bandfun4me

Hi leena , I am 2.3 yrs out. sound like may be some erosion going on.I have hear that happens for some of us long term bandsters. Could be a little slip as well. Myself I am still 10 pounds from goal. Just to keep in perspective. Gotta have a new goal. I have had 11 fills. I have about 9.2 in my 10cc band. Good luck. hope your nights ease up..

I think ther are a couple of signals to warn us that we are getting close to full. Hiccups and the watering of my is the second one the third is the tightness in my chest , this last one is not one you want to get. it can get very painful if a foodpiece went down not chewed up quite enough. Been bande over 2 yrs. So I recognize these pretty quick , it just varies betweent he runny eyes and nose then the hiccups. but if you keep puttin more food in, STOP THEN , IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE FOR THOSE NEXT BITES....

Don't give up. Just call the doc. I have had 11 fills and 1 unfill of about .2cc. in the 2.5 yrs I have had my band. The fills that are done under the flouro are much better. The fills I had early on that were done without the flouro, made it till about day six before my adjustment kicked in. When they say liquids that means liquids, no cream soups, But I had a tendency to stick with protein frozen shakes in case there was swelling then the coldness helps. But if you cant even get sips down you are to tight..

banded 1-18-08, lost 70 lbs and I have 8.8cc in my band. I actually had a fill dec 1,09 of .4cc this was done under the fluoro so he could make sure no stretched pouch and to get the downward release good. So he went tighter to see the flow stop and back up and then he removed a tad. need measured .4 fill. so I a good for another 6 months most likly. This was the first fill since Aug 09. I will try and go 6 months this time. Usually my restriction would strat to lessen after about 7 weeks. Lisa you look great, WOO HOO! you should be very proud of your self..Sometimes I have to stop and look in ther mirror to make sure it is me that I am looking at.. I am only 5.2 so I need to be around 135, that is ten more to go. More cardio..

I would think that by the time you get close to full as the 10cc Lapband specs are written. You should have lost most of the weight or you have fallen back on slider foods. My doc di mone under the Flouro to check how much opening I had. I went from what looked like a river flowing down with 8.4 to very tight 8.8 only .4cc adjustment . I was banded 2 yrs ago and I am 10 lbs from goal, I eat very small amounts and they tend to keep me full feeling for at least 4-5 hours, rmember the water or fluids at time when you are not eating a, of course after your time limits..

I am 2 yrs out with my band, I have 8.8 cc and I still use my cpap. My setting is at 9. I dont take it campng anymore, But I know when I use it I will feel good and rested the next day. I really don't want to give it up. I was recently working a second job at night and came home and was able to get about 6.5 to 7 hrs sleep and still felt great. The gas is probably coming from the extra protein or if you are consuming a high amount of Sugar alcohols, that will give your more gas as well..

Ive been banded for 2 yrs(Jan-08). I have had 9 fils and 1 small unfil. I currently have 8.8 cc (approx) in my band. what I waws told and this of course depends on your band and whether you hav ethe Lapband or the realize. As you lose the weight the fat around the tummy walls also shrinks so there is more room and the restriction lessens. Depending on how fast you lose wt, the faster the more fills you will need. I had a fill about every 6-8 wks during the first year and they were more cc like 1.0cc or .8 cc, then down to about .5 cc. the unfil I had was at 9.0cc and he took out about .3-.4 cc then 2 months later when the restriction was gone he used the Flouro to set my passage in the band at .64 as the width, about like the size of a pecil or your pinkie. This should be last one for a long time. I am about 10 pounds from goal, I have lost 70 lbs. I have made it through the holidays lst year and almost this year. It is a tough time for us that still have to control those additions. Believe me they will come back. maintenance is the name of the game the further we get out.. Good luck to you all. keep reading. help is here on this website.

