Post Adjustment Tightness

[Kari D 27]

Hi All!

Just checking in here, looking for a little "yes, that's normal" feedback. I had my fifth adjustment yesterday afternoon around 4pm. I was at 8cc in my 14cc band and had 2 cc added, now at 10cc. Before this adjustment, I would experience restrictive eating but was not staying full in between meals and my portion sizes were getting larger, a good indicator that it was time for an adjustment. Yesterday's adjustment was very different from the others and I have not experienced this sensation before. I feel a slight tightness sensation and I'm feeling very burpy. liquids are going down and I'm not having a hard time swallowing. I drank two dixie cups of Water before I let myself leave docs office. I'll be on full liquids for the next 48 hours. Last evening I had an Atkins Protein shake and was done for the night. Today, I had my morning coffee, and then about 30 minutes later started to sip on another Protein Shake. I tried eating a little bit of Soup about 1.5 hours after the shake and got a solid case of hiccups. Honestly, I'm still satisfied from the shake, which is freaking me out a little bit. I've been spending the morning scouring websites about whether or not the band is too tight. However, I don't have any of the classic symptoms like coughing, reflux, etc. Has anyone experienced a post adjustment tightness that freaked them out at first but eventually went away? I can definitely say I'm experiencing a satiation that I have not experienced before. Usually, the 48 hours after an adjustment was hangry hell. Can anyone speak from experience of post adjustment tightness?

Thanks!

~Kari

[Kari D 27]

Oh! By the way...I broke 300! Yay!

[2muchfun 8,927]

I've had about 10 adjustments over the last 3 years. I've never felt anything from liquids or Soups as far as restriction goes. Satiety, yes I have felt satiety.

It's perfectly normal for the stoma area to swell after an aggressive fill like 2 CCs. Most of my fills I felt more restriction a few days later and this last fill I felt a lot of restriction about 7-10 days after. I've read where many people really don't feel the extra restriction for a couple of weeks post fill.

You might want to be very careful once you convert to eating more solid foods and make sure you eat very small, very slow and chew food to an applesauce consistency. Getting stuck with such a tight band as you have can only bring on more swelling and then you may not be able to even swallow Water. That could lead to a trip to the ER.

[Kari D 27]

Thanks, TMF. That's good advice. I would agree with you that 2cc, especially at this stage in the process, is an aggressive fill. I plan to take extra precaution in regards to reintroducing solid foods. I feel like some of the rules that I've bent need to be followed more closely now that I'm moving into a more restrictive zone. If I still feel this sensation by Monday, I might call my doc for a little unfill.

[Debbie3sons 1,936]

2muchfun is pretty much right I had a small fill 2 weeks ago and I started feeling some more restriction about a week later , I now have so far 10 1/2 ccs in my 14 cc band , so give it time to settle & let's hope it's not to tight , but you know your body & journey , & I know mine , every one is different, & we all have had our issues , good luck.

Edited October 17, 2014 by Debbie3sons

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

Kari , congratulations ! I have a 14 cc band as well. My last two fills were .25 each. I crept into my green zone. I am now at 7.5 in my 14 Cc band after four fills and I am convinced this is the green for me.I did notice a difference in restriction pretty much right away. The way it manifests with me is if my first bites are not chewed enough then I get stuck. This has been a hard lesson for me. Especially when I'm hungry, my first bite of anything is usually fast and big. I have learned that it needs to be slow and chewed well.

None of which answers your question. What I will say, is that 2 cc at this stage seems like a big jump. Maybe you do have too much Fluid in your band. It's hard to say because everybody is different. The first few days after the fill is always a big unknown. I'm surely no expert, as I'm only seven months out myself. But I do know that now that I am experiencing my green zone, I am very wary of getting too tight. It is all now dependent upon me following my eating rules.

Good luck, and I'm also curious how this turns out for you! We are all so different. Thank goodness it's adjustable!

[Kari D 27]

Thanks for the feedback ya'll!

I just got off the phone with the doc. He did not seemed concerned at all. He said what I was experiencing was normal sensation and actually the restriction I'm feeling is what they're looking for. He said if I'm not happy with the feeling they can always take some out. The challenge is that being new to this, I am not yet keen to the different post fill sensations. So far, I've had a Protein shake and a yogurt and I'm not feeling hungry at all. Who am I!?

