flowerchild

I am having the same experience as you with the band. Had been pbing at least a couple times a week but still looking for food sooner than I should. When I went in to get a fill they would not give me one. Said 2x a week is too much regardless of the reason why I'm doing it. Dr. told me that is enough to cause a band prolapse or slip. They advised me to wait another month and come back in to reavaluate. Has been longer than a month now but I decided I am not going to get another fill until I get the vomiting or pbing under control. It has gotten better only a couple of times a month now so think I'm about ready for another fill. To me a fill was not worth risking a slip. I have been banded around 10 months and I still have user error sometimes. Old habits are hard to break. Working with the band takes some real patience but it is so worth it.

Yes stress does affect the tightness of my band. I was do for a fill in october and I lost my dad to suicide right before I was to get the fill. I couldn't really eat for 2 weeks. Just lived on protein shakes. I asked my Dr. about this and he said there are no studies to show stress has this affect but he hears about this problem from many patients. Thinks it may have more to do with us not drinking enough when we are stressed and become dehydrated. Dehydration is proven to make the band tighter. I have paid attention to this ever since and have noticed when I get stressed the band does get tighter even if I make an effort to drink more water.

You may just be swollen from the fill. If you can't get water down you need to go in asap for a slight unfill. If you can keep water down You might try a liqued diet for a couple of days and see if it gets better. If it doesn't you will need to go in because being too tight can cause a slip if you let it go on too long. My last fill I was too tight but I could get water down. After a few days of liqueds it loosened up. I'm still pretty tight but can eat 1/2 cup to a cup of food.

I felt the same way before I was banded. Very confused and wasn't sure what the difference would be if I still had to use willpower because I was never able to do that before. This is just my experience but there is no way I could stuff my face now. I follow the band rules because I am forced to. If I drink while I eat I feel like food is expanding in my chest and it hurts. I can't eat too much because it hurts. I don't hurt too often any more because I have learned to follow these rules. I have never once felt like I am on a diet. I try to stay away from sweets for the most part but I do have them if I really want them and I don't feel like a failure because I do. I don't get hungry unless I go 4 or 5 hours with out eating. I don't see how you could not lose weight with the band unless you are not at the right restriction. It can be hard to get there for some but once you do you will lose. A quote from my dr. "if you are using willpower you need a fill".

All I know is if you get on antibiotics you will get rid of it a lot faster. hope you feel better soon

I had a great deal of pain after gallbladder surgery which I had a month before lap band. I was really dreading lap band surgery because I expected the same pain. I had no pain at all with the lap band surgery. I may be an exception but I really did not feel like I even had surgery. A little weak but other than that I felt fine.

My surgeon required 30 days smoke free. I quit 3 months in anticipation of surgery. Couldn't schedule until insurance approval and didn't want smoking to postpone surgery. Unfortunatly I started back 2 weeks after surgery. It is really tough to give up food and smokes at the same time. Something to think about.

I asked my dr. this question at my last fill appointment and he said that dehydration means a tighter band. Since we havn't had fluids all night while sleeping, we are a bit dehydrated in the morning and this is why our band feels tighter. He told me to drink a glass of water first thing in the morning before coffee or anything. I tried this and it does seem to help some.

I was very scared and went back and forth on my decision right up until the day of surgery. I think more than anything I was scared of complications and having to go through additional surgeries and expense. Now that I have the band I am so glad I did it. I have only lost 29 lbs so far but I feel so much better. I didn't realize how much the weight was affecting me until I lost the weight I have. I still have a long way to go and I can't imagine how much better I will feel when I get there. I have not gave up carbs. I really eat anything I want to, I just don't eat as much. The only things I really monitor are my protien and Water intake. I am not saying it is easy. It has been hard for me to get used to eating slowly and not drinking while I eat, but I am getting there. I know the band does not work for everyone & the decision has to be yours and yours alone. Good luck in your decision & I wish you the best.

I started doing the same thing after my first fill. I have the realize band and they put in 3cc's. I was going to go have a little taken out then I decided to up my water intake and it helped. I think I was dehydrated. I am really glad now I didn't get any fill taken out. You might try more water and see if it helps. I was also under a lot of stress on the days this was happening. I think stress can cause this. I hope you can resolve this soon because it is no fun!

My doctor never mentioned drinking. I had a bloody mary about a week after surgery. I would suggest asking your doctor about it. (Even though I didn't do that).

I agree with everything emjay said. I just got my first fill Tuesday and I am in the learning process of how to eat. It is painful to eat too fast so it forces you to slow down.

I am so sorry this happened to you but just remember this is for life. This is a short detour (sp?) on your journey. You will be back on the road in no time. Please do not get discouraged.

