elcee

That's great

I was also banded by Peter Nottle, in June 2009. Prof O'Brien is apparently a great surgeon but yes I imagine his waiting list and times are probably long. But I don't see that as an issue, rather wait for someone that has a great reputation than get done in a hurry by someone with little or no reputation. One of the most important things to consider is distance to your surgeon. There is a lot of aftercare with a band and to have to travel a couple of hours for followups eventually becomes tiresome and it is also expensive.

PBing is not good for you. It can lead to slips and other issues. However it is something that most if not all of us have done at some point. But to me it sounds as though you are doing it far more frequently than you should be. If you are sure that you are not too tight then you need to modify the way you eat. Smaller bites, chewed thoroughly, and wait in between bites to let them pass through the band. You may even need to look at what you are eating. Is it meat that is causing problems, is it too dry, overcooked, reheated etc.

Halfway between my bellybutton and my sternum

Yes, there are quite a lot of us. Where are you and which surgeon are you going to?

Sorry that you have had such a horrific journey and hope that you are well on your way to recovery. Reading through your story the main thing that sticks out for me is that this is a lesson that we should not cheat. That we should stick to the rules that our Dr has given us as they are there for a reason. That daily vomiting and taking handfuls of pills is not OK. That if we choose to ignore all of this we do so at our own peril as there could be dire consequences.

Yes. The port is stitched to the muscle so movement can cause it to pull. That is one of the reasons that you are not supposed to do exercises that strain the abdo area for a while after surgery. The port and the stitches need time to settle into place.

If you are on a low carb diet it could be from Ketosis. Adding some healthy carbs to your diet should help.

2 - 3 Protein shakes plus 2 - 3 meals sounds like a lot of food to me, generally if I have a Protein shake it is in place of a meal. Rumbling is normal, it is something that you will eventually get used to. It is not a sign of hunger. Tiredness can last a while, take it easy when you go back to work. Ask if you can go back on light duties for a while.

Try my best to cough it up

Don't know how those quote things ended up on my post!

You are not supposed to keep eating for an hour. Most nutritionists will tell you that after 20 min you should stop eating, if you keep eating then it means that you are having too much. Vomited twice is probably because you are not yet used to how to eat with the band, it is a big learning curve. Not feeling full is normal. In fact feeling full post band is a lot different to preband. You don't feel it in your stomach, you feel it in your chest. Quite often it is an unpleasant , uncomfortable feeling. You need to stop trying to get that full feeling that you had previously as that won't happen. You need to look out for more subtle signals that you have had enough - hiccups, runny nose, discomfort,sneezing etc You are not supposeQuote MultiQuote

I "crave" chocolate all the time! I don't think it is my bands fault, just me, my tastes and my hormones.

I seem to remember someone asking something about Dr Kuri and I I think it was mentioned that thorough research should be done as there was an issue with one of the Mexican Dr's. I don't know which Dr it was as a lot of the history on LBT has been expunged. However a simple search of the net reveals this. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/09/family-seeks-answers-after-womans-lap-band-death/ He may be innocent he may be guilty, I have no idea. But hopefully someone that did thorough research would have found and investigated this. Not that it matters once someone has had and survived surgery!

Our petrol is now sitting around $1.51 per litre so we are being ripped off even more. No idea why it has gone up, just more price fixing, profiteering and all the usual crap I am sure.

It is normal for you to find that after a while you eat more, that is why regular visits to your Dr are required so that a topup fill can be given if needed.

Complete with horrific stomach cramps. I learnt that years ago when I ate a cup of them at the cinema in the days before they had to print a warning on them.

You don't sound as though it is stuck. Do you have a horrible pain in the centre of your chest? Are you salivating like crazy? Are you unable to swallow anything ,including Water, without it coming back up? No? Then relax it has probably gone down.

That is interesting. BTW what Dr Kuri does with sutures is not unique, all Drs suture the band into place to try to prevent slips.

Why wouldn't it be? We are allowed thick things and solids. Just make sure you follow the directions and drink plenty of water.

I also only told my husband. Mainly for the same reasons as the rest of you, I was scared I would fail, I didn't want to have to face the food police etc. I told others when I felt ready. My daughter was away at uni when I had the op done, yes she was a little bit annoyed when she finally found out but if I had to do it over again I would not change when I told people. It is a personal decision. We do not need to share everything, certainly not until we feel ready. Honk I understand your point of view but I think the way your Mother handled this was probably the best. Why worry someone unnecessarily? However if the lump had come back as being malignant then it would have been vitally important to let the family know particularly as it could be hereditary.

Metamucil

I thought the app was free?

Tea does contain caffeine but not as much as coffee. I don't know why some Drs don't allow it, maybe it is because these days no-one drinks "normal standard coffee" instead they all seem to drink really fancy, calorie filled concoctions. I don't see what could be wrong with 1 - 2 cups of coffee a day, either black or with a splash of milk and no sugar.