2muchfun

Hey! I was handed in November like you and have about the same CCs in my band as you. I get this pain, you feel the food going through your asophegus and it hurts, then once it passes the pain is gone. it lasted for one bite when I was at my second fill, now it's the first 3-4 bites and longer if I don't chew well.
Here's how I avoid it: have something hot beforehand, Soup or tea, it relaxes your stomach. While you cook nibble on a few things, chew them really well while standing up, by the time you sit down you'll have gone past that first bite syndrome. Chew chew chew and rest your fork between bites. It's a long boring process to eat so keep busy with conversation or tv or a book or something...
The pain is mostly in your chest right? I think it is something normal with the band...

That is an awesome question and I hope lots of bandsters read and reply. What most bariatric patients don't know or aren't told is how/why the band works. There are a couple of sites out there that expain the true mechanics of the procedure and it's very interesting. When you eat and your food passes through the top part of your stomach where it leaves the esophagus, it stimulates a hormone to be produced telling your brain that you've eaten. It takes about 20 minutes foryour brain to get the message so... if you're slamming a bunch of food down super fast, you've already eaten way way too much by the time you get the stuffed feeling. That's the point of eating very slowly with the band. A meal should take at least 20 minutes.
I've been banded over a year but I figured out pretty quick that "full" doesn't feel the same as it did before. When I would get full before the band, I was full down in my lower belly and would get a tight bloated feeling. With the band, the feeling is up high. I confused "stuck" with "full" for several months before I finally figured out I'd eaten enough. Sometimes I can eat more at one setting than another which is really strange. My doctor said that your stomach is a moving organ and the band can be tighter from one day to the next or one meal to another. I've had instances where I take 1 or 2 bites of my meal and I start getting the heavy saliva build up, gurgling, etc. It makes me mad because I know 2 bites isn't really a meal and won't keep me satisified for very long. It's usually because I ate too fast or took too big of a bite. I set it aside and then finish it later on when I feel hungry again. My meal size changes based on the time of day. In the am, a shake is all I can handle. I drink a premier nutrition shake from costco. At lunch I have cottage cheese or tuna or salad w/some Protein. I eat Soup if I'm in a social setting because I rarely get stuck and don't ahve to worry about making a bathroom trip. I can eat a few crackers but not bread. dinner is protein, green veggies. I can eat a little Pasta but I have to be careful to eat super slow. I still struggle with night eating and since I'm not as tight late in the day, I can graze pretty easily so I have to really be focused and not let myself eat stupid stuff after dinner.

I am 7 months out. I am not a good dieter (hence the need for the lapband lol)..i do not measure my food, i do not track/count calories, and i do not deprive myself of anything..i eat the same exact foods as before surgery, with one big difference...portions!... I eat about 1/4 of what i used to eat. I even eat on smaller plates, and use smaller utensils. I do not drink anything before/during/after eating, so i fill up quickly. I usually get a feeling in my chest like i swallowed a watermelon, and then burp a few times, thats when i know its time to stop! Sometimes i finish whats on my plate, sometimes i dont. My weight loss has been steady..about 1-1 1/2 lbs lost a week, plus i walk 45 mins everyday, and do light weights 4x a week. Everyone will take a different journey, some better than others but we all strive for the same result!

Are you properly chewing and eating slow? I was banded on Jan. 31st and have 7cc in my 11cc band. I have always eaten soooooooooooo slow - frustratingly slow - and chewed my food to death - so I have the problem of my food sliding right through the band, thus not getting "satisfied" soon enough. Needless to say, I have never gotten sick and my weight loss is also frustratingly slower than expected. If you feel that you should have Fluid removed, definitely do that. I would probably personally wait it out, maybe do liquids for a couple of days, then back to the basics, mushies, etc. I welcome the day when I feel too tight..... hopefully then I can start really losing the weight. Good luck - keep in touch!

