Bigbandbetty

Oh my..... This is a long and very hard slog. I'm finally achieving weight loss but the band is waaaaaaaaay too tight. I realise now. I hiccup, burp, have reflux at night (sometimes vomit and can't make the bathroom.....awful) I have pain when I eat the smallest amount of well chewed food and I have a constant cough, day and night now. After my fill, 8 ish weeks ago, I had a bad few weeks. It settled down and now, it's so bad for me. I go back to the clinic on 22nd April. It would suit me to have the band emptied and removed. That's how bad I feel. Have I lost weight....sure I have. Who wouldn't on the amount I can get down. I can't wait to have the adjustment. I just want to drink a pint of water...... All at once and enjoy a light ham salad for a meal and maybe a protein shake or some meal replacement supplement. Please tell me that we can reach the green zone without all that I describe above. I'm exhausted with it.

Hello my faithful friends. Here is my update. As you know I have been too tight and had a pretty traumatic time as a result. I got to the clinic yesterday and after explaining everything to the nurse she aspirated .5ml from my band. The relief was instantaneous. I have to go back in four weeks but so far I don't have any of the symptoms that I had before. I can drink freely and eat textured food. I don't feel hungry. Hopefully this will mean that I am in the green zone at last.

Hi, I'm back in the UK now and I have been able to drink fluids slowly so I have avoided becoming dehydrated. I can last now until 9am on Wednesday but I am so looking forward to being less restricted. Thank you for all your concerns. You all offer very valid points. Self aspirating? Don't go there! Speak on Wednesday after my appointment.

I think I need to update you all or at least log my feelings for my journal. I'm pretty desperate right now but I'm stuck in France. I have an appointment with the Bariatric nurse at 11am on Wednesday next. I can't wait. Today the pain on swallowing increased somewhat and despite not eating, it won't subside. I feel pain when my saliva has built up in the pouch. I fly home tomorrow and expect the band to tighten more with the altitude. I'm worried now. I can't get this sorted before Wednesday so I just hope the band will settle again. I have had three days of reasonable comfort and hoped that it would last until my appointment. There is no chance at all of going to the hospital here. I am a 2hr drive from a town. I fly home to the UK tomorrow at 1800hrs, fingers crossed for me friends......I have tried to aspirate myself with a needle I have for emergencies but I couldn't penetrate my port and having only one needle I couldn't try again as it wasn't then sterile. I will let you know how I get on. Thanks for listening.

Thanks everyone. The advice is appreciated. I will let you know how I get on.

Oh my..... This is a long and very hard slog. I'm finally achieving weight loss but the band is waaaaaaaaay to tight. I realise now. I hiccup, burp, have reflux at night (sometimes vomit and can't make the bathroom.....awful) I have pain when I eat the smallest amount of well chewed food and I have a constant cough, day and night now. After my fill 8 ish weeks ago I had a bad few weeks. It settled down and now, it's so bad for me. I go back to the clinic on 22nd April. It would suit me to have the band emptied and removed. That's how bad I feel. Have I lost weight....sure I have. Who wouldn't on the amount I can get down. I can't wait to have the adjustment. I just want to drink a pint of water...... All at once and enjoy a light ham salad for a meal. Please tell me that we can reach the green zone without all that I describe above. I'm exhausted with it.

I have had my band for 18 months, I live in the UK. I have hardly lost any weight, 12lbs. I had a fill 2 days ago to take me to 7.5 mls in my 10ml band. I can't eat, don't feel hungry (????) but I can't really drink much either. I can sip liquids. Warm liquids are easier. If I take more than a sip, I get pain, hick ups and belch. How long should I wait before assuming that it is now too tight? I have never been in this position and have never really felt that the band was working for me. I don't want to 'cry wolf' if I just need to stick to sipping for a few days. Is this how you feel when entering the green zone? I accept the stomach will be irritated after a fill, how long should I allow it to calm down? It's about time it started to work for me but should it be this difficult at this stage? Any advice will be greatly appreciated right now my band aider friends.

The last 11 days have been very difficult. I am managing fluids and just about managing a protein shake. Finally the restriction is there. No hunger at all but not a chance of eating anything solid, even really well chewed solids. I have reflux at night.mi can't eat at all until mid afternoon (even then it's only soup or a protein shake) I have an appointment on 21st March with my Bariatric nurse. I am expecting an aspiration to reduce the mls. I won't be sorry even though this is the first time I gave felt restriction and list weight since the fitting. Good? Bad? Not sure. I think it'd too tight at the minute. I am hydrated which is the main thing..

Well, it's bedtime. I have managed to drink fluids all day. I have just had some Natural Ketosis almond oats. This has, I think, passed my pouch. No pain. Small glass of water, down. Maybe I will survive. Maybe my band has taught me a lesson. It's work tomorrow for me. Thanks for all your help so far. I will post tomorrow and let you know how I get on overnight. Fingers crossed.

