Jack

I find it VERY helpful to reinforce my own meal size by using downsized dishes. I can 'fill them up' and 'fill myself up' visually using a saucer or the smallest little cereal bowel, rather than my econo-sized extra deep/wide Morbidly Obese Survival Plates....my favorite cup-handled soup bowl can hold less than 3/4 cup of soup, while my old one was good for 1 1/2 cups. And somehow at times that visual clue simply helps when I might otherwise attempt to eat past mere satiety. Old habits dwindle slowly even now. And bad NEW habits are so easily based on not-quite-yet-extinguished bad OLD habits....

re: "I have unresolved food issues and without addressing them, I will never be successful." now that you've vented, what are you going to do? Each day now that I have 'mostly' resolved my own 'food issues' is a blessing that is not consumed with living to eat. I've grown away from the habit and comfort of mere swallowing rather than doing something more fun, more satisfying, more demanding of my time and attention. Yes, we do sometimes need additional help to get on the path. Hope you can find the time to seek a local live therapist who can assist in your recovery. Cheers in your journey.

Call your doctor for a check up. Please report back to us what he found and what he told you to do.

Yes, my own Band, my own Little Angel of the Silicon Fist, my Symbiant....is .....FICKLE!!!! There. Now some days just aren't like the day before, despite "hunky dory" and "A-OK", etc for days/weeks/months on end. No issues, no effort, no concerns.....predictable, non intrusive....just like 'normo life' with 'normo eating'..... Then....kaBLAMMO!!! Nearly as psychotic as a red headed ex-spouse....and uncertainty with no clear cause.....then.... like a distant splash in an autumn pond.........serenity returns and all becomes calm again.............

lunch today with an old friend who ate way more than I did. And she is about a size 6 5'4". I took 3/4 of my sandwich and the vast bulk of my 'pan baked potato chips' home with me. Made 2 more meals with it and still have some left. Some 'good eating habits' really ARE beginning to take root in my daily habits....at long last!!!

Welcome to the Forum. I read a few on new recipe considerations, and 'how to eat' but that was long ago and I've lost track of the title. They did expand my knowledge base. My pre-surgery diet was to lose 25# and relied on a sort of modified Atkins approach. I became fond of balsamic vinegar as a salad dressing...it's far more complex than what I had previously thought. My life improved tremendously due to the Band. Cheers on your journey.

I for one would start with the 'slight unfill' plan here. In fact, it happened to me, and after lots of misery and extensive imaging, etc, I was relieved by a tiny unfill. Actually I didn't quite have reflux but all the other issues such as PBs, gagging, difficult to drink/eat/get comfortable, etc. Your band surgeon needs to know about this NOW!.

well stated Dave_NW I second your comments.

re: "Either I can eat everything or I can eat nothing!!!!!!!!!!! Lose....gain.......lose....gain!!!!!! I'm in so much pain right now after throwing up because I must have taken too big of a bite of something." such is the struggle many of us of the Tribe of the Morbidly Obese. In a perfect world, perhaps none of that would happen. We somehow would have been blessed with the capacity to have known in our early years that decades of over eating, over indulgence, and over enjoying over eating year in and year out would make us Morbidly Obese. Yet, here ~I~ am....having done all that most of my life in spite of over 30 years of really Really REALLY trying to not 'over eat' anything. Yet all somehow conspired to make my journey more unpleasant. On my way to the Omars BigBoy Clothing and Tent Emporium, I'd stop for yet another bag-o-burgers. Life hasn't been easy or especially pleasant in so many ways, for any Bandster I've known. Best of luck in your remedial efforts. I remain "40# from goal".....and I sometimes have episodes of PBs and slime and "why is THIS happening". Yet I'm in size 42/44 pants instead of 56/58. I no longer inject insulin twice daily after 15 years. I no longer am confined by CPAP after 10 years. I no longer have the dreaded panic/anxiety disorder constricting my life as it did preOp. My blender knows the drill. It fed me well for several years....but I no longer need it. And so forth. Yes, we all get frustrated. cheers on your journey.

