NaNa

Actually PBing and sliming is a SIGN of a problem....you may slime if you goof and don't chew well, and get food stuck, you are still early out and probably have not achieved the "sweet spot" green zone.... Many people never PB and slime, some do it every single day.....When the band is filled too tightly it causes you to PB and slime more frequently.....you can still PB and slime in the Green zone if you don't chew your food well or eat slowly. Frequent Pbing may cause band slippage, some people vomit several times a day which eventually leads to band complications. I posted this in another post and hopefully it can help you.. Actually the band was designed to be 'tight and snug' not too loose and not too tight. Ideally a 'tight' band or a band that is filled in the green zone, you should be able to eat most foods, but NOT too freely, the band SHOULD give us some resistance when eating, this is why we should take tiny bites and eat slowly... If someone can eat fast with no issues, then the band is too loose and the band is NOT working for them...if someone can't get down MOST foods slowly without PBing and sliming then it's too tight.

Not to get into a cat fight about this.. Actually I think you need to re-read it. It was last month she went for the initial fill and had the issue. I think you need to re-read her post again.... If she got 1cc added over 1 month, then went back 2 days later after not being able to swallow her spit and removed that 1cc....and THEN she went back yesterday ( A month later) and added that SAME 1CC BACK....and now she is saying that SO FAR SO GOOD...I replied and told her that in MANY many CASES ...fill adjustments don't fully settle in until about 3-4 weeks later and they are tricky depending on the ebb flow of the body.... So how can this fill work for her IF she was too tight WITH the SAME 1CC she had 1 month ago where she could not swallow her spit?... Again her band band her body....

I think you need to re-read her post again.... She just went back to the doctor yesterday and put that entire 1cc back ...it has not been a month... She was too tight a month ago and I remember her post. She said: So I returned 2days later and he took that 1cc back out . I just went in today and he put that 1cc back in again. So far so good. But regardless...it's her band and her body.

Actually the band was designed to be 'tight and snug' not too loose and not too tight. Ideally a 'tight' band or a band that is filled in the green zone, you should be able to eat most foods, but NOT too freely, the band SHOULD give us some resistance when eating, this is why we should take tiny bites and eat slowly... If someone can eat fast with no issues, then the band is too loose and the band is NOT working for them...if someone can't get down MOST foods slowly without PBing and sliming then it's too tight.

Parissel, This is one reason I came back to the boards..SO MANY were losing their bands, I try to help newbies understand the consequences, if the slip/erosion/removal rates continue to climb...we won't have anyone to talk to about your bands...LOL... Some will listen and MANY won't, you can't convince many people that a too tight band is dangerous, many have to learn the hard way....as one veteran lap banders told me years ago, it's best to use the band as A tool, and have it help you a LONG time, instead of it doing all of the work for a short time period. I got my band to ;help me; most days I eat lean Proteins and veggies, and some times I want to eat normal food at nice restaurants with my hubby...and my band allows me to eat like a normal person, only small amounts. I don't carry vomit bags, or cups in my car to spit up slime, to me this is not a way to Live! The other band forum that I use to frequent, no one post there anymore (who love their band) because most have revised to the Sleeve, Bypass or gotten their bands removed since I was banded over 8 years ago....

This happens to a LOT of long term bandsters we get complacent and forget the rules, because honestly many of use get tired of restriction! I found myself in the same predicament. If it was me I would go back to my surgeons office and have them check the band for any pouch dilation, this is a common late long term complication especially if we find we can eat more food..... Sometimes 'rebooting' the band can help, sometimes you may have to get some saline removed for about 6 weeks let the stomach rest and start refilling to reset the pouch......

