Wishes I'd never done this....

Sorry to hear. Im 1 week post-op and I hope things will be smooth for me!

All the best!

Wow - I too am 1 wk. post op and I lost 10 lbs. this past week. Sorry to hear you are not having much luck. Maybe something in wrong. I would go get checked by the Dr. That would def be very frustrating. Hope things get better for you. Please let us know.

it's definately a lot of work and it may take several fills or unfills until you get your sweet spot. The point is not to give up. Good luck on your journey!

I have the "sliming" thing too...But, I've been told that occurs because of eating too fast OR too big of a bite and/or not chewing enough. The fills are to restrict you on how much you can eat and only give you the full sensation after a max of 1 cup of food...If you can eat more then 1 cup of food at one sitting then you need a fill. If you are "sliming" try slowing down and taking tiny little bites of food and chew them 20-30 times each bite.

It is hard work - But so is anything we must do to lose weight.

Good luck - hope this helps.

As well, there are some foods that just don't go down nice no matter how much you chew - the slime comes (for me this is bread, pizza, and sometimes yogurt).

I had my surgery February 17, 2010 and every time I go and get a fill I have to go get it taken out. It always is to much and all I do is throw up. I just got a fill again over a week ago on Monday and today was the 1st day I was able to eat anything. I got down a pack of cream of wheat. Even water was hard to get in. It would take me a whole day before I get a whole bottle of water down. I called the doctor after my fill on Monday and he removed what he put in then I called him again this past Monday to let him know that I am still unable to eat. He said I was still swollen from the fill but as long as I am getting water in I am fine but I could come in and see him. I told him I would give it until today because that would be seven days since he removed the fill he put in. (I have a 11cc band and I am at 4.5) The swelling should be down within a week but if I did not get anything to eat in me I wanted him to do in xray to see what was going on. I fell the same way as you do about not liking the band. I just think it is because of getting sick and slimming but give it a little more time to see what happens. I have lost 61 pounds to date and I would of never did that on my own. Take care.

Sounds like you're having swelling issues with your fills.. Are you doing the liquids after your fills? Are you eating cool things to help with the swelling as warm liquids to open you up before you attempt to eat?

It's important to baby yourself after fills, just as you did after surgery, popsicles, ice, puddings, yogurts, shakes, etc are all great and then ease your way up.

This is alot of work and it takes a while to get to your sweet spot, but don't give up you'll get there. Be encouraged!

Thanks everybody.

I do follow the rules of the tool. My doctors offices rules are really different than others it appears, but I follow theirs to the T. It isn't immediately after the fill that I have problems, it's a gradual thing. I was about a week out when it started to pose a problem. As the days went after that it became worse. Part of the problem is swelling. After you slime enough times everything is swollen.

They decided to unfill me completely yesterday to let the swelling go down. Now I have nothing again and have to start the fill process over. Why can't I be one of the people that this just clicks for?

Yesterday I was completely ready to give up. Today I am ready again to fight for a different life.

Thanks for the support!

~Helena

Sometimes it's good to just start over all over again... you'll be healed and ready to go. Not knowing your dr's rules it's hard to say, but that very well may be part of the problem. On here I've seen some of the strangest things told to patients or patients have had done to them (Like one lady getting 5ccs at a fill - where do they do that at?!??!) And eating right before your fill, eating right after etc...

The main focus here is to realize YOU didn't do anything wrong... so now you start fresh and build your way back up... with the advantage of knowing what to do and what to expect ahead of time.

To be honest with you, I have a 3 bag a week Sonic Ice habit (I was an ice eater before surgery) but nothing helps my stomach more than that.. whether I'm stuck, or sliming or just irritated it soothes it immediately but every body is different so you need to figure out what works for you. Best of luck and keep us posted on your new progress!

great to hear your are fighting for it!!!

I am so sorry to hear what you are going through but don't give up on your band. It is a tool that will help you to gain your weight lost goals once you find that right place for you. I too have had two bad experiences with overfills and being too tight, but I had to figure out what works for me. I can't eat certain foods that may be okay for another person. So many people have advised on some good options to follow to correct some of your band issues. Eating smaller bites, chewing very well, not mixing food and drink at the same time. My band sometimes has a mind of its own because it’s tighter at certain times of the day and others food can be tolerated a lot better. I just have to be in tune with the different signals it gives me and I then determine what to eat and how much. I can tell when I have had that one bite too many ,because I have the worst feeling in the world in chest but after 10-20 minutes I can feel it start to move. There is no easy answer to give to you, but listen to you body and take things slow.

Every single person with a band is totally different in how their bands work for them. Continue to fight towards your goal because it's a daily process. Have you lost any weight so far?