You're in bandster hell right now. It'll probably be this way till you get the right fill. Basically your band is wide open and you're feeling hunger just like you would have if you didn't have surgery. You have to decide if you want to stick to a strict diet(never worked before right?) or indulge till you get your first fill. I'm about 17 days out and I'm allowing myself to eat some Protein shakes, egg drop Soup, Tomato Soup, egg salad, tuna salad or something soft like deli smoked turkey. I'm still losing weight but I refuse to feel hunger. It's so uncomfortable and isn't that why we were banded in the first place. If you have the will power to stay on a diet, then eat only 3 times a day. But throwing together about 4 ozs of cottage cheese with some applesauce(or one of the other options above) seems to satisfy me between meals. Hope this helps.
BTW-This is simply a suggestion and I'm not a doctor and perhaps you should consult your doctor or nutritionist? This works for me but may not work for you?
Dan

When I was told, oh you don't need that.... my response really? Well, thanks for thinking so, but my doctors disagree.
Easy way out? So...If I needed cardiac bypass surgery or be miserable and at risk of a heart attack, I should not take the medically proven treatment to get better? I need a kidney transplant, once becomes available, but I should not accept it because dialysis is fine and a transplant is the easy way out?????
Many in our society see obesity as a sign of laziness, not a of medical condition. So, I don't "deserve" to get well? I don't deserve to get my blood pressure under control? Or my blood sugar. I don't deserve to avoid losing limbs to diabetes?
Easy way out? I have to eat carefully for the rest of my life. For the rest of my life, I will have an implanted medical device inside me that I need to be concerned about. Having yearly tests to be sure all is well. So, by having abdominal surgery, wrapping a ring around my upper stomach that will forever change my relationship with food. It has also changed my relationship with my husband, and will some friends.
I have taken the easy way out. Easy way out from what? Endless diet attempts that all end up in the same place? With me heavier that I was before it began? My joints hurting worse as I put more pressure on them. Taking meds for blood pressure, cholesterol, and a couple years from diabetes.
I say, it might not have been the right choice for you, but after all my research, it was for me. Thank you for your concern.
(crawling off my soap box now)

Vitamins, supplements etc. Shouldn't be a problem. Tomatoes come in many different disguises. Soup, salsa, Pasta sauce, bloody mary(virigin of course);o)
From what I understand, most bandsters find different foods that they can't eat due to blockage and they even say our appetite for foods we once loved and hated may change. I wouldn't know yet, I've only had one fill and I'm not experiencing any restriction yet. But I've been to several support group meetins and read a lot on this forum.
I wouldn't be too concerned about not liking veggies though.

Your profile doesn't say where you reside but I'd google bariatric surgery or click on surgeon in the tab bar at the top of this page. Most surgeons offer seminars on how the band works and what you will need to do. Also, they can give you information on support group meetings in your area that you can attend. Go to 2-3 seminars and sit in on several support groups before you decide.
If insurance becomes a problem, consider self-pay. It's usually in the neighborhood of $10K which seems like a lot but most people will drop $20K on a car without a thought. Wish I would have done this years ago with or without insurance.

Relax. Once you get a fill or three you'll be back on track. Right now you have no restriction and it's the holidays. Schedule your fill with your Doc as soon as you feel up to it.
This is bandster hell.

After you are banded, you have little to no restriction until you get a fill. It may still take a couple of fills to reach your peak restriction. My surgeon and nutritionist said BEFORE surgery that "you" would probably not lose any weight right after surgery and not to be surprised if "you" gained weight. Their goal for us patients were for us to maintain our weight though. If we lost weight that was awesome. I was banded a little over 2 yrs ago and I remember bandster hell. I had complications and I could not have a fill for over 5 months after surgery! But with dedication, eating right, and working out, I did lose weight.... just very slowly. After my first fill, I dropped weight very quickly. That restriction is wonderful!! It really helps with the dedication! You should be getting your first fill within the next week or two..... and you will feel much better.

welcome to bandster hell! focus on healing, not losing. If you lose, count it as a bonus. now, this doesn't mean its a free for all, but this is the hardest part, because you want to be losing, you feel you should be losing, and chances are you're not. It's okay, you will be okay in the end. This is normal!!

Air travel will not be an issue...but trusting your doctor is...you have had a really weird experience! If you were numbed up at all with a shot of lidocaine before accessing your port that can cause things to feel like they are in a weird place. Also your port moves a lot from sitting or standing to laying down and that may be why the band aid seems like its in a weird place....
Overall I would say if you feel well and are happy with your level of restriction...let it go if you can.

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Ticker Tutorial for VST & LBT - with pictures
Follow the instructions.

Great article. He really paints a picture for the patient. I'm looking forward to my first fill. Till then it seems like I can still eat about whatever I want including salads and red meats. Fortunately I'm eating low carb, low fat and with the band I'm eating about 30% less. Still losing weight but it's slowing down now. I'll enjoy this through the Holidays and look forward to a skinny new year.
D

My surgeon would not do surgery on anyone who smoked. They told us at the seminar, "if you smoke you will need to quit for 6 months before we even consider doing the surgery" I don't know why, I was not a smoker... I was more concerned with "no chocolate"!