claire0823

I need some opinions...I had a fill in February and have since lost 58lbs. The band was tight right after, but after a few months it loosened and I could eat very tiny meals very slowly. Since then it has progressively gotten tighter. I'm now unable to eat much of anything without it getting stuck and throwing up. Creamy chicken Soup was stuck yesterday! I've lost 123lbs since being banded in December 2008. My biggest fear is that I get the band loosened some and I start gaining weight back and I do NOT want to go back to being 295lbs! But I know I have to get something done. I was woken up last night from a dead sleep and starting throwing up something I had tried to eat 8 hours before. Has anyone had a slight unfill and what were your experiences? DId you gain weight back?

I was in the exact same situation as you. With about the same weight loss. I decided to have a fill and was too tight after the fill but I toughed it out for 7 months and lost more. I was 220 and got the fill and then dropped to 169. I was aspirating at night no matter if i ate lunch at noon and nothing else that day, granted most days I couldn't eat very well and stuck with slider foods. IT WAS MISERABLE!!! If you get a fill, i'd get a SMALL fill!! I was finally unfilled 2CCs which brought me back down to 5CCs. I went back for a fill 6 weeks later and had 1.5CCs put in to be at 6.5. I just went bck and had 1CC taken out so now I'm back at 5.5CCs. My weight has fluctuated some. I am currently at 175 after the 2nd unfill. Goal weight is 155! My BMI is right at 25 right now as I am almost 5'10". I believe it is possible to reach a healthy BMI with the band. In fact, most people I know with the band have achieved this. I would just be cautious with fills from this point forward. Being too tight was absolutely miserable!

So i recently was too tight and experiencing aspirations during the night so my doctor's PA took out 2 CCs out of my band which left me with 5 CCs. I went back 6 weeks later and the PA put back in 1.5CCs. I think I am too tight again. If i try to eat Breakfast or even lunch, I PB/vomit (I say either/or because its usually just a PB but when I tried to eat a banana for breakfast, I puked it up for a good two hours, ugh!). However, when dinner time rolls around, its like I don't have a band! I just don't understand it. How can i be so tight in the morning but so loose in the evening? I'm trying to get back in with the doctor to have some fill taken out because Protein shakes for breakfast make me want to vomit (too many of those after surgery) and i'm not getting enough protein in with just eating supper, not to mention not eating all day makes me dizzy. Does anyone have any suggestions to help with this or has anyone experienced this same thing? P.S. I've tried eating mushy foods for breakfast such as eggs not scrambled completely, oatmeal, cottage cheese, laughing cow cheese, and all to no avail!

How do you deal with just doing liquids? Even after I have a protein shake, I'm still starving. In going for an unfill Wednesday but I fear I will lose any restriction then!

I'm 176 and can fit comfortably into a 12 although it was MORE comfortable when I was 169! LOL. I could fit into a Gap size 10 at 169lbs. Didn't buy the jeans so I'm not sure if they fit now or not. My goal weight is 155 and I'm almost 5'10". I think I could fit into non-plus size stores when I was around 190.

Ive heard that emergency rooms don't really do anything for you. THe doctor's nurse recommended I go to the ER where I had my surgery done but that is 4 hours from me! They still won't budge about seeing me on any day except Wednesday or Friday. I am able to get down liquids so I had a shake for Breakfast but at lunch, i tried to eat mushies and it came back up. For supper, I just ate crockpot boneless bbq ribs and part of a baked potato and some green Beans. Not sure how I can eat with little difficulty at supper but every other meal of the day is miserable... Your ulcers worry me!

