vapors1

Hello everyone! I’ve been reading for a while and now I have a question. I’ve had 3 fills and am about to have my 4th. After my 3rd, I think I felt some restriction – I felt a sharp pain at the top of my stomach area. This pain was a lot more uncomfortable than anything. Kind of like a brain freeze that doesn’t go away. I realized that it was from not chewing enough. After about 5 to 10 minutes, the pain would go away and I’d slowly feel what was stuck, move it’s way down. Then I’d proceed eating, but much slower and things would be all right. If that uncomfortable feeling is the “sweet spot”, I don’t think I like that! With that said, hear are some concerns: 1.) When I get hungry, the “growls” come from my lower stomach area. Even after eating something, the growling doesn’t go away…very quickly – Is this normal? 2.) I’ve found that if I eat slowly enough, I can eat just as much as I used to eat. This doesn’t seem right nor is it what I want to do! 3.) At what point are the nerves in the banded area supposed to kick in and tell you that you’re full? Also, only after my last fill did I find that in the mornings I could barely get warm coffee down. But by late afternoon into early evening, the floodgates are open and there’s very little restriction. My fill Doc said that my esophagus could be causing this – you know, needs time first thing in the morning to get warmed up? I just know that it’s been weeks since I’ve lost any weight and I’m really getting frustrated! I lost a lot initially – and quickly, but not anything for a long while! HELP!!:help:

Interesting Question Here! This came up on another post that I had. Does exercising help you to feel more full/restricted? Obviously exercise is great, but does it directly affect the sensation of fullness? You don't need a P.H.D. to answer! How has exercise affected you?:fencing:

Jenn, Hang in there! From my experience, I've been told that the first fill is mostly absorbed by the band itself. It's quite possible that 1.5cc's of your 2cc fill was obsorbed by the band. Of course it's going to vary from person to person. I just had my 4th fill on Wednesday and am finally feeling some restriction! Sure mornings are tighter than afternoon and evening - but what's really helped in the evening is finally getting that full feeling. I know it's extremely hard to think about eating the right things, especially when a 7 layered burrito goes down so smooth! They are pretty good!:hungry: Nonetheless, I've found that if you are that hungry, start with real good solid protiens like chicken, fish and steak. Then mix in some veggies. The great thing with this is that you may eat a little more, but you're eating more of the right things. When you eat things that aren't that great for you, they tend to stay with you longer and slow you down. You're doing great! Just take it one day at a time, one meal at a time! And if you have the time, read around on this forum! There are some really great, inspirational people on here who are going, or have gone through exactly what you're going through!

:update: I went in for my fill on Wednesday. I walked out with .4cc more. I know this doesn't sound like much, but this may have been the one! My fill was at 3:30pm, so of course I had time for a good protien filled lunch at around 11:00am. I wanted to eat really good, because I know that it would be the last solid food going down for the day! The fill went great. I sipped on my Water in the waiting room for about 20 minutes after and even there I could sense that things were tighter! The water went down, but really slow! Later that evening about 7:00pm, I had one of those Campbells heat and sip Soups. I was able to get about 3/4 of it down before I felt full! Yes, I said felt full! I then sipped on water the rest of the evening and had not one bit of hunger for the rest of the night. Thursday morning woke up and tried a protien shake. That didn't work, yet! I put it in the fridge and went for a cup of coffee. I sipped on it for about an hour and then tried the protien shake. I got about 6oz of it down and felt satisfied. I sipped on water for the rest of the day and felt great. No growling stomach or anything. For dinner, I was a little dissapointed because I was baking a chicken and thought I wouldn't be able to have any. WRONG! Fresh out of the oven, I just had to taste it. A small, small bite, but it went down great. Once I realized it went down ok, I sliced off some more and cut it up really fine, almost lke a food processor would! I put a little gravy on it and that was the best thing all day! I measured out about 1/3 cup of chopped up chicken and put about 3 tbs. of gravy on it. I ATE IT ALL! But that was it! No potatos, or anything else. I felt great. About an hour after, I had a glass of iced tea and that satisfied me through the rest of the night. I drank about 8oz of water about 30 minutes before bed, and slept like a baby! Today, I'm just sipping on my coffee and hoping for another great day! I'm most excited about the no growling or hunger pains in between meals. That along with boredom makes me want to snack. So far, the water in between meals has really helped. Thanks to everyone for your support and comments:clap2: . I'll keep you updated on how things are going!

:clap2: Thanks Tonya and Jacqui!:clap2: It sounds like both of you are opposite! I guess I'd fall somewhere in the middle! If I wake up early and exercise, I do find that I'm more on track for the rest of the day. If I exercise mid day, I've found that I'm more hungry through the day. It's a little goofy how our bodies work day in and day out! Appreciate the response!!

Brandy, What The.....????:faint: Is that normal to have more cc's in your band? Do you find that your "flood gates" are more open after exercise? That puts a new spin on feeling restricted! Does exercise encourage or discourage restriction? Well congrats to you on what you have lost! Just curious, with you being at 4.2cc in a 4.0cc band, will your doctor give you any more fills? Thanks for the info!

Great Job Kim & Steph! After each post, I feel more and more confident that what I need is another fill! I appreciate all the support and comments! Before I posted my question, I thought I needed to be some sort of medical expert to reply to anyone elses questions! What's great is that most experts can't tell me how I feel! But you, my fellow "Bandster's" out there know exactly what I'm feeling! It only takes one of you out there who's been going through the exact things that I'm going through to help me feel at ease! This forum ROCKS!:whoo:

You are soooo right! Same here! I'll see a pound or two come off and will be like yeah! Then, while making the same correct food choices, that pound or two comes back! So then the "ah screw it" side of me comes out! After my last couple of fills, my fill Doc has said, "now remember, you're pouch is only the size of an egg". And I'm thinking, yeah, a dozen eggs right?:frusty: With regard to what Tracew said above - Thank you for your 2 cents! - if I've eaten something and am still getting the growling, my mind is telling me I'm not done eating yet!:hungry: I'd love to get to that point! Who knows, maybe a new story after Wednesday comes!

Blownaway36, Do you get the "hunger" or "growling" feeling low in your stomach? What about being more restricted in the morning vs. the night? Before my surgery I used to drink quite a bit of Water. Now, I barely drink any at all. Should we still try and drink lots of water? Maybe this will help with making me feel more full in between meals. It's crazy how all of our bodies react so differently to this procedure! Thanks for the support!:clap2: Kevin

Julie, Thanks for the reply. I'm hoping that the fill that I have coming up on Wednesday will come with the "sensors" that I'm looking for. I've been doing a lot of reading on these forums and am sure that another fill will get me one step closer. Happy Easter! Kevin