Hi everyone,

I've been lurking on this site for about 5 months and have always found it so helpful. Today I have a question and I just can't seem to find a reassuring respond. I was banded on 12/21/10 and am only just starting to feel restriction at 6.5ccs. For the first time, I overate and felt the consequences - chest pain, migrate-like headache, etc. I forced the foodball down with water. Hurt like crazy but I panicked. That was Thursday evening and i still have pain near the port site. It feels like a really bad pulled muscle. It's so uncomfortable that I actually took one of those post- op pain pains to get to sleep last night. I've read several post from folks who experience pain by the port after overeating but can't tell how long the pain lasted. Does anyone know if 2 days of pot pain is normal? I'm afraid I might have flipped it or something.

I don't want to call my doc if I don't have too. I'm not at the optimal restriction, I was just a big piggy, and I don't want him to stop with the fills yet - he's going to assume I'm too full, but I'm not. I'm just had to learn not to be a big snorker the hard way!

Thanks!

Pain from overeating is usually felt in the chest - close to where your heart is. I can't picture why overeating would cause your port to hurt, it's not like the port is inside or close to your digestive system but then everyone seems to have a different experience. I also don't know how you managed to force a food ball down with Water. For most of us it doesn't work. Drinking when you are stuck either causes sliming, more discomfort or PBing.

It is possible that you have pulled the muscle that the port is stitched to. This apparently is quite easy to do. You may have even ripped some stitches. It is doubtful that you have done any serious damage but if you are worried then you should consult your Dr.

I would also advise caution about getting too many fills too quickly. You do not want to end up too tight. Remember restriction is not about the band stopping you from eating too much, or restricting what type of foods you can/can't eat - if you go looking for that you will end up being too tight. Restriction is about being a able to eat a smaller portion of healthy food as recommended by your Dr and not feeling hungry again for approx 3 hours afterwards. If you can do that then you are where you should be. The majority of the control has to come from your head - the band is only a tool that will assist you by helping to control your hunger.

I get pain in my port area too if I over eat. And yes, it feels similar to a strained muscle. For me, it's never been as bad as you're describing; however, I have a pretty high pain threshold. There was one Thanksgiving tho that I got really carried away. I wanted to die for 2 days! (My darned sister-in-law and that cranberry stuff she makes that I love so much! LOL!) Never made that mistake again!! You probably have some swelling and should put yourself on soft foods for 2-3 days and give it time to heal. It's not likely that anything flipped or moved. Good luck.

6-6-2011

A CONFESSION (lengthy)

I can find more info here than anywhere. Thanks everybody. I have done exactly what Newbie did. Was banded 4-25-11. 1st fill 5-28-11. Still no restriction.

This past Saturday evening ( and I stress evening, because that's when the cravings kick in) I ate 6" flatbread Subway turkey sandwich, 2 Peanut Butter Cookies, mixed nuts (not the whole can but at least a fourth of it). When I started on the Butter Brickle ice cream(1 pint) I was unable to finish it and felt the stuffed feeling. I put the remainder in the freezer and went to bed.

I was wearing a slightly fitted dress the next day so I wore my Spanx underneath it. I felt pain that evening after disrobing and settling in for the night. I thought it might have been from the Spanx. I have always been very pleased with Spanx because it is comfortable to me and not restrictive. Can't blame it on the Spanx.

Newbie, I have been holding my port area whenever I need to make certain moves. I actually gasped out loud in pain yesterday when I moved the wrong way and the port area hurt. Mine is sensitive to touch, also feels like a pulled muscle. I too will not call the Dr. because I am ashamed that I can not get myself under control. Plus it could be two days before I hear anything. I get faster results here. I too have learned my lesson.

Without reading Elcee's advice, I had planned to return to a liquid diet for 2-3 days to see if I could remedy the situation. Elcee, it's good to know I had the same idea as a "veteran" as to what I might possibly do to get better.

I know that I get lonely and bored in the evenings and that is why I eat. I have yet to find a way to cure manage this incendiary habit.

Is your port located near your band, or is it located away from your band?

If it's near your band, you may just be experiencing general "stuck" discomfort. This discomfort/pain/whatever isn't usually just felt in the immediate band area. Mine tends to radiate in the general area of my esophagus, into my back between my shoulderblades and a bit up/down my spine.

If it's remote, you are likely feeling a referred pain. I get this as well. My areas of referred pain used to be fairly limited to either side of my bellybutton, but over time have come to include my hips (think of the spots where your hands sit of you stand with your hands on your hips) and in the last year or two, fairly small areas around my ribcages.

Both my immediate & referred pains can last a while. The longest is about 4 days -- that's generally the ribcage area pain. I can imagine it being something I would mistake for a strained or pulled muscle if I didn't know what it was. And there's really no relief - it doesn't come and go, or die down gradually. It's there, and it's there significantly, and then it's gone.

Despite the comfort you feel from them, Spanx may be a contributing factor. Not "are," but don't rule them out completely. They have bothered me before, and I too generally enjoy wearing them. Just no longer when I eat. Anything changing the dyamics of the pressure in your abdominal area can be a factor: eating while sitting down; eating with snug pants on (e.g. jeans that cut into your belly fat), pregnancy, things such as PMS or barometric pressure changes that impact the presence of fluids in your body, etc.

Do yourself a favor and don't drink Water to alleviate your problems. If it worked, you're lucky. Usually it will make things worse, especially when you're still relatively new post-op. Drinking too much water, or drinking it too soon after eating, has a pain category of its very own. You will know it when you meet it. For me, it's one of those things like when you stub your toe -- your body knows some bad mojo has gone down and you get all kinda icky, and you know it's going to hurt, but it doesn't yet... and then... there's the pain!