otters38

The band is not permanent, the sleeve is. Not that any of us want to get rid of our bands, but things that can't be reveresed scare me. I don't like the thought of taking portions of my body out. I'm sorry your doctor wasn't more supportive to you. YOu also have to remember he is a PCP and not a bariatric dr. He doesnt' have that much background about it all and is likely throwing more of his opinions in there then he medical knowledge??

I got an unfill today too and my dr always says 24 hours of liquids....anything that can go through a straw...does not have to be clear, and then soft/mushies for two days after that. Stick to this as you will pay if you don't. Good luck!!

How many cc's are you getting each fill?? My dr was pretty agressive, but I know not all are. I got 1.4 on my first fill and close to 1 each fill after. I am guessing you just don't have any good restircition yet. You will get there and then it will start melting off. Are you able to eat more that what you should?

I hadn't had my period for over 20 years. I had my surgery and now it comes every 30 days!! Why did I ever miss it!!! YES, my band does crazy things the days before my period and the first few days of my period. Foods I could typically eat, I can't and there are times when I have to do a day or two of all liquids just to get through. Start tracking things and you will see patterns. I was driving myself crazy with wonder/fear until I started journaling and started to see patterns each month!

I did refried beans....the canned ones without the skins....thinned out with NON chunky salsa....Spanish Gardens taco sauce has no chunks. I am a mexican fan so this hit the spot when I was on mushies. You could also put enchilada sauce over the refried beans and mix that up to thin out. Ricotta cheese with spaghetti sauce over it warmed up is also good and slides right down. I wanted flavored food so I got creative. Creamed spinach is another good one. Several brands sell it frozen. She check for chunks as some brands can be chunky!! Cream of Wheat was another go to food for me! Good luck!!

I agree.....insurance is the reason it takes so long. If you are paying on your own you should get right in!!

Yes you probably just gained those two pounds from being so tight before the unfill. It will all balance out eventually. This is when your willpower has to really kick in when you have a little extra wiggle room in your band. You can do it!!

I haven't had a fill in months either and there are days I can eat just about anything and eat more than I should of it. Then there are days I am lucky to get Water down. There is no rhyme or reason. I have journaled daily to look for patterns, and once i think I have it figured out, the theory gets blown. Who knows. I agree with whoever said the band is very fickle!! I know my period plays a huge part in my bad being really tight though. I can't imagine what would happen during pregnancy as hormones are raging!! It sounds like we are all experience similar things though so it must be somewhat normal. The throwing up of the yellow bile sounds like no fun. My guess is your band is too tight and no food is going down and you are super swollen from all of the vomitting. Try a liquid diet for a couple days and see if that helps!!

I'm down 65 pounds and am down 2 sizes. I thought it would be more by now, but I'll take it. It will happen!!

It sure sounds like you need an unfill. You should be able to eat every day. Yes, there are days that I am tighter than others but for the most part I can eat. What you are experiencing is not how it shoudl be. You should be able to eat more days than not...many more days. Try a slight unfill. Good luck!

I went over 18 years with no period, then I got my band and have a period ever since. Crazy how quickly that works!! Yes, birth control for sure! Give your band a year is what I hear!

I can't seem to quit eating Taco Supremes from Taco Bell!!!! UGH!!

I have lost 60 pounds in 8 months and have no regrets. I will say though that it is not as easy as I thought it was going to be. I heard my doctor tell me time and time again that the band is a tool and not a quick fix. You stil have to work at it. Granted you can't eat as much as one time, but you can graze all day and not lose weight or even gain. Sliders foods always go down and therefore you can have the band and not lose. It is all in how you use your band. I am really struggling with finding my green zone but I will get there! The best part of the band is being able to eat what you want for the most part just not as much. If I could cut out the slider foods and snacking I would be in much better shape. SO worth it though!

You are fine!! My doctor's post op diet is much different. I was ok to have mashed potatoes 5 days after. I was having runny oatmeal, mashed potatoes, yogurt and pudding. The best advise is of course to follow what your dr has told you, but dont' beat yourself up too bad. Google what other drs have their patients do and my guess is you will find you are aok for having had mashed potatoes!! It's ok....just be careful!!

I have lost 60 pounds since my surgery this past March. Things are slowing down now and I am finding that the theory of the band being a tool and not a fix is more true now. The past few days I have really kicked in with good eating habits and that makes things easier and I have lost some. The band can't do it on its own. Once I realized that thing are better!

My doctor actually said during surgery they fill the band to make sure it isn't defective and then take the fluid back out, but often times some gets left in there. They wait 6 weeks to give your stomach time to heal from the surgery and allow the swelling to go down before restricted it again. It is for your own good to recoop from the surgery first.

I don't suggest this as a go to thing everytime you are stuck, but since you seem really uncomfortable and in need of another unfill, I would not hesitate to do the old finger down your throat trick to eleviate some of the pain. I do it when I am desperate! It will at least get you through the night. Hang in there!

My pre op diet was two weeks and the same as above--proteing shakes for B and L and a low carb/fat dinner. I lost 18 pounds and followed it religiously because of the liver being too large scare!!

I took the vaginal progesterone with no side effects. No side effect was too big to deter me from having a child of my own. I had to take it every time IVF was done which was 4 times. Finally the 4th time worked. The progesterone really does help!

Yes, cut, don't pull.

This happens to me all the time. I usually get my fills on Wednesdays, then by Satruday my own spit won't go down. After this happening 3-4 times my doctor and I finally decided that I need to do about 4 days of li quids after a fill as my body seems to not get tight until a few days after my fill. My suggestion right now would be warm/hot broth or hot tea or coffee with no creamer. The warmth can open the band up SOMETIMES. Other times everything comes back up until my unfill. Try calling the on call nurse. My doctor will see me at the office on weekends for things like this. You can become dehydrated quickly. Be careful. Keep us posted!

I got 3.5cc's on Monday and less than 24 hours later I was back getting some taken out. I had the same symptoms as you described. If you are uncomfortable just sipping, you are likely too tight. I felt instant relief when he removed .5cc. Hang in there!

I had my first fill yesterday--3.5cc's. I was MISERABLE!! Nothing would go down right, I was starving but couldn't eat and on and on. I finally called my dr today and went in to have .5cc removed. It was amazing how much better I felt right away!!! Hang in there, but don't assume this is how it is. Listen to your body. My gut was telling me as I was pulling away from the dr's office the first time that something wasn't right. Good luck!

I was like you....starving and eating anything I wanted about 5-7 days after surgery. Today I got my first fill.....3.5cc's and I am having a really hard time getting to much down. I am eating slower than ever and just sipping water. WE'll see what the next few days bring, but I feel pretty restricted right now!!!

Congrats on being banded!!! Those first few days I would take a normal sip but then make 2- 3 swallows out of it. If that makes sense. I just got my first fill today and am so tight so I am back to where you are......sip, sip and more sip!!! I hope you continue to do so well.