Frustration Setting In

[onikenbai 33]

So I was banded in October of 2009 and, with the exception of the pre-op diet weight, I've lost nothing since my surgery. I'm eating less than I used to and trying to be as active as my disabled body will let me, but no go.

The biggest part of my problem is that I'm having restriction problems. I have terrible first bite syndrome. I take one bite and then have to sit and stare at my food for the next 20 minutes while my muscles relax for me to take a second. I've tried drinking something hot 20 minutes before trying to eat but that doesn't help much. Once I can eat again, I can eat almost limitlessly.

I have about 7.5ccs in a large band. I did have about .3ccs more a month ago, but I kept PBing up everything and anything I ate on the first bite so I had to get a little bit out.

I'm starting to get really frustrated. I'm trying to stick to the rules but I'm hungry and in pain at the same time. I'm just confused. Do I need more fill? Am I missing something? Is there something that they didn't tell me that I should know?

[Nancy Kay 0]

I wish I had all the answers for you. I can tell you that I lost 30#'s really fast after banding and then nothing. My surgeon was very conservative and I never had a fill that was more than 1cc. It took a long time to finally reach a point where I had restriction that worked for me. After a little more than a year I have lost 60#'s. It has been a very slow process but it has been very well worth it. Even when I was very very frustrated at not losing anything I didn't give up. I always kept my appointments with my surgeon even when I felt like a failure and didn't want to face him. He was always very supportive. I hope you have a supportive sugreon. Talk to him/her about the problems you are haveing. Especially w/first bite syndrome. I had trouble w/nauseau until just recently... like until the last couple of weeks ago but I look at it as minor compared to where I would be if I had not been banded. Just know that you are not alone. We are all out here for you and this website has been very theraputic for me as I hope it will be for you. I know there is someone out there who may have answers for what you are experiencing. Don't give in to the frustration. You will get there! You are still so new into this journey! I will be your cheerleader! We all need one!

[juliansmom2003 3]

So I was banded in October of 2009 and, with the exception of the pre-op diet weight, I've lost nothing since my surgery. I'm eating less than I used to and trying to be as active as my disabled body will let me, but no go.

The biggest part of my problem is that I'm having restriction problems. I have terrible first bite syndrome. I take one bite and then have to sit and stare at my food for the next 20 minutes while my muscles relax for me to take a second. I've tried drinking something hot 20 minutes before trying to eat but that doesn't help much. Once I can eat again, I can eat almost limitlessly.

I have about 7.5ccs in a large band. I did have about .3ccs more a month ago, but I kept PBing up everything and anything I ate on the first bite so I had to get a little bit out.

I'm starting to get really frustrated. I'm trying to stick to the rules but I'm hungry and in pain at the same time. I'm just confused. Do I need more fill? Am I missing something? Is there something that they didn't tell me that I should know?

Hi there,

I was also banded in October of 2009 (the 21st). Lost about 17 on the pre-op diet--the rest has been post op.

I'm sorry to hear that you're not losing the weight. I have first bite syndrome as well (although it's starting to get selective based on the time of day lately), so I can relate to that totally screwing up your getting in enough Protein, calories, etc.

May I ask, are you journaling? I still journal everything I put into my mouth to this day. It really keeps me accountable and allows me to see how much Protein I'm really getting in every day. We absolutely cannot do it without the protein and (I hate to say this) Water too! I have also found that if I 'play' with my calories (some days 1200, others 800) that it tricks my body into not thinking it's in starvation mode, which is usually what happens when you're not getting enough calories in. How many roughly are you taking in? You may not be getting enough if you are having the issues with first bite syndrome. Perhaps a scoop of some chocolate Protein powder in a sugar free pudding cup. That's 160 calories there and roughly 25 g of protein.

Are you exercising at all or live more of a sedentary lifestyle? Sometimes 15 minutes or 20 minutes of cardio per day can jump start that metabolism (I use the walk for weight loss on demand--1 mile in 15 minutes or 2 miles in 30).

Just a few thoughts. Please hang in there. It's very easy to give up and be discouraged when you're not getting results. Just know that it will change. Your tool will start working with you--I think you're still in the process of figuring things out, so make sure you're doing what works best for you.

