I have just been notified that I am in the running for a job in Congo (which would start late summer or after). I am in the process of getting everything approved for late May surgery.

What do you guys think? Do you get weak, have health issues and stuff 3-4 months after surgery? How fussy do you need to be about food?

I am guessing that my initial visit will require some wining and dining with local officials. Will this work? I need to let them know soon if I am still interested.

As you can probably tell, I'm kind of excited and kind of freaking. The potential would be for me to live there for 3 years.

Is there anyone on the board from Congo? Does anyone know about fills there? I'm not real worried because I can always fly somewhere to get them.

Holy smokes! I'm so drooling over here at the thought of going to the Congo! How cool is that! Congratulations to you first off on the AWESOME job offer! You go girl!!!

I personally think that if there are no complications during or after your surgery, and you heal up ok, and you're doing fine, that everything would be ok. (Just my opinion)

And if you could find a place to give fills ahead of time, that would totally rock!

I have personally never felt weak from being banded, and as long as you are careful in what you eat (mainly just chew it up really well and stay away from things that will make you PB) I'll think you'll do fine.

If you have 3-4 months from surgery date until you leave, that will definately give you plenty of time to get into the rhythm of your new banded life, and you'll feel more self confident in going.

Whatever you decide, best wishes to you! What an awesome opportunity!

Not sure how authentic it was (they claim it is true african cusine) but while at Disney World last fall we ate at a place called Boma it serves african food. Just about everything was well (slow) cooked and had a sauce of some kind, mostly curry or tomato and the meat just fell off the bone. So if the food at Boma was at all accurate then african food is definatly band friendly as far as I can tell. I am hoping to be banded this summer and 2 of my girlfriends were banded last year and they could have eaten there with no problem. ~Mandy

Road Queen, if you decide to take or not take the job don't let your band be any part of the reason why. If you are at all worried about being far from medical care or not being able to eat readily, the simple answer is to keep your band relatively loose. You could keep it that way for 3 years easily enough, and when you're relocated somewhere with good access to medical care have it tightened up.

We certainly don't get "weak" or have health issues 3-4 months after surgery as a general rule. Complications can happen, but if you're healed well and are not going for fills I'd think it highly unlikely that anything could go wrong spontaneously. Bad situations are almost always related to being too tight--either because of too much of a fill or post-fill swelling. So if you're on top of that there's no reason having a band will present any problems for you just because it's there.

You're a brave person!! I hear Congo is somewhat, ahem, unsettled nowadays. What kind of job is it? Sounds fascinating, exciting, and wonderful!

My university has an African night every year, and the food is just great. One of my mush/soft favorite foods is an African dish called Irio...

One the great things about the band is that we generally don't have any weakness from it, per say.

Yeah, we ALL want to know about this job!

Well, I spent last night doing recipe searches and actually found a site with recipes from the Congo. slow cooked and sauces seems to be right. I am going to have the surgery (as long as everything works out). I have waited too long to be a normal size and won't let it stop me. It will be a great motivator to lose and follow the program. (Wouldn't it be awesome to say someday that I went to Paris to get a fill!!)

I'm not sure the specifics of the job. I met with the Treasury office of Technical Assistance last year concerning opportunities for international budget work. I prepare the Governor's recommendations for higher education, agricultural research, transportation (highways), and human services and am in charge of the maintaining the computer system for budget analysis. I also teach college classes in economics, public finance, and governmental accounting. The job could be related to any or all of these. From what I understand, an initial visit would identify the scope of the job and my potential for working in the environment.

I expect to get more information in about a month but May 10th I am going to Ecuador for a week. My friend who lives there works for US Aid so I'm hoping to get some additional insights.

I will keep everyone updated. Thanks for all the information and support.

Wow, Road Queen, what a neat job you have, and such a great opportunity! This board is full of such interesting and diverse people!! I am LUVIN it!

Wow, what can't you do? No wonder you are being considered for the job! Your work must be so interesting and never a dull moment! Please do keep us updated, it will be very interesting to see what job they offer you to do. Good luck with your band, something tells me you will succeed at that without much help!

Also don't forget we are just a computer away!!! You ay have your band in Africa and a doctor in Paris or the States but you will have your band-family right by your side day or night~Mandy

good luck-Id love to do that-Ive looked into abroad work myself.

I visit Africa yearly, sometimes twice per year. Have not been to Congo yet. The one thing I would worry about is getting sick to my stomach and vomitting, but using some cautions would protect you from that.

Also, not sure if anyone in Africa knows much about the band. Have not seen any posts by anyone from South Africa.

Just a thought.

This sounds so cool!!! It has been my life long dream to go to Africa! And the Congo!!! How cool is that! I think you would be fine getting the band and living there. If you had surgery in may and had a few months to recover you could at the very least get one good fill before you go and have time to adjust to it. Keep us filled in on ALL the details, Teresa