I'm so sorry to hear that chester. Did they say what caused the ulcers? I didn't realize that was even a possible complication. How are things going since taking the new meds? I got my fill on Friday. She added 1.5CCs back in which brought me to a total of 6.5 CCs. I thought she was only going to put 1CC back and I was a little hesitant but then I figured "she's the doctor, she knows best". I'm back to being miserable again! I can drink liquids SLOWLY in the morning but Breakfast is out completely. (I really enjoyed eating breakfast the past few weeks!) I tried to eat a banana at 10:30 AM and ended up throwing it up for 2 hours today. I didn't even attempt lunch. I waited until supper and ate a few bites of chili which came back up. My fiance made me some VERY mushy scrambled eggs with cheese (He added in butter, milk, and some oil to make them extra mushy). I was able to get down about 3 oz but the tight feeling in my chest is still there and I ate the eggs a good 3 hours ago. I have NOT missed this feeling at all. As of this morning, the scale hadn't budged, but after work, I was down 3lbs. I'm not an expert, but I don't think the "sweet spot" is supposed to be where your chest is tight during eating. I believe I'm too tight again and probably need some more taken out! Ugh. Work is extremely too busy to take another day off anytime soon not to mention I can't really afford the gas for the 600 mile roundtrip to the doctor right now after getting a speeding ticket yesterday (when I wasn't actually speeding!) sooo it looks like I'm stuck like this until after Thanksgiving.

Just go and face the music. I'm sure a little tough love never hurt anyone :blushing: I know the doctor is probably not going to be happy with me either. I had a fun filled weekend of lots of beer, Dairy Queen, mexican food, and even a fried gas station burrito at 3AM last weekend. Thanks to all that, My 6lbs came back and then some! RIDICULOUS! My total weight gain is 7lbs since unfill but I have until Friday to work out and eat right again so maybe I'll only be up a few pounds. I've been thinking though, if I didn't gain a lb with being unfilled, they might not want to put any back in soooo showing a few lbs weight gain might not be such a bad thing. I've almost got myself talked into buying a Gold's Gym Stride Trainer 595. Anyone have any experience with ellipticals? When I was 300lbs, I tried to get on one and definitely thought I was going to die/have a heart attack after 30 seconds.

I have the Calorie Counter App from the Droid market. Love it!

I feel your pain!!! I My fill had to be pushed back a week due to work so my date is October 29th! However, with counting EVERY calorie, working out 4-5 days a week, AND the help of a fluid/water pill, I'm FINALLY down 6lbs! Now if I can just stay this weight until after Saturday! I've got a hot little size 12 strapless dress to wear to a wedding where no one has seen me since I lost all my weight! It was tight at the beginning of the week. I tried it on a little while ago and it pretty much fits perfect, if I do say so myself! I'll have to post pictures when I get back. I feel so vain saying this, but I love being able to fit into clothes and feel sexy! It's a new development

I don't know anything about the shoulder/phrenic nerve pain, but yoy mentioned you don't get soft moist foods stuck and thats what you eat so thats why you aren't losing. BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! You basically "eat around the band" to avoid the vomiting/PB'ing. Get a little bit of an unfill. It will makea WORLD of difference. The band is supposed to allow you to eat solid foods that will keep you full/satisfied for 4+ hours. I was filled to over 7CCs in my 10CC band and just had two CC's taken out due to being over-filled and everything getting stuck. I'm hoping that once I get one CC put back in, it will be the "sweet spot" everyone talks about and I will be able to eat solid foods and NOT slider foods but still lose weight! Good luck with your journey.

My doctor was the same way. He pretty much told me that I would not be able to lose as much weight as I wanted to with the lapband and that I wouldn't keep it off. I chose to have the Lapband because like the other post, I didn't want the problems that come along with bypass. I'm 5'10" and started at 298lbs. I'm currently at 179 (just gained 7lbs after being unfilled and having been filled too tight but thats a whole OTHER story! LOL) I'm at 119lbs lost and hope to get the last 24lbs off after my next fill and with lots of exercise! I was banded in December of 2008. My fiance started at 379lbs and he is at 190lbs today which is a loss of 189lbs. He was banded in June 2009. Being a man, he lost it faster and easier than me. He has been very happy with his decision to have the lapband. (He considered bypass at one point). I think I saw you have 130lbs or so to lose and its totally do-able with the band. Ultimately, its YOUR decision, not your surgeon's. In my personal opinion, I saw the lapband as a healthier, less risky alternative to bypass. I was scared to have someone re-route my intestines! I've been totally happy with my decision to have the band and not the bypass. There is a post in this section called "How the band really works" or something to that affect. Even after being banded for this long, I still found it extremely insightful and interesting. You might want to read it to help make your decision. Hope this helps!