Restriction after a few weeks

Vera · December 19, 2003

Hello All

I'v been really sick for a few days and been mostly in bed but I have experienced some greater restriction in the last week. I believe it was Donali who said she got more restriction 4 weeks out from her fill(correct me if I'm wrong). My last fill was on 11/21/03 and I'm up to 3.5cc's note I have an AMI band which is taller then an Inamed band. I make these references cause I also study the differences and similarities if any among bands.

Anyway during Thanksgiving I was able to eat alittle of everything with some restriction, I take Vitamins cut in half every morning, I even have a carbonated Water occasionally, not a problem. Then this last week I can't seem to keep small amounts of chicken, turkey and some fish down, chewed well. So I'v gone to yogurts, Protein shakes... and really chopping food up. The worst episode was the meds for my sinus infection(Z-Pack) where I was to take 2 pills the first day then 1 there after. Well I chopped them in half and drank them down with a ton of water, there I was 15 minutes later on the bathroom floor with OBSTRUCTION, something was stuck and it hurt. All that could go through my mind was "here I go to the Hospital.. should I try and throw up" it finally passed, 10 minutes later again on the bathroom floor, the pain was intense!! Theirs something about a nice cold bathroom floor LOL. Well it happened a total of 3 times, the other half of the pill?? Now I'm crushing pills and learned a lesson. Boy am I restricted. The other thing I noticed is I don't feel very hungry maybe cause I'v been sick?

I just thought I'd mention my experiences and also for those not noticing any restriction after a fill, just give it alittle more time. Then again everybody's different.

donali · December 19, 2003

Hi Vera -

I am so sorry about your being sick, and the pill fiasco - yikes!! Oh, that must have been so scary!

Yes, my fills kick in at about 4 weeks... or later! This last fill from 10/4 is now super tight as of about 3 weeks ago. And I was thinking when I had that fill in October I could have gone a little tighter. Thank goodness I didn't!!! I would NOT want to be any tighter than I am right now.

I don't know what happens from this point on, as I have never been this restricted that I didn't want another fill. Will it keep getting tighter (hard to believe), or will it stay at the level it is now? If it does get any tighter I will have to have a slight unfill, as I am struggling to get in my Water at this point. Funny, but food is less of a problem. Don't quite understand that, but there you have it. Since I'm not PBing or refluxing I am letting it stand, but I have been toying with the idea this past week that I may need a slight unfill. If problems start I will definitely go and have some taken out.

As for your situation, I would imagine that you would be naturally less hungry from being sick, AND since having the pill get stuck you will probably experience some swelling and may feel even tighter than before. A couple of days taking it easy should let the swelling go down, and then you will be better able to judge your restriction.

Is it a cold that you have? It is very possible that the additional mucus will make you feel tighter as well.

Good luck, and keep us posted. Hope you're feeling better soon!

Vera · December 19, 2003

Thanks Donali

"Is it a cold that you have? It is very possible that the additional mucus will make you feel tighter as well. "

Sinus infuc tion with the flu... Very interesting, Mucus I have!

I'm feeling much better thanks, You should hear me talk I sound like minnie mouse, I had no voice 2 days ago.

Thanks again

donali · December 19, 2003

I guess sounding like Minnie Mouse is better than sounding like Sean Connery (if you're a girl)... lol

GeezerSue · December 19, 2003

I always think I sound cool when I'm at the Brenda Vaccaro Stage. My daughter prefers the Lauren Bacall Level. (But my kid's a soprano and I'm not.)

Sue

onemoment · December 19, 2003

Donali

During this time of tight restriction what do you eat ?

I know we have to be careful with empty calories and soft food syndrome. There are time I am tight and anything besides liquid gets stuck but then the very next day I can eat whatever.

How do you avoid pb's if you do not know when you actually are able to eat certain foods.

I had a fill done in August and was very tight and made the mistake of not having some removed (thought it would loosen up after some time ) I had a very hard time and even thought I would loose more weight because I was unable to eat. Well....surprise surprise I did NOT loose a pound from August 22 until November when I went in and had a unfill and then a refill. Right after the fill in November I am again on my weight loss.

Since November I have found to have some restriction and having a much easier and better food choices. But...

The last 2 days I feel much tighter and have pb'd several times. I think this is what has happened to me also and I have gotten tighter several weeks out of the fill.

Since I do much better having a looser fill I will not wait much longer if this fill is to restricted. Right after the New Year I will be back in to get a little taken out

donali · December 19, 2003

It's posts like yours, OneMoment, that really convinces me that eating TOO little is not helpful to weight loss. I have not lost any since my band tightened up on me either. Although I'm used to these long plateaus by now... lol

What do I eat? I have an EAS carb solutions pre-mixed shake first thing in the AM, about 5:30. By 10 I'm usually ready to eat something, so have a couple bites of the pork chop I brought for lunch. salad surprisingly is not a problem, so I usually will have a salad with bleu cheese dressing at lunch and try to have a couple more bites of pork chop - I throw away what I can't eat. About 4:30/5 I'll have a Designer whey shake with 3 scoops of mix plus 2 scoops of soy Protein. It's not delicious, but it gets my Protein in in a small amount of volume. Mornings I also usually have a super-sized mug of chai tea that I brew from a tea bag (have you guys tried this stuff?!?! YUM!) doctored with half and half and artifical sweetener. Sometimes I'll have one when I get home, too. In the meantime I'm usually able to get down 2 quarts of Water, which is about half of what I'd like to drink, but I don't want to force it, and I don't have the good habit yet of sipping constantly throughout the day.

Then there's the ocassional chocolate thrown in there, possibly a cookie.

That's usually it lately. Today though I had the insides of a Taco Bell Enchrita and most of the insides of a taco salad at about 10:30, and for dinner I had most of a gyros salad. I think my protein was pretty low for today, but it's 10pm now so that's too bad.

I'm most concerned at this point with not drinking at least 3 quarts of Water a day, with four being my goal. I can really tell already by my chapped lips and dryer skin that my body's feeling the difference.

I realize the above sounds like a lot of food to most people, particularly when they hear "very restricted" - but I have to really concentrate to chew well enough, and eat very slowly, and eating doesn't feel really comfortable. I can tell I am already longing for things that are easier, like Soups and blended chili... And I have to really concentrate and work at getting in my basal calories (about 1800), which I'm sure I missed today, along with my protein goal. So, as long as I'm not PBing/refluxing, and I'm able to get a good number of calories in I guess I'm okay, but I really don't like having to think so hard while I'm eating, or having to be so careful. And I really don't like not being able to drink ice water freely.

As far as "planning" what to eat not knowing how my restriction will be, I can usually tell when I'm drinking how tight I am, and how well food will or will not go down. If I take a bite and it's super uncomfortable, I'll switch to a Protein Shake. Otherwise I eat what I can.

Good for you for not being willing to stay too tight! I may be right behind you in getting a slight unfill.