Help

[Berry 0]

I had lapband surgery last March and have only lost 20lbs. I don't know if there is something wrong with the band because I have been having a lot of PB's and food getting stuck. I'm at the point where I can really only eat and have food go down if I'm standing up. If I'm sitting while I'm eating, food gets stuck. Has anyone else ever had this problem??

[snowbird 2]

couple of questions: You can't eat, but you have only lost 20 lb? Then what foods are you taking in?

What is your fill history? You sound like you are too tight and are not eating the right things. The band is designed to work with solid foods only. If you are too tight, can't get solids down, and are resorting to high calorie liquids, it isn't going to work.

[Berry 0]

I certainly have turned to high calorie foods that will go down easy and not get stuck. I can eat meat but not a lot. I normally will turn to baked or mashed potato, stuffing, squash, no breads, no Pasta. I think I live on potato! It was going well in the beginning. I got my first fill in May of 07. Then another fill in August of 07. That fill was way too much and then I had some taken out. Maybe he should have taken more out. Since then, I have turned to the high calorie foods. If I have meats or tuna, I need a lot of gravy or mayo to go with it so it will go down. Do you think I need an unfill? I find it strange how not much will go down if I'm sitting down at the table eating. I need to eat while I'm standing for the food to go down. Have you ever heard of such a thing??

[*susan* 1,709]

berry,

Your poor thing, you sound like you are going through what I went through for so long last year.

I had a fill and was not able to hardly eat anything. In fact, at times I had trouble drinking. If I was lucky, by 8 or 9 at night, I might have been able to get some food down. But, most of the time it came back up. I resorted to eating ice cream, because it went down without any problem. I know, stupid choice. I let this go on for several months. Why? Because I had gone past my one year of free visits and we were having some financial problems and I just didn't have the money to go see my doctor. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and I made an appointment to see him. He was so wonderful, he told me to never allow myself not to see him because of finances and that my health was more important to him than anything. He did not charge me for my next couple of visits. It turns out I was definitely overfilled. Because I let it go for so long, I had irritated my esophagus. I wasn't losing weight because ice cream was my friend. I ended up having a complete unfill for a couple of months to give my body time to heal. I just got my first fill again in December, but am still not back to my sweet spot. I go in again next week.

So, please don't do like I did and continue to let this go on. If you haven't already, please call your doctor and get in to see him/her. Have them check you under flouro so they can see what is going on with your band. You may need a complete unfill for now to give yourself time to heal. Then, when you start getting fills again, don't be too aggressive, go slow and be safe.

[snowbird 2]

Sure, it sounds like you are too tight. I can get food down better standing than sitting when I am too tight. Strangely enough, we often don't lose weight when we are too tight, because it is too easy to eat the wrong things and give up on the band.

That said, you need to re-evaluate your commitment to eating better. Why do you have mayo, gravy and potatoes in the house? You need to stop buying them! No one needs them and if they are what you use to eat badly, you need to get them out of the house. I have no sugar, flour, potatoes, Pasta, rice, or bread in my house at any time unless I am having long term guests. I know if those foods walk through the door, my resolution to not eat them walks out. This morning I was thinking pancakes sound good for Breakfast. I rationalized that swedish pancakes didn't have much flour and were mostly egg; then I realized I didn't have ANY flour around. Problem solved and temptation averted.

Just because you are too tight is not a reason to eat high calorie foods. You can still do low sugar Protein shakes, lowfat low sugar yogurt, Soups, and other healthy mushie foods until your unfill. Consider yourself kicked in the ass. Get to work and make this work for you!