long time lapbanders input requested

[falcon 1]

Hi,

I had surgery about 4.5 months ago and have already lost close to 70 pounds with 15 more to go. Obviously, I am thrilled with this surgery. My question for long term lapbanders is, 2+ years out, do you still throw up and how often, and how long did it take you to change your eating habits?

I am working very hard at slowing down, not eating too much, chewing well, etc but even four and half months later, I still feel that I am in the learning stage. I am hoping I will still get there (to where eating slowly, chewing well etc are more natural to me) so I guess I am looking to hear from other people that also had a hard time at the beginning and eventually did better. I still throw up about once/week and when I mentioned that to the RN at my dr's office she said "once a week in the beginning is totally fine/normal" which did make me feel a bit better that I am not a "hopeless cause."

Please let me know what I can look forward to in terms of my eating habits which I am working desperately to change but is slow in happening!

Thanks so much!

[banditarian 0]

It takes a while. Like a year or even more. Dont push it every time. 70 lb is nIce but kinda fast what does your Dr. Say about that. You must be super restricted. Just take it slow. Buy smaller plates and tiny almost toy like forks I heard it helps people get into the Portion Control that way. I'm 6 years out. Good luck.

[marfar7 1,528]

Honestly, I'm 2 yrs out and I still throw up abnout 2-3 x a wk. I know its my fault. I eat too fast. I learned to eat fast in Army basic training. If u didn't eat in 5 minutes, u didn't eat. I'm almost at goal (acctually I'm. 1 lb from original goal but the further I got down the more I want to lose. Now I'm 11 lbs from goal) and try as I might, I still can't quite grasp the concept of eating slowly. Especially when I'm really hungry. After 2 yrs you'd think I'd learn.

Good luck to you

Marci

[honk 780]

Knock on wood I never throw up. Sounds like you are wayyyy to tight.

[falcon 1]

Honk, why do you think I am way too tight-because I throw up once a week? Marci is two years out and she says she is still throwing up 2-3 times/week and is pretty much at goal and doing well (it seemed to me

My doctor's office also thinks the throwing up once a week is fine although they do feel I am losing weight too quickly. They still gave me a .4 cc fill last time I went (for a grand total of 5.4 ccs) because what I am finding is that in the two weeks following a fill (I've had three), I lose about 10 lbs and then in the next three weeks only about 1-2 lbs/week so by the time I go back, even though I have lost a lot of weight, I still feel ready (by then) for another fill.

I don't feel the one time/week that I throw up is because of being too tight but it's my eating too quickly/too much/not chewing the food small enough. . .so, forget the whole too tight/not too tight question, my main issue is, will I ever learn to slow down and change my eating habits? How long has it taken you to accomplish that behavior change?

[vonhelzing 3]

I have been banded for 3 years now. I can go weeks without throwing up but then i will have a few days where i can't keep anything down. i havn't had a fill in over a year and a half so i know i'm not too tight. I think it may have somthing to do with the weather changes.

I would have to say that my eating habits may have gotten a little worse since finding the sweet spot. I have a real hard time keeping down fruits and vegie's. I try to eat my protien in meat but that is a day to day adventure. The thing that is in my head latley is that if I eat the slider foods, at least i can feel a little normal especially in a social setting. Even though all my friends and family know how i eat, it still gets frustrating when they are eating a huge burger and i can't seem to get Soup down.

The way I eat may not be everyone's ideal, but i've kept off 100lbs for 2 years now so somthing must be working. Good Luck.

[123crod 170]

I am 2+ years out and I still vomit, I have since the very beginning. Thats the first thing people think is your too tight, but not true for everyone. I have been too tight before and lived with it for about 2 months and then listen to a friend and had a small unfill. Most of the time when I vomit it is because I am not chewing enough. I always get stuck if I eat when my Grandbabies are with me because they ask a million questions and you can't talk with food in your mouth and I tend to swallow. I have seen some of the food I have vomited and the pieces are not chewed enough. (I know it is gross but hey you can't help but see it) I have never had a slip or any problem with my band just have always vomited. Pretty sure it is my fault all the time. But I have had many fluros and the band is always good.

