The Lion Tamer

It is where the skin from within grows out of the wound and results in what looks like a very ugly mole.
This was a result of the infected port not fixed properly and then my original wound became open and then the surgeon gave me a couple of stitches not the whole wound, in order for the exodate to come out.
when the wound eventually came together, there was excess skin from within that came out.
Hope that helps - I have tried to copy my photo in here but have trouble - as I photographed every stage !!!.

Right after surgery, everybody looses weight...lap band or no, we are on a strict post-op diet starting with Clear liquids and slowly progressing. Who wouldn't loose weight? And yet people give credit to the band.
At this stage, the Lap Band is doing nothing, IMO....it was installed and nothing more.(there are a FEW EXCEPTIONS...very few)
And let's face it...people who have much to loose, will loose more than the next person not quite so heavy.
So when someone says "I Lost 50 lbs, blah blah blah, the next person should not feel bad only loosing 10lbs.
I know people who could loose 50lbs if they skipped dinner! (only joking)
There are people here who start at 400lbs and loose over 200, and people who start at 225 and only loose 75....so which is more difficult?
So don't let the #'s intimidate you...it's all relative.
I had my first fill 4 weeks after surgery, and it was 4cc's....after that, I began to gain weight because it also the time I came off the post-op diet and began eating normal food again. DUH!
That first fill did absolutely nothing.
Had my second fill of 2cc's, 4 weeks after that, = 8 weeks from surgery.
The band began to do something....I didn't loose weight, but I did not gain either.
All this time I was being told and reminded to count calories, measure portions, stay away from certain foods/drink, etc...ALL the things I could have done (and have done) without surgery, the time and anxiety put into preparing for this, not to mention the $$.
Talk about Frustration!! I felt it was a big Rip Off!
Came back 4 weeks after that, = 12 weeks from surgery for my 3rd, (and final) fill. THAT one put me over the top.Pushed me off the edge!
Could not keep anything down. Feared I was going to be malnourished, etc. I was free falling!
Many people would have gone back to get it taken out, get back within their comfort zone......but my Dr. (who knows ME and not YOU) talked me into sticking it out, talked me into slowing down my eating, choice of foods, all those thing etc, etc.
Also said if I did get that last (small) fill removed, it would put me back to where I was after my 2nd fill...did I want that?
I'm glad he did...it took weeks - months for things to start to find that groove, but it did all start to fall in line.
That elusive "Fine balance - Harmony" where the band performs splendidly. The true "Green Zone"
I quess my point is, this thing DOES WORK, but it is not going to work immediately...it is adjustable and it takes time, sometimes with trial and error, to get it right.
And it is not just the band that gets adjusted along the way...we too have to get adjusted to the Lap Band. And that is key to success.
Lap Band Surgery will "Change Your Life" but you have to ready and willing for change. And that can be very frustrating and take some time. Even though my last needed fill was 12 weeks from surgery, and the weight began to steadily and consistently come off, a year later I was still learning lessons, Life changing lessons...most times the hard and unpleasant way. Did not mean the band is at fault.
I'm 4 years out, and I can do something right now, this moment, that would cause a very negative reaction with my band. Does not mean my band is at fault...it means I just did something I should never do...simple, yet it did take time to learn the difference.
If people told me 4 years ago what and how little I would be eating today, and still be healthy and full of energy, I would have said they were blowing smoke up my you know what.
And yet here I am at that place, and to tell new people this, would be accepted the same as I would have 4 years ago.
This is the internet, and 1000's of people come and go here all the time. And I have read people's posts about frustration and feelings of failure (many of which are way pre-mature...give it a chance) when in fact I sense they are not willing to accept change. (still talking about pizza and cheese burgers, etc? Really?)
Not all, but some. There are people who legitimately have problems, complications. But we, strangers on the internet can ever tell what is going on.
They can't understand why they keep getting stuck...There's something wrong with their band...maybe there is, and maybe it's not the band....no one on the internet can tell for sure.
That is why it is best, IMO, it's best for people to simply share their own experiences, AT ALL LEVELS, good and bad, positive and negative...
Ok, it's 4am on a Sunday, I'm rambling on with my morning coffee before heading to the gym at 6...nothing more, just rambling..and pehaps ranting.

I posted this in response under another thread, but since it got so long I decided to cut and paste it as a new thread also....
Hang in there....It DOES WORK....
LAST CHANCE???? My Health was deteriorating fast! My family history was grim, having lost both my brother and sister from obese related illnesses...sister was the worse going through amputations, cardiac and other circulatory surgeries, infections, and finally renal failure....they flat out said she had too much going on to qualify for kidney transplant.
I started down the same road, diabetes out of control, my blood work was all over the place, nothing was normal. Had clogged arteries resulting in one hart attack, had to undergo cardiac surgery...
My PCP was very blunt and honest, told me I was a walking time bomb and did not have long to live. Stated if I could but loose 50-60 lbs, this would all start to reverse itself. It was my LAST CHANCE!
Knowing that I have tried every diet under the sun, and failing miserably at every one of them,
He recommended weight loss surgery and referred me. WLS was my LAST CHANCE!
That is why I have never taken this lightly...full steam ahead...I can care less what others think, let them find their success. I found mine!! NO WHINING HERE
I want this band to do the maximum performance, everything I anticipated.Would not settle for anything less...
And it did!!! Lost over 100 lbs in a year......all my illnesses have been reversed...no more medications or insulin injections.
I go to the gym every chance I get. (it's 4 am as I'm typing this, will be at the gym at 5)
My hunger/cravings are in check, have no interest in food or eating most of the time. And when I do eat, the band limits my portions, making it impossible to overeat or binge. Also, when I do eat, all I do is eat wisely, making healthy choices.
No more diets, no more calorie counting.....
Does not mean I don't enjoy the treats in life...I do! It's just that I don't make a pig of myself...all things in moderation thanks to the band...
Head Hunger....perfectly normal, but it goes away eventually....I have gone out of my way to purchase something I was craving, only to throw it away after one or two bites.....
The band turned my life around...all my Dr.'s are astounded...(and I have/had a lot of them)
I do not, have not, any weight loss goals...how can I ??? I was OBESE because of a lifestyle of bad eating and being a coach potato....NOW my lifestyle has changed, and the reverse happened, I went on the opposite direction and lost weight until I was back to what my body determined was normal...where it should be for someone who eats right and gets plenty of exercise.
Maintenance?? I don't get it...I have been on many, many diets so I understand what maintenance is in terms of dieting programs.
But I am not on any diet program....simply put, because of WLS, my eating, what and how I eat, has been changed...and it will stay that way for the rest of my life....it is the New Normal for me. So there is nothing I can do differently.
I suppose I could get Fluid taken out of my band, to allow me to eat more, larger portions...but that makes no sense to me. Why would I want to do that?
I was fat-obese because I ate too much of the wrong things, I am now at optimal weight with very little body fat% because I eat less, way less, and eat good wholesome healthy foods...it's that simple.
Sprinkle on top of that fat burning exercise and there you have it. (notice I said fat burning, not calorie burning)
I should say, concerning my health improving and illnesses reversed, a Heart Attack, (MI) the damage is done to the cardiac wall - muscle and cannot be fixed, and with this, there are 2 medications I will take for the rest of my life....
BUT that does not stop me from running 3-5 miles 5 days a week, and strengthening what I do have.