it. Any advice?

Thanks for all the responses. I'm self pay, and I live in Hong Kong - that all matters because my doctor over here charges a small fortune for any visit, so I'm really hoping to put off a visit till I'm ready for my first fill. I've been trying to convince myself it's just the port, but I just didn't understand why I didn't feel it before, and why all of a sudden it's become tender (and why it feels so big). I really do feel better now that I've heard from you all. Many thanks.

Just discovered this forum and knew it was exactly what I've been looking for. I've decided to have lapband surgery in early 2007, but I live in Hong Kong and am considering having it done in Bangkok. I was just wondering if anyone out there had any experiences with doctors and/or hospitals in Bangkok. I've even been in touch (via e-mail) with a doctor in India. India is emerging as a popular destination for affordable "Medical Tourism." Again, anyone have any feedback? Many thanks.

I hope somebody (many somebodies) can weigh in here with some advice. I have talked myself into and out of this surgery about 5 times in the last 3 or 4 months (I'm self pay). I'm just so unsure about making it work with my lifestyle. My story is a little bit unique. Hubby is an airline pilot, no kids, living in & loving Hong Kong (we're American expats), and travelling alot. We sometimes spend 2-4 months at a time away from home. I'm just scared to death about all the things it sounds like we can't eat - can I make this work if we're spending 2 months in Italy? Or Thailand? What are my food choices going to be? Oh yeah, and I NEVER cook at home even when I am home - I'm guessing that's soo gonna be a problem. I'm really sorry if this all comes across the wrong way, but this is the one forum where you guys all seem to be pretty cool, so take the piss out of me if you must but, please, please help me out with this one. I so want to do this for myself, but I'm just really worried about whether or not I'll be able to do this..... Thanks in advance.

To be perfectly honest it's the whole PBing and sliming thing that has nearly been a stopper for me. The whole idea terrifies me. I don't know how to get around that.

Thanks guys! I still think I'd be alot less nervous if I were doing this from the U.S., but I think I can make it work from here - I'm just going to count on you guys for support. On a positive note, I already eat relatively healthily - I just eat really large portions, which is where I'm hoping the band will help. I don't like sweets, I'm not a huge snacker, and I do already go for a pretty strenuous (uphill) 50 minute walk 4x/week. Is there hope?