Honestly...my answer for anyone that is willing to keep a too tight band, is make sure you are always in close proximity to your surgeons office, good insurance and money IF needed for emergency surgery or band replacement. If you can eat steak, and can keep it down, you may not be too tight, I'd give it a few days, but again, most people who THINK they are too tight probably are. Also, it takes time to get used to a very tight band, you may want to take tiny bites, and only eat moist food for a while to determine how tight your band really is. Sometimes it's a fine line between Red and Green zones, the warning signs to look for is chest and throat discomfort, frequent vomiting and reflux regardless of how small your bites are and reflux at night regardless of how close to bedtime you eat. My band is 'tight' green zone, I can eat all solids --but I have to be careful, and I can't eat no more than a few ounces per meal and I don't have to get up a slime and vomit at every meal. I went to Red Lobster yesterday for lunch and ate fish, green Beans and a few potatoes....I did not finish my fish, beans or potatoes and when home with take out box...before I ate I drank some hot tea to allow me to eat a very tiny meal -- to ME, this is what restriction is supposed to be without slimming and vomiting at every meal AND able to still lose and maintain my weight. I've had many friends over the years never could eat solids because they maintained their bands too tight, they got skinny and ALL have lost their bands and revised to the Sleeve at this point, I never question how tight they keep their bands because it was THEIR business. Remember there is no advantage for being too tight. This is one of those questions based on how tight someone is willing to keep their bands, everyone keeps their bands at different levels so you may get "varied" opinions on this boards.... I've been at ALL levels and I know what the consequences are long term....

You've only had your band a short time, it takes a while to get to know your band, also it's well documented in lap band literature that for most it takes about 3 weeks to really feel the affect of a recent adjustment... Also you could have had swelling the reason it became "easier to eat" there is a big difference in swelling from a fill adjustment and being too tight.

Sorry but this defies...science...LOL....hopefully that it magically works for ya! Also I want to add: Just because you can get liquids down right now does not mean you will be able to in about 2-4 weeks, remember adjustments are tricky and it depends on what is going on with your body at the moment reason why you are able to get liquids down NOW.... If was was too tight the first time, it's very likely you will be too tight again when this adjustment finally settles in about 2-3 weeks.... Always remember sometimes you can't feel a too tight band immediately and sometimes it takes awhile for it to tighten up to the point of not being able to swallow your spit, or eat any solids. It would have been more wise to only add 1/2 of what you had taken about before, 1cc is BIG fill.

Pouch dilation is a complication from banding, not as serious as band slippage -- but is a prelude to slippage if saline is not reduced and caught in time, it can cause the pouch to get really big and prolapse, but it is a complication where it makes it difficult for the band to be effective... Pouch dilation happens when someone is filled too tightly TOO LONG and continues to try to eat on a very tight band (along with frequent vomiting), sometimes it can happen pretty quickly after being filled too tight, this is why it is very important to return immediately to your surgeon when you've been filled too tight to prevent permanent damage to your band. Pouch dilation is tricky also, sometimes you think you are doing well with a very tight band and losing weight, and after someone who have been too tight for a long period of time, start noticing they can eat more food, they think they need more saline, but sometimes the pouch will dilate .... Here are more causes and differences in pouch dilation and slippage: http://www.sages.org/meetings/annual-meeting/abstracts-archive/gastric-pouch-dilation-versus-slipped-band-an-important-distinction/ Aggressive band inflation and creation of excessive restriction to compensate for patient lifestyle non-compliance may contribute to morbidity including gastric pouch dilatation, band slippage and erosion. It is essential to be able to diagnose gastric pouch dilatation and its causes. Treatment of pouch dilation includes band deflation, which preserves the device and ongoing patient educational counselling. We recommend that restriction should be increased in patient’s with aLAGB commensurate with their compliance and lifestyle change in order to avoid complications.

I will tell you this....for MOST of us that have had weight loss surgery, our FAT mindset is STILL THERE... MOST of US STILL WANT... loaded lasagna, pizza, greasy cheese burger and fries....we did not get FAT eating broccoli and baked chicken...we got obese by eating the wrong foods and not moving our bodies enough... I have been UNFILLED with my lap band and the hunger return with a vengeance (along with 50 pounds of weight gain quickly) and I will tell you when I am hungry I don't gravitate towards cottage cheese, and celery and carrot sticks..LOL... This is why I warn newbies to TAKE CARE OF YOUR BAND...and cherish it because WE THINK we have obesity beat and under control...but...when saline is removed and you are back to pre op hunger...it's a different playing field and scary!!!