Just my personal view on this OP: Every now & then, such an inquiry surfaces regarding self fills. Open discussion, as far as I can tell, is not at issue. After due consideration, in the notion that Bandsters at large are consenting adults capable of making rational decisions, this thread is left open as long as no forum rules are violated, and pending reconsideration if necessary. I too understand the frustration leading to consideration of self fills. In no way would I choose to do such to myself. 1) The potential for self injury, infection, or damage to the hardware is considerable, IMHO. 2) The potential for GIANT liability for those individuals doing such in the circumstances mentioned above, could well lead to litigation and drastic financial ramifications. Part of the cost of having the properly certified Fill Center or your own surgeon's office perform such procedure, is they have insurance should such prove necessary. If the cost of initial surgery is considerably, ask what the complications of septic abdomen might include.

Just my personal view on this OP: Every now & then, such an inquiry surfaces regarding self fills. Open discussion, as far as I can tell, is not at issue. After due consideration, in the notion that Bandsters at large are consenting adults capable of making rational decisions, this thread is left open as long as no forum rules are violated, and pending reconsideration if necessary. I too understand the frustration leading to consideration of self fills. In no way would I choose to do such to myself. 1) The potential for self injury, infection, or damage to the hardware is considerable, IMHO. 2) The potential for GIANT liability for those individuals doing such in the circumstances mentioned above, could well lead to litigation and drastic financial ramifications. Part of the cost of having the properly certified Fill Center or your own surgeon's office perform such procedure, is they have insurance such such prove necessary. If the cost of initial surgery is considerably, ask what the complications of septic abdomen might include.

regarding some of your issues post hys etc, it sounds like your esophagus has never quite readapted to its new role. I've wondered about the sleeve myself but will wait a few more years to see what the longer term consensus becomes. I've had a few issues with having been too tight and having to take months to reestablish the sweet spot with no hunger, small meals, no complaints....but it does come eventually. I've never had night time regurgitation, but gather the impression it very often is related to late eating as well as being too tight. I've had moments where daily PBs could be an issue, but I've found ways to live with that occasional turmoil.

given your comments my impression is a very slight unfill and more attention to how and what you are able to actually swallow without PBs. To be able to eat the appropriate hard Protein, I had to rely on the food processor for nearly a year. We are all different in the details of how we adapt to our new life. It really sounds like 'more restriction' is not the answer for your current situation.

By all means get this further evaluation ASAP. There are a number of related issues which can increase the symptoms of an otherwise relatively 'simply' Band problem. Letting such symptoms go without in depth evaluation that provides a likely answer is not a good idea IMHO. A great Band placement that works well 98% of the time still requires the occasional check up, especially with your handful of complaints. I personally wouldn't rest until I *did* have satisfactory answers. Please let us know what you find out, and don't just let this continue as you describe. Bandster Life does NOT have to be a miserable experience.

re: "I found it different to simply enjoying the lack of appetite that I had with the band and eating very little just because I could." I read Jachut's post about control of those around us and anorexia. I've never experienced that aspect; however I wonder about the very opposite: OVEReating as a way to 'feel' we have control over situations where obviously we don't. And I mean 'overeat' apart from any actual food-related issue of taste, hunger, etc. I wonder whether the dysfunctional secret belief that the mere act of swallowing is a type of control which stands in place of any/all other ability to control our lives. Perhaps that is another form of depression/etc. Because even reading about such behavior is difficult to understand what the writer REALLY is talking about, I've erected my own sense of order in this entire 'Morbid Obesity' issue. My premise is the alleged reasons for such is of relatively minor significance; it is our behavior (overeating despite all physiological needs) that is the singular controllable and measurable aspect. My own behavior has changed enough that I'm no longer "morbidly obese"....although at BMI of "35" I remain "obese".....which is where I've been nearly all my life. Whether further BMI decrease can be achieved seems to be increasingly less likely.... based on my eating behavior.

