kathy111

Hi there Like volleymom, i am about 2.5 years post op and never had much success with the lapband. After the first six months where I had lost around 30lbs I have just had trouble the whole time, i either can't eat and so I eat rubbish then take a bit of Fluid out and I am hungry. i seem to be very sensitive to fills and can't get the amount right, the band has been stretched and unfilled and so I gained most of the weight back. i am leaving it unfilled for a couple of months because honestly I need a break I have been miserable during this process and never go out anymore because of food getting stuck etc. I wonder whether I should try and get it out and have gastric bypass surgery but the cost would be a real issue for me. Has anyone come back from this point and turned it around and suceeded? I would really like some hope right now. Cheers folk

Hi There I was interested to read your post as I have had a lot of fill taken out as the pouch has been stretched from being too tight and constantly having food stuck, I am now able to eat anything which is a novelty after months of food getting stuck and being miserable and of course the wieght not shifting because as you said you eat sliders like ice cream and chips. I am worried about gaining during this time and intereseted that you said you had to wait 6 weeks, so when you started to get fill put back in was it small amounts and how often? Did everything go well after that? Did the weight start coming off again ok? I am just so worried that I will balloon up I am trying to be good but very hard when I can now eat good food. Kathy Source: NOT WORKING!

Sorry I think the way it's listed is wrong, I replied to someone elses post but wanted to post it as well. I have had most of the fill taken out beause most times I ate the food got stuck, I was still hungry and eating the wrong things as the pouch has been stretched making me feel like I hadn't eaten enough whe in fact it was too tight. Every time I went back to the doctor and said I am still hungry I got a small fill but should have have had some taken out. Last visit I saw a new guy who said this is classic overfill and the pouch is stretched and he did an unfill of almost all the fluid. I am gaining weight now as I can finaly eat real meals. I don't know how long the doctors wait untli things settle down and put some back, do you have any idea? We have no lap band doctors in my area and I don't know when they will visit again as the city they come from has been hit by a major earthquake. It's really frustrating as I have had this done 18 months ago and struggled with it after the first couple of fills. I could never get the amount right and now it looks like I should have had way less and it's back to the start. any thoughts?

Hi There I was interested to read your post as I have had a lot of fill taken out as the pouch has been stretched from being too tight and constantly having food stuck, I am now able to eat anything which is a novelty after months of food getting stuck and being miserable and of course the wieght not shifting because as you said you eat sliders like ice cream and chips. I am worried about gaining during this time and intereseted that you said you had to wait 6 weeks, so when you started to get fill put back in was it small amounts and how often? Did everything go well after that? Did the weight start coming off again ok? I am just so worried that I will balloon up I am trying to be good but very hard when I can now eat good food. Kathy

Gosh you really have had a bad time. So sorry to hear that. I have a stretched pouch from being too tight, i kept thinking I was hungry and they kept giving me fill but then I had problems eating and what was happeing was the band was tight and so it got stretched with me trying to get food down there, the stretched pouch made me feel hungry so I got more fill and on it went. Now the doctor has taken a lot of my fill out and I am gaining and have no idea how long it takes to go back to normal so I can slowly start having some fill. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Has this happened to anyone

I didn't really mean to create a blog just to post. I have been banded since August 2009 and have had a lot of trouble since near the start, it always seemed to be hard to do a fill as I was sensitive and a small fill would result in pain and taking some out again and being hungry again so it's been very up and down and never arrived at a comfortable place where I could just lose weight without drama. Today I saw a new doctor who said you have most likely been over filled for ages and the pouch has stretched and that's why you feel hungry. It was a light bulb moment like why did no one ever say that before, they just kept adding more then taking some out. This doctor said it looks like I skipped past the right spot and have been overfilled ever since, feeling miserable like a failure because I either couldn't eat anything or i ate ice cream just to eat something. I have been told, you aren't having enough water, not chewing enough and I know I did it right. Today I had 2 mls taken out and will wait 6 weeks for things to settle doctor said I might have to fight the hunger and weight gain but have to go back a few steps. Anyone else had these issues, would love to hear from you. This is a bit of a rant but been so frustrating and now I hope this is the answer

thanks guys it's so frustrating good to know I am not the only one have drama if you know what I mean. best wishes to you as well

Hi everyone I am at 7cc now and have never had good restriction except for the 1st fill. I had a minor fill 0.25 a couple of weeks ago and strangely I feel less restriction than before. The nurse said because they took everything out to measure and then put it back plus 0.25, some times the fluid can settle differently so this can be why it feels different. My doctor also said he would be expecting me to reach the elusive sweet spot between 6cc and 8cc so here's hoping I get there soon