hi Curli, Good luck on your upcoming adventure of a new life. Do what the dr says. My doc gave us an education book at the pre-op meeting. it was called our lifeline, told us to read and re-read until we knew it by heart. It would be aour new ways to eat by. My nurse in the recovery room told me upon leaving to enjoy my new skinny life... So I was not the first one that has had that LAP-BAND® surgery. So I thought this has to work. I have too much time and pain invested I will make it. followed the diagram for the first stage - 2 weeks frozen shakes full and Clear Liquids. right everything down - they even gave me a book to do this for every meal and glass Fluid and cup Soup. diagram for stage 2- mushies baby food consistancy, yum, yum. You cannot imagine how good that tasted after 2 weeks all fliquids. week #5 I can start solid foods. Using a seafood fork and a bread and butter plate I purchased just for me. I ate by myself or after my family, so I could really enjoy and not be rushed feeling (after 21 months I am still the last one sitting at the table with my B & b Plate. Okay- no pizza, no bread, nothing White, no rice no mashed potatoes. not a problem. no sodas, not a problem meat first, then veggie. Chew every bite at least 20 times. put my tiny fork down in between bites and look areound kitchen, chew some more, pick up fork and take another small piece and chew. I was told to limit my self 30 minutes to eat. If I could not get it down, I probably had too much food. not a problem. My first fill was 6 weeks out. 1cc. back to 2 days shakes. Then repeat. I am 21months out, I have had 9 fills and 1 slight unfil of .4cc. I have Approx 8.6 cc in a 10 cc band. Not to lie, nothing is a piece of cake. I have had some bad days , hungry days and did I do the right thing kinda days. I am at 146 lbs, very happy. I will go in dec for a flouro x-ray to make sure I am tightened and have restriction and after that I will not visit my doc for 1 year, unless.. I walk every day gym 4 days week or less, I am not a slave to food anymore and my family has to eat what I cook. I wish I could have done this 10years ago. I have help now in my weight control, I just have to use it, EVERYDAY.. Good luck to your all , hang in there. This is a great website to just read how others are doing and look for good suggestions.:thumbup:

Your Dr will most likely do more blood work in a few months. If it has not chnaged he may up it. I was on synthroid prior to my band about 2years. I was at 88mcg at surgury, as my wt came off I have ajusted back down two times, now at the 33. Be careful when you skip these , once you start you need to continue. I have heard that some people that use the Generica as opposed to the brand name have different results. I am on the generic and seems to keep my levels on even keel. I am 21 months( 1 yr 9mths) out from surgery. down 65 lbs. I have ten more pounds to go. I have been at a stand still for a few months , but I am very healthy, active. Make small goals dont try to rush , you have a lot of re-learning on this new eating thing.:thumbup:

Well, if you are stuck, the water will not go down, it will come back up. I think in the mornings, if you drink something warm, the saliva will wash down. When I have been stuck, I knew it, severe pain, constant sliming and possibly a vomit shortly after. When you burp, being the only time you feel that, I am not sure. If in doubt , always call your DR office , that's what they are there for. good luck

I liked the Whole wheat crackers in the cream soups after a couple weeks, even though they were soft and mushie it made me feel there was a little something. Frozen sugar free pudding in the kids popsicle things. Frozen Fruit Protein shakes. I was so glad when my week #6 got here and I could actually have puree'd real food, looked like baby food but the texture was just right to satisfy the NEED. I did not have an appetite for a couple of months, just felt like I "needed" something to eat.. Good luck and hang in there..:smile2:

Just remember that restriction and "feeling full" do not necessarily happen together. Sometimes the restriction from the band will not allow a piece of chewed food to pass through as we think it should. When I was in between fills one time, and had no feeling of restriction, I had overeaten and I knew I had ate too much. It is now a miserable "full" feeling. You do not get the satisfaction of that "old full feeling" such as before the band. I have had 9 fills with 8.6 in a 10 cc band 18 months out. I now know that feeling will never happen again. So physically it is better to just step away from that last bite or two left on that plate. let it go!! I will not be worth it. Good luck to all our new bandsters..:biggrin:

Hi momoftwo, Wise thing to have a tad removed. I have had 9 fills and one small unfill, now have approximately 8.6 in a 10 cc band. The earlier fills were easier. As I lost more weight, it seemed to take a little longer (maybe 4-8 days) before I could tell my restriction was changing. I did 24 liquid and then 24 soft foods after each fill. The fill I had major trouble with was #8 , a fill of 1.0 cc. I tried and tried to make it work. I lost 6 pounds in week #2 after that fill. Too much sliming and PB'ing. I am good now. If I don't pay attention when eating or if I am having dinner with my kids and tend to eat too fast it will happen. I am 18 months out and 5-10 pounds from goal. So I eat about anything i want in very smalll quantities, bloodwork and other numbers are great, Gets lots of exercise and loving life. Hang in there, Those fills will make a difference..

