Constant Vomiting

[cherg 2]

Hello all!!

I have a problem and I no what I have to do but I don't want to do it. I was banded May22nd 2006. My starting weight was 215 today I weigh 167. I just want to get to 140 then I keep telling myself I will get my band loosened. I have a 4cc band and have had 2 fills so I am 3cc filled. Since my last fill which was a while ago say in june or july I get sick all the time. After each meal. No matter if its solid mushy I eat fast or slow which I can say this is problay the success to my weight lose. I work in an Emergency Room and when I am on lunch break people see me tring to each my lunch leaving to go to the bathroom at least 4-5 times throughout my meal. They are so concerened they say I am bulimic and when i say i will get it loosened after i reach 140 they say I will be so used to vomiting that I will automatically do it even when looser. I want all the weight gone so bad that I am putting myself threw this, along with compulsive over eating. Just like I did in the beginning to gain the weight my habbits haven't changed much. I figure well I am ginna puk it up anyway why not enjoy the moment. I no this is a wrong way to think and act but its so hard to break its easier to just go with it. I tell myself that If I didnt have a problem to begin with i wouldn't have ended up where i was from the start. For my pschiatric exam to have the surgery he said I have a eating disorder but will not say that cause then i wouldn't have been eligable for the surgery. I no there's a problem here and I plan on going to thereapy after I get the band opened up a bit when i reach 140. I am wondering if anyone else is going threw the same battle as I am. Would love to have some support and would love to give some back as well. Thanks for listening!!

[Jachut 487]

The trouble is though that you are risking your band with this behaviour. The more you continue to vomit, the more likely it is you will slip and then you could lose your band altogether.

[She Smiles 2]

THis is just my 2 cents....you could get a small unfill (maybe .1 or .2cc) and see if that makes any difference to the vomiting, you'd probably still have a fair bit of restriction, and would be able to eat a small amount, as is intended when the band is installed. I totally understand your desire to get down to your target weight, heck thats why we are all here , and I am sorry if I sound like I am lecturing, I'm not intending to do that at all. However, you may not realise that not only are you risking your band (it could slip with the vomiting), but you are risking your health too, you need SOME food or your body will go into starvation mode and you won't lose any more weight, its a defence mehcanism our bodies use to keep all the calories it can when its being starved.

Please please speak to your surgeon. If you have proper restriction, are eating properly and exercising, there is no reason why you won't be able to get down to your goal weight. *hugs* look after your self.

[juliegeraci 7]

Cherg, I'm not at the same place as you but I understand where you are coming from. On one hand you want the restriction to continue to lose and on the other hand you want to eat higher volume of foods.

This is a tough one. How much a week are you losing? If you are losing more than 2 lbs I would go in for a slight unfill. You will then probably lose 1 lb a week. The danger is there if you continue to vomit. I see where your coworkers are concerned. I would be too. The band is not designed for us to use it this way. I would really try and just portion out your food better and get into therapy. It will be all worth it in the end.

Best of luck to you!

[pier13 1]

cherg,

Hi, I have not been banded yet so I cant offer any advice on the fills. I do agree with the other comments that you need to take care of yourself. I would suggest talking to your surgeon as well. I think talking to someone could help you through this. I have gone to a couple of OA (Overeaters Anonymous) meetings and have meet a few women who have under gone surgery also, but found old habits remained an issue for them and meetings and support within the program was helping them through it. Maybe looking into a local OA meeting might be beneficial to you? I wish you the best, take care of yourself!

pier13

[jahair 0]

Hello all!!

I have a problem and I no what I have to do but I don't want to do it. I was banded May22nd 2006. My starting weight was 215 today I weigh 167. I just want to get to 140 then I keep telling myself I will get my band loosened. I have a 4cc band and have had 2 fills so I am 3cc filled. Since my last fill which was a while ago say in june or july I get sick all the time. After each meal. No matter if its solid mushy I eat fast or slow which I can say this is problay the success to my weight lose. I work in an Emergency Room and when I am on lunch break people see me tring to each my lunch leaving to go to the bathroom at least 4-5 times throughout my meal. They are so concerened they say I am bulimic and when i say i will get it loosened after i reach 140 they say I will be so used to vomiting that I will automatically do it even when looser. I want all the weight gone so bad that I am putting myself threw this, along with compulsive over eating. Just like I did in the beginning to gain the weight my habbits haven't changed much. I figure well I am ginna puk it up anyway why not enjoy the moment. I no this is a wrong way to think and act but its so hard to break its easier to just go with it. I tell myself that If I didnt have a problem to begin with i wouldn't have ended up where i was from the start. For my pschiatric exam to have the surgery he said I have a eating disorder but will not say that cause then i wouldn't have been eligable for the surgery. I no there's a problem here and I plan on going to thereapy after I get the band opened up a bit when i reach 140. I am wondering if anyone else is going threw the same battle as I am. Would love to have some support and would love to give some back as well. Thanks for listening!!

Dear Cherg,

Your post really worries me, yet I am so glad you wrote in to tell us what is going on. I admire your goal to get to 140, but putting off dealing with the throwing up after every meal and postponing therapy until after you reach goal weight is like putting the cart before the horse.

Constant vomiting raises the possibility of band slippage or erosion. At the least, it leaves your esophagus in a more or less permanent state of inflammation and swelling which means it cannot recover and that can lead to some serious problems down the road.

The habit of throwing up after each meal is pretty well in place now since it has been going on since early summer. Eating foods that you know are not your best choices and justifying it by saying that you would just throw it up anyway is a form of crooked thinking. Not seeing this current situation as a pretty big food issue may be another form of crooked thinking. And thinking that leaving the current "too tight fill" is helping you reach goal is yet more crooked thinking.

