Stomach feeling- top full bottom empty?

[als74 1]

Has anyone else noticed that after eating, you get what they call the full feelting (upper stomach pressure) but still have a bottom empty feeling? With stomach growling and everything?

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Yes, after two fills what I experience is the inability to eat more because of pain/pressure. But I am not satisfied and am still hungry and when that pain/pressure feeling leaves, I am still hungry. I can feel the emptiness of my bottom stomach. My nutritionist said that the band makes you feel full because with a normal stomach you feel full when the food reaches the top. And the band is at the top. But I think more is going on between the stomach and the brain and the signals each sends and I think the bottom stomach still plays a role in all this.

[AKAYLA98 0]

I feel the same way. I just got my third fill and I cannot eat much because it feels stuck, but I am still very hungry. It has been a very frustrating week to say the least, but I hope that I will some how adjust.

[Ddem 0]

I have had my third fill. Been banded for 8 months. I have lost 52lbs and am afraid to get another fill because I cannot eat meat for Breakfast or lunch....hurts like *you know what* going down, so much so that I just loose my appetite and stop eating at all. The pain of food going down is insaine. Although I eat half as much as I used to for dinner, it still seems that I can eat way too much. When it comes to dinner at the end of the day, I can eat quite a bit and any meat I want - steak, chicken, (not having much luck with fish though), and I have no problem with Pasta (which I probably shouldn't be eating, but is about the easiest thing to eat at this time).

Is anyone having this problem? Is it normal? Can you share with me your experiences after your 3rd fill. I appreciate it.

[AKAYLA98 0]

I had a bad experience today with meat. I tried to eat it first as instructed, but I was only able to eat a few bites before it felt stuck! So I couldn't eat anything more and I was starving. It took a couple of hours for it to go down. By that time I was sooo hungry that I pigged out (more than 1/2 cup) on soft foods that are able to go down. None of which contained much protein! I am having a hard time adjusting to this third fill, but I do not want an unfill at this time so I guess I have to deal with it!

[Marmite_crumpet 0]

Yes, after two fills what I experience is the inability to eat more because of pain/pressure. But I am not satisfied and am still hungry and when that pain/pressure feeling leaves, I am still hungry. I can feel the emptiness of my bottom stomach. My nutritionist said that the band makes you feel full because with a normal stomach you feel full when the food reaches the top. And the band is at the top. But I think more is going on between the stomach and the brain and the signals each sends and I think the bottom stomach still plays a role in all this.

I was banded 3 days ago, but that is exactly the feeling I have experienced. Pressure from the "top stomach" being full, but the gnawing hunger is there permanently.

I'm just hoping I get used to that as the norm. Not quite what I expected though ...

[Jodi_620 37]

Identifying the difference between full, satisfied and hunger is difficult for many of us. Most of us who have been overweight rarely gauged our need to eat by true hunger so we have a hard time identifying what we are truly feeling. It is an important part of being sucessful with the band and one of the biggest reasons why we are always reminded that the band is just a tool. There are struggles that we have to sort out ourselves.

The stomach does not have any nerves. There are hairlike nerves that hang down at the top of the stomach. When a person eats, the food fills the stomach from the bottom to the top. When the food reaches the top of the stomach and reaches those nerves a signal is sent to the brain that you are full. With us bandsters, eating gets us to that point much faster and with less food.

We need to learn to identify true hunger, head hunger, gas/digestive sensations and dehydration.

First, if you are uncomfortable after eating then you need to review whether you ate too fast or too much or are too tight. You need to be sure to put your fork down between bites to give your brain a chance to get the full message before you become too full.

For the first several months you will probably have a severe amount of air in your digestive system. You will hear a lot of noise especially after you eat and it will sound like your stomach is growling. You will feel pressure and sensations that my make you feel like you need to eat. Eventually that problem went away for me. Moving around and taking GasX will help until then.

That empty feeling in the pit of your stomach probably means you are not drinking enough Water. It is a sign that your lower stomach is drying out. Drink a ton of Water between meals. A good way to tell if you are getting enough is to watch the color of your urine. Drink enough water to make your pee clear, not yellow.

We all know what head hunger is. Craving certain foods even though you are not hungry. Or feeling satisfied but wanting to eat a little more. You need to identify it and not give in. I tell myself that I can have what I am craving but not until my next meal. Then I do something to get my mind off it. Usually by meal time I don't even crave that food anymore. If it is stress or boredom that makes you head hungry then do something to get out of that situation. Watching processed carbs helps to control head hunger too.

I have my meals the same time every day. I know that I stay satisfied at least five hours between meal. If I think I need food sooner than five hours I try to identify what else besides hunger might be making me want to eat. I drink a couple glasses of water and keep myself occupied and wait to see if it will pass and it usually does.

Edited February 3, 2009 by Jodi_620

[Jodi_620 37]

I have had my third fill. Been banded for 8 months. I have lost 52lbs and am afraid to get another fill because I cannot eat meat for Breakfast or lunch....hurts like *you know what* going down, so much so that I just loose my appetite and stop eating at all. The pain of food going down is insaine. Although I eat half as much as I used to for dinner, it still seems that I can eat way too much. When it comes to dinner at the end of the day, I can eat quite a bit and any meat I want - steak, chicken, (not having much luck with fish though), and I have no problem with Pasta (which I probably shouldn't be eating, but is about the easiest thing to eat at this time).