Thanks TXDebbi. Just trying to drink my first warm drink of the day. Three sips and pain in the holding pouch area with each sip like yesterday morning. One bout of reflux in the night. So that's an improvement. Things got better as the day progressed yesterday. My surgery package has support for me in a 24hr helpline included & I know that they will recommend a downward adjustment from what I am learning from my friends on Bariatric Pal. If I can get fluids down and keep them down without reflux or pain, I will push on for a few days more. If I can stand it. I'll call the help, one and discuss the situation too. We can't access our Doctor. I will let you know what the help line operative suggests........

Thank you soooooooo much B52! I read your response earlier today in a quiet moment at work. Things have improved very slightly. By midday I had managed 1/4 cup of juice. In the afternoon I managed a large cup of clear beef stock over three hours and then this evening I have managed 2 cups of water. I am hopeful that I don't get reflux in bed tonight. If I survive.....my plan is to stick to clear fluids for a few more days. At least I'm not going to dehydrate now. I realise now that for 18 months my band has not been allowed by me to work for me. Now I have an adjustment that takes me closer to what I had the band fitted for in the first place. I feel more confident to persevere with it now. Thanks very much from bigbandbetty in the UK :-)))))))

Oh my..... Summary: Banded for 18 months. Up to 2 days ago I had managed to only lose 14lb. I could eat anything really. Got really good at chewing & I guess picking 'easy' food as well and defo pandering to 'head' hunger. Following my fill on Wednesday to 7.5mls in my 10ml band, I can't drink more than a sip of fluid. If I do I get pain. Not sure how long to give it before I decide that this last fill has made me too tight...... Fluids for a week....is this finally my band working? I don't know. We are all different but this is new territory for me....

Hi! In relation to altitude, I experience a tightening each time I fly or go into the mountains to ski. Usually lasts about 4-5 days. Last April I was a little concerned as it took my appetite away completely and I ended up buying protein meal replacements just to get energy in me to ski. On the positive side, I have been told that this is like the band should work when properly adjusted. I'm a year banded and yesterday had a .25 fill. Still not at all like it felt at altitude but getting there. I guess what I'm saying is somewhere between the 'altitude' feeling and where I am now would be healthy. I'm not advocating that the band should restrict you so you can't eat/ drink. That's foolish.

I flew from UK to Austria for a ski holiday. For the first 3 days of the holiday I was unable to eat very much at all. When I could, I had very little interest in eating. I thought to myself 'this must be how the band should feel when it is properly adjusted' I was banded Sept 2013. I am currently at a 6mil fill and going for another fill next week. I am convinced it was the altitude that caused the band to tighten. I have not lost any weight since the first month at all. Maybe with the next fill I can work with the band. Maybe the high altitude feeling is what it should feel like? For now, it's all I have to go on.

Hello Banders! I am one week post surgery. I have mapped my journey in a book with written words so far but just wanted to share this snippet. I did get the post surgery trapped wind pain as most do. When it continued after day 6 I decided that this needed research and unless I had suddenly developed a very low pain threshold, this pain was more than wind. Long story short, the pain was worse after my evening meal which was the largest meal. Apparently, if your diaphragm is stimulated it will trigger a nerve pain in the left shoulder. its the same nerve i guess. That explained the severity of the pain. Like a knife being stuck not my shoulder along with a little bit of left side neck pain. The diaphragm is stimulated if I eat too much or too quickly. Even with a fill of only 1 mil, and sticking to fluids. Tonight I drank my soup slowly and reduced the portion size.. No pain this evening....... What I would like to know is how long will this keep going? Is this my 'stop eating' trigger? A secret message sent from my band???? Any ideas Banders?

Hi Bandsters. I am about 8 weeks post op. A few days ago one of the incision scars burst open and some yellow pus came out. I squeezed gently and more came out. On e all the puss was out the blood came. The area is still quite sore. A purple bruise has appeared beneath the incision site. Any ideas? Could I have an infection tracking inwards now? Quite concerned about this :-/

Hi. I am 14 days post op now. I'm concerned that the two 'incision' sites, central abdomen, below sternum, are like a small lump, just larger than pea size. The other 3 incision points are flat. I can feel my port under one wound. The wounds are closed nicely. What are the lumps? Is it tissue that I will have permanently? Should I try massage it down? I convinced my husband the wounds would heal and not be noticeable. Now I'm a bit concerned.

I'm concerned that you seem to have had no advice from your team. Please...... Go on line and read read read. You MUST let the port and band stitches heal inside you so that they stay in place long term. The diet in the UK, post op, is the same for everyone. 2 weeks liquid (anything you could suck up a straw from McDonald's) and then 2 weeks 'mushy' food. Or fork pressed food. No limits. This first 4-6 weeks is healing time. Weight loss during this time is a bonus. You are so young but I understand why you have undertaken surgery......this must work for you so that you can live and enjoy a life that isn't food centric. God bless & Good Luck from Bigbandbetty x

Thanks very much ladies. I was glued. It doesn't feel warm or swollen and seems healed. I'll give it another week then will contact the clinic. Thanks again.