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You are definitely too tight. You should never not be able to pass water!! I spent one night spitting my saliva into a cup and it was one of the most miserable nights of my life. Your Dr should get you in right away for an unfill. This is an emergency situation.

My energy level sucks right now. I am struggling to get back into my exercise routine. What I have found in the past is once I start exercising the more energy I have. If I sit on my bum all day I tend to sit on my bum all day. You just have to push yourself to get active. Easier said than done... I know! Lol.

Thanks for the feedback. I was hoping to avoid surgery but I dont want continued problems with my band and reflux. If it can cure my reflux... that would be wonderful.

Talk to your surgeon. You should not be experiencing acid reflux at night that severe. Even removing just a tiny fill amount (.2cc) can make a huge difference. Everyone experiences fill levels different. So "only" being at 3cc's doesn't mean much really. If you find restriction at 1 or 2 cc's.. awesome! Don't keep your band too tight. The ramifications are not worth it. Get it checked out before you do damage.

Congrats!!!!!

You are too sweet. What a nice gesture.

Ahhh. Sorry. Never tried Optifast. I was lucky and just had to avoid "white" food and carbs. I lost 20 pounds on my month long pre-op diet. Hang in there. That sounds like a sucky sucky preop and I would be starving too... and I am banded!! Lol. You can do it!! Countdown has started!

Ditto. Try quinoa. High in Protein and has a slight crunch. Almost pasta like.

I am 4 years out. I have severe esophagitis and a hiatal hernia. My band isn't as snug as I would like it, but any tighter and my reflux flares up and I am miserable. So it is taking me a little more will power to slow down more, weigh out my portions and stop eating. I find that even though I sometimes want to eat more and physically can eat more, I still stop. And I am being satiated for 4 hours. If I do get hungry before next meal I snack on string cheese or almonds. I would stop messing with the fill level. I was doing the same thing. A little in, a little out, a little in.... I have had 24 fills and 8 unfills. Yikes!! So maybe try backing out a teensy tiny fill amount from your reflux amount. A .2cc fill/unfill can make a huge difference. And add a little more willpower to your arsenal. Good luck. I hope you find what works for you.

The first few days out of surgery are rough. You are mourning food right now. Hang in there. It will get better. I was self pay also. I still sometimes wonder if I would have been better off putting that money towards an adoption because we are struggling right now to finance one. But I am healthier than I was, and I am back on the road to losing. Hang in there!! The road will be bumpy for awhile.

I am 4 plus years post op. I lost 100, then gained 56 back. Had gallbladder and then port replacement surgery. A month ago I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and severe esophagitis. I wanted my band out. I was tired of all the issues, pain, limited weightloss. I felt like a failure. I was jealous of those with a sleeve and wanted a revision. Well guess what. I was jealous of those with a band before I had one. Why would I be anymore successful with a sleeve? I re-evaluated what I was doing and realized I wasn't following the rules. I was cheating my band. Eating crap food, sliders, binging on ice cream, drinking with meals, drinking hot tea to facilate movement through the pouch, taking too big of bites, and not chewing well enough. I was breaking every single bandster rule. And I was surprised I was failing? Hello. Huge wake up call. So in order to "save my band" I went back to basics. I cleaned out my fridge, freezer, and pantry of processed crap food. Hubby and I made a pact not to eat out anymore. (Taco Bell was my favorite slider haven). No more ice cream (my personal kryptonite). I take small bites. Protein first. Chew chew chew. I LISTEN to my soft stop signals (running nose, sigh, or hiccup) and I STOP. No more drinking with meals. Guess what I found out. My band works when I work with it. As of this morning I am down 8 pounds in about a month. Not too shabby considering I am slacking on the exercise. This is a tool. You will get out of it what you put into it. As long as your band is functioning and you have a good fill with proper restriction, you should lose if you follow the rules. Think long and hard about whether or not you have done everything to be successful with your band. Revision is risky. Another surgery. If you aren't complying with the band rules, what makes you think you will comply better with sleeve or RNY rules? No surgery is a magical fix. They all take work and dedication. Coming back to the support boards is a great first step!! It has helped me tons to be back on the boards. Getting support, ideas, and keeping the bandster way of life in the forefront of my mind. I wish you lots of success with whatever your decision is. I just implore you to really think hard about what you have done and what you can do to be successful. Don't give up on yourself. It is never too late to start over with a band.