I think it should be our goal not to vomit so we never have to worry about slippage because of it. But I have been eating a certain way for years and I guess I am a slow learner or a rule breaker. I have two banded friends who have never vomited 2+ years but one slimes really bad and I do not slime. I have also read that people with dentures or certain dental work may not chew as well as others? So if you only vomit once a week I say GREAT! Sometimes my pouch just does an auto deject for some reason not the right texture or just giving it's opinion.

Cheri

[Jachut 487]

I am six years out. I reckon it took me a good year to get used to the portion sizes that were appropriate - I would constantly overserve myself and have to throw food out, but when I served up a bandster portion, it looked ridiculously small. Now, I dont even consider a meal necessary at all if I"m not hungry. I often miss dinner becuase I may have had a snack at 4pm and I just dont want it.

It also took me a year before I threw up, and that was user error. It always is for me, I've never been overtight and had vomiting because of that. I've never vomited even as often as once a week. Three or four times a year is more like it. Regular vomiting is not OK - it means you're too tight or you're not eating right (chewing too little, eating too fast, overeating). Its bad for your band.

And I'd also have to say if you're reverting to sliders and cant get Soup down because you're at your sweet spot - then you're not at your sweet spot! You're too tight. You may like it that way and that's fine if you can manage it without undue vomiting but that is NOT the point where people should in general be aiming.

[starimagine 1]

I am 2+ years out and I still vomit, I have since the very beginning. Thats the first thing people think is your too tight, but not true for everyone. I have been too tight before and lived with it for about 2 months and then listen to a friend and had a small unfill. Most of the time when I vomit it is because I am not chewing enough. I always get stuck if I eat when my Grandbabies are with me because they ask a million questions and you can't talk with food in your mouth and I tend to swallow. I have seen some of the food I have vomited and the pieces are not chewed enough. (I know it is gross but hey you can't help but see it) I have never had a slip or any problem with my band just have always vomited. Pretty sure it is my fault all the time. But I have had many fluros and the band is always good.

I think it should be our goal not to vomit so we never have to worry about slippage because of it. But I have been eating a certain way for years and I guess I am a slow learner or a rule breaker. I have two banded friends who have never vomited 2+ years but one slimes really bad and I do not slime. I have also read that people with dentures or certain dental work may not chew as well as others? So if you only vomit once a week I say GREAT! Sometimes my pouch just does an auto deject for some reason not the right texture or just giving it's opinion.

Cheri

I am so glad to know I am not the only one going through this. I am on fill number 4th. I can not see a 5th fill but my six week is apt is coming up. I hate throwing up. And I know it is when I either eat too much or not chew my food up well. Thanks for the stories.

[AlienBandit 10]

Depending on my fill it depends on how much I pb.

Right now I pb maybe once a week/2 weeks, unless I eat too close to bed time then I wake up pbing food hours after I ate.

I am a little over filled right now though. At a good fill now that I am 2 years out, I usually only pb if I eat too fast which is very uncommon. I have learned what foods to avoid to prevent for sure.

[Cindy C 150]

Hi,

I had surgery about 4.5 months ago and have already lost close to 70 pounds with 15 more to go. Obviously, I am thrilled with this surgery. My question for long term lapbanders is, 2+ years out, do you still throw up and how often, and how long did it take you to change your eating habits?

I am working very hard at slowing down, not eating too much, chewing well, etc but even four and half months later, I still feel that I am in the learning stage. I am hoping I will still get there (to where eating slowly, chewing well etc are more natural to me) so I guess I am looking to hear from other people that also had a hard time at the beginning and eventually did better. I still throw up about once/week and when I mentioned that to the RN at my dr's office she said "once a week in the beginning is totally fine/normal" which did make me feel a bit better that I am not a "hopeless cause."

Please let me know what I can look forward to in terms of my eating habits which I am working desperately to change but is slow in happening!

Thanks so much!

Oh, Honey, after 3 1/2 years I'm still learning! I still catch myself eating too fast and going to the fridge when I'm bored! I have found that if I let myself get too hungry I eat way too fast. So I try to eat small amounts several times throughout the day.

