lucypets

I wouldn't wait too long to go in for a slight unfill. It is not good to pb et... it damages your esophogous. I waited out being too tight several times and suffered needlessly. When I went in for an unfill, I still had restriction but could keep solids down. Good luck and feel better.

Deborah,
What are you eating now that's hard to get down? Are you back on solid food? As long as you're able to drink plenty of liquids, you'll be OK while you figure out what's going on and whether you need a small unfill (which can make a big difference in your ability to eat without compromising your restriction).
It seemed like I had to re-learn my band eating skills (take tiny bites, chew very well, eat slowly, etc.) after every single fill I had, but there are some things you can do to minimize problems.
#1 - When you have a stuck episode, PB, sliming, or other eating problem, stop eating as soon as you start feeling discomfort. Continuing to eat will just irritate and inflame your upper GI tract even more.
#2 - After one of those eating problems (see above), follow a liquid diet for 24 hours. Then transition gradually to purees, soft foods (that you can cut with the side of a fork), and then solid foods.
#3 - Pay attention to which foods give you trouble. Animal Protein that's cooked too dry is a culprit for many bandsters. If you've been choosing lean cuts because they're lower in fat, consider trying a cut with more fat - for example, eat chicken thighs instead of chicken breast, and cook the chicken with the skin on so that the fat from the skin seeps into the meat to keep it moist. Be extra careful when eating very fibrous veggies (especially if raw) and fruits (especially with the skin or peel left on). A little bit of gravy, plain yogurt, sour cream, salad dressing, mayo, Tomato sauce, salsa and the like can help problem food go down (and add to the flavor, too).
If you're still struggling in 2-3 days, I'd call your surgeon's office and schedule an unfill. More fill is not better if you can't eat healthy solid food. I gained weight a few times when my band was too tight because I ended up eating easy slider foods that offer no satiety and are often junky (potato chips, ice cream, mashed potatoes, etc.).

I'm going through this right now. I posted on another forum and have copied and edited it a bit below and hope I can help anyone in preventing this. As far as your question, yes you can get the pouch back to normal but you and you only can make that happen. It's difficult, but, it can be done. If the pouch is really stretched badly they will un-fill you and place you on liquids for a period of time. My doctor told me 6 weeks of liquids. Holy smokes!!!
Here is my post from another thread:
Under floroscopy my doctor told me that my pouch was bigger than it should be. She told me that I would get a warning this time, but if next checkup showed the same, she will un-fill me and I will go on liquids for 6 weeks. For now I have been instructed to measure my portions. I did get a slight fill, so, I'm thinking that I'm not that bad yet.
I keep a loose band because my allergies and drainage cause the dreaded lapband cement on the pouch that is only dissolved by drinking lots of hot liquids and is very unpleasant, thus I have to be a bit more careful with my portions. I have decent restriction and my portions have been at least 1 cup of food and sometimes 1.5 cups, however, I got into the habit of not chewing well and eating too fast. I rarely got stuck because of my loose band. In my opinion, not chewing well and eating too fast is what caused the dialation. I was also doing way too much exercise and was feeling more hunger and I would eat way to fast and not chew well with the hunger I felt at times.
Someone asked about symptoms. First of all my weight loss stopped for months. My weight would go up and down by 6 lbs. and went on like this for at least 8 months. I tried increasing calories, longer work outs etc. etc. and nothing! My biggest symptom was more hunger in between meals and was getting hungry every 2-3 hours. The most obvious symptom that I should have never ignored was feeling satisfied (full) and would get that uncomfortable feeling of "no more" at meal time then all of sudden I would feel a thump in my pouch, due to food going thru quickly, then I could eat another meal if I chose to and honestly sometimes I would. I thought this was because I needed a fill, however, this was not the case and Doc said that a enlarged pouch of course holds more food and will push everything down quickly.
Since being warned I have gone on liquids 2 times consisting of 4 days of Protein drinks and 1 can of Soup a day. In addition, I have modified my drinking and wait 1/2 hour before a meal and 1/2 hour after a meal. I now feel a huge amount of restriction and can only handle the 1/2 cup of food at mealtime. So, yes you can reverse the stretched pouch. I will continue to do the liquid thing at least every other week for a while just to be on the safe side. Since doing this I have lost 10 lbs.
Lesson learned? If something doesn't feel right get it checked. I knew something was wrong, but, I was embarrassed to see the doctor because I had not reached goal. I think the biggest disappointment is first myself and second, being banded is high maintenance, but, we are the culprit to our own complications in most cases. I still love my band though! Hope this helps anyone who may be experiencing some of my symptoms and have ignored them. jake

You are so welcome Deborah!
If you are even a little bit insecure about how your incisions and resulting scars may look in the future, I would highly recommend using Mederma. Women tend to be a little more sensitive about these things, especially since certain outfits and bathing suits will not cover your surgical incisions. You've invested so much into becoming healthier and looking great, you should use the Mederma to maximize your progress!
Dennis

my scars are nearly (impossible to see) excluding my port incision. just faint pink little lines.
its not that big of a deal to me.
the more you heal, the marks will be less visible.

