Hi. I'm Terri from TX!!!

I got my band 2/13 of this year (made for a sucky Valentine's day lol). I went through True Results here in Dallas, and so far it's felt very much like a "herd them through, get them banded" kind of thing. I didn't really receive any support from them, just a packet telling me the dos and don't.

I should explain that I'm not exactly new to the weight loss surgery game. I had gastric bypass in 2005 and lost about 100 pounds. But after gaining 45 pounds within the past two years, I saw an ad for this place and am now the proud monthly payment plan payer of a band. I'm really hoping that this helps me lose, but at this point I don't know.

My surgery weight was 208. When I went in for my first fill, they couldn't do it. My incisions took forever to heal, so we waited an additional two weeks. So that was about three weeks ago. They said my band was filled with 4 ccs at surgery time, but honestly I felt no restriction after surgery whatsoever. At all. I lost no weight during this period whatsoever.

They gave me an additional 1.5 cc fill three weeks ago. I took a sip of Water, everything seemed fine, and I went on my merry way. Since then, all I really want to eat is chips, Soup and things that crumble or that are soft. chicken and even fish are really hard to get down, and I just end up pukefesting it. But part of me thinks that's just me not chewing enough, which is a huge complaint.

People talk about the sweet spot as far as banding goes. What's that like? I'm hungry all the time. I eat soup now most meals and even though I know crackers and chips aren't good - I feel so freaking hungry now, just like before the fill, but with more discomfort. I eat a lot of fresh seafood since that goes down fine, but anything like grilled chicken (I haven't had beef at all) just comes back up or feels stuck. Really - everything except soup feels sort of stuck and it just basically always feels like a have a ball stuck in my throat. I make weird gurgling sounds just sitting at my desk. I am pretty sure it's too tight, right?

We went to Louisiana this weekend. While I can't eat much at one time now, we got comped one of those casino buffets. I had steamed broccoli...up it came. I chewed the heck out of that thing and up it came. I had some fresh steamed crab. That went down ok. I had some soup. That was ok. I tried to have some lettuce and tomatos with some vinigrette....up it came. I think I'm the only person on the planet that left the buffet more hungry then when they came in. My packet says if I throw up not to eat again for 24 hours. How the heck do you do that? After I throw up I feel like I never even ate!

Sorry to whine. I'm just new to this thing, and the fear of failing yet again just sucks. I go in today for another visit, and I know they are going to probably take some out, so I'm just concerned I'm going to be hungry forever.

Any thoughts? Besides the thought that I'm a complete motard that's doing this all wrong?

ps....I've been working out (we have a gym at work and I do a class for 40 min each day, plus a bunch of stairs everywhere) and in the past two weeks I've lost about ten pounds. I was at 208 last visit and I weighed last week and was at 196. I'm going to say 10 to be safe.

That's great news. I'm so glad that you're feeling better! It also gives me something to look forward to tomorrow. I just hope my doctor doesn't put me back on liquids or anything. I've had a really bad headache for 2 days and I've had very little energy. My body is needing real food.

Are you still drinkong with your meals?

I can't speak for anyone else but I got my unfill Tuesday afternoon and True Results in Richardson said to do one meal of soup or something soft and then do chicken and solids. They said for an unfill they don't require two days of liquid or anything. I know others have been advised to, but that's what I was told to do.

I'm trying really hard not to drink anything while eating. I'm not making a glass of tea or getting a diet coke for meals and it's difficult! I'm just trained to drink and eat lol. Feels so weird not to, but I think I eat a bunch less because of this. Not because I'm full exactly, but be because I'm thirsty and want my tea lol!

Anyone else have the drink/eat problem?

And Hockey: the moment I ate some chicken and salad, my headaches went away. I had them constantly for the past week. Most of the soup I ate contained a bunch of sodium too, so that didn't help, but I feel so much better a couple of days later. My energy is coming back. I'm almost positive you'll feel better and the good news is it's pretty immediate:)

I miss drinking with my meals also, but I've been really good about not doing it. Once in a while I have to take a small sip of water, if I have something spicy or salty, but for the most part, I wait 30 minutes after eating before drinking anything. Also, my nurse told me to absolutely not drink carbonated sodas, it can stretch the band. So you may want to consider letting your diet coke go flat before drinking. That was very hard for me. I love diet coke, but I haven't had one since my surgery. I'm afraid if I have one, I won't stop.