The only way to tell if your pouch is stretched is have your surgeon compare your orginal pouch calibrated size when you had your surgery to the size of your pouch now....and you'd have to get an Upper Gi series or esophagram...

Well...it depends on the level of stuckness...haha is that a word If I just have some minor discomfort and feel like food is sitting in my chest -- I will chew some papaya enzymes and this will break the food up..... If I have really goofed, and took a bite too big --- IT'S TOO LATE for papaya enzymes because at this point my mouth is watering and I just let the SLIME BEGAN.... ...some people have bad gag reflex and will vomit....I DO NOT VOMIT I've trained myself enough to NOT put pressure on my band and prevent Pbing.. there is a special technique I use, once the slimming began that I use, I take a deep breath, and start spitting in the toilet or sink, I allow the slime to come out and sometimes I can SLIME for 10 minutes! And during my slimming sometimes it HURTS because the food is trying to go down and sometimes messaging the middle of my chest right between my breast push the food on down and I don't PB or vomit...I have NOT vomited once since I had my new band....but I have slimmed a few times and my lap band is TIGHT.... With my old band, I have been stuck to the point of obstruction, I made a mistake and swallowed a pill and sipped a very cold Protein drink on my way to work....to make a long story short, that pill got caught in my chest and I ended up in the ER because it was cutting off my breath..I ended up vomited about 10 times before the pill came up...very scary! With my old band, I have been so hosed up to the point of being stuck for HOURS!! vomiting several times...horrible situations.... When you are hosed up to the point of obstruction, papaya pills are no good, when the band is extremely tight papaya pills are no good because the only thing you can do is vomit your food back up to relieve the pressure...and this is why keeping a too tight band is dangerous because eventually after all the frequent vomiting...you can damage the band and cause pouch dilation and slippage....

Yea I can't really eat solids in the morning if I do I always get stuck doesn't matter what I eat it how I chew 90% of the time I get stuck .. A few months ago I brought this to my doctors attentions about me being really hungry in between meals so he said I may have a leak or slippage . he had adjusted me 4 times before this ..so he emptied me out the last time I got filled there was 7cc he said that's what he took out n I had no leakes n no slippage but I did have a little pouch stretching but he said it wasn't enough to be concerned .than he refilled me to 9cc n said that's a full as he will allow it. And I ment 75g of protein. And I def know my band working cause I can't eat solids first thing in morning and if I eat to fast or don't chew properly I'll get stuck .. And I can't chug water either . and I can't see a doc or nutricinist .no insurance n I have no money . until I find a job that offeres it or I get some with Obama care it may be years before I'm able to see a doc again. For me to pay out of pocket for a visit would mean not paying rent ..anyways thank u for your advice I'm gonna scale back and not do 75g of protoien I just wants sure if it was enough or not but now I know its to much :-) You mentioned: he emptied me out the last time I got filled there was 7cc he said that's what he took out n I had no leakes n no slippage but I did have a little pouch stretching but he said it wasn't enough to be concerned . Having a slightly dilated pouch (which is considered mild band slippage) can explain your extreme hunger and why you have a large amount of saline, but yet still hungry. When the pouch gets dilated, the surgeon can keep filling your band to very high fill capacities and you will still feel hungry....hence why are your still hungry with 9cc in a 10cc band....and why your surgeon is reluctant to add more saline at this point because it may cause complications... Many people have to surgically fix a dilated pouch because sooner or later it will render the band useless..you can STILL have tight restriction and still get hungry with pouch dilation, been there and done that...I know it is very confusing....

karen, When someone is carrying zip lock bags and "spit cups" in the car they've got some serious issues with the band....the ONLY time I had a spit cup in my car was when I was accidentally filled too tight and I could barely swallow my spit, I could not wait to get to my surgeons office the next day....and en-route back to my surgeon's office to get some saline out ...I had to constantly "spit" into a cup ...it was horrible!.... Believe it or not, some people KEEP their band THAT TIGHT for long periods of time! Unbelievable....I can see why there is a very High Re-operation rate with the band some of it is from plain stupidity and just nasty!

