I've Got Questions, You've Got Answers

[HotButterFly 981]

Heyyyyyy, y'all. Advise time....! My last fill (.5 for a total of 7 in a 10) was last Tuesday. liquids for three days, soft for another three and that brings me to yesterday and today.

On Monday I had steak, not too bad, except some parts were overcooked and I had a little trouble with those parts. I wasn't able/willing to try anything too crazy so I stayed with shakes since I had just gotten a case on Sunday and I missed having them (it had been more than a month without them).

Today, I was invited to have lunch with my daughter's school's parent coordinator and I had to profusely apologize to her for not being able to finish the little bit of lasagna I set aside from the whole order she got just for me, and for having to excuse myself to go to the bathroom because I was sliming. (Thank God we know each other well, otherwise I would be HORRIFIED!!)

My question is, I know sometimes it takes a few days for the fill to "settle" how long should I wait till I decide to get some taken out?

PS. I have an appointment coming up on 1/21 (next Tuesday)

Edited January 14, 2014 by HotButterFly

[terrydumont46 1,954]

i had a fill on dec. 26th. i posed this same question to all the veterans because i was having some trouble, they told me to be patient. let things settle it might take 3 weeks to be okay. so i did what they suggested. finally i was able to eat solids and now almost a month i am ready for just one more little fill and than i think i will be in the green zone. but take it easy. be patient. if you are able to drink and eat some mushies you are okay.

[HotButterFly 981]

Thanks!

[kll724 3,055]

I do not agree. If you are slimming from so little you probably need a slight unfill. three weeks is to long to wait for a fill to settle. You should check with your own surgeon's office. If you wait until 1/21, and are stil having trouble, let the surgeon know. Karen..aka.kll724

[cheryl2586 3,053]

You may still be swollen from the fill. Sometimes it takes a while. If you absolutely can get nothing down with out it coming back up then you might need an unfill. If you are getting things down but maybe not meat then I would say wait it out a few more days. I already know when I get a fill I am not eating for three weeks because my stomach is sensitive.

[parisshel 1,892]

I waited for two weeks when I went from 5.0 to 6.5 in a 10cc band. It was a long two weeks of primarily liquids, as even the smallest bite of solids would get stuck. My weight did not change, since I was basically eating/drinking all day long.

Took out .5 when I just couldn't wait it out any longer and man, that was a relief. Gone was the tightness in my chest and the fear of swallowing anything.

Weight dropped immediately.

Now I'm at 6.0 and it is perfect. For now.

Edited January 15, 2014 by parisshel

[B-52 7,113]

There is a perfect balance between restriction and how we eat....I for one could never eat red meat, such as steak...there are other foods I stay away from also...if I continued to try to eat these foods, it would be easy for me to say the band is too tight....then I would get a slight un-fil, allowing me to eat the way I used to before, which in my case I'm certain, would not have allowed to me loose the weight as efficiently and easily as I have....

Everyone is different, and everyone has to find their "Comfort Zone" that place of balance...where the band does what it was designed to do...but it will not do it unless we change some of our behaviors to allow the band to function...

When I say, as others do..that the band has changed my life...that does not mean it is just because I am now thin...it is mainly because I do not eat the same foods as I used to..I do not eat as much and as frequently as I used to...I do not have anxiety over eating of being faced with food like I used to...and it is all because of the band...it changed my life....

I joke with the staff at my Dr.'s office, them telling me stories about people making appointments asking for Fluid to be taken out because they can no longer eat their favorite Desserts...or they're going on vacation and want to enjoy the food...or have a wedding coming up....

Of course, the staff rills their eyes and laughs...people just don't get it...either you want to loose weight or you don't...we can't have it both ways, we ave to change from what made us fat in the first place....

Sorry to rant...not implying this is you at all...it's just 4am in the morning and I have a tendency to get carried away...

