GBear

I remember you! Hahaha, okay, that's not fair since I know you IRL, too. But this is weird timing, I have to admit, because I haven't logged into here in, oh, I don't know how many months. Over a year for sure. I've been getting more emails on this thread lately, but I hadn't been reading them. Just today I was thinking I probably ought to log in and stop watching this thread. But now I see Chrys has logged in, and she has been my inspiration all this time. Maybe this is a sign I should keep on checking in on here, even if it's a little bit. Okay, so I won't stop watching this thread after all... I have been on a plateau for a loooooong time. Well over a year. Although, during that plateau was a small peak and then down as I want on a doctor approved "band holiday" as he calls them. Luckily, the weight swing was only 10 pounds, so it wasn't too big of a deal. But I'm still a few pounds heavier than my lowest (but I think most of that is actually muscle gain since I started doing personal trainer sessions, too). Anyway, I know I am making poor food choices, so that's the cause of my plateau. That, and I started to develop reflux when my band is "too tight." I put that in quotes because I actually liked the tightness level, but the tightness level doesn't like me. =P Anyway, that's enough about me. Best of luck to all the new and soon-to-be-new bandster with Dr. K! I'll have to do some reading to catch up on who some of you are. =)

I really believe all bandsters should add Fiber to their diet. My favorite way is to add a LOT of Benefiber to at least one drink per day. It dissolves in everything, even cold liquids, and it has no taste and adds no texture. You really will have no idea it's there! My second favorite way is with one of the sugar-free flavored Metamucils. They now have a mixed berry flavor and a lemon-lime (haven't tried it yet) flavor in addition to their original orange. It does, however, get thick after awhile, and it has a slight grainy texture. But I actually don't mind it because it helps me feel full in between meals without overstuffing me. Also, sometimes it's nice to "know" for sure that there's is fiber in what you're drinking! Oh, though, beware, I recently bought the Benefiber plus Calcium, but it definitely has a slight taste. It's almost as if it tastes salty. So, I actually don't recommend that one as long as you take a calcium supplement separately (calcium citrate is best!). I certainly don't have BMs as often as I used, and that is usually reflected in my weight, so I kind of keep a mental note. =) But adding fiber to my diet makes a huge difference. Good luck!

Thank you everyone who has commented so far! I hope more people continue to comment. =) I've been nursing my Protein drink for a few hours today so far. I get the suspicion the inner wall near my band is sensitive from the spasming over the weekend or something, so I can feel every sip that goes down. I'm going to stick to liquids (and maybe a liquidy soup) today and hopefully tomorrow and see how it goes. And now I know to be even MORE patient than I already was! Boy, there's patience and then there's slooow patience. =) I need to exercise slow patience. =)

Hi Jenhay, Well, hopefully you won't get this. =) Like you said, there are very few posts about it, so hopefully that means that most bandsters don't get it. Although, I suppose it's possible that some people get it, but don't realize it and instead think they are "just too tight." I know I'm not too tight because when the spasming doesn't happen, I can eat normal bandster amounts of food. Good luck with your next fill! Be optimistic! :biggrin:

Thanks, Jack. Having you describe what you do in more detail helps. I will try this very specific technique, but maybe I'll wait a couple days and stick to liquids for a couple days to let my body heal a little. You say this is a relatively short time frame, and as I read that, I realize you're probably right. Bummer, eh? Also, you're right, I was slamming the liquid Vitamins because they're kind of funny tasting. I was thinking all day yesterday that maybe that was a problem and I was considering diluting them with some warm Water so they're not so cold and so I could hopefully sip it a little. So you're reaffirming my hunch. As long as I can get Protein drinks down tomorrow, I think I'll wait this out and see about letting my body heal and then trying your approach. Hey, at least I can enjoy the extra weight loss in the meantime, eh? :biggrin: Thanks!

Yeah, I know, but that's actually one of the few foods that has NOT given me the first bite syndrome since my third fill this past Thursday. It's really weird. Like I said, any food or liquid can cause the FBS, and I can get it at any time of day, as well.