My surgeon keeps telling me it only takes 10 minutes of exercise a day to keep your metabolism boosted. I am not good a exercising but I was doing this. I started back to work a couple of weeks ago. I work in a school kitchen and am on my feet and lifting for 6 hours a day. I havn't had the energy to do any exercise after I get home. I feel like I get enough at work but mabye its not the right kind. I meant to ask my doctor about it at my appointment tuesday but forgot since I was so nervous about getting my fill. I really hope at some point I can walk 30 minutes a day at least.

I have done about the same as you. I quit losing 2 or 3 weeks after surgery. I just got my first fill and can feel more restriction so I am hoping this will start the weight loss again. I think our body just has to get used to the weight loss so far. I am hoping and praying the fill will be the answer. How long do you have to wait to get a fill?

I just had my first fill yesterday. My doctor rubbed something on the port area to numb it, then injected something else to numb it even more. I did not feel a thing. He then wanted me to drink some water while in his office to make sure it would go down. It was going down but very slowly. I could feel it in my chest so they had me stay an extra 30 minutes to make sure it stayed down. I was really worried I was too tight but I havn't had any regurgitation. I can definately feel restriction. I hope I can eat solids. I am still on liquids. I have the realize band & it holds 9cc's. He put 3 cc's in. You don't need to be nervous though, it doesn't hurt at all.

I havn't experienced this since I just got my first fill today but this happened to my friend. She let it go too long and ended up having problems. I would suggest going in to see your surgeon or at least call and let him know what is going on. I don't know why it happens but I have heard your band can get tighter a long time after a fill just like it can loosen. My doctor told me being dehydrated can cause your band to tighten or even having allergies. I have also heard stress can do this. Have you had any of these problems? I hope this gets better for you soon.

I am going to get my first fill Tuesday and I have really been paying attention this week to my eating to see if I need one. I am not full with a cup of food. I try to stop but could eat more. I am getting hungry about 2 hours after I eat, however when I eat I keep getting that stuck feeling in my chest and this foamy stuff comes up in my throat. Is this sliming? The food hasn't come back up and it passes after a few minutes. So do I need a fill or not? I havn't lost any weight in a couple of weeks. I want a fill so I am not eating as much and feel full but I don't want to start throwing up and have problems either. Am I just eating too fast and not chewing well enough? Has anyone else experienced this?

I use Dr. Gornichec in Oklahoma City. I highly recomend him. He will only do fills on Mondays so if you have any problems you have time to come in and have them corrected before the weekend.

I am having the same problem. I was banded about a month ago and felt restriction for about a week or so. (probably from swelling) then didn't feel any restriction. The last few days I feel restriction and some things feel like they get stuck in my chest. I havn't thrown up and it will pass on through but I am sopposed to get a fill in a week and I don't know what to do. Some days I feel hungry and some days I don't. I am really scared of getting over filled and having problems. I didn't think I had a fill but my friend who was banded by same surgeon and same band told me today they put 3 cc in at surgery. I guess I will have to ask about this at my next appt. My DH doesn't want me to get a fill, since he is scared of problems but I havn't lost any weight in a week. I guess I will explain how I feel to my surgeon and get his opinion.

Coffee was on my list for the post op liquid phase. As long as you get in your 64 oz of hydrating liquids coffee should not be a problem for you. You might ask your surgeon what the reason is behind not having coffee.

Oh I just re-read your post and seen you do plan on calling your doctor. That is good. I think if they catch a slip soon enough they can just unfill your band and the stomoch will eventually slip back to the correct position. If you let a slip go too long, as in the case with my friend, they have to do surgery. Her band slipped because it was too tight for quite some time and she was over eating and puking. She would not go in to the doc because she was losing a lot of weight fast and she knew he would do an unfill. The surgeon said this is the cause of most slips. My friend had to have another surgery and she learned a big lesson. She is doing it right this time around.

Hi, I am newly banded and not an expert on the subject but my best friend's band slipped and she could not hold anything down, not even liquids so you seem to be having the opposite symptoms. I do suggest to call your surgeon and tell him/her your concerns. Chances are you are ok but you should have it checked out so you can quit worrying. It sounds like you may just need a fill. You should definately tell your surgeon about the acid reflux. You may need to be on medication for that. Good luck to you.

Hi. Thought I would chime in here. My nutritionist advised me that a person needs at least 130 grams of carbs a today for proper brain function. She said if you do not get this amount you will feel lethargic and not as alert. They insist their patients get 130 on the pre-op liqued diet. I know this is more than than most of the low carb diets recomend, but they have never worked for me as far as keeping weight off long term.

I am also getting really tired of this post op diet. I am on a straw diet (without the straw). anything that can be sucked through a straw or anything that melts in your mouth for 2 weeks. I have another week left and I am so tired of soup & the sweet shakes. I have been extremly tempted today to have some mushies but I am not going to do it. I'v gone through too much to mess it up now.