Edited January 15, 2014 by B-52

[NaNa 878]

Honestly...my answer for anyone that is willing to keep a too tight band, is make sure you are always in close proximity to your surgeons office, good insurance and money IF needed for emergency surgery or band replacement.

If you can eat steak, and can keep it down, you may not be too tight, I'd give it a few days, but again, most people who THINK they are too tight probably are.

Also, it takes time to get used to a very tight band, you may want to take tiny bites, and only eat moist food for a while to determine how tight your band really is.

Sometimes it's a fine line between Red and Green zones, the warning signs to look for is chest and throat discomfort, frequent vomiting and reflux regardless of how small your bites are and reflux at night regardless of how close to bedtime you eat.

My band is 'tight' green zone, I can eat all solids --but I have to be careful, and I can't eat no more than a few ounces per meal and I don't have to get up a slime and vomit at every meal.

I went to Red Lobster yesterday for lunch and ate fish, green Beans and a few potatoes....I did not finish my fish, Beans or potatoes and when home with take out box...before I ate I drank some hot tea to allow me to eat a very tiny meal -- to ME, this is what restriction is supposed to be without slimming and vomiting at every meal AND able to still lose and maintain my weight.

I've had many friends over the years never could eat solids because they maintained their bands too tight, they got skinny and ALL have lost their bands and revised to the Sleeve at this point, I never question how tight they keep their bands because it was THEIR business.

Remember there is no advantage for being too tight.

This is one of those questions based on how tight someone is willing to keep their bands, everyone keeps their bands at different levels so you may get "varied" opinions on this boards....

I've been at ALL levels and I know what the consequences are long term....

Edited January 15, 2014 by NaNa

[parisshel 1,892]

NaNa, this is precisely why I did not sense it was a good idea to wait out my situation. I based my decision for an unfill on my previous timeframe with my fills and I knew my fill should have settled by two weeks.

Honestly...my answer for anyone that is willing to keep a too tight band, is make sure you are always in close proximity to your surgeons office, good insurance and money IF needed for emergency surgery or band replacement.

If you can eat steak, and can keep it down, you may not be too tight, I'd give it a few days, but again, most people who THINK they are too tight probably are.

Also, it takes time to get used to a very tight band, you may want to take tiny bites, and only eat moist food for a while to determine how tight your band really is.

Sometimes it's a fine line between Red and Green zones, the warning signs to look for is chest and throat discomfort, frequent vomiting and reflux regardless of how small your bites are and reflux at night regardless of how close to bedtime you eat.

My band is 'tight' green zone, I can eat all solids --but I have to be careful, and I can't eat no more than a few ounces per meal and I don't have to get up a slime and vomit at every meal.

I went to Red Lobster yesterday for lunch and ate fish, green Beans and a few potatoes....I did not finish my fish, Beans or potatoes and when home with take out box...before I ate I drank some hot tea to allow me to eat a very tiny meal -- to ME, this is what restriction is supposed to be without slimming and vomiting at every meal AND able to still lose and maintain my weight.

I've had many friends over the years never could eat solids because they maintained their bands too tight, they got skinny and ALL have lost their bands and revised to the Sleeve at this point, I never question how tight they keep their bands because it was THEIR business.

Remember there is no advantage for being too tight.

This is one of those questions based on how tight someone is willing to keep their bands, everyone keeps their bands at different levels so you may get "varied" opinions on this boards....

I've been at ALL levels and I know what the consequences are long term....

When at two weeks I was displaying eating behavior which was not consistent with how I wish to live my banded life (drinking my meals or eating slider foods to combat the hunger I was experiencing since I could not eat solid, filling foods) I knew I needed to get an unfill.

I read loads of bandster blogs and I see many many bandsters who keep a tight band so they can speed down the scale. They are fine with living on Protein shakes, or living with stuck and PBing episodes. I've read blogs of bandsters who think PBing and vomiting EVERY SINGLE DAY is just normal and part of the banded life.

