How Do You Know If You Need An "un-Fill"?

[bandedehs 0]

So I was banded i10/21/11 & have lost about 19lbs. And that was what I lost right after surgery. Nothing in the last 4 months. At my last visit, doc suggested a little un-fill but I was stubborn & pleaded my case to keep 5cc in my 10cc band. I was convinced I just needed more practice at slowing down while eating & not relying on "slider foods". But I am beginning to wonder. I seem to have to vomit a lot more often than other folks I know who are banded. For example--I had a busy weekend & I did not have time to even think about what would be a "good choice". I barely ate at all. Couple of spoonfuls of chicken salad, lots of Water, some coffee, some cheese/fruit.....no I did not get good Protein levels in this weekend but that's not my point. Saturday evening I was so hungry I ate a little bit of deli turkey & a piece of cheese. Ate slowly but immediately felt "stuck"....ended up in bathroom for about an hour vomiting.

Today--I had greek yogurt for Breakfast & during the a.m. I've had about 50 oz water. For lunch I've tried to get down some grilled chicken w/ broccoli. Very moist--chewing forever--but I'm getting that gurgling sound in my gut/throat & I know it's coming back up. This can't be normal. And yet w/ the little bit I'm eating---no weight loss....guess my body is in that starvation "save everything" mode... Any thoughts?

[rhonda435 2]

When you throw up you can irrate your band. When i eat to fast and throw up i can feel it tighten and can't eat solids for awhile. so i have just went to liquids for the day once i do get stuck. It does sound like you may be a little too full. Take a un-fill and see. But those bad weekends can catch up with ya good luck and stay with it.

[maryfran 19]

I can totally relate! I had 2cc in my band from surgery 12/13/11 and in February it seemed like everything was getting stuck and throwing it up was the only way to get it out. I saw the Dr about 3 weeks ago and he took 1cc out. I still was having an issue but not as bad. However, I wasn't loosing any weight like before. So on Friday I begged to have the 1cc put back in and now I'm really having problems getting anything solid down. Hope someone gives some good ideas I totally feel your pain

[Barky 0]

I have been banded for 6 years. I still have trouble with meat, Pasta, and vegetables, but anything that's not good for me goes down. I get sick well after the food has gone through the band. Finally figured out for me is too much acid and all the saliva and acid comes back up. I started taking Omeprazole and it helps but still have to be careful. Ya might want to try it!

[tbanded 1]

Had a fill yesterday so I'm up to 5cc only because I was still hungry 2 hrs after eating. Doing the soft mushies for the next two days tried a piece of salmon yesterday and it got a lil stuck, I'm thinking it was to dry, tried some cabbage after that it it went down smooth, gonna try some thin sliced chicken for lunch and we will see what happens....

[Cocoabean 430]

If you cannot comfortably eat solids, you need a slight unfill. It is not an admission of defeat. You NEED nutrition to lose weight. You just do. Sliders are yummy. But they don't keep you satisfied and you can get a bunch of calories down with sliders if you are not paying attention.

The more times you get stuck on solids, the more you turn to sliders out of desperation. You don't have to have ALL the fill removed. A 0.5cc unfill can make a dramatic difference.

I needed an unfill once. I got a 1cc fill. I was too tight for a week. I got stuck on string cheese, yogurt, and mashed potatoes. I couldn't take it any more. So, I got 0.5cc removed. IMMEDIATE relief! After everything calmed down for a month I went back and got what I'd had removed put back plus another 0.5cc for a total 1.0cc on that fill.

[Jachut 487]

Any sort of regular vomiting/inability to eat solids calls for an unfill - which may only have to be tiny. Of course any inability to drink is serious. And if you really and truly cannot eat any more than a couple of hundred calories a day, whether you're vomiting or not, you cant go on like that long term.

Any sign of heartburn and reflux generally means overtightness too.

Its a hard call to unfill. I really need to. I have a slight pouch dilation which my doctor was happy to just watch and see how it went, but I've started getting heartburn (particularly when I"m hungry) over the past month. We know that my band is tight but I wasnt feeling it because of the larger pouch, and that's a danger, no alarm bells ringing. I dont want to unfill, really dont want to but the stupid thing is, I know from past experience, that I will eat BETTER and probably lose weight and that the adjustment will only have to be tiny.

I'm not vomiting, having no trouble eating things like bread, but it just doesnt feel "right" to me. I have a lovely new tummy after my Tummy Tuck, the last thing I want to do is scar it up again from a revision surgery!

Unfilling is important because overtightness can lead to slippage and damage to your esophagus.

[1shauna1 129]

I have had 3 unfills over the course of my band. I am going back tomorrow for another small fill (now I feel I'm too loose; believe me I can eat anything practically). But you sound familiar to me, how I was the last time I needed one. Pretty much any solid, even if I chewed well & small bites, would get stuck. I was even getting stuck on some liquids in the mornings (when I'm tightest anyways). And I've read about people who stay too tight for a while but don't lose weight; their bodies just hold on to everything. Even a small unfill will probably help and you'll feel so much better.

[Leimomi 1]

Hello!

I am so glad to know that I am not the only one!

I am at 11cc and I have been experiencing these

exact symptoms.

How are you doing so far and has there been

any changes to the good?

Let me know!

[Leimomi 1]

I was doing great right after my fill, but it was

a few months later I started having like vomiting

episodes sonn after having any kinds of meat or chicken. All of my foods are steamed cook..

I am not able to eat fresh salads and if I have couple of bites, I am in the bathroom vomiting.

I will be seeing my doctor and see what we can do about it.

The purging has been happening

more if I chew meat or chicken and now steam fish too! I not able to handle any kinds of fruited or begs. Not unless I purée them.

As many of us who are careful and chew chew all

the time!!!