Are you restricted to the type of protein shake?? If not try BSN Lean Dessert. Best testing protein I have found out there. Was recommended by my nutritionist. http://m.bsnonline.net/details/leandessertprotein.html

I miss coffee. My reflux prevents me from enjoying a cup in the morning now. I am guessing you are on clear liquids right now. Stick to your surgeons diet. Don't put anything in your new tummy that will make it churn to digest. Let it heal. Do you like hot tea? It has caffeine and there are several flavored teas that you might like in the meantime.

In the last 3 weeks, zero times. I have been paying really close attention to what I eat an how well I chew. When I rush, take too big of bites, and don't chew well enough I get stuck. But even when I was slacking and not paying attention I would only get stuck at most once a month. I think 3 times a week is a lot.

I feel your pain and I have been there. I am 4 years post op. I lost 100 pounds and gained 56 back. I had a leak in my band and no restriction for about 2 years, but had a port replacement last year that fixed that. I did really well for a few months after the port replacement but had a lot of personal stress that had me turning back to slider foods and ice cream. Anyway, about a month ago because of reflux I had an EGD and was DX'd with severe esophagitis and a hiatal hernia. I wanted my band OUT. While deciding whether or not to REALLY truly give up and have my band removed... I started thinking about my experience. I got brutally honest with myself. I was NOT following the rules. I wasn't chewing well enough, my bites were too big, I was eating sliders, drinking with meals, and making poor food choices. When I followed the rules in the beginning, I lost 100 pounds! I was successful, but fell off track at the first sign of trouble. 3 weeks ago I re-committed myself to the rules and have really been paying attention to portion sizes and listening to my "soft" stop signal. Learning when my stomach is physically full is HARD. My head hunger is LOUD, and I always want more. I weigh and measure EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth. I eat SLOOOOW and chew chew chew. I find myself not finishing things and being OK with it. Head hunger be damned. I am sorry, but your surgeon sounds like an ass. I have gained weight and been a pain in the rear of my surgeon over the years... and he has NEVER ONCE made me feel like I couldn't discuss my problems with him. Even though I am pretty sure he shook his head in private after some of our consults, he was never rude or demeaning to my face. You shouldn't be vomiting all the time. Either you are too tight, or you aren't chewing well enough. (sounds like you have ruled out medical issues with the band?). I avoided sooo many foods because they got me stuck or made me PB. For the longest time I blamed the band. I was too tight, then I was too loose, then I was too tight. No.... truth was, I wasn't chewing properly. Ok... in all fairness... on some fills I was too tight... but mostly it was my lack of chewing. I am trying some of those nasty stuck foods again and finding out that with SMALL bites and lots of chewing, I CAN eat them successfully. I had turkey last weekend and it was a WONDERFUL experience. I may brave chicken next. I just can't eat the amount I wish I could. Haha. But that is the point! Now, I am not saying you don't have something medical going on. But if you have had the tests and the band looks fine... then maybe it is time to really look at WHAT you are eating. Truthfully. Are you doing your part to be successful? The band is a tool. It won't control the quality, just the quantity. I wish you the best of luck in your decision. I have considered revision on 2 occasions. I even scheduled a revision to VSG at one point, but decided to repair my port instead. I still believe I can make this work. Maybe I am being overly optimistic at this point... but hell... what I have been doing for the past 3 weeks is WORKING. I am down 7 pounds.

