Unfill - sorry I got this band

[Hopes place 0]

HI,

I am so sorry that I ever got this band. I am now so tight I can't even swallow and throw up all day long. Today I had a shake and then at 1pm tried to get 1/2 mashed avocado down and I have been throwing it up for hours . That is how all my days go. I have been banded for 5 months, lost 26 pounds and everyday has been either a struggle or a nightmare. Last week I got my 2nd fill and now I can't swallow so I will have to travel 8 hours to see Dr. Spiegels associate (I am a self pay so gotta take what I can get the cheapest) and now I don't know how much to tell her to take out. I had no idea all this would happen. At the seminars no one talked about all of this. Dr. Spiegel said he always does the fills which is now not true either. Anyway, now that I have vented (thank you all very much for listening) how do I know how much to tell her take out? Should it be .1cc?

I appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks,

[Nana~ 4]

Yikes! I have been too tight twice before, I know it sucks! Once I was so tight I would throw up my own spit after it built up

Can I ask how much do you have in? and have you ever been completely unfilled? Because after my bad episode of daily puking My Dr completely unfilled me for a whole month then we started over small and worked my way back up. it seems to have worked I mean I can eat again

[avilla 1]

I am so sorry to hear about how your second fill is treating you...I am not a pro since I just got my first fill, but I would think that it would depend on how much of a fill you got this last time and just take out a small portion of that to get you to a happy medium of where you were at your first fill and now...Have you called and talked with the nurse to see what she recommends that you do??? If not I would start with that for sure!!

[leatha_g 4]

Even the tiniest of unfills can give you some relief. Between you and the doc, you shouldn't have to lose ALL of your fill, unless there are any other complications. Please don't give up, it simply takes some adjusting to finally get things going your way. You should not, however, be throwing up on a daily basis. Your doc may want to take the fill completely out if she feels your esophagus needs the rest. Do you generally go to fluids for 24hrs or so, if you have PB'd or thrown up? This should help to prevent your getting esophagitis due to the vicious cycle of eating, throwing up, then eating again too soon. Good luck to you and keep us posted!

[sunsett 2]

Hang in there. I guess thats why they call this an adjustale band. You can get it re-adjusted. My suggestion would not be to try to toughen it out because that can create major problems later on. 8 hours is a long ride but it is worth it.

Good luck, feel better.

[Hopes place 0]

Thanks for your support and input. I have a 10cm band and the doctor said that this band holds 4 cc. I started with a fill of 1.6 and then it was filled to 2.1 so maybe just a slight unfill of .1 might help. I have an appointment next Monday to get a unfill so I will keep you posted. Thanks again for the support.

[mousecrazy 2]

I'm just going to give you some information so you can compare. We have the same size bands. You can read my signature and see my fill history. Notice the time space between fills.

Here's the advice, take it for what it's worth, which is just my own opinion, and my desire to make this a better experience for you. Back your fill down to .6cc, and live with it a while. Use it as a tool, and don't depend totally on your fill level to restrict your food intake. In a few months, if you are ready, get another fill...and so on. You will be happier, you won't live in a nightmare, and you will give yourself time to adjust to less food intake, and the other types of lifestyle/behavioral changes that bandster life takes.

Can you see the logic of this?

I know it costs money to get fills, and it's inconvenient, but it sounds like your life is pretty inconvenient like this, so weight it out.

Banded life should be happy.

Cindy

[hootiebelle 0]

I don't think you should wait till next monday.........that is a week of throwing up......you could be in trouble if you keep throwing up for another week

[DonnaB 3]

I'm with Cindy/Mousecrazy. If you've been having problems all along, why did the doctor give you another fill? You need to be able to eat solid Protein - chicken, fish, etc. If you're living on shakes (you didn't say milkshake so I'm going to assume you meant a protein shake) and vomiting something soft like mashed avocado, you're too tight. The band wasn't meant to work like a bypass, which does all the work for you. It's meant to work like a tool that HELPS YOU to make better choices and reduce the quantity of food you ingest.

You need to get an unfill, maybe not complete, but certainly low enough that you can eat chicken and other solid food. After you've been able to eat normally (meaning normal for a bandster) for several weeks and given your stomach, band, and esophagus a chance to unswell, and heal itself completely, THEN you should get a SMALL fill. Make sure you can still eat solid food with that small fill. After another month, have another small fill. Make sure you can still eat solid food with that small fill. Repeat as necessary until you reach a level of restriction you can live with, which also helps YOU to reduce your food intake.