After my second fill (5 ccs in a 10 cc band), I started getting what my fill doc said is probably "first bite syndrome." I had read about that on the threads here, so I later searched for it and only found a few threads about it. Most people say to drink a warm liquid first (which my doc also suggetested), but I find that's not a guaranteed fix. I also know that Jack the Super Moderator said (here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f13/does-any-one-have-problem-74494/) that he learned how to deal with and it eventually (after many months) went away. But I searched the forums and didn't find as many notes as I thought (hoped?) I might. So, I was wondering, how many of you experience this? What are the various conditions under which you experience it? How long did it last (until an unfill, for X months, it still happens, etc)? And most importantly... what do you do to help not happen, or at least lessen the effects? Also, do you ever feel like if you have a lot of spasming one day that it can irritate your pouch? For those who don't know what first bite syndrome is, I'll describe my experience with it below. It sounds like everyone is different, and I seem to be one of the "lucky" ones who can get it from liquid. =P Thanks! GBear So, here's my story and what I have felt: The first time it happened was actually a couple days after my second fill. I had successfully eaten liquids and mushies for 2 days and even a little bit of soft solid food. I had great restriction and I was happy! But then on day 3 (the fill being day 1), I thought I had my first "stuck" episode. I ate a bite of something (I forget what, but it might have been a small bite of bagel... before then I could handle breads fine) and it HURT like the dickens. I thought to myself, okay, no bagels/bread for me, now I know. And I slimed... but nothing came up. The pain eventually went away, but it took many minutes. I had similar problems most of the day, but even when eating mushy food. I began to wonder if I was too tight. Over the weekend I kept a close eye on it and resorted to liquids and mushies. But here's what was the killer... One morning, I took my sip of liquid Vitamins and BAM, I felt massive pain at the based of my neck, in between my collar bones and I really started to slime. All I had had that morning was my liquid vitamins! I was really upset. The pain took several minutes to subside. But later on that day, I could eat food fairly normally. On Monday I went to the doc thinking I needed an unfill. I explained how I could either get this massive pain OR eat normally. It was weird, because as long as I didn't get the cramping and the pain, I could eat normal bandster amounts of food. That's when he explained I probably have "first bite syndrome." He said that basically, stomach wall in the upper pouch is not used to having food in it, so it starts to spasm on constrict itself. Once it stops spasming, you're fine and can eat normally. As soon as he described it, I knew instantly that's what I was experiencing. The pain I feel definitely feels "muscular," so to speak. And the degree of pain I feel can go up and down within any given episode. I decided to not get an unfill because I liked the restriction otherwise. Over the next three weeks, as my restriction loosened, the first bite syndrome occurred less often. But it's weird, because it can still happen with almost any kind of food or liquid. And drinking a warm liquid doesn't always work for me. So, I got my third fill this past Thursday and I was fine on Thursday and Friday. Only very mild cramping/spasming. Very mild, especially since I was on liquids and then mushies. Saturday morning, I had a hard time eating some scrambled eggs because of the pain, but it wasn't too bad. Then later that morning, I took my liquid vitamins and BAM! Massive pain that lasted for minutes with sliming (again, no PBing). I had a hard time drinking any kind of liquid all day, and certainly couldn't eat mushies, so I wondered if I kind of irritated the stomach pouch with all of the spasming. Sorry for the long story! Hopefully you only read it if you were bored. :biggrin:

The coordinator at my doc's office said to try either pineapple juice or meat tenderizer. I bought both, but have not had anything stuck yet, so I can't speak from personal experience. If you do decide to get meat tenderizer, I suggest the unflavored kind. It's a powder, so you would add some to Water. Unfortunately, I don't know how much. Also, call your doctor's office first thing on Monday! =) Good luck!

Vanesa, It's so wonderful to hear of such a supportive partner! Not everyone can be as empathetic as you, and Billy is a lucky man to have you in his life. My husband has been wonderfully supportive, too, and sees the money we spent on my surgery as an "investment" in our future together, as well as my own life. But even still, I don't think he probably "gets it" quite as well as you do after reading this thread. Go give him a big, strong hug and tell him you will always love him no matter what. And God bless all of you! This really will be for the best. It's your future together!

Deb: I am SO sorry to hear about Tucker! I will keep you and him in my thoughts and prayers. Lotza: I started on some mushies last night and it's going well so far. But I still eat some pureed soups, too. I'm feeling almost no restriction now, but I'm still managing to keep my calories kinda low as if I were banded. Bella: Oh gosh, I'm so sorry to hear about the two funerals. I'm glad you went to the for your late husband's coworker. I'm sure your husband is smiling down on you for that. And yay for the pretty comment! Lap: Congratulations!!! How funny about the grandSON. Anytime a doctor says from an ultrasound that it's a girl, I *always* assume it's still possible to be a boy. I don't care if the doc says, "here are the girl parts," the baby can still be a boy. This just confirms my belief, heehee. uptownmami278: Welcome! What kind of pointers are you looking for? I flew in from California and it worked well for me. My surgery was Wednesday morning and I flew home Saturday afternoon. I had the advantage of staying with relatives in between, though! By Saturday I felt strong enough to fly home, which was nice. I could have done it on Friday, but was glad I had an extra day. But the day after my surgery was my most difficult day, so I would have been miserable flying home then. This is an investment, so I think it's worth it to pay for an extra day just to be safe. What else would you like to know?