Scout 47. My nutrionist laid out the platform for out eating and the whatnots. Eating slow as we do, chewing slowly, baby fork down in between bites and then another small bite. Anyway we were told to limit ourselves to 30 minutes. If we could not get it down in that amount of time we were trying to eat more than our pouch "should" hold. I think the Dr considers it grazing at that point. It is a good guideline for me, maybe not anyone else. Just as the items we consume. We were also told if the food did not have at least 7 g protein, pass it by. Protein is the main item and must go in first.

I have had 9 fills and one tad unfil. Either way, my port is so close to the top of my skin, doesn;'t have to go very far. At the beginning, He did not even ask if I wanted to numb, now he does. I pass, unless he has it ready to go..

BEWARE!! Remember those foods we are not supposed to be eating. Well I have found out they are the easiest to go down, nachos, Fried taco shells, Candy bars. Also these foods are high in fat. They go down easy. Once the contents swell up after eating, sort of like biscuits. You will be so miserable if you overeat! So do eat very slowly and time yourself to 30 minutes( including the basket of chips before dinner arrives). I now have 8.8 cc in a 10 cc band I can eat a small or 1/4 tacos salad due to having the lettuce in there, which is a "slider food". but one bite too many and I have big trouble. So the longer you stay away form these bad items, mexican, pasta/italian the better off you will be to your band. Pasta reeks havoc, it will block every time unless it is the "wheat blend". Good luck, take your time on adding the foods your should be scared of...:smile2:

Sounds like you are "sliming" , this is what happens after your eyes start to water or you possibly get the hiccups. When you get to this stage, You will always know what you're in for next. I am 18 months out I have 8.8cc in a 10cc band. Most likely it was that half of pill. We should be on chewable if possible. When you added the fluid wiht your pill, it just starts the sliming process in your esophogus, if you have som meat tenderizeruse just a pinch if you can swallow with your slime and it will work on that half of pill. Don't drink anything it will always make it worse. As you progress, you will recognize what leads up to this and coach yourself to "just back away" from any table, food or anything digestable. Cause for us bandsters, this point, it is no longer digestable.. remember this. the Burping is called PB(productive burping) meaning sometimes it wil help clear what is in your throat, ut not all the time, sometimes the food particles will then cause you to do a full vomit. Salmon, has caused me some issues a couple of times, it has a tendency to slide down before youcan chew it as well as we should. Try and relax, maybe try some yoga "up facing dog" and overhead stretches with your arms, some times this may releive some of the pain. It will pass, just a matter of when. Good luck.. Make sure to make note of this in your food journal and issue to thinks about. Good luck to you, make your band work for your, dont' try and work around the band..:crying:

I am at 8.6 and can eat anything I chew up very well!! I was at 9.0cc and Was in a difficult spot some things went down fine and some did not. I chewed everything ver well. So he took out .4cc so now I am back eat anything as long as I chew well. I eat from a breakfast plate meat portion is about the size of a deck of cards and my veggie is what ever will go down and feel ok, and my DH says I am piggin out... Over about 2months I have gained about 1.5 lbs. I will admit to a little more splurging and a little less exercise. But my next appt I hope to get .2cc put back in and this should take care of any extra cravings. only 10 lbs from goal. So remember your "sweet spot" will change as you lose more wt and your stomach wall loses more fat. I was banded 1/18/08, so I am 1.5 yr post-op. Hang in there, get adjusted to your new life, you will still have to keep those food monsters under control, very much worth it though...:thumbup:

I like a protein shake early before breakfast, too tight to eat early in the am. Regular food the rest of the day unless I have busy evening at gym and don't feel lik cooking late I will just have a protein shake. I like the EAS vanilla, mixes well with fruit and crystal lite for a fruity taste andI always use 1% milk, fozen bananas make it my "sweet" toothe for the day. luv my band:thumbup:

Well, I think you may still be in the healing stages. Don't rush your body. One thing at a time. Heal your body , walk, drink lots of fluids, get yur protein grams in. That is the big thing for you right now. If I read your post correctly you are only a 4-5 weeks post op. This is a good time to prepare your mind for the long haul. This is not like the diets we tried and failed at so many times. You can do this. You have a big investment in learning all that is new to your eating and getting healthy. I am 17 months out and have ahd 10 fills and one slight unfill, currently have 8.6 in a 10 cc band. I started exercising at 6 weeks post op, by then my energy levels were getting up there and the more I did the better I felt. Still now, the more I do the better I feel, I have lost 65 lb, still 10 lb from goal. I went from a size 16-18 to a current 6/8. You can do it, find your good influences and stick with them. Rest when you need to rest and eat when your tummy is growling. I have too much time and energy invested to fall off the wagon more than aday or so at the time. Hang in there, Remember this is your chance at a new life or a better life than what your were living pre-banding...Good luck