Personally I've been on a long LONG plateau of over 3 years without significant weight change. I've had a couple tiny fills and equally tiny UNfills as for my antique model 4cc Band changes as little as .1cc can have tremendous effect. I too have days of 'monstrasourus eating' potential.....yet find oddly that the reality is I'm not actually eating all that much per computer tracking program. And some days I simply don't care for much....which is fine. Had a major concern checked out by my Internist, his gastroenterologist, and consult with both my dietician and other practitioners. The consensus is 1) nothing is "wrong"/diagnosable/otherwise treatable; 2) I may be at my "maximum medical improvement" per weight loss. OK, so I'm still "40#" from my original goal. Life is good. Still, my Band is at times Fickle. cheers on your journey

They won't press you too hard. And if the tread mill isn't available to determine certain physiological status questions, there is a 'chemical stress' test. At the time of my own preOp testing, I was in a chronic panic/anxiety mode and made far more of both of them than actually they amounted to being in reality. Don't fret about either. And in not too long postOp you'll surprise yourself at just how far you CAN walk without issues. cheers in your journey

re: "when I feel satisfied I should stop and its ok if I don't finish " therein is the entire nut.... It was a tremendous NEW experience to recognize there IS a difference between "hungry" and "NOT hungry".... Leaving food uneaten is one of the mortal sins in my early family eating training. As Bandsters we must find ways to reprogram ourselves. You are well on the way by recognizing those 2 separate opportunities to change your eating behavior. For me, it is/was/is largely a matter of daily practice....although sometimes it really does begin to feel 'normal'. More often now I'm finding I take less to begin with, maybe only a few spoonfuls. Making it more effort to go get more helps retrain my NOT eating behavior. cheers on your journey

APRPro4U: The little details are annoying like rocks in our boot; we must keep moving in the direction we chose, even if we have to stop to take our boot off now and again! cheers in your journey

re: "don't you think it's inappropriate for a doctor to discuss his relationship with insurance companies?" This is my opinion only, and differs from other prior responses. I believe it is appropriate for my provider to clearly state what the financial aspect of his care consists as relates to the overall cost. The question of who pays what amount should be one of the basics a consultation needs to include. His medical recommendations shouldn't be based on that matter, but as a patient I want to know who pays what. With that data clearly stated, any confusion later in the front office can be avoided. Personally, I would welcome such frank disclosure as part of the initial consult were it me there in the office seeking a medical opinion. It is possible to shop around and find a provider to give any answer one wants. The opinions of the provider given in the practice of medicine, like the practice of law, is based on 'likely outcome' in similar circumstance in prior cases. Prediction of our individual results remains a matter of speculation based on a lot of factors identified and unidentified. Prior WLS does add at least some degree of complexity to the usual questions regarding Banding.

This is a wonderful phase on the journey in which to discover a whole NEW way to eating according to what our brain tells us instead of the Belly Beasts continuing to run our lives. Yes, soups were a whole new food group I belatedly discovered as actually being GOOD!!!

I was on CPAP 10 long years preOp. PostOp I was off it within 8 months and haven't needed it since. While it did save my life I think.....and made it possible to actually get deep level sleep....using it was an exercise in self discipline. Glad I no longer need it. Yet another reason to Celebrate 'the BAND!!!!'

One of my favorite meals is baked fish sticks and home canned green beans. Typically I'll have 4-6 fish sticks and 1/2-1 cup beans. Sometimes less.

re: "no appetite".....I had several periods where I had "no hunger" and "no appetite"....along with "no interest in food".... IMHO it's not an unusual phase of postOp life, I've seen many Bandsters post similar comments over the years. Enjoy that gift for what it is, a break in a life that was for way-too-long controlled by what our Belly Beasts demanded.... learn how to use social time not based on 'how much', 'what' or even 'whether' you eat along with your friends.

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