I was banded in August 2009 so still quite new. I try to eat slow, drink before my meal and chop food small but food gets stuck a lot. Somedays I have no problem at all and others it's a real lottery whether I will be able to eat or not. Does anyone have any other ideas? maybe preparation things they do before eating that help? My doctor thinks I am quite sensitive even to a smalll fill. I hear different things like some people eat fairly mushy foods for months after banding and I was told normal texture foods after a month. I can't eat any sort of bread at all I have tried gluten free or toasting the bread, any ideas on this? I really miss bread so if there is something that works ok please let me know. The help from other bansters is really great I am in New Zealand and don't know of anyone else in my area who has been banded.

Yes I am tighter in the morning and tend to just have a cup of tea and then something for morning tea. I do find a hot drink before eating helps relax things and when I have water especially if it's cold water before eating it can cause more restriction. Thanks for all your ideas

It sounds like you are going really well I have 5cc in now and have the same screaming hunger at times and sometimes not interested. I know all about the head hunger and snacking out of habit and it's real hard this time of year so many work functions and social things. I have lost 33 pounds since August so I am pretty happy with that and feeling much better for it which is the main thing. I know I shouldn't compare myself to others but I can't help feeling a bit jealous when I read some people have lost a great deal more in a short time. I am inspired and encouraged by looking at the before and after pictures on the site and reading how people's lives have changed and I really appreciate all the tips and advice from others who are a little further down the track. Cheers Cathy

Thanks Cathy that's really helpful I guess I have to really make sure I slow down and chew more. I have not been game to try eating steak as it's only been three months banded. How long before you reached that sweet spot? I have times when I am not too interested in food but still get quite hungry at times. I am at 5mls now

Thanks. I certainly try to chew well because I hate that stuck pain and I avoid dry meat always go for brown chicken and gravy or sauce on meat. It's just weird and a little unpredictable. I had my work dinner on Saturday and was perfectly fine with chicken, lamb potatoes veg etc but other times everything gets stuck and not being able to eat bread is such a drag I crave a fresh tomato or egg sandwich. Do people who have had problems eating bread get over it at any point or is it a lost cause?

I had my second fill a week ago, now at 4.5. Since then I have had problems eating, I get burning pain in the throat about where the adams apple is and can sometime hear a gurgling noise before the food goes down and then get pain as the food goes down. The pain in the throat feels like heartburn or reflux and the pain as the food goes down is that horrible stuck pain. I have taken losec but it hasn't helped. At times I only have a couple of mouthfuls before the food does get stuck and comes back up. Has anyone else had this? Could it be the band is too tight? I can drink ok although sometimes this hurts too. Also at times there is no pain and I can eat ok but most of the time there is a problem. This happens with any type of food and I have been eating mostly mushy food as I am too scared to eat anything else. It's so frustrating and to top it off although I am eating so little the scales aint moving

It does sound like how I was feeling, mine did settle in a week but was mighty uncomfortable until then and if that happens again on my next fill I will get some taken out and not try to tough it out but I was unsure as it's the first time this has happened. I won't suffer that horrible knot in the throat and heartburn feeling again.I still have problems with some food, any kind of bread even toasted just sticks and won't go down and have to really take my time eating and chewing but mostly ok if I am sensible and getting full quicker so that's good too. Hope you get it sorted, Kathy

thanks, I only had 1cc put in this time previously 3.5cc with no problems so maybe a half cc out will help

Thanks for that advice it's good to know that others have had a similar experience and what helps the situation. I have tried a hot drink and it does help at times. Could not get breakfast down today but no problems with lunch it's so up and down. I have needles to do the unfill and someone here to do it if necessary but they don't understand the problems that occur the same as your own lapband doc. I am finding the posts really great as I don't know anyone in my area who has had this surgery.

Thanks for that, no I didn't know I was too tight as this is only my second fill and the first one didn't seem to make any difference. I thought if it was too tight I might have the stuck thing going on but had not been told anything about this heartburn/reflux feeling. Unfortunately I live in a small town in New Zealand and there is no one in my area to go and see, my lapband doctor is a plane trip away so it's awkward, I did call my doctor's nurse who said it may be too tight but may settle? Is the reflux thing common when the band is too tight? I had a look through the posts about fills and couldn't see anything about this. Also as I said sometimes I can eat ok with no pain so it's a bit confusing.