I want more

[zoeiyla 6]

Iv got a 10cc band and am currently at 7cc, im feeling restriction from my last fill but feel its not enough, when i eat fast or big bites it gets stuck would some people stop having fills at this point also i feel that i need more restriction to help me start loseing weight and has anyone found the only way to lose if to be a little bit to tight?

[terrydumont46 1,954]

talk with your doctor. with the band you need to learn how to stop eating. and to always chew your food and slow down. the band will not stop you from overeating. it isn't better to be to tight. a whole lot of complications can start if you don't follow the protocols or are to tight. your doctor should be asking you questions at each appointment and be able to deduct if a fill is needed. you don't want to be the bandster that goes in for a fill just to go back in and have the fill removed. practice on being band compliant. I promise it will save you.

[KateP 359]

You never need to be " too tight". Being too tight means food is held above the band, this puts pressure on both the oesophagus and the diaphragm. The least serious effect can be dilation at the base of the oesophagus which means an unfill to sort it out, the most serious can be oesophageal dysmotility which can be irreversible. It can also cause acid reflux which can damage both teeth and oesophagus and even lead to aspiration pneumonia!

If you occasionally get stuck, maybe once or twice a month, that's not an issue, if you regularly get stuck you need to change how you eat, if you still get stuck, you need an unfill.

All the band should do is slow your eating, not stop it.

[B-52 7,113]

I would never tell anyone what they should or should not do....especially to strangers on the internet....I'm not their Dr. nor do I even know them...nor do they know me.

Only thing people should do is share their personal experiences,......

So, saying that....my band is adjusted to where if I eat too much, to fast, I will get stuck...will also get stuck if I eat the wrong foods...there are certain foods I now avoid because the risk of getting stuck is too great....

It's also interesting that these foods I no longer eat, where not that good for me in the first place and traditional dieters are told to avoid....

The band changed my life....I was fat-obese because I ate like a pig....everything and anything anytime of the day...a real glutton.....I can't do that anymore...because of the restriction, I have to be very selective, and take it very slow....and stop when the band says stop.

Sooner or later you get tired of getting stuck....and for me, there is a limit to how much I can eat...the band restricts my portion sizes....force the issue by attempting to overeat results in the same experience as not eating properly....so it is impossible for me to overeat...(I tried)

My last fill I could not keep anything down for weeks....called My Dr...(who knows me) and he told me to stick it out and think about what I was eating and how I was eating it....and he was right...it was my bad habits that were the problem, not the band being too tight.

That was 4 years ago....

So, for me, I have to eat slowly, small bites and swallows, and stop when the band says stop.....otherwise it will result unpleasantly....call it behavior modification....because of the band I don't eat the same way as I did prior to surgery...and that is what led me to success....

I have not gotten stuck in years...come close from time to time, but that's when I stop....

I read posts here all the time from people who get stuck, and feel they are too tight and go get Fluid taken out....

Where they too tight? How am I (or anyone else) supposed to know?...I'm not their Dr.,or even know them the slightest.... I do not know these people...they're strangers....nor do they know me so why should they listen to what I tell them to do or not to do....

Again, all I can do is share MY stories....

Maybe they are not too tight, but are still trying to eat like a fat person eats....Who Knows? Not me...

[KateP 359]

@@B-52 was that aimed at me? If so, I totally agree. All we can do is share our experiences. The first thing to try if the band seems tight is always, try to eat more carefully and slowly. But I will always continue to say that whatever the reason for getting stuck regularly, it is dangerous. If eating more slowly solves the issue, great, but if it doesn't or if the individuals simply cannot remember to take extra care, they are too tight.

Being tight is my personal paranoia. When I was banded in 2006, everyone was very enthusiastic about the band but gradually over the years, more and more of those banded around the same time as me started to develop problems, obviously I have lost touch with many, but at a guesstimate, only around 30% are still happily banded. Of my actual online friends, the ones with whom I am still in regular contact, only two are still banded. Many have revised to other Wls, several have permanent damage to the oesophagus or the diaphragm.

For some being tight was the cause of the problem, for others it was the symptom. But whichever it was, it was important to get it checked.

So I will continue to say, being tight is dangerous. Ask your doctor. Don't leave it. Don't wish for it. I will continue to say, in line with all the latest research, the band should not physically stop you eating.

[AussieSam 234]

We need to remember that the band is a tool and not a magic wand so having it too tight will not solve your problems but learning how to use it effectively will.

[Bandista 7,466]

Hi there, the links below in my signature helped me understand how the band works and how to work the band; maybe they will help you, too. I have read Dr. simpson's piece hundreds of times just to get it through my head: the LapBand is not about restriction. It is there to dim my appetite and that it does.

