Restriction - Refresh my memory! :-) (long)

[Bel 1]

Hey all,

So heres the thing. I have been banded a looooooong time but i haven't had a fill in 2 yrs due to some bad experiences. When i had the band not a lot was known about it by the doctor and nurses who operated on me ( it was a new technique to them) . I was never told you actually have to get filled regularly, you shouldn't be able to gulp food blah blah blah.

The thing is i got an adjustment last time and it was tight for me...now i actually know this is 'restriction'. I went home and ate as normal while i now know i wasn't supposed to do because of swelling....don't even get me started on how i didn't know all of this!

So i ended up in emergency with a chunk of chicken stuck and havent been filled since, i am struggling to maintain. Working out for an hour a day and eating really healthily but because i have no restriction and havent had for a very long time i am always hungry.

What i need your help with is i dont know how much is too much restriction? should i be on fluids for a week or two, mushies? as my band has a tendency to swell like a balloon when it gets the slightest of fills.

I panicked when i couldn't eat but now i know that i was eating too soon, and you forget you have to chew when you have been loose for a while.

Also i would like to know...do you have restriction when drinking Water? i gulp water because i havent been tight enough not too which makes me think the band has never been tight enough!

How long does it take to get a glass of water down?

I know this is a lot of questions but i have just seen the light and realise HEY! the band is meant to restrict a fair but (was never really explained anything)

Hope you don't think im a complete idiot for being so ignorant for so long, i really appreciate anyone who can help

Belinda

[Jachut 487]

I'm going in for a fill Monday, my first in a year. Once you get to goal weight, you probably wont need fills all the time, as you have found.

personally, I dont swell so I can eat as normal after a fill. But if you do swell, then take it easy, have liquids for a day, mushies for a day or two and then try solids cautiously. You'll know if you're really too tight but generally fills will settle and perhaps loosen off a little.

I'm going in becuase although I'm maintaining well, I'm finding it harder. I can eat a WHOLE sandwich, and I get hungry a lot and have a lot of mindless appetite where I just want to eat but am not really hungry. I exercise about an hour a day too which is why I havent gained any weight.

You should be able to drink without real restriction apart from when your tummy is full - if I drink when I've just eaten these days it can sometimes make me PB. But you may have more restriction for the first week or two after a fill, as long as you CAN drink, you can probably afford to wait and see how it settles.

Fills are important for long term maintenance, so if you find you're hungry its a good idea to go and get a top up, just a teeny tiny one.

[Bel 1]

thank you so much for the reply, its nice to know someone else on maintenence has the same problem with still needing fills, i always thought once i reached this stage i wouldnt need another adjustment

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I haven't had a fill since Dec. and I am sure I don't need one. I can eat whatever I want, just not very much. I drink Water slowly. Mainly because if I drink too fast, I have a burp stuck and it's uncomfortable until I get this loud burp out. So I tend to sip on Water.< /p>

I am usually on liquids for 24 hours after a fill and then mushies for 24 hours after that. That seems to work well for me.

If you are unfilled, start with a small one. It's better to ease into restriction and see how it goes. Hopefully, you live close to your doctor. I think people end up having problems when they live too far and need an unfill and won't go because they don't want to make the drive.

[Bel 1]

Denise, you are so right about easing into it, i think because my last fill was so large i wasnt used to such a restriction and ended up getting things stuck because i forgot how to eat properly!

Thankyou for taking the time to respond!

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

You're welcome. Don't ever be afraid to ask questions. We bandsters get more information here, sometimes, than we get from our doctors. We learn from each other.

So, what I am getting out of your post is that you are completely unfilled right now, right? Are you planning to get a fill?

Normally, depending on how you react to fills, you should be okay with one day of liquids and one day of mushies after a fill. Then just eat slowly and see how it's going. If you're chewing until it's liquid, and taking very small bites, and still having problems, you might have too big of a fill. Feel free to send me a private message any time.

[Bel 1]

thanks!

I have been banded 6 yrs, this isnt my first fill but i havent had one in so long i forgot what i need to do, it has been 2 yrs since my last fill!