Joined PB Club - Please REVOKE membership!

[Road Queen 0]

Kaybee, I have 1.5 in a 4 cc band and pb. I even did when I had 1.2

Sometimes its cuz you don't chew, something might slip through (like that potato), rice might swell,, etc. They are uncomfortable but you live through it. One day you eat something and its fine, the next its not. This is part of learning to live with your band. Good luck. Celeste

[Randi L 0]

Kaybee - you lucky girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You don't have to join, your band will do it for you if it feels like it.

I had my first fill yesterday - and he put in 6cc, <without me knowing>

and had to take 2cc out for me to drink Water <no fllouro involved>

I had the pb, the sliming, the everything last night. So my one month honeymoon of no restriction is over, and my real marriage to my band has now begun. I found out I have a 10cc band. YIKES! Without reading the boards, I wouldn't know anything about this whole adventure.

THANK YOU GOD for letting me find the forum.

[hootiebelle 0]

I joined the PB club today also...I was eating raw almonds maybe they were too dry I got that golfball feeling .....no pain...... so I drank Water and next thing I knew it just all came up with no effort and I now know what slime is.......I have never had a fill yet so when I get one I think I may not need much.........thank goodness I had a towel in my hand ( I do hair) It would have been more embarassing

[DonnaB 3]

Barbara,

You first PB experience sounds a LOT like mine, which was on scrambled egg and lasted for 6 hours! I feel your pain sister! My PB happened on the morning I was supposed to go in for my first fill. I cancelled.

After I got my first fill I was having constant pressure in my sternum so I scheduled an unfill. By the time the date of the unfill came around I was feeling pretty normal and decided I'd just have them check me under the fleuroscope so I'd be reassured that everything was OK. I went in for the check and a possible unfill and the f*ing doctor gave me a .5 fill - AND DIDN'T TELL ME!! To make it worse, he slammed the saline back into the band so fast that I thought someone had stabbed me in the chest! It was horrible! He made sure I could swallow the barium and sent me home. My sternum hurt but I thought it was from the rough handling, so I thought if I stayed on liquids for a few days it would calm down and be OK. Later that night I tried to sip some Soup which really hurt and took a long, long time to go down. I decided to have a few spoons of sf ff frozen yogurt and as soon as I put it in my mouth I started to slime. After that I couldn't swallow my own spit for 2 hours. The next day was SUNDAY. I had to wait until Monday morning to go in for an unfill. I couldn't swallow any more than a teaspoon of Water at a time or I had to spit it out and wait for my insides to settle back down. On that Monday, his nurse - who is completely fabulous and the ONLY reason I will continue to use this doctor's practice - did the unfill and informed me of the additional .5 fill. I'm still furious about it. I went in for a check and a possible UNFILL and that @ssh*le gave me a fill!!!!!!!!! I'll never forgive him.

OK, all of that ranting to tell you this: I lost about 7 pounds during that timeframe, which sounds great, right? Sadly, as I already knew in my heart of hearts, that weight loss was only dehydration. Over the next few days I went right back to where I was on the day of the fill. Only now (still) I have esophogitis from irritating the heck out of my body. I've been on Nexium for a month and I still may have to go in for a complete unfill and wait until my esophagus heals 100% before have another small fill back to my original fill level. This just sucks.

I'm adding this to your thread so you'll be prepared for a possible rebound on your weightloss. I hope it doesn't happen but now that you've heard about my experience, maybe you won't be too disappointed if it does.

Don't feel too sorry for me - I had been above the curve on my weightloss and now I'm within the normal range of 1 - 2 pounds per week. Just barely, but I'm in there. I try not to dwell on where I'd be if I hadn't had this month long setback.

Good luck on your journey and heres to both our first PB's being our last PB's!!!! Cheers.

Added 07-21-06: I need to add here that the f*ing doctor mentioned above is NOT my surgeon - he's the guy I chose for aftercare in the U.S. My surgeon was Dr. Rumbaut in Monterrey Mexico and he is absolutely wonderful. I just didn't want anyone to misunderstand and think what happened was the responsibility of my surgeon.

[barbara465 2]

Donna thanks for the heads up. I'm hoping the weight loss is permanent, but I'll be prepared. I'm a little hungrier today so not sure I have enough of a fill, but I won't be quick to call. I don't want any repeats of last weekend.

The good news is as soon as they took some out I felt better. Even though the fluro and barrium showed no problems the unfill has done the drink. I now know not to trust it all to what happens under fluro. You can still be too restricted and it show everything to be alright. That was eye opening to me.

Going to start real food tomorrow so I'll see how I do. Hopefully, that will tell me if I have enough restriction.

Good luck to everyone. Let's hope we don't continue to visit this club!!

[Wheetsin 714]

I remember not just thinking, but knowing that I was going to be the super citizen... the model bandster who a year out had still never PBed. I was going to chew, chew, chew... never push myself, etc. Then three days post-op I learned the band has a hell of a lot more say in what happens then we could ever dream of having.

