Well, I just dont know what to do. I was banded may 2010 and wasnt able to get a fill until july and again in october. I know I should have been going more often and will be from now on but I havent lost anything! i started at 215 and have been at 200 for the past 6 months!

My first fill was 4.5ccs and i could eat anything.

Now i have 5.5cc's in an 11cc band and I cant hold anything down. Each fill is 80$ and i dont want to go back and get an unfill. SO i can keep a few things down like oatmeal lol This is probably the most difficult thing ive had to do in a long time.

Everytime i eat i have to go pb. Is it that im not chewing enough? or the food im eating?

This might sound gross but when i pb it seems to be spit in a big bubble? I get hiccups and watery mouth.. have to swallow like 20 times so i dont puke.. So its been like this for 2 weeks and i STILL havent lost any weight lol.

im getting up in the middle of a meal to puke? It looks like im bulemic!!

What am i doing wrong? Nobody knows im banded except my mom and boyfriend. Do i need to tell people im on a low carb diet? AAAAH i just dont know what to do and im very confused.

My mom was banded with me and is down to 185..

I almost need to make a meal plan calender ..

I go through the same thing when food gets stuck. If you're having this problem all the time, then you've been over-filled and you NEED to get some of the fluid taken out - it could become a life-threatening problem if something gets stuck and can't be dislodged. As much as it costs to get fills and have some taken out of the band - your health is worth so much more than that

Well, I just dont know what to do. I was banded may 2010 and wasnt able to get a fill until july and again in october. I know I should have been going more often and will be from now on but I havent lost anything! i started at 215 and have been at 200 for the past 6 months!

My first fill was 4.5ccs and i could eat anything.

Now i have 5.5cc's in an 11cc band and I cant hold anything down. Each fill is 80$ and i dont want to go back and get an unfill. SO i can keep a few things down like oatmeal lol This is probably the most difficult thing ive had to do in a long time.

Everytime i eat i have to go pb. Is it that im not chewing enough? or the food im eating?

This might sound gross but when i pb it seems to be spit in a big bubble? I get hiccups and watery mouth.. have to swallow like 20 times so i dont puke.. So its been like this for 2 weeks and i STILL havent lost any weight lol.

im getting up in the middle of a meal to puke? It looks like im bulemic!!

What am i doing wrong? Nobody knows im banded except my mom and boyfriend. Do i need to tell people im on a low carb diet? AAAAH i just dont know what to do and im very confused.

My mom was banded with me and is down to 185..

I almost need to make a meal plan calender ..

Yes, there is a very real possibility that you need to have some of the Fluid taken out of your band. That said, are you getting at least 64 oz of Water daily? This is important especially if your are pbing so often. You may be dehydrated and that can make your band even tighter.

I don't like the idea of an unfill either and I don't have a hefty $80 co-pay, so I feel your pain. But I have read again and again on this forum that if you are too tight you won't lose weight. Perhaps you can, make an appointment for a week or two from now and in the interim you can work on that meal plan calendar you mentioned and make sure you stay hydrated, and exercise. If things get better you can cancel your appointment, if things don't get better you can get a small unfill.

Just a little food for thought. Hope things get better for you.

~Fran

Just one more thought....try a couple of days of liquids to settle down your stomach. I like Fran's suggestion of making the appointment a week or two from now. With all this pbing, you have certainly irritated your stomach and it's probably swollen. If you switch to liquids for a few days, then move on to mushies, you should be able to see if you're swollen or if you really need an unfill.

Unfills are great, if you need them...but I think it's hard to tell at this point.

Cindy

PK,

Welcome to my world. If you can get liquids down and your fill was less than 2 weeks ago, I'd try and stick it out for at least 2 weeks (from your fill date). Go back to the mushies level. Then *slowly* reintroduce solid foods. It may be just that you're swollen, first from the fill and now from the constant PBing and urping. If after two weeks you're still having problems, have them take some of the fill out...maybe 1/2cc.

I spent several months overfilled and lost nothing because I resorted to slider foods (pasta, potatoes, etc.). However, the constant struggle to get anything more solid past the band most likely irritated it and made it very difficult to get anything past it. Like you, I felt like a bulemic because it was happening with every meal.

I finally went in and had a partial unfill. Best decision I ever made.

.

