Does the way restriction feel change over time?

[giveyouthemoon 4]

Ok, so this may be a weird question...but I've noticed in the past several days that I hardly feel restricted anymore. On Sunday I had fabulous restriction (too much so almost) and on Monday things seemed to be going down too easy. A couple things happened in that time. One was that Aunt Flo came along and when she does I usually dump a lot of Water off. Next was that I had been exercising A LOT in the days leading up and dropped some weight really fast in that time.

But it's weird and obviously scary to feel like I hardly have restriction right now.

Then again, today I tried to eat a couple bites "too fast" and ended up PB'ing so I think my band is in place ok. (for the record I've called my surgeon and we're working on getting me a esophagram just to check). I don't have any pain, or redness at the port, or reflux and I'm able to keep food down just fine.

I think restriction just changed...boop, like that? Can that be possible?

Looking for some veteran insight on this one. I'm a little weirded out. Of course you lose restriction and first thought is ALWAYS a slip....I'm skeered...but to be real honest, I don't think I have a slip or erosion. Everything just feels...different down in there.....

Thoughts?

[Ms. Vicki 0]

I had my second fill on 05/01 and have had plenty of restriction until yesterday. I ate everything in sight and could not satisfy my cravings. I tried to eat plenty of Protein which is supposed to stop the hunger but it didn't phase it at all. Today, I had a little restriction in the morning and could only eat 1 scrambled egg before getting that "full -- if I eat another bite I'll lose it" feeling. Then came lunch and I had no problems at all. I've heard it can be different from one day til the next, which certainly holds true with me. Hang in there...chances are, the band is just being "fickle".

[Jachut 487]

I'm the same - in the last 10 days or so my restriction has disappeared, thank goodness I"m back to the doc next week for a check up. But I'd had such a good record of losses everytime, this time I wont have lost at all.

Because I wasnt super tight anyway, I didnt notice at first. Then I realised I hadnt had any discomfort or golfballs for ages, then I realised I was eating my bandster sized dinner and still looking for more although I rarely ate more and yesterday I ate a chicken and avocado sandwich for lunch - really really difficult food that I would have had to go slowly and carefully on and that would have had me feeling stuffed to the gills and not hungry till dinner time. It went down whilst I was typing on the computer - again a recipe for disaster, and THEN I ate a huge banana and even then I could have eaten more. So definitely no restriction.

My weight's swinging all over the place and I havent seriously gained but it's ony a matter of time. Its scary because whilst I've often said that I believe I've lost a lot of my dependence on food and changed my habits for the better, that's totally true, I no longer look to junk. But I most definitely do not have a handle on the quantity side of it, this is a good lesson for me to learn. I've said once or twice I dont think I'd regain all my weight if I lost my band but the last week has forced me to think about that and I dont know that it's really true.

I've been very cautious about fills, I'd rather control myself than have the band simply make it impossible to eat much of anything but I definitely need to be topped up and I think I'm ready in my head to be a bit tighter than I was, I feel I've achieved so much and felt so great at 93kg but I'm champing at the bit to get that other 20 off now.

My mind honestly has never veered towards thinking anything's wrong. I"ve lost weight so the band got looser is all. I've done a heap of running over the past months and its well known that good hard aerobic exercise causes you to lose a lot of your deep visceral fat, that's one of its prime health benefits. So I've lost fat round my stomach (if not from just under the skin, lol) and my band is looser. That's a normal part of the process.

[bandayed 0]

I'm not sure I'm a veteran, but I have to say that my restiction changes from time to time. Aunt Flo & Water weight being one of the main reasons. Overall though, I would say that I'm in the same range of restriction -- I don't go from super tight to no restriction at all; but one day chicken might be a "no" whereas the next day it might be a "yes".......I'm glad you are checking with your Doc, but the band is very fickle in my opinion and the variance in your restriction doesn't sound uncommon to me except maybe for the extremity of the change........let us know what Doc says..........

[respiratorygirl 0]

Well I recieved the max fill the last time I'm at 4 cc. For me i'm very tight after a fill and after a few days I'm a little over anxious to eat something and end up sick so for me I think it has to do with BP'ing also. After being sick a few days in a row the area around the band gets irritated and swollen making me feel like I'm very tight, but I've learned if I just hold off have liquids and give it a few days I'm back to eating good again in the evenings. If you have been sick and BP'ing you may feel like your tighter than you really are due to the swelling.