Yes it IS possible to stay satiated on 800 calories. IF you are at a proper restriction. First off, I think you need to go in and have your fill level checked and add more if you feel like you cannot stay satiated on small quantities of food. Before you do that though, you really need to measure your food intake and pay attention to how long you are staying full. I am a struggler and have had my fair share of complications. I just recently re-committed myself in an effort to save my band. I was just DX'd with a hiatal hernia and severe esophagitis and was so fed up I told my surgeon I wanted it out. Then I sat down and REALLY evaluated what I was doing and whether or not my expectations from the band were realistic. And you know what. I don't think they were. I am FOUR years post op and I am JUST figuring this out. Talk about a slow learner. So I decided to re-commit. I have spent the past few weeks drastically altering my diet, following the band rules, measuring and weighing my food... and you want to know what I am discovering.. my band works when I work with it. I was doing all the wrong things for too long. Eating slider foods, downing waaaay too much ice cream, snacking, drinking with meals, etc etc. I wasn't chewing well enough, getting stuck and frustrated. Now I am making good choices and paying attention. That was the hardest thing for me. PAYING ATTENTION. I actually think my restriction is pretty good right now. Some nights I can eat more than I should, but other nights I am too tight. I still HATE that part about the band. It is damn finicky. Salmon is great one night, and a no go the next. Anyway.. I digress. My point is, YES, this is NOT an easy journey. It takes work and commitment. Some people have a sickeningly easy journey, and some people, like us, struggle. But right now, in this moment, I truly believe it is what you make of it. Today my calorie intake was approx 825 calories (I didn't finish my dinner) and I am satiated physically. Mentally, not so much. Mentally I still want more. Head hunger is a byatch. It takes time and practice and WILL POWER to listen to those stop signals. You are retraining your brain. Sorry if my post is all over the place. I feel your pain. I have been there. I lost 100 pounds and gained 56 back. I am on my way back down right now and feeling positive. I hope some of the positiveness rubs off on you. Find a doctor who will work with you. I am VERY fortunate to have found an amazing Dr who took me on as a patient even though he did not perform my surgery. I am self pay and my fills cost me $100 and my office consults without a fill cost me $50. He check my fill level when I request and he always tells me what he is putting in. ADVOCATE for yourself. Sometimes he wants to add more than I am comfortable with... and I will request only .25cc vs .5cc. A SMALL fill can make a huge difference. I have a lot of money invested in this as well. I paid $9995 for my surgery, countless more in followups over the past 4 years, and $1300 for a port replacement. Sometimes I wonder if it was a sucky investment. Could I have done this on my own? Yes... I could have made these food choices before... but the small amounts of food I eat now would not have kept me full. Get your band checked out. Really evaluate what you are eating. I wish you tons of success!! Hang in there. Here is my meals for today... just to give you an idea of what I ate and stayed FULL on. I wasn't even able to eat all of my dinner... my dog got half my quinoa and asparagus.. lol. I try and stay under 1000 calories. My Dr recommends 1200. TOTAL 825 kcal ... 66.5g Protein Breakfast Peach Chobani w/Kashi Go Lean Crunch 235 kcal ... 18.5g protein lunch Protein shake w/lactose free milk 240 kcal ... 29g protein Dinner Scallops w/quinoa and asparagus 250 kcal ... 16g protein Snack Skinny cow ice cream bar 100 kcal ... 3g protein

Tracie... you have done an amazing job. Congrats on your success. Sounds like you have had a lot going on... so don't be hard on yourself. You are re-focusing now and that is the beauty of the band... you can get back on track! You can absolutely keep losing... honesty with yourself is #1. I sent a lot of time with my head in the sand and am freshly back on the bandwagon myself. Journal your food, be active on the support boards or blogs... the weight will start coming off again.

Congrats. Awesome job!!

Staples in my fridge/pantry: Chobani greek yogurt (peach or blueberry) Cottage cheese Hummus String cheese Apples (snack with peanut butter) Eggs Salmon Scallops Quinoa Beans (homemade chilli) Turkey Meatballs Cucumber (make veggie dip with greek yogurt) Asparagus

I am very carb sensitive because of PCOS... and I do lose quicker when on a low carb diet. But there is such a thing as healthy carbs. Raw and lightly steamed vegetables, Legumes, beans, nuts and seeds, High fiber 100% whole grains, Raw, whole, fresh fruits, Most low fat dairy. My rule of thumb is I avoid "white". Rice, potato, bread, and pasta. My breakfast most days is peach Chobani (greek yogurt) with Kashi Go Lean Crunch on top. If I am tight or in a rush... I do a protein shake. Maybe try hard boiled eggs with hummus to replace the yolk? There are tons of options.

I am glad you are feeling better. What an absolute terrifying experience.

It makes me tighter. I drink hot tea to soothe and go to liquids and mushies until it passes.

I second the EatSmart scale. It is very accurate and has great ratings. I love mine! It also came with a body tape measure.