2muchfun

Or, if you can eat soupy foods, you may not be chewing solids enough? It also depends on how long this has been going on? If it's just a week or a few days, you could have some swelling that is causing the stuck episodes. If you do get an unfill, I'd keep it to maybe .25 or less? Leave it to the doctor, they know best.

My thought process was just the opposite. What if I develop diabetes, heart disease, have a stroke, develop blood clots due to sitting on my ass all day, can't walk? The chances of developing blood clots or failing with the band or having something go wrong, pale in comparison to my other choices. Sign me up and stick a fork in me. I'm done and ready for the band.

I've been posting Dr O'Brien's video for over year now and know it well. Obviously you never watched it yourself??? He explicitly requires his patients to take a bite, then wait a minute before drinking any fluids. Wise up and read and listen to yourself before you post. Here's the video FYI, watch it 2:20 minutes in:

You might want to recheck with your doc or nutritionist? I know of no doctors including Dr O'Brien who recommends using fluids to wash food through the band and you're the first I've ever read who recommends this? It's seems it would be the antithesis of what the band is trying to accomplish. solid food passing through the "pouch" or area directly above the band is what stimulates the vagus nerve to give off satiety signals to the brain. Using water to flush the food through the band will turn all foods into slider foods. O'Brien suggests we sip water one minute after a bite if we want/need it. This gives the esophagus' peristalsis contractions time to massage food past the esophagus and stoma. jmo tmf

Contrary to your own belief, you do not know everything there is to know regarding placement of the band and if this constitutes a pouch by my surgeon or any other surgeon. I respectfully disagree that there is no pouch 100% of the time. For you to make such a claim is foolish at best. tmf

There is no "one size fits all" WLS for every patient. Each surgery is a trial and error journey. Will the lapband be the best for you? Who knows? Will the band w/plication be better? No one knows and the only way to know which is better would be if we had a parallel universe and your other identical person had a surgery different from yours. So, again, there is no answer to your question? Here is a link to more info on Plication: http://doctorsofweightloss.com/banded-plication

There is more than one technique for placing the band and some doctors place the band lower than others which does create a pouch. I've seen numerous fluoroscopic photos on this site and others that document a dilated pouch and of course, a dilated esophagus. To answer your question, I sometimes drink with my meals. It depends on how my band is behaving on a particular day and what kind of food I'm eating. And I do follow O'Brien's 1 minute rule(sometimes cheating to 30 seconds).

Potatoes are nearly all carbohydrates and Beans offer you some Protein. I recommend the beans over potatoes. Beans are much lower on the glycemic index and offer more satiety for a longer period of time than a potato. Potatoes are nearly as lethal as fructose when it comes to the GI and how they are absorbed in our stomach. I also liked to eat egg drop Soup.

Why fight success? IMO-You should only get a fill if you are feeling hungry between meals. You sound like you're in a great green zone and we're all envious. tmf

Are you speaking of being able to feel pain below your pouch or is it that you feel that food passes slower and with more pressure? Intermittent and morning tightness is a common topic here. Many if not all of us experience the same. I know I've always been tighter in the mornings and occasionally I may go 3-4 days of extra tightness all day long. This can cause food to pass slower and cause some discomfort till food passes.

Colds can cause some swelling of the stomach lining which would make your stoma smaller. As long as you can drink fluids you should be OK but it's also good that you see your doc tomorrow.

Drinking or eating will only compound the episode imo. You'll only pack the bolus of food tighter. Wait an hour and it should pass. Then go to liquids, cold preferably. And, of course, call your doctor or nurse if they have after hours access?

Thank you for validating everything I’ve been saying for a year now. And congrats on getting “it” so quickly. I think if I had made it near the green zone with my first fill I may not have adapted as quickly as you. Something Dr O’Brien said in one of his videos is that we shouldn’t eat when we’re not hungry. That last Protein drink may be an indulgence unless you feel like you need it? 100 grams of protein is more than many strive for? There are calories attached to protein. Keep on a truckin. tmf

Nancy was referring to pain post op not pain while eating.

I agree that it does not sound like you're stuck. Food in your pouch is subjected to stomach acids and would break down in a few hours. If you have swelling, my advice would be to chew on ice, popsicles, smoothies? Swelling is mitigated by using ice so if your stoma is swollen shut, a little cold applied may open it up a little. Call your doctors office in the am.

There is no average or standard for how much people lose before first fill. Most fills take place 30-60 days post op. It can take several fills before you feel any kind of restriction or extended satiety. Fills don't make you lose weight. Eating fewer calories than you burn makes you lose fat.

Every doctor has a different protocol post-op so it's difficult to advise you without knowing what type of foods you're allowed to eat? You're probably taking in fewer carbs so you may feel a little weak till you can balance your diet with a variety of foods.

There is no average or standard for how much people lose before first fill. Most fills take place 30-60 days post op. It can take several fills before you feel any kind of restriction or extended satiety. Fills don't make you lose weight. Eating fewer calories than you burn makes you lose fat.

I never had pain either and you won't see people starting topics stating they don't have pain. Only the people who are in pain usually post.

I'm nearly 2 years out now. I felt the same as you during the first 4 months that it took to finally get some restriction. But looking back, the 7 months and 6 fills it took to finally find the green zone turned out to be a blessing. I learned how to work with my band during those months. I learned how to eat slower, chew more and eat smaller. So many newly banded people post on this site that they can't eat and they get stuck all the time. Many of these bandster's fall off the wagon simply because they never learned or never accepted the ways of living with our bands. Some cause their bands to slip or dilate their pouch or esophagus. I like that my doctor slowly brought me along my journey. If not, I may have made some mistakes I've read others make? However, It would have been more comforting if my doctor or nutritionist would have informed me that this could be how my journey would unfold so I would be more prepared for the slow process.

I agree with PJ. Most all of us went through this phase. It's called Bandster Hell and it will last till you get the fill that gives you enough restriction to feel satiety. Till then it's a diet.

Joanne, did you get a second opinion? Your pouch is just an extension of your stomach and it seems that if one goes on a liquid or mushie diet, the dilation would shrink? Or, is it your esophagus that is dilated? tmf

Can you eat creamy soups or soups with soft veggies? What foods are causing the problem?

One week should be more than enough so two is just icing on the cake. Be careful though, I had mine on 11/28/11 and the Holidays are extremely difficult to maneuver around all those tasty foods. Work is always good to get away from food?

You should speak to your doctor. Water should not hurt anything. BTW-Most all of us got extremely hungry till we got that one fill that helped with satiety.