[Julia_N 2]

I'm over 2 years out and even when I'm being careful I can get stuck. I am pretty tight, but I can eat something one week and get stuck on it the next. I've even gotten stuck on Wendy's chili. I've gotten better at figuring portion sizes, and have figured out that I do better when I eat 5 small meals a day (some of them just one item, like Greek yogurt).

[elcee 3,340]

I am just over 2 years out. I can go for weeks without having to bring anything up and then I may have a bad patch where it happens a couple of times in a short period.

The other problem I have at this point is that it is way too easy to eat foods that I know I shouldn't. No that doesn't mean I am existing on sliders but I have been eating way too much chocolate lately. I need to stop before it becomes a problem. I am fine when I am busy but when I am at home , not working I still find myself eating things I don't need just because I feel like it. So in truth I suppose my habits still haven't really changed.I think that I am still lazy when it comes to food - it is easier to grab something quick out of the cupboard/fridge than to make a proper healthy lunch. (Breakfast & dinner are not an issue, those are generally fine).

[sparkplug 106]

Hi,

I had surgery about 4.5 months ago and have already lost close to 70 pounds with 15 more to go. Obviously, I am thrilled with this surgery. My question for long term lapbanders is, 2+ years out, do you still throw up and how often, and how long did it take you to change your eating habits?

I am working very hard at slowing down, not eating too much, chewing well, etc but even four and half months later, I still feel that I am in the learning stage. I am hoping I will still get there (to where eating slowly, chewing well etc are more natural to me) so I guess I am looking to hear from other people that also had a hard time at the beginning and eventually did better. I still throw up about once/week and when I mentioned that to the RN at my dr's office she said "once a week in the beginning is totally fine/normal" which did make me feel a bit better that I am not a "hopeless cause."

Please let me know what I can look forward to in terms of my eating habits which I am working desperately to change but is slow in happening!

Thanks so much!

I am 3 years out and never had any fill and occasionally get stuck. I too, eat too fast or do not chew enough and get stuck. I have never thrown up but had pain and panic set in until the food passed through the band. I am to goal but gained approximately 5-6 pds back and forth since last christmas. I tend to eat slider Snacks on weekends and need to get out of that mode.

You are doing great, you have lost a lot of weight. I can't get over how many people on here think that throwing up is normal for being banded. My surgeon said in the beginning that would be a major problem throwing up, because of all the turmoil it puts the band through will cause either a slippage or erosion. I am always worrying about that and have chosen not to get fills because I can go 4-6 hours on a meal before getting hungry. It is the head hunger that I still have not been able to manage all the time.

Everybody is so different but I could not live with throwing up on a regular basis. I have a weak stomach and that would be very uncomfortable and not acceptable for me to live like that. Good luck on your success and do what you think is comfortable for you.

[cat lady 10]

Hi All: Banded the end of July and have been having a few stuck episodes without any fill. First one at my home with my family and it passed in about 20 minutes......I did have white frothy slime come up (sorry for TMI). After that felt fine and was very careful. Last week went to Vegas with friends and first 2 days did well eating with others and choosing carefully what to eat. Monday a.m. went to late Breakfast and ordered scrambled eggs with bacon. Wrong Choice for me!!! After 2 bites I felt like I had something stuck. Went to ladies room and tried to get it up. Nothing seemed to help. Could not get even Water down. Could not relieve it no matter what I tried: papaya pills, gas X strips, tums, etc. After 12 hours of being very uncomfortable...still not being able to sip even water we went to the ER in Vegas. What an experience. Was there 5 1/2 hours. Scan showed band did not slip (thank God) but my esophogus was badly dilated. Said I needed a endoscope but could wait till I got home. They gave me IV so as not to dehydrate. Went home the next day on doctors orders. Finally after about 24 hours of this episode I was able to sip water again! Pain subsided but I still feel very irritated in my throat when I drink. My lapband doctor advised only liquids for the next 24 hours. That is where I am today. Has anyone else ever had an experience like this. I hope not. Really hope what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas......LOL