Yeah. I'm trying really hard to just give it up completely. Diet coke HURTS going down, so I'm trying to remember that each time I want to just grab one. Flat or not flat...it's not clean eating, and that's where I want to head towards!

Keep us updated on how it goes today!

Hey,

I know exactly how you feel. I got banded in 2007 in a hospital that just started doing gastric bypass. In fact, I was the third person to get it done at that point. They sent me to a nutritionist and all that but noone knew what they were talking about so it was always a hit and miss with me. I was basically their guinee pig. I learned how to eat on my own, I learned how much Fluid was too much fluid, I learned that everyone is different and I learned that the nutritionist, unless she's been through it herself, doesn't have a clue. I lost 150 lbs in a year and a half, then I got pregnant, gained 100 and lost 70, then I got pregnant again, gained 40 and now I'm back to my original 150, which is the original 150 lbs I had originally lost.

How to know if your band is too tight -

If you can't drink Water and hydrate yourself, it's too tight.

If you can't go to bed without waking up in the night and needing to throw up cause the fluid in your throat is coming back up and not down, it's too tight.

If you can't eat small portions of meat, chicken, fish and boiled vegetables without puking, it's too tight.

Basically, ideally really, you shouldn't be throwing up. It can happen sometimes because hey, we're all human and we'll eat something we realize we can't eat but it shouldn't be happening regularly.

Everyone is different and can ingest different things. For me, I can do sausages, meat, anything on the bbq mainly, fish, boiled vegetables, broth (nothing thick), and anything i can chew.

Things that will for sure make you puke - burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches, pizza, things that you take big bites out of.

All in all, you should be able to eat but you shouldn't be able to scarf down food. If you can't even eat without puking, it's too tight. You can ask them to take out .5 or something, just to see. they'll adjust it until you are comfortable.

I hope this helps.

Those are great tips m.rsu! I think a bunch of us new banders just automatically think everything is normal. You figure "If it wasn't, I'd be told". That's not always the case. I really figured I was just never going to have chicken or beef ever again because the band wouldn't allow it. Imagine my shock when I realized that's not how it works!

Mine's a little too loose now, but I'm still not able to eat bread really, which is good, because I'm not supposed to anyway. Tried to get down some toast for some reason since I saw it and thought it was a good idea (I'm so stupid) and let's just say it wasn't. But it feels so much better now with just that .5 unfill. I'll ask for them to put back maybe .2 and see how that is, but all of your hints are spot on.

I went to the doctor this morning and he took .5 out and I feel soooo much better. He wants me on liquids today, then pureed tomorrow, then softs the next day then solids. I did have a baked potato today though. I was so hungry...lol I mashed it up really good before I ate it and I ate really slow. Everything went down fine and nothing came back up. Yay!

That's awesome! That first bite of real food is the best isn't it? So glad you are feeling better !

Thanks. It was wonderful. I was afraid I'd overeat, but I only ate half and was completely satisfied with it. Tonight I'm not even hungry, but I will have some soup after I get back from walking my dogs. It's supposed to rain here this weekend, so I need to get a good walk in before the rain starts.

Supposed to rain here too. You're in the woodlands? I'm in Dallas!!!! Yeah fellow Texan!!!!

Yep, I'm in The Woodlands. We travel to Dallas sometimes for hockey. My husband's a coach. It's been a couple years since we've been though.

Yep' date=' I'm in The Woodlands. We travel to Dallas sometimes for hockey. My husband's a coach. It's been a couple years since we've been though.[/quote']

I am from Texas also I live in Livingston an see the doctor in the woodlands as well !! Glad to see people close by me on here

Supposed to rain here too. You're in the woodlands? I'm in Dallas!!!! Yeah fellow Texan!!!!

Hey lady I also am from Texas