[2muchfun 8,927]

I agree with the doctor. You have satiety and now it's time to pay attention to those band eating rules. You can always go back and have .1-.2 CC taken out. Doesn't take much to go from yellow zone to green zone.

[Corridor72 518]

I experienced this when I got the fill that put me in the green zone. I decided to wait it out a bit and what I figured out was that my band was not too tight. The problem was ME. I was trying to drink too much too fast. It was at that point that I learned NOT to gulp and realized that it was time to put everything I had learned about taking small bites and chewing everything to mush into practice. Once I figured that out, it's been smooth sailing. As long as I don't gulp liquids or eat too fast, I can tolerate most anything. I can even eat raw veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, carrots, etc. and I hear a lot of people that say they can't eat those things unless they're cooked to mush. I chew them until they're mush!lol

[Kari D 27]

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to put some closure to this thread and share my resolve in this situation. Just to recap, I got a fill on Thursday and left the docs office feeling tight. I thought the feeling might go away and that I would try it out for my 48 hour post fill liquid diet. After 48 hours, the band was still too tight. My stomach was becoming increasingly gurgley. I was having difficulty swallowing liquids and even those liquids were feeling stuck. Also, a classic sign of having too tight of a fill, the tightness manifested into reflux. I felt very burpey and uncomfortable. I decided to go see the doctor on call on Sunday. He removed 1 cc and I felt almost immediately relief. I went home and started having liquids without any problems and will now be on another 48 hour liquid diet.

I learned several lessons from the experience. First and foremost is to take the adjustments slow. Basically, I went into the doctor and asked her for 2cc, somewhat against her recommendation. Reminder, I am not the doctor/expert. Also, once you are getting close to your green zone, it doesn't take must to tip you into the right spot. Asking for 2cc's was greedy.

Second, to my credit, I am new at this. Sometimes you have to have a difficult experience to understand the effect of the new device on your body. I had no idea the band could create that sensation, or that it wouldn't go away after awhile. It's all trial and error until you have more experiences that indicate a better gauge. This experience widened my gauge of lap band sensations. I now understand that if the band feels tight when leaving the office, then it probably is too tight and will not go away with time. Ultimately, the band should feel comfortable inside of you.

Third, although the band was too tight and created discomfort for a couple of days, I understand what the band is now intended to do. I barely ate anything for those two days and still never felt hungry. Now, I'm not suggesting this was a healthy experience, but I now have personally felt the power of this device. If adjusted properly, the band will create a sense of satiety for a long time. This felt like a miracle. Now, with the 1cc removed, I feel the satiety without the discomfort. This device works. Stick with it, and get the adjustments you need. It will take time, but once in the green zone, it's amazing!

Thanks everyone. So glad to have found some community to share these experiences with. Even the doctor's don't really understand when you discuss what you're going though. Nothing quite like comrades who can truly empathize.

~Kari

[Gastricgail 0]

I had my band fitted not long ago on 25th Sept 2014. I had my first fill last week. I have been told to eat bolus's solid food chew 20 times and make my meal last 20 mins with a minute between each mouthful. I seem to be full after 10 mins though should stop eating. I'm a bit confused

[Gastricgail 0]

I had my band fitted not long ago on 25th Sept 2014. I had my first fill last week. I have been told to eat bolus's solid food chew 20 times and make my meal last 20 mins with a minute between each mouthful. I seem to be full after 10 mins though should stop eating. I'm a bit confused

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

Kari, that's great! My green zone was 7 months post op but worth the wait. No problems so far and I'm learning good eating habits. Good luck!

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

I had my band fitted not long ago on 25th Sept 2014. I had my first fill last week. I have been told to eat bolus's solid food chew 20 times and make my meal last 20 mins with a minute between each mouthful. I seem to be full after 10 mins though should stop eating. I'm a bit confused

I was told to stop eating once I felt "done" even if I wasn't finished or had not completed twenty minutes.

Edited October 21, 2014 by JustWatchMe

[send2steph 26]

This thread has been very informative for me.

I was banded on 9/11 and had my second fill last week. I don't know what size my band is or what I have in there, but I know they added one cc last week.

I'm having a very difficult time eating, but maybe I'm not - it's just how it's supposed to be. And this is why this thread has been useful...

Still, I'm thinking about having some removed after the holiday. I often feel like there's a frog in my throat or like my tonsils are really swollen - very hard to swallow. I'm only eating about a half a cup of food at a time, unless it's a shake. Would you guys consider that too tight?