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I have had a number of fills and have no idea what feeling he is talking about. The only thing I have to do when I get a fill is drink water afterwards to make sure it is going down OK. To me aiming for a feeling in the throat would seem to indicate that the band would be tooooooo tight!

I went to South Africa without an unfill but that is a totally different kettle of fish to Ethiopia. South Africa has 1st world medical facilities plus I organised travel insurance that included cover for the band and searched for and found contact details for bariatric specialists in case I needed them. With the low level of medical care in Ethiopia plus the high risk of contracting some kind of stomach bug I would be inclined to go for an unfill before the trip. Oh and don't forget the HIV/AIDS risk so if you do need an unfill whilst you are there I would advise you to take your own needle. How long are you going to be there for? Congrats on the adoption, you must be very excited.

It's normal to feel like crap after surgery and anaesthesia.Maybe your band was filled at the time of surgery which for many people causes problems. Talk to your Dr and if he did prefill it get him to take the fill out . You will feel heaps better. At this stage you need to concentrate on healing. Don't worry about the weight loss - that will come soon enough. Hope you get this sorted and start feeling better soon.

I think that something most of us forget when we are banded is that having food in your stomach makes you feel full too! Plus preband most of us probably ate way too fast. I know I did - I always finished way ahead of everyone else. We are constantly being told that we should eat slower as it takes the brain 20 minutes or thereabouts to register that we have eaten enough. The band forces you to do this so this is probably a big part of the equation too.

Another piece of info from the LAP-BAND® site. Creating a sense of fullness. The gastric band presses on the stomach, which makes the brain think that the stomach is full and therefore requires no more food. and this from AOL Health 1. The small amount of stomach above the band contains the satiety stretch fibers. When they are stretched out, your brain feels full. 2. The outlet from the upper, smaller section of stomach above the band to the lower stomach is formed and controlled by the band that separates them. As the band tightens, the emptying is slower and the upper stomach stays stretched for longer with food. Thereby, you are kept fuller longer. The restriction with both the band and the bypass procedures is essentially the same. In essence, there are only two factors at play: 1. To feel full, you must stretch out the upper stomach and trigger the satiety fibers to signal your brain that you are full. In the bypass, this is done by filling the pouch, and with the band, this is done by filling the stomach above the band. 2. To stay full, you must adjust how long the satiety fibers in your stomach stay stretched out. In the bypass, this is done by keeping a small outlet from the pouch. With the band, this is done by adjusting the band itself to bring about slow emptying from the upper stomach. It's that simple. In both procedures, we use a very small part of the potential size of the actual stomach. In the bypass, we section off most of the stomach and separate it away. With the band, we segment off the top part of the stomach above the band.

They do say that you should see them at least once a year preferably twice even when you think you are at goal or have perfect "restriction".

Wren , if you are looking for an aussie site to log stuff on the best one is calorieking. The American sites might be better but there are a lot of our foods that they don't have.

It sounds as though you have encountered a minor setback which at this stage of your journey is disappointing and pretty overwhelming.I understand why you are feeling negative. However you have had the surgery which is the biggest hurdle to get over I don't think you should go backwards now. Get the port fixed, gets meds to clear up your abcess and carry on. Yes I know it's hard but I am sure in a couple of months you will be able to look back and see this for what it is, a minor pothole on the road to good health. Things like this do happen. They are not part of the plan but for most they continue and achieve what they are hoping for. Weight loss and improved health. Heres hoping that this will be you soon too.:huh2:

It sounds as though you have encountered a minor setback which at this stage of your journey is disappointing and pretty overwhelming.I understand why you are feeling negative. However you have had the surgery which is the biggest hurdle to get over I don't think you should go backwards now. Get the port fixed, gets meds to clear up your abcess and carry on. Yes I know it's hard but I am sure in a couple of months you will be able to look back and see this for what it is, a minor pothole on the road to good health. Things like this do happen. They are not part of the plan but for most they continue and achieve what they are hoping for. Weight loss and improved health. Heres hoping that this will be you soon too.

I wonder if starvation mode really does exist how do people manage to become anorexic and end up looking like walking skeletons? If the starvation mode theory was true surely at some point they would stop losing weight?

So having a plastic device in you for life makes you more nervous than having the majority of your stomach removed or your insides rerouted? I'm not saying that I wouldn't revise in the future if I had to but faced with the current choices I know I'd rather stick with the plastic. Don't know the answer to your insurance question sorry.

Gastric Bypass Surgery News Links Interesting article which goes some way to explaining the relationship between the vagus nerve and weight loss.

I have been told by my original surgeon's practice and the new one that I have seen that the food does not stay in the pouch for as long as it was originally thought - that it actually passes through quite quickly. This makes sense to me if we consider how quickly we feel stuck. I could never understand how if the food was supposed to sit there for a while why it hurt so much when you take too big a bite or whatever. But it does not explain how it creates the sensation of fullness. I have read somewhere that it is something to do with pressure on the vagus nerve which the band helps to create but I can't remember where I read it or what the exact explanation was. Also if the food does pass through so quickly then how is it possible to slime and PB food back up for so long afterwards when you get stuck.Surely only the stuck bite should come back not all the ones before it???? It seems that there is a lot about the way that the band works that is not yet fully understood. However I think this is true of many medical things.Yes I would love to know how and why it works but for me it is more important that it DOES work.

