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Is this poster for real? A lot of what he/she says in the original post doesn't ring true. I can't imagine the port just coming out through the skin like that, if it did it would probably indicate that there was a major problem and the whole thing would be extremely prone to a serious if not life threatening infection. That in itself would be considered a medical emergency. It is not true that only medical necessities are performed in Australia. In fact if you ever have an emergency and have to go to hospital they are usually very helpful. Most Australians that did not believe they would get help in Australia would not talk about going to Mexico. medical tourists from Aus tend to go to Bali or Thailand. Maybe I am completely wrong but????? So Model please give us some more information. Where do you live? Who is/was your Dr?

Sounds like you are too tight. I think a visit to the Dr and a small unfill are in order.

Wait till you get stuck from eating too fast - after that you tend to slow down. That might sound horrible but realistically until you suffer a consequence of eating too fast it is unlikely that you will slow down sufficiently. I have always been a fast eater so I know what it's like.

Everyone is different but I am sure you should start feeling a lot better soon.

Sounds yummy. It also seems like Americans have everything geared towards quick and easy. When I make pumpkin pie I generally have to use fresh pumpkin and the crust would be homemade too.

Didn't realise Jean's surgery was today. Hope it all went well. best wishes for a speedy recovery

Try sleeping with a pillow next to your stomach, it helps to support it and makes it a lot more comfortable. If you have pain in your shoulder you should have prescription pain meds to take.

I really don't think it is necessary. If they are doing emergency life saving surgery then they will be doing whatever they need to do to save your life. If they think they have time and if it is appropriate they may do xrays or other tests first - the band would show on those. If they don't have the time to do those then you are probably in such a bad situation that your band is not really important anyway. It's the Life over Limb principle. e.g If you are doing CPR and you break some ribs it doesn't matter because you are doing what you are doing to save someones life. I would rather be alive with broken ribs than dead because someone was too scared to do the CPR.

Doughnuts are bad. The pain is so not worth it.

No it's not that kind of gas. It is gas that they pump into your chest/abdominal cavity to give them more space to work. Some gets left behind and that puts pressure on nerves/organs which can cause pain. Often the pain is felt in the shoulder. Because it is not in your digestive system antiflatulence type meds won't work, you will need to take the prescribed pain killers.

Sounds as though you have probably pulled the muscle that the port is attached to.

There are quite a few of us Aussies here. I'm in country Vic, outside of Ballarat. Feel free to pm me with any questions etc.

I got given a whole book on the band, guidelines for eating pre and postop etc. That sounds like as much if not more info than a lot of the US Dr's give. I think in general a lot of the Dr's don't have the time or the inclination to give more than the basics. That is why sites such as these are so valuable. Actual experience is far better than theory . Who except for someone that has a band can tell you what it is like to live with, how it feels, what it feels like when you are stuck etc.

Normally after a fill you are advised to go back to liquids for 24 hours. The oatmeal may have just been too much too soon.

The port is attached to a muscle so it is possible that the muscle underneath is a little tender. Also if you have over exerted yourself or moved strangely you can pull it and cause it to hurt. The best thing to do though is phone your Dr. Just to make sure that what you are experiencing is normal.

I don't think a list such as this exists but it would be nice if it did.

This is not the first thread that this has happened on. For some reason some people read responses and take them completely the wrong way. Some people seem to forget that on the internet you cannot see the body language or the tone behind a post and something that has been said with the best intentions is taken completely the wrong way. I think we all need to remember that when we post things on a public forum we will get some responses we like and some we don't. We just all need to lighten up and not take things personally. Going through this process is hard and some of the things that we have to do to get there can make us feel extra edgy. We are cutting backs on a lot of the crutches that we depend on. E.g food, sugar,carbs,alcohol,tobacco etc. All of those things can combine to make a person more on edge than they are normally. Just remember we are all working towards the same goal , some of us are there already, some of us are on our way but wherever we are in the process we are here to cheer you on and to help and guide you when things get tough.

I have a major candy problem too. I am trying to get it back under control but at the moment it is definitely winning.

A lot of the "restrictions" that you have with the band you have with the sleeve too. If you read the posts on the sleeve board you will find that sleevers also bring food back up, can't guzzle etc. And of course they also have to make wise choices if they want to achieve success.

Try sucking crushed ice, it helps to reduce swelling and if there is something still there it may help to move it.

Yes mine is easy to feel. It is a solid , hard , area.

Even the carbonation is open to debate. Some Dr's allow it, others don't.

I thought that once you had chickenpox you were more likely to get shingles rather than get chickenpox again. Obviously I'm wrong. It must be horrible - I remember how annoying it was when I was a kid. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, and remember not to scratch!

Previously when you tried to diet and eat healthy foods you probably gave up because you got hungry. The difference with the lapband is that it helps to control your hunger so it is easier to stick to eating properly. Besides this is not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. With diets you go on them for a time, lose weight and then stop - - this is designed to be permanent. I have a question for you. How many of us do you think were successful at losing weight and keeping it off before we got the band? The correct answer is obviously zero. So do not think you are alone in not having been successful before.

Nice to meet you too.