Ha.ha...that's funny Both my band surgeons has been thin....however, I've seen a few other bariatric surgeons that were obese.... My current surgeon who I think is "fine" is not rail thin, told me that IF he had to go down the path of bariatric surgery he would choose the lap band, he does both Sleeve and RNY... There are MANY bariatric surgeons that have lap bands..

Most lap banders don't have real vomiting, because our food goes down into our esophagus and it slowly moves from the lower esophagus and upper pouch( made by the lap band) and sits there for awhile before it slowly goes into the lower stomach.... We don't have the nasty stomach acid in our vomit....it's always slimy and sometimes can contain food particles (bolus) undigested food, that we've eaten without the stomach acid because the food never reaches the lower stomach most of the time when we Pb food. Slimming is a bit different than Pbing, most lap banders will probably "slime" more often than they PB, slimming is a way of producing saliva to help move the "stuck" food down your esophagus and your mouth will fill with saliva and you will spit out slime...slimming is not as harmful as Pbing because you are not actually putting pressure on your band...frequent Pbing can cause your pressure on your band... Pbing should be avoided, at all cost, if done frequently it can cause band slippage.

I will tell you I can't eat 5 oz of Protein at one meal, if you are not getting satisfied after eating 5 oz of protein and other veggies, to me, it sounds like you are not at your green zone, the reason why are getting hungry. My surgeon told me that he can safely GO OVER 10cc in a 10cc band IF NEEDED, so I think you need to get another opinion on that one. The ONLY reason a surgeon may be hesitant of filling your band tighter if you've had band slippage in the past and you will have some issues going tighter...but a 10cc band CAN safely GO over fill capacity.

I have always had a 4 bite rule of solid food dense food...also my band makes that rule too...because If I eat for example MORE than 4 bites of a toasted tuna sandwich....it will be SLIMMING. time for me.. This is why it makes MORE sense to eat solids because it makes you feel fuller quicker and you get prolonged satiety for hours ... But if you eat soup, yogurt, Protein shakes, you can eat UNLIMITED quantities REGARDLESS of how tight your band is...the band will never restrict these foods, even if the band IS DANGEROUSLY too tight you can still eat large amounts of chips, candy, soup, greasy food, etc.....

My nutritionist suggested I chew these little tasty pills ( from GNC) when I got my band over 8 years ago and I've used them over 8 years and they help me in the following ways: 1. They help ease digestion on a tight band - no clogging up food in my band. 2. They help with nausea or if you've eaten too much 3. They help ME to prevent reflux when I've eaten too close to bedtime, help move food through 4. If I make a mistake and eat too quick and get food stuck, they help push the food through 5. I CAN control how tight my band is, meaning, IF I want to eat MORE food in public without getting food stuck at restaurants with friends, I will chew about 3 papaya pills before I eat, this will clear out my pouch above the band to allow food to go down without having a embarrassing PBing stuck episodes with a tight band. In other words papaya enzymes helps me to clear out my pouch above the band and to prevent slimming and reflux and relieves that stuck feeling. However, papaya enzymes will not work with a slipped or damaged band with reflux or vomiting, unflling the band or surgical intervention is needed for that, so I don't want to confuse people with that.