I went into this surgery and PBing was the ONE thing I dreaded (next to the IV). It was the one thing that kept me from having my band 4 years ago.

I was such a fool!

Now -- trust me, because I've been there. When you're on the other side of the hill, PB seems like it will be the most horrible thing you can have happen. But when you're actually stuck, a real stuck, that's going to require a PB to pass -- you'll GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND BEG for it to happen, because no matter how miserable it may seem like it's going to be, it STOP THE PAIN... and when you're really, truly, bona fide stuck, stopping the pain is all that matters.

Plus there's a misconception. People refer to PB as "puke" or "vomit" -- and actual vomitting is MUCh worse than a PB. Not even in the same ballpark. I always have and still would hate to vomit. A PB...whatever... get it over with and resume my day.

[socalgal3 4]

Ok people, I'm in. I just started solid food yesterday and I ate a small piece of pizza because I had family visiting. Everything was fine. Then today, we were reheating the leftover pizza and I thought...it went down fine yesterday....I only had like 2 bites and the pain started and I went to the bathroom and it came back up after some heaves, a lot of saliva and a lot of pain. Do you find that sometimes the same food works and sometimes it doesn't? Anyway, it sucks, but I'll learn the ropes of what my body can take. It is scary and makes me feel like I can only eat liquids and soft stuff for the rest of my life.

[barbara465 2]

Repeat after me: I will NEVER, NEVER eat a iffy food type after its been reheated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pizza is a no no for most ( the dough), but when you reheat it, UGH!

[socalgal3 4]

Your comment made me feel bad Barbara....I've heard a lot of people talk about eating thin crust pizza on here. That's what I did and I chewed thoroughly and had no problem. I had no idea that reheated pizza was some kind of no-no. I'm learning the limits just like everyone. But everyone always says that its different for each person, so how can you know until you mess up?

[barbara465 2]

I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I'm sorry. I've just read on here how things change when reheated. Especially pizza. Most can't eat Pizza Crust, just the topping. Just be careful of anything reheated that changes, gets sticky, harder, tough.

I just want you to be safe. Learn from it and move on. Are we still friends?

[Wheetsin 714]

sometimes the same food works and sometimes it doesn't?

Yep! I'll try and word this in a way that makes sense, but when I've PBed on something, it's never been something that it was my first time post-op to eat. Or in other words -- all foods that I've PBed on, I'd also eaten without problem. A lot of (I'm learning) has to do with how much of it I swallow at a time. For me, foods that aren't, then are a problem have MUCH more to do with how well I chew, how much I try to swallow at a time, how much attention I'm paying to my meal, and how other foods have done during the day, than the food itself.

[Kayb3kds 0]

Hi. I'm not sure if it's called pb'ing or not, but ive had food stuck where your mouth waters, and it takes about 20 minutes to vomit.. It's not like when you have the flu.. It takes time to get it up, and it's a lot of straining. Very uncomfortable!!! Is that a pb?????

[health1st 1]

I don't want to join! You've got me scared and I'll do anything not to be a canidate for the PB club. I am so sorry you all had to go thru it!!

Right now I can eat anything and have tried everything the past 2 weeks. bread, eggs, pizza, sushi, all of it, sometimes in quantity. No problem. BUT I know it is only a matter of time and the PB's will get me! If not PB"s then I'll stretch the pouch by eathing too much and that can bring so many complications. Why do I test the limits?!!!??

SO I'm back on the wagon, I don't want to temp fate and mess around. I did that pre-banding and look where that got me.

It really helps to read these things!! We've got to stick together! I read the possible complications pre-banding but to hear the actual experience is much more meaningful and hits home. I really mean it, sorry you had to go thru it but I really do appreciate this board and you sharing your experience. I am humbled!

[Randi L 0]

Oh, how I long for the days of the no fill. While I didn't eat what you're eating, I stayed pretty close to the liquids and soft foods, I did test the limits.

Your whole world will change once you've had a fill.

and I'm not sure you'll have to have one,

but I think probably everyone gets some kind of reaction

to something.

it's hard - so be careful!!!

[health1st 1]

Randi, I agree, everyone has some problems, it is only a matter of time.

I had complications with my surgery right out of the gate (slipped band) and was in intense pain and remained in the hospital for 4 days and the Doc couldn't figure out what was wrong. It was horrible.

I know what restriction is from a slipped band and I am so scared to get a fill. Yesterday I went for my 1st fill and they couldn't find the port, poked around for 15 minutes and I am really sore today. I have to go back in 2 weeks and do the fill with a floro and I am so scared it will be too tight and then I'll have all the problems that go with it. I may chicken out.

I really am NOT a softie, rather tough in fact. I figured I'd fly thru this surgery because I had no co=morbity problems. Not so lucky.

I know I"ll have to do a fill eventully because I am having to do more will power these days than being able to use the tool properly with restriction. I read about the problems with too tight of a fill and think I'd rather avoid it and just try to eat the right way. I do have some restriction. I also have the VG band which I understand is easier on some foods. I just don't know. A little scared of the possible problems with a bad fill.