I had some pain a couple months ago on my left side. Very sharp pains in the middle of the night , could not lay on my left side for about 3 weeks. They did ultrasound as well, could not find anything. But, at the same time I was struggling with a slight overfill, I had gotten a fill which brought me to 9.0 cc in a 10 cc band. I was sliming about everyday, no vomiting, at this point. It was not improving. I looked at my food diary and made a few changes, did not help. So I asked for a tad unfill, he did remove .4cc , brought me back to 8.6 cc I have been fine PAin disappeared. I think the pressure on my port or the tubing shifted around internally and caused that strange pain. I may have eaten a little too much and caused that pressure I have no idea... I have not gained anything or lost anything in the last 8 weeks. I am about 10 lbs from goal, so It may be awhile before he will give me a nother fill in the amount of .2 cc. such a small amt, we will see. Good luck in finding that pain.

The steady fills will mean your are progressing well with your band. With each fill, it will slowly tighten,then lessen and as you lose wt, your stomach wall will thin and you will need a tad more to keep the wt loss going. I have had 9 fills (banded1/08) and it would take about 4-5 weeks before I would need another fill. The restriction will lessen as time goes on. A friend of mine got the REalize band and she gets fills about every 2 months where as with my lapband, I was on scheule about every 5 weeks. Sometime I got anywhere from .5 to 1.5 cc, I had a slight unfill of .4cc last month after being way too tight for about 4/5 weeks, I could not adjust my eating so I knew I was a tad overfilled. Good Luck , hang in there!!

Productive Burp(ing). producing nothing, maybe some Slime. It is like trying to burp from deep down under a ton of food.If you cant get the PB, next ot come will be the sliming. SLow down, take your time. You will hear this over and over. I am 16 months out and still experience these if I am not careful, I have to pay attention to my eating and not Gab at the same time..

I am 17 months out banded 1/08. Take your time. I believe the reason for the 1.0 cc fills is to let your mind and body adjust slowly. I have have 9 fills and 1 unfill of .4. If they were to put enough in for your band to be tight around your tummy, you would all of a sudden think you were choking and not be able to keep anything down. So the regular visit and fills are the safe way to go. I hav 8.6 in a 10cc AP band, on my last feb visit my weight was the same as the prior visit, no noticeable restriction, so with me being over a year at that point ans 10 lb from goal, he went ahead and gave me a full cc 1.0. in a bout 3 weeks time it started tightening a little more each day it seemed. So I had to retihink and take note of everything I was doing / eating and make sure I was making the "good" food chioces before I went back and told him I was in the need of a slight unfill. I delayed my appt for another 3 weeks. no change. so by the time I went back I had lost 2.5 lbs. good thing, but I was hungry, hungry, cause I was a little scared to eat. Sliming almost every day and probably had one vomit a week, Long enough. So He unfilled about .4 cc I am fine now. I will have to up my exercise a little more to get that last ten lbs off. I will delay my appt for another month, then maybe back in for .5 cc or even less. Doc doesnt want to get into a situation of fill one month and two months later a half unfil, I will wait and see. I feel good I have lots of energy , and being so close to "MY" goal, he is hesitant about the fills at this point. Give it some time maybe 6 months and then maybe another tiny fill. Take your time, exercise daily, journal your food. Keep your protien up. You all have a lot invested in correcting all of our bad decsions we made in the past, it takes time to change that way of thinking. It will work, beleive in yourselves.. Keep up the good work..:frown:

That could be very dangerous at this stage with your band. Please try slowing down, chew your food a little more. Sliming at this point , 5 weeks, not good. Remember dont drink or try to wash down when you are like that. That is a lot in your band so early, Did you have any restriction prior to this fill? If your fluids are going down ok, be patient and maybe eat by your self(alone) for a few days. I know when I got distracted at mealtime by DH or the kids, this was when I had a tendency to eat faster or not chew enough. So I would eat after the family. Try cutting your meat/protien into bites half or 1/4 the size of your thumbnail, easy to picture since it is right there where your tiny fork and knife are. Are you usinig a smaller version of fork? I am 16 months out and I still eat with a coctail fork or baby fork most of the time, it makes a difference, set your fork down in between your bites. Hang in there, we have to retrain our minds as well as our hands.