I need some advice here...any help will be apprciated!

I was banded back in August, with only a few pounds per month loss, and barely any restriction. I FINALLY got up to 2.9 cc's in a 4 cc band a couple of weeks ago. I was able to drink the Water that I'm required to drink before leaving the doc's office just fine.

Now, I cannot eat much of anything without spitting it back up (within moments usually). I have seen 10 pounds drop off, which I'm really tickled about. My question is this: Is it possible that I am just overfilling the pouch? Before this fill, when we'd go to a mexican restaurant, I would eat chips and salsa (plenty) and then a bite of Beans (never any rice!) and 2 - 4 small bites of a cheese enchilada. Now, I pb if I eat over a couple of spoonfuls of anything.(but sometimes even if I only eat a spoonful--it's really unpredictable) I actually spit milk back out last night, and I thought liquids would always go right thru!

Help! I think I may be overfilling?? and anything after the "full mark" is coming back...what do ya'll think???? I really don't want to have an "unfill", I am finally seeing some results and would be totally defeated if I lost that.

I've lost a total of 60 lbs. since August, but I am not even halfway to goal, so I need my band to work!

I was filled about a month ago to the 2cc mark. Just in the past 2 days I'm to the point where I can eat somewhat normally. I would say a tiny unfill sounds in order for you. I kept thinking that if I could just wait it out, I'd lose enough around my stomach to make the band looser without getting an unfill. I don't think I was as bad as you sound though. I have been so frustrated over the past month that several times I've thought about going for a little unfill. That said, I did start eating little, teeny, weeny bites - I'm talking smaller than a baby spoon. I chew them up really well and seem to be able to eat whatever I want -- just not tons of it -- which is good. The minute I take a normal size bite, I'm in trouble. If milk is coming back up though, I'd say unfill a little....... Good luck!

A week ago, I couldn't seem to eat without hurting. I was golf-balling almost every meal, at least once… sometimes two or three times. StrawartS posted this list to help folks deal with “first bite blues” (also called “first bite syndrome”, or “living with a tight fill”). I haven’t done the hot tea part yet… I’m not really tight, lol. But if I follow the rest of it, I do well. I’ve taken to actually watching a second hand… and this is what I found:

1. My normal bites are 0 seconds apart. My 2nd bite is in as SOON as I swallow.
   
2. My “slow” bites are 3-5 seconds apart. LOL!! Sad, but true.
   
3. 30-60 seconds is FOREVER!!!!

Dealing with first bite blues:

1. Drink HOT tea before your first bite.
   
2. Take a VERY small first bite.
   
3. Chew to goo.
   
4. Swallow.
   
5. Wait 1 minute with your mouth EMPTY!!
   
6. Drink more HOT tea to wash it down.
   
7. Repeat steps 2-6 for the next few bites.
   
8. Put your fork down for 30 seconds to 1 minute between ALL subsequent bites.

Happy eating!! I've now gone a week without a food incident, so it seems to work! I get another fill tomorrow, so we'll soon know if I've really learned my lesson!

It really sounds like you need a teeny tiny unfill. PBing milk is a red flag of some kind!! I was in the same place back in February.....swallowed water fine after fill, and it was a flouro fill to boot!! By the very next day I was having trouble getting even liquids to stay down at times, and PBing on just about every other attempt at food. I have been "tight" where the hot tea and tiny slow bites worked, but this was a PBing TOO OFTEN type of tight. It only took a .2cc unfill to get me back to eating regular bandster meals without the horrid sliming, PBs, and frustration. I am truly at my sweet spot since that little unfill. I can safely and confidently eat small amounts of just about anything but bread. If the Warm liquids pre-meal and timing dont make enough difference for you, dont try to wait it out any longer. I really think being too tight is very bad for the tummy and band.

Donna42,

It's not unusual for a fill to "kick in" a week or 2 AFTER the fill, meaning you really don't notice how tight you are for some time after the fill.

I'm jumpin' in the boat with the others. I think you're a wee bit too tight. Even if you have only .1 or .2cc removed it may make all the difference in the world for you. If you cannot tolerate liquids, which milk is, you are too tight. First bite syndrome or no, if you can't get liquids to go down something is wrong which puts you at risk for dehydration and poor nutrition.

Another thing, remember that all the PBing and "bringing things up" irritates the stomach especially that narrowing where the band is that we all affectionately call the stoma. By doing this repeated PBing, you could be swollen, making a tight fill even more pronounced because of the irritation. Make sure that after you PB, you back down a notch and go back to liquids for a meal or 2. Give that stoma a rest, give it time for the swelling to go down. You may find success with that and even a very small unfill.

I really appreciate all the advice, and it has helped make up my mind to call and schedule an appt with my doc. I will just insist that we only unfill a tiny bit though, because I know myself, and I'll push eating to the limit!!

Thanks so much!!

I, too, am having major pain with eating. It feels like when you take a pill and it gets stuck in your throat. It just hurts going down, no matter what I seem to try (liquids or solids). Nothing comes back up on me, at least not yet, but it sure feels like it will sometimes. I was banded in March 2005, but had to have the port replaced in August 2005 because my doctor couldn't get a need in to fill. I have about 2.5cc's right now. How small of an amount can be taken out? And how much do these actually hold? I am really at a loss. I wish I had done the Roux En Y because I would be off all diabetic meds by now and down my 100 lbs. Anyway, any one who can help, I would appreciate it. Thanks!

Hi Jack

Wow, that is awesome for you! I currently take metformin (5 500mg pills per day), glyburide (2 pills per day), gemfibrizol (2 600mg pills per day) and neurontin (for neuropathy). No insulin shots - yet. My blood sugar seems to be doing well. I was taking 3 glyburides per day but my doctor took me down one. I have lost 52 pounds to date. My original surgery was 03/17/05, but there was a problem with the port, and that was replaced in August 2005. I honestly don't know what size band I have. My doctor said it can hold up to 10cc's if that tells you anything. Eating habits? Right now, I can hardly drink let alone eat without pain. It hurts when I swallow and is now to the point where it pretty much hurts all the time. I had an upper GI done several months ago and everything was fine. I have talked to my surgeon - he thinks I need to give it some more time. I had my last fill (1/2 cc) in March of this year. I have a total of 2.5cc's in now. I have also talked to the nurse practitioner that works with my doctor. I am waiting for her to call me back. She talked to my surgeon about some kind of test where they stick a tube with a camera down my throat, but my surgeon doesn't feel any more testing is needed at this time. I am trying the warm tea thing this morning. Yesterday all I ate was some ice cream and even that went down hard. I am not sure what is wrong. I wish I knew though because this is a major drag.