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Its just saliva mixed with air, nothing to worry about. It is probably indicating that you've eaten to much or not chewed properley as your body produes extra saliva to try and slide the food through.

It does take a while for your mind to catch up. I take a size 8 pants which I think is the equivalent of a US 4 and also get called skinny but I can't see it. I look in the mirror and still see my stomach which I would love to get rid of. According to my waist measurement I am still at higher risk of diabetes. My BMR is above what it should be although my BMI is good. If I were to buy clothes based on my waist measurement I would supposedly need a size 16 - 18! Crazy as my size 8 pants and skirts do up fine. I also find it hard after having spent most of my life dieting to accept that I am fine and that I don't need to any more. I am terrified that I will put all the weight back on AGAIN!

I can eat most foods most of the time, and that includes bread, rice,pasta. However there are very few foods that have never caused me discomfort.Sometimes I'm not even sure what food is causing the problem as I eat foods together not seperately. Even my staples cause problems sometimes . The exceptions of course are sliders - they do not cause problems so yogurt,chocolate etc will always go down with no problem unless you are already stuck. Part of learning to live with the band is also learning that it is not consistent. Tightness can vary from day to day. Sometimes it could be TOM, stress, dehydration etc. The important thing is not to give up on a food because it has caused you discomfort once.

For erosion to occur so quickly something must have occurred at the time of surgery. Either the band was put on too tight or somehow the sterile environment was breached.

Have you considered that this may be due to some form of food intolerance. I would be getting allergy testing before i got my band removed. Tiredness,headaches,digestive upsets are all common symptoms of a food intolerance. it could be lactose,gluten,chemicals - one of any number of things. I think you should explore this prior to any further surgery.

You still don't need to use shakes instead of food. My ex boss was a body builder and used to compete. He got all his Protein requirements from food. Yes he wasn't banded but he still didn't eat excessive amounts. he would eat egg white omelettes,tuna etc. Quoting Trudy Williams again. "About 14 - 25% of your energy intake can come from protein. That means about 60 - 105g protein each day for a 7000kj(1700 kcal)plan, which is ample for most people with a gastric band". If you are aiming for 80g that is well within the average. So you should be able to consume sufficient protein from a normal eating plan without supplementing with protein shakes. I tend to agree with jachuts opinion on shakes.I would rather eat real food .

I have no idea how much Protein I am getting and I don't really care.I am not focused on protein I am focused on getting a balanced diet that includes all food groups. However here is a sample menu from one of Trudy Williams books.(Trudy is a very well respected nutritionist specialising in banded diets and has written lots of books) Cereal + milk or an egg on toast 9g crackers with ham and salad 16g 2 pieces of fresh fruit 4g mince/chicken or salmon 19g with veg 4g yogurt 10g muesli bar 3g milk in tea and coffee 5g total 70g. All from a normal diet that includes all food groups and with no extra Protein shakes.

The only time I use a protein shake is when I have to do liquids after a fill.Other than that it's REAL food all the way.

It is possible that you could tear some of the stitches.I know someone that this happened to and she was in lots of pain. You DO need to be careful.

I agree with Cleo's Mum . I can't understand whyyou are getting another fill - it sounds as though you are doing fine with what you already have.

I disagree . I don't think this thread needs to be deleted at all. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I don't see the ugliness that some of you seem to see. Calling it straight is not being ugly.Yes some of the posts are a little strange but the majority have been useful and productive. There are far worse threads on here if you care to dig deep enough.

In theory yes that sounds fine. So let me set the scene.Friend in her 50s had a hysterectomy in her 20s so not something she has had to worry about for a while. Bin in guest loo = open wastepaper basket that is used for spare toilet rolls. Other bin probably in kitchen . Now as this was the first time I had been there for dinner I wasn't really game to walk through to kitchen with wrapped pad in front of other guests. I just find it really awkward and it's not something I've had to deal with for a while due to previously taking pill continuously to avoid periods altogether!

Sorry to hear about this. It must be awful to be having problems so soon. Erosion so early on does seem rather strange.Maybe it isn't erosion. Maybe you somehow picked up an infection at the time of surgery.This would seem to be a more likely scenario especially considering you have had an infected port as well. Or maybe the infection from the port travelled upto the band. The infection at the port site was quite possibly not present at the time of surgery but could have been something you picked up afterwards. This is very disappointing for you and I can understand you not wanting to go through further surgery. Have you thought of getting a second opinion? There is a possibility that your surgeon/surgical facility are at fault.If that is the case then I am not sure I would want the same team operating on me again. Another surgeon may be able to assist you.

As they say "jealousy makes you nasty".

Taking the saline out to check is not necessarily a good thing. In Aus they no longer routinely take it out unless they suspect a problem as it can cause problems and affect the pressure within the band. Makes sense really. Think about what happens to a balloon if you constantly inflate and deflate it.

Whillow, didn't i read another thread of yours a day or two ago where you said that your band is really tight but you like it that way because of the weight loss? It sounds as though your reflux is a direct consequence of you having your band too tight. The quick weight loss is not worth the damage that you are doing to yourself. you need to get and get some fill removed ASAP.Severe reflux can cause all sorts of problems and may even lead to you losing your band or worse. Please don't ignore this.

Sorry.:thumbup: Didn't think!

This is seriously weird. Just got an email with a reply to this thread from Savvy to herself which has now disappeared!

Fills are not a problem. In Australia they are covered by Medicare and we just have a small out of pocket expense.My concern is if there are problems in the future. The situation in Aus is vastly different from the US which is why I posted in the Aussie forum.

Yes warm liquids can help to loosen a tight band but as a few others have said cold is the way to go if you are stuck. I have found sucking on crushed ice helps me when I am stuck and am swollen. Same as sprains/strains/bruises. You put ice on them as it helps to reduce the swelling. If you apply heat it encourages the swelling. Think back to the first thing that you were given after surgery. It wasn't a nice warm drink - it was probably ice to suck on.

Isn't it great when you get to progress through the food stages.

I am wondering if it is necessary to retain health insurance that covers banding once banded.My insurance is changing from 1 July when banding will become a restricted procedure with highly reduced benefits. I am just wondering what happens if there is a problem with my band e.g a slip. Is it necessary to have insurance that covers this or will any problems be sorted out via the public system? The difference in premium is $105 per month which to me seems excessive! What are your thoughts? Thanks Lynn

I eat pasta no problems. I find something like canneloni stuffed with spinach and ricotta quite a good satisfying option.

Are you sure it is band related? You could be going down with something - sore throat - viral, bacterial etc. Maybe you sleep with your mouth open at night which can cause dryness and pain. It might be reflux but it could also be something else. but for some reason once we are banded we seem to blame everything on our bands and don't consider other possibilities.

You can try using something like Benefiber or metamucil. Just make sure that you have plenty of liquids with them. It is fairly normal for the change you are experiencing. With a lot less going in there is bound to be a lot less coming out!