Lots of luck to you! Please keep us posted. You can do this!! :thumbup:

[adagray 1]

Great advice so far. I would just add, if you are on any medications, do a search online to see if any of them can cause weight gain or trouble losing weight. I say to check online rather than w/your doctor because my previous PCP put me on a BP medicine (when he knew I was trying to lose weight on WW) and did not tell me it could cause weight gain (or for me to stop losing weight). I plateaued for over 6 months on WW before I realized it was the med (Atenolol). It was a terrible terrible discouraging and frustrating time for me. I never take a medication anymore without fully researching it MYSELF. webmd.com is a good site for looking up medications, but there are plenty of other sites as well. Best of luck to you. I know how frustrating it is. Hang in there!

[silvers320 12]

I'll second the - are you journaling statement. Because it can't hurt.

Couple of the thoughts:

For me - my first bite was really caused by my taking too big of a bite and not chewing it nearly enough. Part of it was I on was on the 3 meals no Snacks plan and I was just plain starving by meal time. A discussion with the doctor added snacks, which allowed me to take smaller bites and eat more slowly.

If you are having restriction problems, and are PBing a lot - please consider having more taken out of the band. 7.5cc after only 6 months with a lot of PB sounds really aggressive. Excessive PB can cause damage. I know its a pain, but you want this to work long term - and it can. But take it slow, it always us to re-train out heads as well as our stomachs.

Good luck!

[onikenbai 33]

To answer the questions:

I'm as active as I can be. I have fibromyalgia, which is incredibly painful and makes it hard to exercise. If I do too much in one day, I run the risk of not being able to walk at all for the next two or three days. I do get a fair bit of exercise at work because I do as much field work as my body will allow, but of course I could get more. I would acutally love to get more and I remember the days when I could ride my bike, but now I'm pretty much restricted to yoga and what I do at work, which is walking and the occasional groundwater sampling. Even at work I can only do so much exercise and field work before I collapse from the pain and exhaustion. Some days I suck it up and push through the pain to get work done, but ultimately I pay the price.

Yep, the drugs I'm on do cause significant weight gain. Not much I can do there becuase without the drugs I am unable to function on the most basic level.

The PB-ing stopped once I got out that bit of fill. I haven't had an instance of it in about a month now. It was only that one particularly bad week. Part of the problem may have been that I ran out of my anti-inflammatory drug and everything in my body puffed up. Yeah, we won't be letting that happen again.

I do keep track of my food as time allows. I work about 50-60hrs a week, and with the 9-10hrs a day of sleep I need to keep my fibro under some control, there isn't a lot of time left some days. I do the best I can on the food front and get as much Protein in as possible. I unfortunately cannot have the Protein powders. I have tried a wide variety of them and all of them leave me writhing on the floor in agony within the first few sips. Only when I was a week into my 3 week pre-op diet did it come out of my mother's mouth that I am biologically unable to digest a large number of Proteins due to a birth defect. Thanks for holding that little gem back mother... it's not like that could be important or anything :thumbup:. So my protein has to come from actual food, and even then that doesn't always sit well. Beans, chicken and fish... the holy trinity of the band.

It sounds like I'm making 1000 excuses as to why this isn't working, but I am trying. With all the medical problems I have, some days it just isn't fun being me. Believe me, it's in my best interests to make this work. If it doesn't, there is a fairly good chance that the pressure that is building up in my brain will pull the retinas off my eyeballs, causing permanent blindness. If that's not a carrot in front of a carriage, I don't know what is. As I said, it's not always fun being me. Most days it really rather sucks.

[timetobefree 5]

I'm sorry. I am frustrated as well, but I don't have the same complications you have, which have to be uber-frustrating, to say the least.

Have you tried eating a 'primer' about 20 min before your meal? Like a bite of cheese or something so that when it is meal time, you've already gotten the first bite out of the way, so to speak.

I hope this helps - and hoping you start losing soon!

