Ready to quit.....

[lmckelvy 0]

My story. .... I was banded March 2011.... I am 5 feet 8 inches tall..... starting weight 268 current weight 226...... The lowest weight since being banded was 218 that was last June...... I've had 2 unfills over the past 3 years for being to tight...... Over the past year I gained 22 lbs putting me back at 240lbs...... so a month ago I went and got a fill for the first time in a year. .... I went from 6.8 cc to 7.2 cc and I pb most days..... yesterday was the 1st time in 7 days that I didn't pb and was able to eat. ...... today I'm back to pbing everything even hot tea. ..... so I feel like I'm miserable for no reason because I can't eat...... and I'm still not losing weight. .... I think I'm just gonna be unfilled down to 6 cc..... and just be fat er and happy

Edited June 18, 2014 by lmckelvy

[Colleen C 169]

Did you tell your Dr, this? Are you able to see another Dr for consult? It doesn't seem right to me that you are feeling this way and so much time has went by. Put yourself first and get some answers. I hope you get this worked out, don't give up.

[B-52 7,113]

Cannot speak for what you are experiencing....can only share what I have gone through myself....

As I got my band adjusted, I had to earn to eat differently...give up certain foods, eat sower, chew better, don't drink with meals, etc, etc ....it was a very hard phase for me to go through after living an entire life of doing it differently....

At anyone time, if I did not adapt and change my habits, I too could easily experience what you are...constant pb'ing, not being able to keep things down...I could have said I was too tight and had Fluid taken out of my band saying I was too tight when in reality my band was fine...it was me that needed to change....

My last fill, I was miserable...took me weeks to months to figure things out...it was very slow but eventually I did start to learn

I did call my Dr. stating the problems I was having...but he knows me, and after asking a few questions he talked me into sticking it out with the understanding I need to go back to basics, and ease into it being careful as to what and how I eat....it took a lot of trial and error, plenty of stuck episodes until I started to learn I can't do that, or eat that, anymore.

Again, at any time I could have said I was too tight, git Fluid taken out, but then I would not be where I am today.

My last fill was 12 weeks after surgery, after which this was the most difficult time for me...took me months to learn...and 3-1/2 years later I am still learning some things, although after that first year it just got easier and easier...and today I do not even think about it that much....

Because of the band, I had to become a different person...I could never have gotten to where I am today if I insisted in sticking with old habits, foods....there are things I have not eaten since being banded....and never will for the rest of my life...

I read posts here everyday from people talking about eating pizza, Pasta, sushi, cheeseburgers, steak, etc, etc...if they can do it and still find 100% success, ...more power to them...myself, I had to change or this entire project would have been an entire failure....

Again, I don't ave a clue what you are experiencing....could be any one of reasons, or a combination of many....I am just sharing what I have found I needed to do be 100% successful, and taking this to it's ultimate completion....

Today I eat and drink anything I want....it's just that there are certain things I do not want anymore....and when I look at them I realize those things are not that healthy or nutritious in the first place...so it all worked together for good.

Edited June 18, 2014 by B-52

[2muchfun 8,927]

B-52 has a very good point. "Because of the band, I had to become a different person". I mirror that statement.

Look at your eating habits? Are you still trying to eat the same foods at the same pace? I had to make a 180° shift in what I ate, how fast I ate and how much I chewed. I still have small stuck episode with minor PBing but I won't let that deter me.

I find that being filled too tight just won't work with my lifestyle so I'm about .25-.5 CCs from being too tight. I have to look real hard for satiety signals and then act on them. I find that as long as I eat healthy foods, natural foods, unprocessed foods, in the right combination I can lose or maintain my weight.

I'd suggest you have .25-.5 taken out and eat healthy nutritious food. Look for the satiety signals, the soft stops and obey them. Unfortunately, some banders never feel those stops. I hope you're not one of them. This band/tool takes a lot more cerebral involvement than we were led to believe. Hang in there and look for the right band adjustment that can help you succeed?

tmf

[Jack 855]

I too am one that has had to learn how to adapt, improvise and overcome.

The incredible ongoing "Mystery of PBing" for myself was really, when I got down to rational evaluation of cause/effect, the results of my own self-induced 'errors of eating'.

Perhaps 75% of my own PB episodes really are from the well described eating too fast/too much/too often/etc.

The other 25% was during times the Band was 'too tight' and I didn't recognize the cause of my misery.

Having made considerable headway toward your goal, it would be counter productive to abandon what has been successful in getting you so far along the trail.

Seek small solutions to the small issues and your comfort level will return.

Stay focused on your goal and the path you need to follow will become evident.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

Cheers on your journey.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Jack

[lisacaron 5,075]

I would have to concur with all the statements above. I had a nice fill in my band a few months back and was doing great just starting to feel like I was where I wanted to be. Then I got sick, tummy virus going around caused my husband to have to take out all the Fluid in his band (he got it the worst vomiting uncontrollable) and I had about 1.5 cc taken out for precaution.

Recently I had that put back in and I'm again at that "green" zone and it really does take an adjustment in your eating and your habits to prevent that PB or stuck feeling from happening.

Having the Fluid out and the band relaxed a bit over the last few months allowed me to eat quickly and things I might not eat in the way I was eating them. Like a steak or chicken breast just cutting chewing and going for the next bite. Now I have to be sure I cut small, chew well, swallow and then start cutting the next bite. Back to those early band mechanics that we can forget all too easily.