[Lady VS 1,147]

Hi there Zoeiyla. I too have a 10 cc band and have or had 7.1 cc. I had those 7.1 ccs since July 2012. I wasn't tight, had my restriction but some time late last year and early this year, I began to have late night coughing, spitting up Water from both my mouth and nose. Those are not normal. I could also feel that I was tighter than before. I don't know what or how it happened but I was really tight. I had a feeling that my stoma was dilated and sure enough, I finally went to the doctor last month and I was totally tight and dilated(in the red zone.) My PA took out 2 ccs so I am at 5.1. I immediately felt better. However, that restriction I once had is now gone. I am eating a little more than usual. I am trying with everything to not eat too much or eat too much of the wrong foods, but because I am more open, I have to admit I have eaten some burger and fries and other foods I hadn't been eating because I was too tight and just didn't really want to eat those things. Now that eating junk is out of my system, I'm back eating as I should and will be going back next week to get a fill. Lord knows I need it. So to answer your question, while being tight does help you to lose, it's not the right way to live because it will cause other problems down the line. You want to be in a comfortable state where you can eat and digest your food properly, sleep well without complications. You have to constantly tell yourself to slow down and chew, chew, chew. After 4 1/2 years of being banded, I still have to tell myself this everyday because I sometimes do forget. That's why I was dilated because I was taking too big of bites of food sometimes and was eating too quickly (work only had a 30 minute lunch). But those conditions have changed and I am taking my time again to eat my food. Sure I'm back to cold food before I'm done but it's a lifestyle that well, I'm used to now and will continue to be as long as my band will allow. Hope this helps. Best wishes to you.

Iv got a 10cc band and am currently at 7cc, im feeling restriction from my last fill but feel its not enough, when i eat fast or big bites it gets stuck would some people stop having fills at this point also i feel that i need more restriction to help me start loseing weight and has anyone found the only way to lose if to be a little bit to tight?

[newmein2015 13]

I feel that I am in the exact same situation you are. Got my band in January , have had 2 fills, and unless I eat too fast or take too big of bites, I don't even know it's there. I make much better choices than I did, and eat less than before, but I have to make myself. I still feel hungry all the time. It feels like the band is not helping me much at all. I'm hoping this next fill will do the trick and I'll start losing weight.

[Lacey_dream 8]

Ugh I also am in same boat! I have 9.2 cc in my 14cc band and I don't feel as though I am at sweet spot! I see doctor in a week and a half and imma try another fill to see what that does I still eat about 2 cups which from research I should eat 1 cup. I do get hungry within 2-3 hours not 4 hours as I should! I read on another site a lady said you only eat till ur not hungry anymore well I'm finding that way difficult right now.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Lacey_dream

[ChelleChi1969 69]

I would never tell anyone what they should or should not do....especially to strangers on the internet....I'm not their Dr. nor do I even know them...nor do they know me.

Only thing people should do is share their personal experiences,......

So, saying that....my band is adjusted to where if I eat too much, to fast, I will get stuck...will also get stuck if I eat the wrong foods...there are certain foods I now avoid because the risk of getting stuck is too great....

It's also interesting that these foods I no longer eat, where not that good for me in the first place and traditional dieters are told to avoid....

The band changed my life....I was fat-obese because I ate like a pig....everything and anything anytime of the day...a real glutton.....I can't do that anymore...because of the restriction, I have to be very selective, and take it very slow....and stop when the band says stop.

Sooner or later you get tired of getting stuck....and for me, there is a limit to how much I can eat...the band restricts my portion sizes....force the issue by attempting to overeat results in the same experience as not eating properly....so it is impossible for me to overeat...(I tried)

My last fill I could not keep anything down for weeks....called My Dr...(who knows me) and he told me to stick it out and think about what I was eating and how I was eating it....and he was right...it was my bad habits that were the problem, not the band being too tight.

That was 4 years ago....

So, for me, I have to eat slowly, small bites and swallows, and stop when the band says stop.....otherwise it will result unpleasantly....call it behavior modification....because of the band I don't eat the same way as I did prior to surgery...and that is what led me to success....

I have not gotten stuck in years...come close from time to time, but that's when I stop....

I read posts here all the time from people who get stuck, and feel they are too tight and go get Fluid taken out....

Where they too tight? How am I (or anyone else) supposed to know?...I'm not their Dr.,or even know them the slightest.... I do not know these people...they're strangers....nor do they know me so why should they listen to what I tell them to do or not to do....

Again, all I can do is share MY stories....

Maybe they are not too tight, but are still trying to eat like a fat person eats....Who Knows? Not me...

[ChelleChi1969 69]

@@B-52 I love everything about this post! In fact, I wish I had read it prior to my post about 3 minutes ago! It's so on point--particularly you saying how it's funny that all the things which are bad, are the things that get stuck! Case in point--thin slice of melon, fine. French fry--got stuck. That's the first time I had an episode (granted I received a large fill on Friday) but it proved I just don't have the space for the grease, nor do I NEED it. More than that, I've had zero cravings--that's how unpleasant the episode was.

Apologies for being long-winded, however, this post was timely! Wonderful reminders that the work is ours & ours alone--from eating, exercise, and honest dialogue with our doctors.

Edited May 21, 2015 by ChelleChi1969