My doctor highly recommended Mederma, so I used it often in the first couple of months. I probably should be using it now, but I simply have not replaced the empty tube at this point. It seemed to soften the scar tissue and fade my scars quite a bit. I'm kind of a hairy guy, so between the Mederma and my ape-like appearance, my scars are not that noticable. LOL Like CG said, if your incisions are a little on the large side, I would highly recommend using Mederma, but if they are already not too noticable, you could probably do without it. The stuff is a little on the expensive side, so you may want to look at some of the generic products that do the exact same thing, at a greatly reduced price too! Yep, I'm a penny pincher!! LOL

Okay, stand still and we will all beat you with a wet noodle. Feel better? Now, since you fell off, climb back on the wagon and start over. As others have said, now is healing time, so don't make your stomach work hard. Best wishes and go with the knowledge that others before you have fallen off the wagon and have climbed back and lost weight. Take care and take it easy. Karen

Hi guys! My name is Robert and I had the iband procedure last week and wow those first 5 days were brutal! I'm feeling much better today and looking forward to a healthier me and lifestyle.
I've spent most of my life overweight so I know these changes are a not going to come easy, but it looks like there is so much support out there and here that at least I know I am not alone! In the first week I am already down 12 pounds! I'm so excited. Can't wait to hear and read about everyone's success stories! Look forward to meeting and talking with you all.
Robert (X)

I was I banded on 6/28/2012 I've lost 18 lbs including the pre-op diet!!

I was starving on liquids too. I started reading through all of my booklets that I was given from day 1 until surgery day, and saw where I could have certain foods upon being discharged from the hospital. I was ecstatic! So since then (I was banded on 6/12) I have had eggs, baked chicken, soft cheese, and stuff like that. It doesn't take much to fill me up thank God. But I feel sooooo much better with a little fuel. And I have definitely remembered to chew, chew, chew and eat VERY slowly.

I didn't have any issues but your FOS made me laugh & I'm glad you still have a sense of humor. I'm wishing you a speedy recovery & hope you feel better soon,

So glad your recovery is going well - remember to take care of yourself even if you feel great. Good luck in the upcoming weeks!!

Dont forget about sugar free popsicles and juice. I couldnt do the broth it made me gag. I ate a lot of the gogurt packs and popsicles. Glad to hear you are doing so well after 10 hours. I was still in and out of napping.

Good to hear u are doing well. Wishing you a speedy recovery

Hi, I was banded this morning, I feel really good besides the obvious soreness. Already sick of beef broth though. LOL. Ready to get back into my size 6 jeans. I am now in a 14-16.

Hi, I was banded this morning, I feel really good besides the obvious soreness. Already sick of beef broth though. LOL. Ready to get back into my size 6 jeans. I am now in a 14-16.

Hi, I was banded this morning, I feel really good besides the obvious soreness. Already sick of beef broth though. LOL. Ready to get back into my size 6 jeans. I am now in a 14-16.

Hi, I was banded this morning, I feel really good besides the obvious soreness. Already sick of beef broth though. LOL. Ready to get back into my size 6 jeans. I am now in a 14-16.

Hi, I was banded this morning, I feel really good besides the obvious soreness. Already sick of beef broth though. LOL. Ready to get back into my size 6 jeans. I am now in a 14-16.

Im getting LB on June 27...5 days away! I have 60 lbs to lose and my mom thinks I'm crazy. Actually I feel she thinks I'm just lazy and taking the easy way out. I should have her read some of these posts, it's NOT easy! I've been gaining more than losing on all the diets, acupuncture and hypnotherapy. I'm always hungry! I'm ready for a change! Healthy weight here I come!

Well I 'only' had to lose 70 to get to normal BMI so of course I had to self pay. I consider myself a low BMIer. I can eat anything or drink anything and I dont chew obsessively...BUT...I can only eat about a half a cup of anything at a time. My husband teases me that I eat so little I am a very cheap date! I can order a regular meal in a restaurant (come'on, girls we all know those portions are for an NFL linebacker, but we know we have eaten them!) and take the rest home and live on it for days!
I LOVE my band because at the right fill level it absolutely prevents me from overeating. I have never dieted, counted calories, eaten diet food or low fat food, or exercised since I had the band, Hell, I had done all that many times before and failed or should I say succeeded in getting fatter everytime i lost then regained the weight?!
I definitely eat and am more than happy with tiny portions but people do notice it when I eat with other people and I just had to get over that feeling of being judged. I didnt tell anyone except immediate fam that I am banded so I think my friends who see how little I eat think I am starving myself and maybe they even think I am judging them for eating the whole restaurant meal. I used to feel bad about that and would even overeat to the point of having to yak to try to cover how little I would eat...I dont do that any more I just dont care what people think! Getting to that point was probably the hardest thing about having the band. I went from a size 16 jeans to a size 6...nuff said!
Juicy, good luck...thanks for friending me and dont listen to people who say its about following the rules and living at the gym (if we could do that...) its all about restriction...fight till you get your RIGHT level of restriction!! After that, its a (tiny) piece of cake!

I'm being banded in the morning. I'm from Stephenville Texas and I'm going to Dr. Bradley hart in grandbury. I'm so nervous and anxious! I'm ready for my new life! I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful husband and family and friends!

Hey there, me and a couple other gals in the dfw area have started a support group. If u would like to join us on this journey please do so! I am being banded April 2 with Dr Adam Smith. Come join us!!

Nervous about what?
I think I was mostly nervous(afraid in my case) about how much I was going to miss taco bell, Coldstone, pizza, or even my own mexican food which is very good. My deep love of food made me fearful of how much I was going to miss it. I was never really afraid of the surgery or the process. I knew that would be a distant memory a few months after the surgery. The thought that I couldn't indulge myself with the foods I really loved scared me.
But, now I'm 6 months out and TaDa! I can eat those things if I want but I don't have to eat too much. And I'm good with that. Sorry to vent all over your thread but my advice is to think about all the wonderful things you'll be doing as a thin person. Don't worry, be happy!
tmf

Welcome! I'm pretty new and I the DFW area, my surgery is June 20th. Stay in touch, these boards are amazing!