Sha'sJourney

I've never gotten such a large fill at one time but I would say you probably have some swelling from the fill. You should always drinking slowly and in small amount after a fill because of the inflammation caused by the fill. Take it easy and once you start to add soft foods, go really slow. especially since you got such a large fill, your band is going to be much different when you eat. If after a day or two you are still having problems just getting your protein shakes down then you def need to go in and have them take some out. Good luck.

I am 7 months post op... down a little over 40 pounds. Was doing really well in the beginning and kinda fell off track starting in April. I am having a hard time getting myself back into eating well. I guess I got so tired of chicken and the same foods over and over and over that I started gravitating to more "bad foods". I know that I'm eating more carbs then I was before.. rice, crackers,etc.. I still have 40 pounds to lose and I need to get back on track. I don't want/need my band any tighter, its more about food choices and portion size..How can I motivate myself to get back on the right track? I haven't lost anything in 2 months... help!

I do like carbs too... they actually make me feel good. So maybe I should just limit them instead of having almost none. Yes when i try to deny myself, i just end up over indulging!

Hi SheriRic... Congrats on losing almost 100 pounds. That's fantastic! I know there are many people in the same boat as "us". We are only human and all make mistakes. We do good for awhile and its hard to stick to the good habits when going back to junk food is so easy. I think whats important is finding the motivation to get back on track! We know we can do it because we have already done it once. I'm sure you had to work hard to lose almost 100 pounds and therefore you can do it again. I am halfway to my goal so I just need to know that I've done it once, so I can continue to do it. Going back to the Protein shakes and 1 meal sounds like a good start to me. I think i'm going to have to stock up on my slim fast and start again from the beginning. Good luck to you!

Thanks everyone for your responses. I was using myfitnesspal on my phone but unfortunately that too, I have slacked in doing. Maybe if I start tracking again, it will help to see how much more I'm consuming then I should. Shelley, I actually thought of doing the whole protein shake thing again. 3 protein shakes and one meal a day to get myself back on track and start over fresh, its just hard to get back on that wagon. I say I'll start tomorrow and it just keeps leading to another day and another day and so on. But I will get back on track!! I neeedddd to! Thanks Ladies!

I can only eat chicken thighs and sometimes those are too dry. I tend to eat some kind of sauce with them like other people have mentioned which does make a difference in it going down a little more wet. The breast is way too dry and killer going down so I don't even try anymore. Steak is pretty much a no no for me too. Sucks because you tend to want to eat things that don't hurt (bad unhealthy foods go down fine) and the things we should be eating (chicken, protein) hurts. Ugh! Just gotta focus on smaller bites I guess... I still have a hard time with that along with eating at a snails pace. This is a learning process for sure. Good luck to you!

I haven't experienced worse cramps since surgery but I have experienced my band tightening up quit a bit during that time of the month. It took a few months for me to catch on to what it was but It becomes so tight that I can barely eat and end up throwing up for a 2-3 day period. I asked my doctor about it and she said that she has had many patients complain about the same issue during that time of the month. Have you experienced the tightening or just cramps? She recommended taking liquid ibuprofen for inflammation. In your case you could do liquid Tylenol for the cramping. Just a suggestion to relieve the pain!

I eat pickles and don't have any problems... I don't think you have to give them up

You probably won't notice much of a difference on your 1st fill.. it usually takes most people 3 fills to feel the "restriction" from the band. It took me 4 fills to feel restriction. I wouldn't worry about it too much, I'm sure you will be fine. You can always ask your doctor for a "not so aggressive fill" the first time since you are going away on vacation but like I said, most people don't notice much of a difference on the 1st fill. Good luck and have a great vacation!