Pretty, Sorry I did not read this post, and I am very sorry if you feel that I was trying to "shoot" you down, when I am not.... I am very happy that you are happy! keep reaping the rewards and benefits of your new slim body! I will NEVER shoot anyone down after they've lost weight, remember I am the biggest supporter of the and and weight loss! I like to spoil newbies with congrats and I am their biggest cheerleader...I got the same when I was newly banded.... I was just saying that I would personally get angry if I did not get a promotion prior to losing weight.(this has NOTHING to do with shooting you down)... WE ALL get raises based on merit and work performed...and we should be rewarded for our hard work...regardless what size we are.... Again, I am sorry if you misunderstood what I was trying to say....

Jack, Interesting concept: I think we forgot and "mis label" how the band should ideally work, We should never seek fullness from the band, but a feeling of satiety...meaning, NOT hungry just satisfied.... There are sometimes that I DO feel fullness with my band without eating too much, but I have eat dense foods, not drink with my meals for this to occur...so you have to KNOW how to work the band for it be be effective.... However when my band is too tight or too loose, I don't get the benefits of satiety with my band, so it has to be filled just right for me....

You know what? As I think about it...it's more of a "southern" thing.... I grew up in Atlanta, and before I relocated to Mid-Atlantic, Washington, DC, Maryland areas, I remember this type of behavior down in Atlanta. I think this is why I Left...It has been almost 20 years since I left the deep south! It was "oh she's so pretty" attitude rather than "does she know what she is doing"...lol... When I moved north it was a "different" atmosphere, MOST of the women in the Maryland, DC and northern, Virginia areas were Highly educated and is the only area in the US where most women have college degrees and are in higher positions...I guess because a lot of women work on Capitol Hill, in DC.. And equal rights for women are more prominent in the Washington DC areas and MOST women in the DC areas make MORE money than men....they don't play that here in fact, men will get fired if they play that type of nonsense...and it's venturing on sexual harassment and discrimination...IF they try to discriminate based on weight it will be more subtle and not in your face...lol. And...it's not that type of atmosphere in the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia areas and MANY women are managers, directors, etc and own their own business. Nana, this may be true now, but Capitol hill women in the 60's and 70's(maybe even still) had to be pretty, well dressed, and smart, in that order!(in fact back then, there was no slacks either!)so maybe they have moved forward quicker than the "South" but then I haven't been inside the offices of the senate and congress. Just saying! Karen..aka..kll724 Speaking of the TV series Scandal... Hubby and I was on vacation at the airport out in California in July and I noticed a very small girl in the frequent flyer section....and it was Kerry Washington.... She was dressed WAY DOWN...I barely recognized her, I am sure she was dressed down because she did not want to be noticed...BUT SHE WAS VERY SKINNY....looked to be a size double 0...way smaller than she looks on TV... She had absolutely NO BUTT, no curves what so ever!!!...sorry, but on TV she look healthier and curvy she was definitely not a Beyonce in the body department...I have to tell you...apparently it does not take MUCH to be an actor regarding looks...apparently you just have to be "skinny:...LOL...I heard she had struggled with an eating disorder too..

For ME, when my is too tight I don't get a sense of fullness...because I can't eat solids to stimulate the vegas nerve.....to give me that 4-5 hours of satiety that we are seeking....the band should be tight and snug to not allow us to eat too freely, but yet not too tight to allow most solids to past through the band. This is ONE key point , when the band is too tight, many get HUNGRY more often and quicker because you can't eat dense solids to give you that "full sensation" therefore being too tight backfires in many ways....many don't lose weight because they panic and resort to sliders, chips and junk that will be more easy to eat, no one can sip Protein drinks 24/7...and also it puts us at more risk to long term complications so there is NO advantage of being too tight.

Typically surgeons have "backups" or assistants to help out with adjustments if they can't do it. You need to call your surgeons office back to ask them if your surgeon have a "backup" or someone else that can help you, or when will your surgeon be available to start filling your band. If not you need to start looking for a new surgeon to help you, it's unethical for a surgeon to just leave you hanging...the lap band DOES NOT WORK unless it is properly adjusted. Good luck