too tight or what?

[BeckyinTn 0]

I had a fill done last Thursday. I think the Dr put in about 2cc..which would bring me up to 6cc in a 10cc band. The problem is when I swallow I feel pain like I am stuck. It will last from a few seconds to a minute or two and then it goes away. Any ideas? I have great restriction so I am hoping that I am not too tight!

[MissBS 3]

Hi Becky!!! My last fill put me to 5.9 cc's in my 10 cc band. Are you able to keep liquids down?? Any food down?? I was too tight when I first got my fill - but - it was the holidays, I could not get to Houston, and I was able to drink and get soft foods down. If I had not been able to get anything down, I would have found a way to get an unfill. My band got looser (still good restriction), so now I'm glad I did not get any taken out. It is a whole new world of eating/drinking once you get restriction. If you keep experiencing pain when you swallow, I would call and see what they say. It seems to be a very fine line between no restriction and too much restriction. Keep me posted and I will write you soon. Good luck and take good care of yourself!! Becky

[BeckyinTn 0]

Thanks Becky! I look forward to hearing from you!

[stacyiam 1]

I am almost the same -- I had a fill about 10 days ago and I love the restriction BUT sometimes it is just TOO tight. I get concerned about being dehydrated???? I can drink a LITTLE warm liquid in the AM and I got down about 1/4 cup cream Soup yesterday p.m. and some mushy broccoli and potatoes last night. I have lost almost 7# -- which I LOVE LOVE LOVE... Maybe I also need a .1 unfill just to make the liquids easier?????

[lipstix64 1]

I got my 3rd fill and first time I feel restricted. Third time is a charm! But what a difference it makes. I still want to eat, but I physically cant because it might come back up. I dont feel full, my band does!. But, I;m gratefull for this. I just have to tak smaller bites and eat slowly. Thats my biggest challenge. I am normally a fast eater who swallows big pieces at a time. Not anymore!! That causes pain adn discomfort and it is NOT woth it. But, if you have pain, you should call your doc. That shouldnt be happening. Good luck!

[BeckyinTn 0]

Stacy,

I am able to get the liquids down and keep them down. For me it is just when I eat solids and I swallow it gets stuck. After a minute or two it goes through the band. I am going to call my Dr tomorrow and ask if I am too tight and if I need to come in for a slight unfill. I have lost 5lbs since Thursday. I am happy about that, but I don't want to mess anything up by being to tight. If you call your Dr let me know what they tell you!

Becky

[stacyiam 1]

Becky -- I went in today and we removed what I had put in last time -- .5. When I got to the car I grabbed my coffee and had a NORMAL drink.... What a relief. This will slow me down with the loss but I would have a reasonably good day and the next day I was really worried about being dehydrated. I have already had a 20 oz bottle of H2O and I am good. I can stand 2# a week if I know it is healthy. I had no energy -- BUT bless the band -- allowing us to re-regulate as needed. My dr. said we can go back up if needed next month but .5 is TOO much. Maybe add .2 -- I am going to try to just stay here for a while and get in my groove. :-) I also had that feeling where you could actually feel the food passing through -- not comfortable. Maybe you just need a very slight unfill -- it is crazy how a micro amount makes a HUGE HUGE difference. Even my attitude is better :-) --- don't think the band does that but DREADING eating does, keep me posted as we're on this crazy journey together :-)

Edited February 20, 2009 by stacyiam

[BeckyinTn 0]

I spoke to my Dr who told me that I am doing ok. He said that since I can drink with no problem that it is probably that I am taking large bites instead of pea size bites plus the fact I need to slow down.

Well before I spoke to him I had my first PB today! Yuck!:puke:Oh boy did it hurt.I thought that I had been stuck before..oh no not compared to this. I got stuck on scrambled eggs of all things!

Well for the next 24 hours I am on liquids!

The only bright spot to this whole thing since the fill is that I have lost 8 lbs. That is a pound a day!

[jkend50035 1]

Boy, I can really relate to everyone in this particular thread. I had my 4th fill 4 weeks ago taking me up to 7.5cc's on a 14cc band, but it kicked in 2 weeks ago. I really think I am at my sweet spot. I am so restricted that I cannot eat ANYTHING unless I do it slowly and with small bites. It is so hard for me to do that, since like most of us we are used to eating quickly and with big bites. And I cannot eat alot of food--maybe 1 cup or less each time. I have had alot of PB's which weren't fun, but it is sooooo hard to change and eat slowly enough. The weight is slowly coming off now, so I am very pleased. I must say, sometimes my band is tighter sometimes and not quite so tight other times. I don't see why that is. Does anyone know? --Jim

[BeckyinTn 0]

My dr told me that since the stomach is constantly moving (churning) it will affect the tightness of the band. Which once I thought about it makes since.

Since I just had my first "PB" I will be following the band rules. Before this fill I really didn't have to since I didn't have real good restriction. Now I do! Wow what a difference!

[jkend50035 1]

What are the band rules? I presume it is eating slowly and chewing thoroughly, but I'm just guessing.:tt2:

[BeckyinTn 0]

Yep! Those are the rules! I can't say that I have been abiding by them. I really haven't had to till now! I am one of those people who takes big bites and eats fast. Not good for a bandster!!

[jkend50035 1]

I have a q---How much are you supposed to eat when you are properly restricted? The reason why I ask is I had a difficult time getting almost anything down yesterday. I ate maybe 1/4 bowl of chili (maybe), I tried again later and I could barely keep down 2 or 3 spoonfuls. I couldn't even finish a small container of yogurt. I even had restriction drinking a Meal Replacement shake. I'm getting a bit concerned. It has been 4 weeks since my last fill, and 2 weeks ago it started to be kind of strict. Now this yesterday (and this AM) it got tighter!! Any thoughts on this? Thanks, Jim

[BeckyinTn 0]

Wow! Are you able to drink Water? If you can't then you are way to tight. If it was me I would call my Dr tomorrow just to check to see if you need a slight unfill. I have heard that in with some fills it can take days or weeks to have restriction. I do know that with this last fill some days are worse than others. No one seems to have an explination for it either. While I am tight I am not that tight. I am able to drink a Protein Shake and I am able to eat (if I go slow and take small pea size bites).

Most people are tighter in the AM for some reason. I usually drink coffee in the morning. The warmth seems to help loosen the band some.

[jkend50035 1]

I can drink Water but it goes down a bit slow. I believe that I probably STILL am eating too large of bites, and eating too fast as well. I am going to try very small bites and go very slowly today and then assess where I am. Thanks for the good input.