Amy

[jtreece 0]

I just wanted to say that you are not alone. I feel your frustration. I also was banded in October and haven't lost much. I didn't have restriction for 5 months then when i got it, it was too much and had to go for an unfill so i'm just holding steady now with hardly any restriction. Sometimes I feel like I'm right back where I was before the surgery but then I see I'm eating less, not pre-occupied with food all the time and I exercise more. I haven't gained any of the weight back I have lost...which is amazing for me. I know it's hard to come on the board and see people dropping weight so much faster. I have to remember that it's not a competition with anyone else and to recognize the victories I've had that may not be reflected on the scale.

Don't get me wrong, I continue to make changes to hopefully speed up my weight loss. I started journaling and Weight Watchers online. I definitely found where my problems are when it comes to eating (carbs and still eating sweets too often) so I would really suggest keeping a record. Also, I bought some Leslie Sansone DVDs that have 15 minute walks (very easy and low-impact) for when I can squeeze them in during the day because I work 9hrs with 3 hrs of commuting back and forth to D.C. Her workouts are simple and you can always modify the walk to your needs.

I just wanted to let you know you are not alone. I soak up all the advice on the board I can but nothing beats knowing that many are in the same place you are.

[BetsyB 9]

First of all, I am so sorry you're experiencing first bite syndrome. That must really compound the problems you're experiencing, and make it just so much harder to cope.

From what I've read, it does not tend to linger forever---so there may be hope on the horizon for you.

Does level of restriction affect it? I know it involves the sphincter between the esophagus and the stomach rather than the band, so logic would say that it would not. But we all know that the band's behavior is not always logical. Has your doctor given you any good input about ways to cope?

(Just a thought, which is purely an anecdotal observation rather than based on anything I know factually. Do you think the fibromyalgia is connected to the first bite syndrome? It seems to me as though many with FMS experience FBS....I wonder why? I wonder if any of the meds contribute.)

You say that you're eating less than before, but I wonder: what are you eating? Are you tracking it? I know it's a chore, and not necessarily one you want to maintain long-term---but for the short term, it might give really useful information about ways you can tweak your intake to bump up your loss.

I have fibromyalgia and a handful of other orthopedic/neuro issues, as well. My fibromyalgia responds very well eating "clean." I did away with processed foods a few years ago, and it made a HUGE difference. Really, huge. If I focus on lean Proteins, fresh veggies, heart-healthy fats (and these are really important not to pare down too much), and fruits and whole grains in moderation (I have yet to add these back in post-banding), I feel so much better than when I focus only on quantity of food. Quality is really important.

The pain from fibromyalgia can be a real obstacle. Do you have a really good pain specialist? That has made all the difference in the world for me. My flare cycle has really calmed down. While pain is a very real, very strong presence in my life, I no longer really view it as a disability. It's something that requires a different focus, and a less-punishing approach to exercise as many are able to carry out. But when you hit on the right regimen, it really can make you feel so, so much better.

I really had to work hard to make myself accept that working through the pain would ultimately provide benefits. Exercise does not injure me---though it sometimes hurts. With time, though, it reduces my pain. I honestly believe that walking daily (for several miles, at a brisk pace) is the best medicine I have. Without it, there is no doubt in my mind that (a) I would consistently be in more pain than I now experience, and ( I would experience severe flares more frequently. I think I'd probably consider myself in remission now; the pain I have is, in general, from other sources.

Obviously, what works for me might not work for you---you have to work within your own limitations. But I really, really strongly recommend that you try to rid yourself of the disability frame of mind, and instead view exercise as potentially therapeutic rather than something destined to make you feel awful.

You feel awful anyway, right? It was a huge struggle for me to decide, "Hey, I really don't have anything to lose. I feel like hell--what's the worst that could happen if I try this? That's right--I'll still feel like hell."

Luckily, I found that it helped. But I was diagnosed over 25 years ago---and it took me almost 20 of those to convince myself---so I totally understand the reluctance to push. And I totally, totally understand the frustration and depression associated with it---chronic, cyclical pain packs an emotional wallop that keeps on giving.

I'm sorry you're feeling so frustrated---you are dealing with an awful lot at once, and it must seem bleak at times. But I have a feeling you'll find your way around these obstacles and enjoy great weight loss success again. That will help you feel lots better, pain-wise, too.

ETA: It does not sound like you are making excuses. It sounds as though you are contending with a number of really tricky obstacles, and doing the best you can to overcome them.

Edited March 30, 2010 by BetsyB