rbca314

I had my lap band in February 2009. I had a total of four fills over the next 9 months with the last one in Oct 2009. I live 5 hours from my clinic so it wasn't easy to get to follow up appointments. After my October fill, I always felt like something wasn't quite right. I had reguritation almost daily and at least four times a week, but I thought - oh well, should lose more weight. I lost weight very slowly, but started eating all the wrong foods because it was all I was comfortable eating - frozen yogurt, dark chocolate, lots of zero calorie Vitamin Water. I would try and eat meat and vegetables, but fruits were almost out of the question. Things were never consistant. I could eat something one day and not the next. I had alot of "first bite syndrome" as I call it. Where the first bite food creates a huge ball of mucous and it would have to come back up immediately. Anyway, after a year, I decided that maybe I needed to go back for a check up. I made appointments, but would have to cancel because of travel for work or some other work related reason. Finally I went today and discovered that for the past 14 months, my band was so tight that it was about the size of a pin hole. They were shocked that I hadn't lost all my hair because of lack of Protein (ate alot of sunflower seeds) and would get about four bites of meat down at a time. I also ate frozen yogurt with milk every day. It was the only thing that felt truly comfortable eating. They removed a very small amount of Fluid from my band and I feel like a new person already. I actually ate part of an orange tonight and it went down great. The point of my topic is to say - be sure and go back even if you feel like everything is wonderful. I just thought this was going to be the lap band way and if it kept me from eating then it was OK. Follow up and if you stop losing weight, feel discomfort eating, cough at night, and regurgitate alot, your band is probably too tight.

Thanks for the information. I have thought about trying something like taking a bite, do something else, taking another bite and doing that until I have eaten something nutritious. I am just 20 pounds from where I want to be so I really don't want to have any fluid removed. I am also glad to know about the four hour thing. I just tried to swallow my nightly pills and they came back up. Finally I tried again and I felt something break free and go down. It must have been something stuck from the beginning.

So glad to see all of these posts. I am sitting here struggling with keeping anything down tonight. It seems like if I take one bite of something and it doesn't go down right, then I am in trouble for the rest of the day/night. I took a bite of a pork chop tonight and it all came back up. After that, I can't even get down frozen yogurt or any liquid. I have been banded for 10 1/2 months and have lost 40 pounds. It was wonderful to get through the holiday season and not gain, but lose weight. I don't want to get any Fluid removed from my band, but I just wonder if this continuous "vomiting" is hurting me in some way. I really don't know what to call it because it is really just opening my mouth and what I ate coming out. Another thing I have wondered - when this happens, I seem to have to blow my nose alot at the same time. Does that happen to anyone else?

I had a HH too. It was pretty big and the Dr repaired during surgery. I always thought it might be a possibility because of heartburn and diffuculty swallowing. I haven't had any heartburn since my surgery. I can definitely tell something is different - of course the band makes so much difference too.

I haven't had a fill since July 11th, but still have days when I have to throw up with just a few bites. Other days I can eat anything. There is no consistency to what is going on. When I got my last fill, they did an xray and said I have a stretched esophagus - not sure if they has anything to do with this. I wouldn't mind the band if what I could eat was consistent. It is so embarrassing eating out with friends sometimes.

I went in for my third fill yesterday. They did an xray and discovered my esophagus is stretched. I had not been in for a fill in two months because I have to drive 5 hours and just had not had time. I have had lots of problems with PBs, but never have felt that "full" feeling everyone talks about. The PBs were with first or second bites of food. I know have 4.2 ccs in my band and can definitely feel some restriction, but am worried about this esophagus situation. Has anyone had this happen and what was the fix? Does it allow you to keep eating and let the food go into the esophagus?