Give it a chance, and see if you can make some changes in your mechanics and food choices to help ease the PB affect and get your numbers moving again.

[lmckelvy 0]

Thanks everyone for you're quick responses. .... I will listen and take hive...... but I thought I was doing those things..... maybe I do eat to fast..... but I have changed what I am eating just to get food down........ yesterday I tried eating...... Tomato and basil soup..... pb'ed..... A taco...... that worked but took me a our a hour and a half to eat it...... I tried mashed potatoes and a pork chop that was a no go so I got some hot tea and pbed that. .... I weighed this morning and was 224.5..... yesterday I was 226..... I know that is just dehydration. .......

[lisacaron 5,075]

Thanks everyone for you're quick responses. .... I will listen and take hive...... but I thought I was doing those things..... maybe I do eat to fast..... but I have changed what I am eating just to get food down........ yesterday I tried eating...... Tomato and basil soup..... pb'ed..... A taco...... that worked but took me a our a hour and a half to eat it...... I tried mashed potatoes and a pork chop that was a no go so I got some hot tea and pbed that. .... I weighed this morning and was 224.5..... yesterday I was 226..... I know that is just dehydration. .......

So some of these things...tomato basil soup...could have been too hot - could be too acidic and bothering your tummy (I know for me even spaghetti sauce/ pizza sauce can irritate my belly).

Taco...taking you too long to eat and a the hard shell or soft shell can totally get stuck when moist they swell up. Try taking the inside out of the taco and eating just that.

The pork chop is a good choice but it can also be a tough meat and/or dry. Try cooking it in fat free broth to keep it moist and/or using some brown gravy or BBQ Sauce with it. Cut it up to small baby bites the size of a pencil eraser as if you were feeding a toddler.

There is one thing my NUT (nutritionist) says that I like and totally agree with. If you are eating for longer then 20 minutes you are eating your next meal. So if your not done eating in 20 minutes stop eating until the next meal.

[BandedInBama 58]

I feel your (and apparently many others!) pain about those mystery PBs... In my case, it was my fault-- even if it took me 3.5 years to realize it. I was exepecting miracles from my band and not making the necessary changes in myself. Poor food choices, eating too fast, drinking with meals, eating sliders... You name it, I was guilty of it. Did I KNOW I was guilty? No... I was clueless. But I was.

Good luck, my friend. I hope you can get to the bottom of your suffering soon. Maybe you're smarter than I was...

[coachshalyn 17]

It's true! It is a difficult adjustment. Unfortunately, it's only a tool. It requires lifestyle changes, including menu changes. It took me a while to figure that out. I still have to work at eating healthy. The band just reminds me when I've fallen off track. I keep reminding myself that it is for my health in order to stay the course.

[F_it 101]

Hi Imckelvy,

I had my band in 2012 and had a huge stall too, im 5'7 and started at 275 so I feel I can relate to your similar stats..( more on my profile if youre interested ) Its not easy going through the decision of having wls only to feel defeated by it, but the truth we have to acknowledge to move forward is that we are really only defeated by ourselves.. Youve got some wonderful and informative advice here and agree that you might want to consider a) making sure you arent pbing because you are doing something wrong (like drinking hot tea to try to unstick a stuck episode - i learnt the hard way what a disaster that creates), and b ) having a tiny .25 - .5 unfill to relieve any irritation while you reassess your eating habits. Id also only go for a taco minus the shell/tortilla, maybe try the filling on a couple salt crackers instead. I stay away from chicken and meat that isnt melt-in-your-mouth tender. I resist the huge urge to drink at meals, and only have a tiny sip of Water if I really need it. Its a learning process you have to tread through carefully, write notes on what works and what doesnt until you get the hang of it. I know you posted this a while ago so I hope youve found progress since, but I just wanted to say that I felt for your frustrations and please dont give in to the visuals of failing, block out that fear, refuse it and give yourself the priority you deserve.

Edited September 29, 2014 by F_it

[michelledking 2]

Hi Imckelvy,

I had my band in 2012 and had a huge stall too, im 5'7 and started at 275 so I feel I can relate to your similar stats..( more on my profile if youre interested ) Its not easy going through the decision of having wls only to feel defeated by it, but the truth we have to acknowledge to move forward is that we are really only defeated by ourselves.. Youve got some wonderful and informative advice here and agree that you might want to consider a) making sure you arent pbing because you are doing something wrong (like drinking hot tea to try to unstick a stuck episode - i learnt the hard way what a disaster that creates), and b ) having a tiny .25 - .5 unfill to relieve any irritation while you reassess your eating habits. Id also only go for a taco minus the shell/tortilla, maybe try the filling on a couple salt crackers instead. I stay away from chicken and meat that isnt melt-in-your-mouth tender. I resist the huge urge to drink at meals, and only have a tiny sip of Water if I really need it. Its a learning process you have to tread through carefully, write notes on what works and what doesnt until you get the hang of it. I know you posted this a while ago so I hope youve found progress since, but I just wanted to say that I felt for your frustrations and please dont give in to the visuals of failing, block out that fear, refuse it and give yourself the priority you deserve.

Someone told me pickle juice helps.

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