post op--6 months--questions and help needed

[marihaf 0]

I haven't been very active on the forums due to my very busy job schedule, but now I have left my job to stay at home so my free time will be more. I would love to become much more active on the boards and I seriously need some input on these issues that I am having

I am almost 7 months post op. (surgery was Dec 21) I still have a ton of trouble eating food...almost all foods. I only have 3cc fill n a 10cc band. Because of lack of being abll to eat, the surgeon has been hesitant to do fills. Things have been so tough that I actually had a swallow test to see if there was blockage or slippage and there is not. I cannot eat bread, ground meat or a lot of other food. It is so frustrating. I have lost a lot of weight because I simply get frustrated and don't eat or quit eating as I know that I cannot keep it down. i spend a lot of time "praying to the porcelein". I can get down non carbonated liquid, fliet mignon(seriously) and really crunchy stuff. That is about it. I can get canned tuna down, but I cannot do ground meat, bread, Pasta, anything with breading (not fried, but baked). chicken seems impossible. Roast is very difficult, but doable. Potatoes are also very difficult regardless of cooking method. I can manage a cookie or ice cream, but that is obviously not the type of food I want to be eating.

I feel that I have kept myself healthy by making sure I have a Protein Shake every morning. Often I have two of those a day. I rarely have a meal that I don't throw up most of it. It doesn't really seem to matter what type of food I try except for the filet, and even that is difficult at times. It doesn't seem to matter time of day or anything.

i guess I just want to know if this is at all close to normal. I was talking to someone the other day who said that her sister had banding and she couldn't eat a lot of food and had to have a hot drink with every meal. I have been told not to drink during a meal at all. i don't feel that I am eating too fast or taking too big of bites (my husband calls them mouse bites...they are very small)

My surgeon was not really much help. I discussed this with him at my last visit and he didn't give me any real answer except that he was surprised that I could eat steak and not eat chicken.

I don't know whether visiting the dietician at the clinic would be helpful. I would be willing to pay the fee if I thought it would make any difference. I know how to eat, it is the process of eating that is difficult and I doubt the dietician can help with that.

I am pretty frustrated at this point. It is a good diet plan as I rarely keep a meal down, but it is setting a dangerous pattern that I don't like.

I have more of an appetite than I expected, but since I don't have much fill I figure that is the reason. I have gotten used to very little food and am not truly hungry, but this is not a permanent solution. I have actually considered having the band removed. I don't really want to do that, but I am very frustrated.

If anyone has any insight or helpful hints, I am sure willing to listen. Thanks for listening to my frustrations

[jills_adopting 0]

From everything I've read on here, it sounds like you are too tight. Has your surgeon suggested taking out some of the cc's you have? I just had my first fill today so am not familiar with what you are experiencing. Is there another surgeon in your town you can see? You really need to get to the bottom of this.