As you say NaNa, this acceptance of a too-tight band is what contributes to the slippage and erosion rates, and sometimes (often?) failure rates of the lapband. And how miserable would it be to live like this...always seeking a place to PB or vomit?

I got banded to live a normal life. Normal in body size and normal in how I eat. I will do everything I can to reach these goals, and this includes keeping my band safe from slipping, eroding or anything else that might put me in a position where I have to lose my band.

Edited January 15, 2014 by parisshel

[NaNa 878]

NaNa, this is precisely why I did not sense it was a good idea to wait out my situation. I based my decision for an unfill on my previous timeframe with my fills and I knew my fill should have settled by two weeks.

Honestly...my answer for anyone that is willing to keep a too tight band, is make sure you are always in close proximity to your surgeons office, good insurance and money IF needed for emergency surgery or band replacement.

If you can eat steak, and can keep it down, you may not be too tight, I'd give it a few days, but again, most people who THINK they are too tight probably are.

Also, it takes time to get used to a very tight band, you may want to take tiny bites, and only eat moist food for a while to determine how tight your band really is.

Sometimes it's a fine line between Red and Green zones, the warning signs to look for is chest and throat discomfort, frequent vomiting and reflux regardless of how small your bites are and reflux at night regardless of how close to bedtime you eat.

My band is 'tight' green zone, I can eat all solids --but I have to be careful, and I can't eat no more than a few ounces per meal and I don't have to get up a slime and vomit at every meal.

I went to Red Lobster yesterday for lunch and ate fish, green Beans and a few potatoes....I did not finish my fish, Beans or potatoes and when home with take out box...before I ate I drank some hot tea to allow me to eat a very tiny meal -- to ME, this is what restriction is supposed to be without slimming and vomiting at every meal AND able to still lose and maintain my weight.

I've had many friends over the years never could eat solids because they maintained their bands too tight, they got skinny and ALL have lost their bands and revised to the Sleeve at this point, I never question how tight they keep their bands because it was THEIR business.

Remember there is no advantage for being too tight.

This is one of those questions based on how tight someone is willing to keep their bands, everyone keeps their bands at different levels so you may get "varied" opinions on this boards....

I've been at ALL levels and I know what the consequences are long term....

When at two weeks I was displaying eating behavior which was not consistent with how I wish to live my banded life (drinking my meals or eating slider foods to combat the hunger I was experiencing since I could not eat solid, filling foods) I knew I needed to get an unfill.

I read loads of bandster blogs and I see many many bandsters who keep a tight band so they can speed down the scale. They are fine with living on Protein shakes, or living with stuck and PBing episodes. I've read blogs of bandsters who think PBing and vomiting EVERY SINGLE DAY is just normal and part of the banded life.

As you say NaNa, this acceptance of a too-tight band is what contributes to the slippage and erosion rates, and sometimes (often?) failure rates of the lapband. And how miserable would it be to live like this...always seeking a place to PB or vomit?

I got banded to live a normal life. Normal in body size and normal in how I eat. I will do everything I can to reach these goals, and this includes keeping my band safe from slipping, eroding or anything else that might put me in a position where I have to lose my band.

Parissel,

This is one reason I came back to the boards..SO MANY were losing their bands, I try to help newbies understand the consequences, if the slip/erosion/removal rates continue to climb...we won't have anyone to talk to about your bands...LOL...

Some will listen and MANY won't, you can't convince many people that a too tight band is dangerous, many have to learn the hard way....as one veteran lap banders told me years ago, it's best to use the band as A tool, and have it help you a LONG time, instead of it doing all of the work for a short time period.

I got my band to ;help me; most days I eat lean Proteins and veggies, and some times I want to eat normal food at nice restaurants with my hubby...and my band allows me to eat like a normal person, only small amounts. I don't carry vomit bags, or cups in my car to spit up slime, to me this is not a way to Live!

The other band forum that I use to frequent, no one post there anymore (who love their band) because most have revised to the Sleeve, Bypass or gotten their bands removed since I was banded over 8 years ago....