Has anyone experienced their band getting tighter all of the sudden even months after getting a fill? I had my last fill on 1-24-11, and I was feeling comfortable where I was and have not needed a fill since. It was tight enough but not too tight to be able to eat without getting stuck or any problems. This week my band for some reason has become so tight that it hurts even to drink Water. It is the weirdest thing. food hurts terribly to eat, even if its soft food. I can feel it pass through the band and its really uncomfortable. I don't throw up, its just painful. I have a sensation of heartburn and when I breath really deep I can actually feel my mind squeezing. Not sure what to do. Anyone been through this? should i get a little fill removed? It is just weird that I have been okay for 2 months and then all the sudden my band has a mind of its own..

Thanks everyone. I have a appointment tomorrow and I am defiantly going to get a small unfill. I don't like how I'm feeling and hoping that a small unfill will take away the pain and discomfort I'm having. Do you guys think like removing .2cc is enough? I'm at 6.2cc and thought about having them bring me down to 6cc. I don't want to remove too much but I need relief from the discomfort too.... Thanks again!

I had it really bad after surgery but only get it from time to time now. I seem to get it if I eat too much. Tums always does the trick for me though.

I had surgery in November and to this day I still have problems in that area. I've had to add Benefiber to my food and recently added fiber bars into my diet. Has helped a little but like the other person said, I'm lucky to go once or twice a week. Big change since I was going every day prior to surgery. When I feel a little backed up.. I drink Mira lax which was recommended by my doctor office. If you are constipated it makes it easier to go, and doesn't give you bad stomach cramps like some of the other products. Make sure to drink lots of water too!

I lost a good amount of weight the week after surgery and then there was about a 3-4 week period before I started getting fills that I did not drop any weight. Once I started getting my fills my weight lose became study each week. There are going to be times that you lose more then other weeks and sometimes that you may not lose anything. Don't beat yourself up.. Plus for me, in the beginning even though the scale wasn't moving, I still noticed a big change in my clothes so you can always lose inches and not pounds. Good luck to you!

I've had four fills.... none of them hurt. My doctor numbs the area first. The numbing needle is so small that I don't even feel it. When the fill needle goes in I felt nothing except some pressure when they push the needle into the port. Whole process takes just minutes. I do get some bruising but so far fills have smooth sailing for me.

I don't think you should worry about what other people think. If they are negative about your decision, then obviously they are not the people you want around. This is a decision for YOU and YOU to make. It is to change YOUR life. Not anyone else's. The only people I told were my Husband, Mom and my best friend. They have all been very supportive and as far as I'm concerned no one else needs to know. Take care and good luck.... its going to be a great new beginning for YOU!

Hi Mike, I actually experienced this myself after surgery. It would take me a whole day to sip down one slim fast and one bottle Water. It was like this for a good week after surgery. I thought what did I do to myself! Even drinking gave me the feeling of bad heartburn. I found that eating tums and the gas strips helped a lot. The gas strips didn't really work unless I had about 4 at a time. The heartburn feeling lasted about a week and then it went away. After a whole week I was able to get all my liquids down fine. After 2 weeks I was able to start on my mushies and didn't have any problem at all. By week 3.. I was eating normal foods again just like before surgery and couldn't wait to get a fill. Give it a week and you will feel better. Just sip, sip, sip all day so you don't get dehydrated!! Remember to drink slow and tiny tiny sips so you don't get the heartburn feeling. It will get better just hang in there. The swelling will go down and you will be able to eat again!!!

Congratulations! I am looking forward to when I can celebrate losing 50 pounds.. It's a great accomplishment. Keep it up!

My doctor recommends the Slim fast low carb shakes. They are the only Protein shake I have tried through this whole process. The taste did not bother me so I had no reason to try anything else. They come in chocolate or vanilla but I prefer the chocolate. They have higher protein then atkins which is a plus! I have done well with them. Good luck to you!

Is there a reason why you only want to get a fill using fluoro? I had my second fill on Monday. My doctors office just does a standard fill... they feel for the port, numb the skin with a little needle you can't even feel and then use the fill needle to insert into the port. The whole process takes only a few minutes.... I don't think you need to go to someone who only does fluoro unless you've been told by a doctor they can't find your port or they think your port is flipped. If i were you I would go to the fill center which is more convenient for you.