I had the same problem for about 5 weeks after my last fill. I was puking up everything. I went back to see the doc and he said I'd be fine but if I wanted he would take a little out. So I opted to stay the way it was. As long as I'd be ok, I just stuck with protein drinks and mushies for that time. I'm much better now and didn't have to go for the unfill.. Even though I'm still doing mushies and protein drinks. I can get a soft boiled egg down now and then. ... I have baked beans, seafood salad (LF).. tuna salad.. chicken salad.. chili... soup with soft veggies. ... low fat cheese..

It's getting better all the time.

I wish you luck with your dilemma.. I'd just stay on liquids and soft stuff for a few weeks... take it very slowly... and see if your stomach will calm down.

I disagree with the posters about waiting it out several weeks. I don't think it would take that long for your stomach to settle down. I know how it is to hesitate on an unfill, I have done the same thing. Each time I ended up giving in and getting an unfill. I was miserable for nothing. I still had restriction after each unfill. Your fillls are much cheaper than mine. I am self-pay and they cost me 146 dollars, and that's with the surgean fee waved for the first year. I would get an unfill as soon as possible. Until then, stick to protein shakes and water. Like others have said, you don't want to get dehydrated. Hope you feel better soon!

O awesome! thanks for all the help. Here I thought that if i didnt get an unfill i would lose weight eventually.. i guess thats not the case? Also I think i might be eating too much... I did eat eggs, bacon and toast today! but not the whole meal and i think if i took one more bite i would have puked. Itll be 2 weeks tomorrow since my fill to 5.5cc's. i think im going to buy protein shakes today even though i was told not to have shakes anymore.

I dont know about only eating sliders 'cause i cant eat potatoes, or pasta! More water! i can do that...

Thanks for all the tips. I didnt realize that having an overfill was so serious as something getting lodged in there.

if you're going to do protein shakes - make sure you watch the calories...those can add up quickly ~ but a good idea if you're unable to eat your 3 meals because it causes you trouble, because you'll still get your nutrients that you need. Another idea is getting chocolate or vanilla protein powder and making your own protein shakes - that way you have more control over what you're ingesting.

I suggest you go for a small unfill like .2ccs it is a very small amount still will leave you with more than you had before fill but will make all the difference. You can aways add some more later. I am self pay too so I know it costs for fills. I went 7 months too tight and could have lost my band. $12,999 surgery compared to $150 fill is a big difference. When I finally got unfilled everything was so different they only took .2 ccs but things could go down and no more vomiting.

Cheri

I think the reason most docs warn against Protein shakes is because most people are not satisfied by them when used as a Meal Replacement.

However, right after a fill...and even up to two weeks after a fill...when you might be swollen, they're a good alternative to constantly getting stuck...which will in turn continue to keep the band area swollen. It's a vicious circle.

As someone else said, read the label carefully. Some of those Protein drinks are killers in both calories and carbs. I use the chocolate EAS powder from Sam's Club. It's the only one I've found that tastes good to me. I mix it with unsweetened almond milk to keep the carbs and calories down (30 cal and 1 carb, I think).

.

oo wow. ok. i do have my own powder. i forgot that pbing makes it swollen. It seems as tho i am ok now tho! i ate my meals today no problems. so is it true that if youre too tight, you dont lose weight? I seriously havent lost anything for months...

PK,

Thanks for posting this! I thought I was the only one going through this! I have a very sensitive stomach apparently. I was banded July 6. 2010. Since then I had a fill of 2cc's in August. Then one month later I had 2 more. I returned then following day to the hospital and had to have it taken out (the 2cc) after puking nonstop for 31 hours. I couldn't even have a popsicle. Since then my doctor has started me on .2cc fills. I asked right after Thanksgiving (on the 30th) to do just a bit more since I started paying copays. She did .3cc's and I have barely kept food down at all since then! Tomorrow will be two weeks. I have felt like a bulemic too. I am so desperate to get enough Protein in that I am trying to eat and it won't stay down. pureed only. But I forgot about puking causing swelling. I am going to email my doctor just in case, but I go back next Tuesday anyway.

It's just nice to know I am not the only one. I'm glad to see it worked out for you and you are keeping food down now! Best of luck!

Being too tight will not keep you from losing weight, eating too many calories will. Maybe you should look at your diet and see what you are eating. Slider food are typically higher in calories than what you should be eating. Look at your diet and make the changes there. If you still are not losing weight, then talk to your dr.

oo wow. ok. i do have my own powder. i forgot that pbing makes it swollen. It seems as tho i am ok now tho! i ate my meals today no problems. so is it true that if youre too tight, you dont lose weight? I seriously havent lost anything for months...

Yes, but not just because the band is tight...it's because you're most likely resorting to slider foods (high calorie foods that go down easy).

.