Need some advice

[Savannah713 0]

Hi everyone! I was banded March 8th:

_ 1st fill March 29th as I had no restriction

- 2nd fill was April 24th

I have had very modest weight loss, about 9lbs 2 lbs of which I regained last week before the 2nd fill.

I have had a problem with vomiting often but inconsistently on different foods, ie. some days I am ok to eat salads with chicken and some days I am not.

I am a little discouraged as I keep hearing there is a sweet spot but I am not finding it. I find it difficult to eat as I throw up and also don't feel full with little amounts when I can eat. I almost have my regular appetite.

I was also told to take an antireflux medicine daily. Has anyone found this helps with getting food stuck/vomiting and pressure below the breastbone?

I could use anyone's advice right about now.

Savannah

[prettyinpink 2]

You are too tight. I know it sounds crazy, but please trust me. I have had my band for 2 years now and I've gone through the same thing. My band slipped 5 1/2 months after surgery from vomiting. It does not take very much vomiting to slip a band (despite what they tell you). I had only vomited about 5 times in 2 days! It becomes a viscous cycle: food that doesn't go down easy or food that gets stuck leads to vomiting, vomiting leads to swelling, swelling leads to the band getting even tighter, etc, etc, etc. Each day is different. There is no rhyme or reason to it. Somedays I can eat salad with chicken and some days I can't. You have to learn to "listen" to your band and go with whatever you can eat on that particular day. It varies! I urge you to have an unfill for a few weeks and let it "rest". It's hard to find the sweet spot when your band is new. You will get there. Don't make the same mistake I did, thinking tighter is better. I have learned over the years that it's better to be able to eat a little more and you will eventually lose more weight. Also, you maybe trying to eat too early in the day. Drink a Protein Shake and plenty of liquids until around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Something else to consider is when you are too tight, the food doesn't pass through the band and remains in the top pouch - not reaching the bottom of your stomach that causes you to feel full. That's why you are still hungry and you may be stretching your esophagus, thus allowing you to eat semi-normally. If you are having any reflux when you lay down, that is a definite indicator. I hope this helps! Good luck to you!:redface:

[Savannah713 0]

Thank you so much!!!! All of your advice makes sense!! Perhaps I don't know when it is the right time to be tightened. I had food getting stuck before I was filled the 2nd time with meats especially chicken but I thought it was because I didn't chew enough or perhaps ate too fast. I wanted to feel filled because I wasn't losing weight and my appetite was large still. Now I can sometimes eat but most of the time I am sooo careful because of the fear of vomiting. I will go back on liquids tonight and tomorrow. I didn't know that I could be tighter earlier in the day but that makes sense. Most of my vomiting is earlier on.

One question, when you are being filled or unfilled do you just keep paying the fill fee? How expensive!! Perhaps this is the reason some of us might think of waiting it out instead of getting unfilled.

Again thank you so much!!

[prettyinpink 2]

Sorry, I am just now seeing this! I'm hardly ever on here. Yes, I just pay the fill fee and it is horribly expensive! I can certainly understand why people "wait it out". I was a private pay patient, so when my band slipped, I had to pay AGAIN for the repair out of my pocket! I have since changed jobs and now have insurance that will cover me if anything should further go wrong....lets hope I don't need it! Hope all is going well for you.