southernrootslbc

I'm over six months out of surgery. I lost a lot of weight right at first, and then progress stagnated. I think I was just never getting tight enough. The method my provider uses for the fills is to sip from a glass of Water and adjust it to where it takes approximately three seconds for the water to pass through the band. I think my problem is that it takes longer for fluids to pass through than dense foods. A few days after getting my last fill, I was able to eat an entire french dip and serving of chips... but I couldn't drink water quickly. Is anyone else having this problem? I finally got them to give me a really tight fill this last time. I have to drink fluids very slowly, especially in the morning, but it seems like I'm finally getting the restriction I need on food. Of course now I'm worried I'm too tight. I'm having reflux now during the night. I'm going to try not drinking anything an hour before bedtime and seeing if that helps. I'm just really wondering if maybe I don't have a "sweet spot." I know it sounds weird, but if I can process solids better than fluids, how will that ever work for me? Bah!

yes, mine would always slip through. i could feel it as it did. i would usually get tired of eating before i got full. it did help some in that i couldn't eat in big gulps like i used to. i had to slow down, but that was about it. i could eat way too much as long as i chewed it pretty well. now i have to eat way smaller bites and chew, chew, chew like the nurses kept saying i would have to. and it stays in my pouch and makes me feel full for a long time. this was my seventh fill. i'm at 6cc in a 10cc band. of course it varies for everyone. how does your doctor judge when you've had a big enough fill?

i've not been having acid reflux. i was just having regurgitation in my sleep. i really think that i was just not used to having a fill tight enough, so i was used to being able to drink and go straight to bed. well, now that i'm tight, that Fluid was coming back up into my mouth during the night... that's what i was calling reflux. it wasn't acidic, though. i didn't have any of it last night. i think the fill is loosening some on its own and i flushed my pouch with hot tea then waited a while before going to bed. before this last fill my band wasn't really holding anything in my upper pouch. it would pass through a little slower than normal, so i had to slow down and chew pretty well, but i could still take pretty big bites, and i wasn't getting the satiation. because of that, i could pretty much eat or drink right before bed and have no problems. obviously i've gotten a wake-up call! it's good, though. this is the first fill i've had that made me feel like it's working how it ought to. it's just weird for me, because fluids are harder for me than solids, so in order for me to get the fill that i feel is right for me, i have to be too tight by my surgeon's test (able to pass Water in 3 seconds). and yes, i hear ya loud and clear on the crappy food thing. i think of the band as a tool to help me with my diet. that being said, i believe in moderation in all things. if i completely deny myself treats, i'll end up bingeing. i just take a common sense approach to it, which is what my surgeon recommends. he asks that half of everything we eat to be Protein. then veggies. and then if we have room for it, the junk. that way we're getting the protein and nutrients we're needing without feeling deprived. unfortunately, sometimes i'm on the run and can't always have the most balanced meals, but i generally try to, and i always make sure i get my protein. the one example meal i gave here was just that... an example. it's not my typical meal. it was just to get the point across that right after a fill, i could eat WAY too much.

thanks everyone for the replies. fran, perhaps dehydration has something to do with it. very good to look into. i'm feeling better about things this evening. i didn't have the reflux as bad last night. a nurse once told me that one of the reasons it's so hard to get anything down in the morning is because saliva pools in the pouch overnight and gets too thick for Water to permeate. he suggested drinking hot tea to clear it. i tried that today and did much better with the fluids... i just have to do it throughout the day, instead of just in the morning. maybe those of us with this issue have thicker saliva (which could have something to do with dehydration??) i dunno... i'm just taking stabs in the dark. i feel like i'm in the perfect spot as far as solids go... can probably eat about 3 ounces in a sitting. i was just worried about the problem with the fluids and the reflux. i'm having a cup of hot tea right before bed to flush out my pouch. i'm thinking that'll solve the reflux problem altogether... fingers crossed. and no fears... i don't make meals out of chips and dip! and i rarely eat chips at all. even before i had my band chips were never my drug of choice. sweets are my weakness. they just came with the sandwich i ordered, and i was horrified that i could eat the whole sandwich and the chips less than a week after the fill! obviously i shouldn't have eaten all of that... but if i had willpower where food's involved i wouldn't have needed the surgery. also, i tend to crave healthier foods when i have more restriction. i want lean meats and greens when my fill is tighter, so if i'm not getting tight enough it really messes me up!

Okay, you've had the issues I'm talking about! The things that everyone else can eat for Breakfast, like yogurt, is really hard for me to get down. Even right after the surgery when they gave me Jell-o, I wouldn't eat it, (still won't) because it was so painful! But solids I can eat without a problem. It makes me worry that I'll never be able to get a fill right, since they base the fill on how quickly liquids go down, not solids. It makes me feel much better to see that you've had so much success, even though you have the same issue. And I'm glad to find someone else who's had the same problem. At least I'm not a total freak! Oh, and I'm not saying I had chips and dip... of course I wouldn't expect to feel full from that. I had an entire french dip (a roast beef sandwich on a hoagie roll) with a serving of chips. I shouldn't have been able to eat even half the sandwich if my fill were tight enough, ya know? There's no way I should have been able to eat that much so soon after a fill. So that means to me that my fills aren't tight enough, and I think it's because they're basing my fills on how quickly Water goes down, which is freakishly slow for me. See my frustration??

While I appreciate your feedback, you've missed the point of my post. My surgeon has said that I can eat anything in moderation. I don't make a habit out of eating french dips and chips. I usually eat lean meat and veggies, but I also don't deprive myself of occasional treats. And quite frankly I don't think I should have to justify my diet to you... that's between my surgeon and myself. My question is if anyone else is having the problem of having a harder time with liquids than with solids. If you have an opinion on that issue, I'd love to hear it. However, if you just cruise posts to judge people on their eating habits, please skip to the next one.

Yaaaaay!!! Congratulations!!

Anyone else used/using this surgeon? I feel pretty good about my decision to have him band me, but I'd like to reach out and see what everyone else has to say...

i ended up getting banded by dr. wellborn on 5/6/11. i haven't regretted it a bit. i also shopped around, but settled on him because of his experience and his staff. it's been amazing having nurses who have been through it. it's like having mentors who just happen to be health care professionals

I got my first fill about 30 hours ago. I did fine until right now. Now I want FOOD!! That's why I logged on... to see if anyone else was able to eat food at this point after the fill. It makes sense to me to eat as my body is telling me... so long as I don't overdo it, and actually listen to my body. So now that I know other people can eat soft food this soon after a fill, I'm going to, too! (Yes, cheating is bad, but so is hunger!)

i'm seven-weeks post-op, and i'm going for my first fill wednesday. i definitely have the ups and downs. somedays i feel really tight and others, i have a full appetite. you must have a pretty conservative surgeon. by my third week i was already on soft food (not having to be pureed... i could have deli meats, ground beef, etc.). i can now eat everything and haven't had any problems. i'm not a veteran at this by any means, and i don't suggest taking my word over your surgeon's, but how i've gone about it has been to listen to my body. when i started being hungry for something more substantial, i ate something more substantial. i knew that otherwise, i'd end up eating the wrong stuff and failing like i had at all my other diets. (i also think that a lot of us have a complex about failing, because we have on so many previous diets. i don't think it's a helpful mind-frame, so i'm working on being happy with progress, instead of expecting perfection). as for the weight, how often are you weighing yourself? it's hard for me not to weigh myself every day, but i think it's good to maybe go a few days without weighing in. if you weigh too often, it'll definitely vary a lot, because a million reasons from Water retention to how full your bowels are. best of luck to you. just know it gets much easier.