Here's a thought -- I think you would agree that your current plan isn't working so well and you are miserable as well. What if you rethought everything and :

1. Acknowledged with pride the weight loss you have had since surgery. Focus on what progress you have made to date.
   
2. Saw your doctor to verify that nothing has happened to the band, and had your irritated esophagus treated and an unfill as well ?
   
3. Contact someone qualified to talk with you about your relationship to food. (If you don't have someone in mind, I'll bet your doctor can make a recommendation for you.)
   
4. Took the time to get yourself right and THEN pursue those last pounds to get down to 140

Think it over and give yourself some TLC. You deserve it.

Stay in touch. We want to know how you are doing.

Jo Ann

[flabuless 18]

Cherg

All the above advise is good advise...please listen to reason. You are doing this for yourself to be healthier not to make yourself sicker...Talk to your dr and love yourself give yourself room to breath...its ok if you have slower weightloss a little unfill could help a lot...YOU CAN DO THIS!

hugs

becky

[cherg 2]

Thanks all but does anyone else get sick daily??

[BandaCat 1]

I PB almost every day. I've been banded for almost 3 months now. I've had 2 fills. I'm at 1.3 in a 4cc band. It doesn't seem like much of a fill but it definitely is for me. I fear people will think I'm bulimic too. Sometimes I wonder if I am. I definitely have developed some bulimic behaviors, like chewing and spitting or binging and purging.

But I am also learning what types of foods and behaviors trigger my PBing. Here's what I've learned:

1. Fast food=PB 99% of the time.

2. Some foods are triggers: tortillas, scrambled eggs, Bagels, crackers

3. Eating in the car=PB

4. Warm drinks loosen, cold drinks tighten

5. Extreme restriction during my period

6. I never PB on sweets which is why I think my loss has slowed.

My bad habits and compulsive behaviors are the real root of this problem. I'm hoping that as I acknowledge what is happening I'll start making better choices. PBing all the time is not a way to live!

[Alicia521 0]

Cherg - there are times when I get sick more than others. It is usually for the following reasons....I am eating something my band cannot tolerate (dry meat, bread, etc), not chewing enough or taking small enough bites and not drinking enough Water in between meals. Junk food always goes down fine, so be careful not to resort to it.

I think you will still get to 140 if you stop vomitting. I consistently lose about 10 lbs per month and we were banded in the same month. I would start with therapy as soon as possible. Deal with issues now and not put them off for your goal weight. You can still lose weight while dealing with things and it will be healthier for you.

[Persistance 0]

Hey Cherg:

I asked my Dr. what was happening?? He said sometimes is an accumulation of saliva (extremely thick) and that this creates an "air bag" that somehow "bounces out" whatever goes in.

In my case sometimes not even liquids can go in. I did notice that when I threw up clear saliva with a glue-like consistency came up with any liquid I drank.He suggested eat standing up. And try to eat firstand 1/2 hr later drink.

Good luck.....

[tonya66 13]

I know that you want to get to your goal weight, and you are really getting close.

First of all, you were just banded May of 2006, you haven't even been banded 1 year. It can take 2 (or more, depending on how much you need to lose) years to reach your goal weight, and with all the seminars, and write-ups on the band, I would hope you went into the surgery thinking that. Not thinking that you would reach your goal in 6 months or so. So, please please please, loosen your band, make wise food choices, and I promise you will get to goal. Exercise, have you been exercising? That would help too.

Constant PBing is a risk to your band. You have the risk of the band slipping, you could lose your band all together. Is it worth it?

I truly understand how desparate you are to lose the weight, and I think most of us here do understand that feeling. However, I do think some counseling would be beneficial for you. Eating disorders are not solved overnight.

I wish you the best.

[Josette 2]

I PB almost every day. I've been banded for almost 3 months now. I've had 2 fills. I'm at 1.3 in a 4cc band. It doesn't seem like much of a fill but it definitely is for me. I fear people will think I'm bulimic too. Sometimes I wonder if I am. I definitely have developed some bulimic behaviors, like chewing and spitting or binging and purging.

But I am also learning what types of foods and behaviors trigger my PBing. Here's what I've learned:

1. Fast food=PB 99% of the time.

2. Some foods are triggers: tortillas, scrambled eggs, Bagels, crackers

3. Eating in the car=PB

4. Warm drinks loosen, cold drinks tighten

5. Extreme restriction during my period

6. I never PB on sweets which is why I think my loss has slowed.

My bad habits and compulsive behaviors are the real root of this problem. I'm hoping that as I acknowledge what is happening I'll start making better choices. PBing all the time is not a way to live!

I'm in the same boat you are. Same amount of fill and same triggers! You could be my band twin! I was getting food stuck ALL the time for a few weeks and it was driving me nuts. I was starting to figure out ways to get food unstuck in a hurry, and that made me realize I wasn't paying attention to what was making me stuck in the first place. So one day I woke up and decided to pay attention to what went in my mouth and how I ate it from that point on. I think I've only gotten food stuck 4 times in the past month. I used to get food stuck like 4 times a day. I'm now dropping weight again and feeling way happier with my band. You have to think about the food and how you eat to get it to work right without getting stuck. I had a really hard time letting go of bread. I love bread. Now that I have stopped eating it I am MUCH happier!

[Persistance 0]

Is there a MARCH BAND CREW? I have seen nov. and Aug.... How can I find out???

[juliegeraci 7]

I too tried to find March band crew and couldn't. I would start a new one. Good luck.