its me again . and I am still having the same problems . one day I can eat and not have a bit of problems and the other 6 days a week I am suffering , stuck , vomiting , in PAIN !! oh it is just horrible . I am 4 weeks post fill and I do not think I should be going thru this , my husband is so worried . this AM I made a banana smoothie got 2 sips down could tell it was not going down and was in the bathroom it all came up . now I know that should not have been a problem. I wrote to my doc today . I really hate to go back to mexico especially to have an unfill but I think that is what I may need .and advice I would love to hear from you all , you are all so supportive . thanks so much

Diane

Sounds like you need a little taken out.

no they don't want nothing to do with me since I had the surgery in mexico . I don't know if they would consider helping me now that I am almost and emergency case or not . maybe I could just ask ? thanks for all your help

I would advise finding a regular LOCAL doctor for fills & unfills & check ups. You will need after care on a regular basis. I have seen my doctor at least 7 times in the last 9 months. Plus they may have local support groups to join.

As to your problem- Yes you are too tight & need an unfill to some degree. The idea of the band is to eat & feel full for longer periods than preband. Its good that you recognized this & know your too tight. It is always a smarter idea to be less tight than over tight. Yes it may be more work but you can & will adjust to working with your band. I had a slight unfill & struggled w/not getting it for a few weeks. I was much better when I got it but had to really work at not over eating again. Its a struggle w/your mind as well as w/your body in the beginning. I am 9 mnths out & finally feel I got IT! at about 8 mnths out. Be patient & please find someone local. You'll be happier in the end. God Bless you.

Diane...

Are you able to take in any fluids???? Try sipping warm tea or warm broth... you need to stay hydrated. IMHO you need an partial unfill and the sooner the better... so sorry you are going through this!

Hi Diane -

It does sound like you are overfilled.

If you need to work with this restriction for financial/convenience reasons, there are a few things you could do that might help, but bear in mind that if you continue to PB you are seriously risking a band slip, and that's a much bigger deal than getting an unfill.

1. ALWAYS start every "meal" with very warm liquids and small, small sips.

2. Avoid anything cold in the mornings.

3. Do warm liquids only in the mornings - heat up some apple juice diluted with Water, or something similar. I would avoid anything as thick as a smoothie.

4. At lunch time, start with very warm liquids. After a full cup of hot tea (or whatever you choose), have something thicker, like yoghurt and see how that does. If you have no problems, try some well blended chicken or tuna salad and see how it goes.

5. At dinner time, start again with very warm liquids. Follow the same protocol as lunch, but you will probably find you are more open at night and have less problems with real food.

IF you PB, do liquids only for the rest of the day. It sounds as though you are irritating your stomach with all the PBing, and as soon as the swelling goes down the cycle starts all over again.

If you don't want a small unfill (for whatever reason) you will REALLY, seriously have to baby yourself for as long as it takes.

I am NOT advocating anyone keep a fill as tight as yours sounds, but some people can learn to work with it, and as time goes on it should loosen up naturally with weight loss.

If you cannot avoid PBing, then you really MUST find someone to do a slight unfill for you.

Promise?? :welldone2:

Diane, go to www.obesityhelp.com and search for Band doctors in the Dayton Beach area. Then print out the page and start calling doctors until you find one that will work with you. There should be NO reason you can't get help from someone locally.