[Kelliebelly 13]

I woke up one day a couple of weeks ago and boom no restriction, well hardly any. I have had perfect restriction for mths or so. My Dr was worried and did more checks today. I dont have a leak or a slip so he put it down to one of those things. He finally gave me .5ml today because I have put on 4 kgs in the last few weeks and I was really starting to panic about the weight gain thing.

I know one day I can eat something and the next day I cant, but I am used to that now, this lack of restriction lasted like I said 2 or 3 weeks, so I know it was pretty much gone.

[giveyouthemoon 4]

I woke up one day a couple of weeks ago and boom no restriction, well hardly any. I have had perfect restriction for mths or so. My Dr was worried and did more checks today. I dont have a leak or a slip so he put it down to one of those things.

Oh my gosh you have NO idea how much this makes me feel better. My situation is the same. I'd had just right restriction for months. Things were going right and the scale slowly in the right direction and now hardly anything! Wow, glad to hear your situation turned out right. I really worry about something being wrong in there...but to be honest, I really think everything is fine.... I guess it's just "one of those things". Weird......

Still waiting to hear from my doctor about getting an esophagram. Can't hurt to take a look in there to make sure Trink (my band) is doing right.

[Angie C 0]

Your restriction will change through out the month. Alot depends on stress, aunt flo, or even the loss of weight. You could be tight one day and then not be the next. If you continue to be loose for a week or two, it could be time for a fill. Remember, you do lose fat around your organs. So give it a little time.

3-15-04

-110lbs goal

[giveyouthemoon 4]

Yeah. This is just really weird. I mean next month will be a year I've had this thing and I've come to really know how it all feels.... And this is WAY different than anything I've felt. It just feels....open.

And that scares me.

My primary doc called today. She rocks! She has no issue ordering the esophagram so hopefully soon I'll know the whole story...

My band is always somewhat open in the first two weeks of the cycle and it almost too tight in the last two week. So it's normal for it to feel more open right now....however....I can eat pretty much ANYTHING.

Maybe you are right Angie....maybe I managed to lose some fat around my stomach.

Anyhow, thanks to all who have chimed in!! Your support is super helpful!

[Bensmum1109 0]

Karen- will you please PM me or post once you have had the esophogram? I am interested in how the procedure works as I will probably want one 12 months out. Thanks!

[giveyouthemoon 4]

Karen- will you please PM me or post once you have had the esophogram?

Sure! I'd hoped to have it scheduled soon but haven't heard from them yet. Hopefully next week! I'll keep you posted!

[sheryl 3]

My restriction gets tighter and looser as AF comes and goes. As I lose weight, my restriction will lessen. I will wait until I hardly have a restriction to get another fill, because it can tighten up again on it's own..

Fickle, is right!

[giveyouthemoon 4]

Fickle, is right!

Yep! I mean, I'm used to the tighter and looser it feels with my monthly cycle. This is totally different. It feels unlike anything I've felt with the band in this first year. I mean like *poof*, gone.

I am hoping to get the esophagram next week....more to come on that!!

[DonnaB 3]

I think there might also be a correlation between restriction and barometric pressure. I wish someone would do a study on this. Barometric pressure affects LOTS of things, why not the band? I mean, pilots have to recalibrate their instruments with barometric changes or they won't know the altitude they're actually flying at. That's huge. All because of changes in atmospheric pressure. Another thing I ws thinking about is air quality and allergens. It affects your lungs, sinus, eyes, throat. Maybe band? Hmmmm.

I think I'll start notating the weather in FitDay so I'll have a record to look back at when I feel changes in restriction.

[niki 1]

It's been more than a year I have the band but still it amazes me how fickle it can get from time to time. Had 4 fills already and each time it feels different and last filling never kicks in the same way as previous fill. It's very weird and even though I try to pay attention to whatever is happening in my life at that moment (stressed out, relaxed, on vacation, airplane travelling, high altitude, Aunt Flo, etc, etc) I still cannot get it right. Sometimes it happens that this week I may be feeling very restricted and then, next week and completely out of the blue, it is as if I have no restriction at all. Maybe I just should let it flow and pretend I'mnot paying attention to it...

niki