[HotButterFly 981]

I've been too tight before and knew it within four hours of getting the fill... I RAN to the ER to get it emptied out and I won't stand a life on "liquids", not only because I enjoy eating (even with my band) but because I know the very health of my band depends on not keeping it too tight. Thanks for all your answers.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

well said parisshell

LOVE what you wrote.....

NaNa, this is precisely why I did not sense it was a good idea to wait out my situation. I based my decision for an unfill on my previous timeframe with my fills and I knew my fill should have settled by two weeks.

Honestly...my answer for anyone that is willing to keep a too tight band, is make sure you are always in close proximity to your surgeons office, good insurance and money IF needed for emergency surgery or band replacement.

If you can eat steak, and can keep it down, you may not be too tight, I'd give it a few days, but again, most people who THINK they are too tight probably are.

Also, it takes time to get used to a very tight band, you may want to take tiny bites, and only eat moist food for a while to determine how tight your band really is.

Sometimes it's a fine line between Red and Green zones, the warning signs to look for is chest and throat discomfort, frequent vomiting and reflux regardless of how small your bites are and reflux at night regardless of how close to bedtime you eat.

My band is 'tight' green zone, I can eat all solids --but I have to be careful, and I can't eat no more than a few ounces per meal and I don't have to get up a slime and vomit at every meal.

I went to Red Lobster yesterday for lunch and ate fish, green Beans and a few potatoes....I did not finish my fish, Beans or potatoes and when home with take out box...before I ate I drank some hot tea to allow me to eat a very tiny meal -- to ME, this is what restriction is supposed to be without slimming and vomiting at every meal AND able to still lose and maintain my weight.

I've had many friends over the years never could eat solids because they maintained their bands too tight, they got skinny and ALL have lost their bands and revised to the Sleeve at this point, I never question how tight they keep their bands because it was THEIR business.

Remember there is no advantage for being too tight.

This is one of those questions based on how tight someone is willing to keep their bands, everyone keeps their bands at different levels so you may get "varied" opinions on this boards....

I've been at ALL levels and I know what the consequences are long term....

When at two weeks I was displaying eating behavior which was not consistent with how I wish to live my banded life (drinking my meals or eating slider foods to combat the hunger I was experiencing since I could not eat solid, filling foods) I knew I needed to get an unfill.

I read loads of bandster blogs and I see many many bandsters who keep a tight band so they can speed down the scale. They are fine with living on Protein shakes, or living with stuck and PBing episodes. I've read blogs of bandsters who think PBing and vomiting EVERY SINGLE DAY is just normal and part of the banded life.

As you say NaNa, this acceptance of a too-tight band is what contributes to the slippage and erosion rates, and sometimes (often?) failure rates of the lapband. And how miserable would it be to live like this...always seeking a place to PB or vomit?

I got banded to live a normal life. Normal in body size and normal in how I eat. I will do everything I can to reach these goals, and this includes keeping my band safe from slipping, eroding or anything else that might put me in a position where I have to lose my band.

[B-52 7,113]

Very true....but for the same of all the new members....what do people exactly consider ia "Tight Band" ?

Edited January 15, 2014 by B-52

[NaNa 878]

Very true....but for the same of all the new members....what do people exactly consider ia "Tight Band" ?

Actually the band was designed to be 'tight and snug' not too loose and not too tight. Ideally a 'tight' band or a band that is filled in the green zone, you should be able to eat most foods, but NOT too freely, the band SHOULD give us some resistance when eating, this is why we should take tiny bites and eat slowly...

If someone can eat fast with no issues, then the band is too loose and the band is NOT working for them...if someone can't get down MOST foods slowly without PBing and sliming then it's too tight.

[Coach0407 50]

I've now read this in several posts. What is slime? Slimming?

No fills yet (first fill Jan 22) and only one episode of tightness in my chest and food felt stuck. I'm trying to be proactive as possible and avoid reflux, stuck episodes.