How can you not get your port replaced? If you don't get it replaced you won't be able to get any adjustments which means that your band will not work the way it should. I don't know anyone that has had an abcess but I do know people who have had their ports repositioned as they had tilted. As far as I am aware having the port fixed is a fairly minor procedure.

Yes it does. You are no longer overweight so you have lost 100% of the excess. Any extra you lose will mean that you have lost more than 100%. Getting to a normal BMI is what they base all their stats on. Time to celebrate.

The band works best with solid food e.g meat,chicken,fish, veggies etc.These foods stay in the pouch for longer and will satisfy you for longer. Cottage cheese although it is healthy is still technically a slider food. It slips past the band easily and will not give you the feeling of satisfaction that you are after. Try eating more dense foods and you should see a difference.

When you eat leftovers the texture of the food is not the same as it was when it was originally cooked. Often it can be a lot drier, meat can be tougher etc. Lots of people with bands have problems eating leftovers.

Have no idea what thread you were in or what people said to you. However if you dare to go into the rants and raves section you must be prepared for what you get. It is a no holds barred section and as you have seen anything gets discussed in there. If you want support and advice on your weight loss journey stick to the other boards/threads. You will be given lots of support. I am sure that when they said leave they meant leave that particular discussion not leave LBT. Hope you stick around and participate in some of the non controversial topics.

Great news.To now be "normal" weight is especially exciting. Just got up and I am frozen. Looked outside and the grass is covered in frost. What the! It's supposed to be spring - I am so over cold weather. Especially now as I seem to feel the cold even more. Yes I know real models don't smile but it does look weird in the photo's where you can actually see my face!

Didn't realise there was more than 1 - thought I had an uncommon name - just goes to show! Yes I have long brown hair, a dark blue top on and a fascinator in my hair.

Just tried to upload pics and its not working. I have them on my facebook profile so if you want to add me feel free. Lynn Defoe.

Computers are great when they work. We've just bought a new Apple and it's great. However I have a Canon printer and would like to be able to use the Canon easy print software as it gives better printing options. It loaded onto the computer OK but does not seem to recognise iphoto. Of course as it is the weekend the support no is unavailable. Also the email support for Aus didn't seem to be working so I tried using the US one instead. Hopefully they can sort it but i am not optimistic. Wine has not fully come out of the carpet but it doesn't look like wine anymore, instead there is a slightly darker patch than the rest.It is hardly noticeable which is good. Elfie I tried soda, salt, everything none of them worked. Keep you fingers crossed that it doesn't rain here today as then we may be able to get our grass cut. Cannot believe how quickly it(or should I say the weeds) have grown. The modelling went well. I forgot to smile but then isn't that what most models do anyway? A bit nerve wracking but good fun and it was for a good cause, raising funds for the local hospital. I'll try to attach some of the pics. They were taken by my 15year old son and it was hard as we didn't stand still for long enough which will explain the blur.

I don't weigh , measure, count calories etc. I just eat smaller portions of healthy food and if I need a snack inbetween I have one. Usually I have a poached egg on wholemeal toast for breakfast but today I am a bit tight so I am having natural muesli with greek yogurt instead. lunch is usually a sandwich or something on toast or tuna with crackers or a wrap. dinner is whatever the rest of the family are eating. meat, veggies and a small portion of carb.

Wren surely that isn't really what you are eating - lettuce and wholegrain mustard? That isn't healthy and doesn't provide you with the nutrition you need. Does your Dr or dietician know what you are eating? Are you too tight and that is the only thing that you can get down? If you are you should go for an unfill as eventually you will start encountering problems.

GRRRR Not happy. Weather here is wet and miserable AGAIN! I know we need the rain but this is ridulous. How are we ever supposed to cut the grass when it rains every weekend? Got a call at 8.30 this morning asking if I can please model at the local church fashion parade this afternoon. Had to jump in the shower and rush to the boutique to get outfits to wear. Back home straighten hair and just having a quick snack (yogurt) before doing my makeup and having to go. This is my 2nd modelling assignment since being banded. LOL. My DH can now boast he's married to a model (when i told him that he made some rude comment). Have to love it as it is one thing I never thought I would be able to do especially as I'm only 5ft and now pretty close to 50(48). I don't think Elle Mc Pherson and the rest have anything to worry about though. DH has gone to hire a carpet cleaner after knocking a glass of red wine over our beige carpet last night. New rule has to be only white drinks in carpeted areas. We tried salt, soda, stain remover etc and it still looks awful. Hopefully the carpet cleaner will help. Better run...................Just hope that I don't trip!