You have valid concerns about being "in public", but I can assure you that if you experience something stuck in your stoma, you will feel a sudden pain and have time to excuse yourself. It usually lasts a few minutes- sometimes a little longer and during this time, you are basically overproducing saliva. It is not unusual for someone to say, "I am not feeling too well, will you excuse me". Also, when your in a situation where someone is expecting you to stuff your face and feast, you can say, "I over ate this afternoon, it is a shame, everything looks so good, so now I will have to pace myself, so that I can try everything". LOL
If you don't want anyone to know about the lapband, NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW. I practiced before the band while out to dinner, just to see if I could live like that forever. I ordered a decaf hot tea and a glass of ice to make a decaf ice tea. when a friend asked me why I wanted decaf all of a sudden, I said I had not been sleeping well for a few days and didn't want to be up later. I drank my ice tea and then watched the clock for 30 min (25 min. I cheated). By the time we ordered our food and it came, 25 minutes had passed. Then I ordered and appetizer and another appetizer. I puched my food around and my husband took a bite here and there and before you know it, no problem, nobody caught on and I ate about 4-5 oz of food. This past Saturday, I went out to eat with my Hubby and I am on mushies! We went to an italian restaurant and I ordered manicotti. I ate just the cheese filling and was full after ONE! Can you believe that! Wait til you see how great it works. If you are an OVEREATER it will stop you from eating. If you eat the wrong foods, like sweets, then head for the bypass. Your cravings don't change, you just eat less with the band.