If you keep going the way you are, you're going to cause damage and lose your band. Not to turn into a phychiatrist here but, is that maybe what you want to happen?

[Hopes place 0]

Mousecrazy... that makes the most sense to me but what do you mean by reducing it to .6cc. Do you mean to unfill the entire band to .6cc?

Donna, you make alot of sense to me also. No, the worst thing that could happen to me is to lose the band. Sorry to say, I am one of those people who do "what I am supposed to do" and the surgicenter said I should come back and get another fill after about 4 weeks" so I was just doing what I was "supposed" to do. I now see that I need to take control of this thing and do what my body is telling me to do. Dr. Spiegels office says that if you can eat a whole chicken breast you need a fill. So.....it is now time for me to take control which is hard for me. I am used to people telling me what to do and I am confused about what is the right amount of food a bandster should be able to eat and doing it right. What is a sample day of food for you.

thanks

[mousecrazy 2]

Okay, now you've got it. Take control, listen to your body, and do what is right for you. The band teaches many lessons (ah, grasshopper...I sound so philosophical!)...for you, taking control of your life may be THE one.

Yes, back that fill up to something like .6cc. Then sneak up slowly to your sweet spot, and use your own head more.

We'll be here to help you through the hard parts, and there will be hard parts. But what's happening now is very unhealthy, and that's certainly not the point of the whole thing....

I'm not scolding or lecturing...here's a (((hug))) and my best wishes to you as you learn how to use this tool! Please post as you need to!

P.S. Before this very last fill of two weeks ago, I was able to eat an entire plate of pancakes! Still, I lost 61 lbs in the year! I was ready for more restriction (ready, in my HEAD) and now, boy, do I have it. Yet, I can eat real meat, but MUCH less...MUCH less. I could not have done that right off the bat a year ago.

Each person is different, has different reasons for having the band, has different reasons for being obese....learn to listen to what is right for you, and trust yourself. This is no competition.

Good luck!

Cindy

[barbara465 2]

Same thing happened to me. I got a fill, fluro looked good, and 5 days later PBing and can't keep anything down. I called the surgicenter and told them they had to fit me in. They did and I discussed with his PA how much to take out. She took out .5 and then said how bad was it? I said bad, so she took out another .2. I had almost instant relief. The fluro still showed the barium going right down.

I waited a few weeks and then went back in for another fill. We put some more in, but I said not to be aggressive. I'm still less than the original fill. I'm feeling some restriction, but will wait a few weeks to make sure before requesting another fill.

Dr. Spiegel requires 3 days of liquids and 3 days of mushies after a fill. Be kind to yourself and take control. Call the surgicenter up and demand that they take you. I have found them to be helpful once you explain the situation.

Good luck and PM me if you need more information.

[HeatherGurl 0]

I am sorry to hear of all of your troubles...

My very good friend seems to be going thru the same issues. She had a fill, was too tight, had and unfill... then the same process again. She is completely unfilled now but she is gaining weight. Her Dr. is Speigel...

Anyways... I think if you have been throwing up daily that you need to get to the Surgery Center immediately. Get an unfill and start over slowly... My friend was too tight at 1 cc, same band as you and I. So, I am trying to get her to go get .5 cc

Best of luck to you!!! I hope it all works out and you get to feeling better!

[MelodyJ 0]

Make sure you ONLY do warm liquids....I have just went through all of this....and until the last 4 days I have been on liquids for 3 weeks....My 2nd fill really filled me....but once you start vomiting you swell and then you get in a vicious cycle...your band needs a break!!! DO NOT CHEAT and eat....you will only make it worse....I couldn't even take room temp liquid tylenol...started the cycle for over an hour of vomiting for me.... I TRULY understand!!! You need to stick w/ warm stuff and this reduces the spasms....and keep up w/ your doctor!!!!

God Bless,

MElody

Banded 3/20/06 -74lbs

[Hopes place 0]

Melody J. What size band did you have. 74 pounds, WOW... I was banded on March 31st. Why didn't they just take a little bit out. Why did they totally take everything out?

Thanks