Is anyone having this problem? Is it normal? Can you share with me your experiences after your 3rd fill. I appreciate it.

You should not be experiencing pain. However it is very common to start your day off tight and get looser as the day progresses. Having a cup of hot tea or coffee before breakfast and lunch can help to loosen things up a bit.

I eat softer foods for these meals, scrambled eggbeaters with cheese or oatmeal cooked in milk for breakfast. For lunch I am a little looser and hot tea an hour before gets me loose enough to tolerate Beans, fish or tender chicken. I can eat a little more for dinner than for the other two meals.

[Marmite_crumpet 0]

Identifying the difference between full, satisfied and hunger is difficult for many of us. Most of us who have been overweight rarely gauged our need to eat by true hunger so we have a hard time identifying what we are truly feeling. It is an important part of being sucessful with the band and one of the biggest reasons why we are always reminded that the band is just a tool. There are struggles that we have to sort out ourselves.

The stomach does not have any nerves. There are hairlike nerves that hang down at the top of the stomach. When a person eats, the food fills the stomach from the bottom to the top. When the food reaches the top of the stomach and reaches those nerves a signal is sent to the brain that you are full. With us bandsters, eating gets us to that point much faster and with less food.

We need to learn to identify true hunger, head hunger, gas/digestive sensations and dehydration.

First, if you are uncomfortable after eating then you need to review whether you ate too fast or too much or are too tight. You need to be sure to put your fork down between bites to give your brain a chance to get the full message before you become too full.

For the first several months you will probably have a severe amount of air in your digestive system. You will hear a lot of noise especially after you eat and it will sound like your stomach is growling. You will feel pressure and sensations that my make you feel like you need to eat. Eventually that problem went away for me. Moving around and taking GasX will help until then.

That empty feeling in the pit of your stomach probably means you are not drinking enough Water. It is a sign that your lower stomach is drying out. Drink a ton of Water between meals. A good way to tell if you are getting enough is to watch the color of your urine. Drink enough water to make your pee clear, not yellow.

We all know what head hunger is. Craving certain foods even though you are not hungry. Or feeling satisfied but wanting to eat a little more. You need to identify it and not give in. I tell myself that I can have what I am craving but not until my next meal. Then I do something to get my mind off it. Usually by meal time I don't even crave that food anymore. If it is stress or boredom that makes you head hungry then do something to get out of that situation. Watching processed carbs helps to control head hunger too.

I have my meals the same time every day. I know that I stay satisfied at least five hours between meal. If I think I need food sooner than five hours I try to identify what else besides hunger might be making me want to eat. I drink a couple glasses of water and keep myself occupied and wait to see if it will pass and it usually does.

This was a fabulously informative post which also gave me great reassurance. Just what I was hoping to hear from from someone.

Thank you Jodi

[Jodi_620 37]

This was a fabulously informative post which also gave me great reassurance. Just what I was hoping to hear from from someone.

Thank you Jodi

You are certainly welcome.

[donnab1284 0]

thats how i felt at the start but it passed after a few weeks

[Carolina Mom 0]

I had my band done on Jan. 27. I did pretty good until Sunday. I feel hungry. I drink the shake and then later I still feel hungry. I am drinking Water but I am still not getting something right. Also, how long does it take for the port pain to go away? Can you feel your port? My port feels like it really close to my rib cage. My bra is eating it up. Help.

[iwalktheline 1]

you're not crazy for feeling that sensation. ur body is amazing and doing it's job. people (women more) know their bodies. off topic, but i can actually feel around time of day my egg ovulates each month. i am being banded in a week and a half so i am trying to wrap my brain around all the stuff that i read.(i have a question) when you say that ur food is stuck, is that the same feeling everyone(non lapbanders) gets very rarely when u swallow a peice of steak wrong and its burning intense pain in the center top of your chest?

[Jodi_620 37]

i have a question) when you say that ur food is stuck, is that the same feeling everyone(non lapbanders) gets very rarely when u swallow a peice of steak wrong and its burning intense pain in the center top of your chest?

The stuck feeling is different depending on what is stuck and how bad.

Sometimes it is just a gaggy feeling.

Have you ever been drinking something and took too big a gulp causing that air bubble pain in your chest? When you are really stuck, the pain is very close to that only it can last longer.

[Jodi_620 37]

I had my band done on Jan. 27. I did pretty good until Sunday. I feel hungry. I drink the shake and then later I still feel hungry. I am drinking Water but I am still not getting something right. Also, how long does it take for the port pain to go away? Can you feel your port? My port feels like it really close to my rib cage. My bra is eating it up. Help.

You are oficially in what is called "Bandster Hell". You have the band but it is empty and not doing much to control your appetite. It is normal and we have all been through it. Some people gain 5-10 pounds during this period, the only way to avoid that is strong willpower. Once you start getting fills the hunger will be better controlled.

I couldn't feel my port very easily in the beginning and it would have been too painful to try. It was deep in my abdomin and I had to lie on my back, lift my legs up and press deep to feel it. The port incision is the largest and most sensitive one and doing that so soon would have been excrutiating. My port is just above and to the right of my belly button.