I try so hard and nothing works quite right for me.

I was complaining about horrible gas, the kind that totally makes it so that you can't function, a few weeks ago. It eventually subsided for the most part.

BUT if I follow the band rules it comes back and the back pain also is so bad that I just pace and stretch and try to get over it.

Today I had Protein pudding for Breakfast. At lunch time I had a pack of gum size piece of steak (which I absolutley chewed the heck out of) and I had a couple of pieces of broccoli which I also chewed the heck out of. I thought I was going to be fine but then about 15minutes later... OUCH! And then for the past 2 hours I can't stand it. My back hurts so bad but there is no sign of BPing.

This can happen to me any time and it happens with chicken too.

I never know when it will and when it won't.

I'm afraid to eat what I am supposed to. I get so tired of Protein shakes and stuff like that. Then I end up eating high calorie junk and I don't lose.

I rarely feel "restricted" the right way. I feel pain instead and I can't eat until later. Of course by then I am famished and do you think I'm going to eat meat???? No Way!

I have felt the right way with restriction a few times (maybe 4 or 5) with meat and that meat stayed there for the longest time keeping me full and without pain...so I know how it is supposed to feel, I just can't find that happy place hardly ever.

I have found the BP place and the pain place many more times than I can count.

I know I am not filled too tight because many times I can eat A N Y T H I N G. I just never know if I'll be able to eat the meat or not.

Luckily I don't feel this bad every day or the band would be gone.

Incase you were wondering...I can eat ice cream any time with no pain whatsoever : )

The biggest part of the pain seems to be gone now. WHEW! 2 1/2 hours of extreme pain....now it's more dulled achy pain....I'll live.

What I want to know is has anyone gone through this and then all of a sudden found the happy place consistantly and stayed there long enough to lose the weight?

Any ideas of what I may be doing wrong?

I kept getting this pain too and it was because I was eating too fast. It should take about 20-30 minutes to eat that gum sized piece of meat. Once I started looking at my watch, I was able to better pace myself and avoid the pain associated with meat. Although I do still struggle with grainy types of meat, i.e. steak regardless of how slow I go.

Hope things get better for you!

Kristin

You may be right. I'm going to try it again and take a full 30 minutes to eat the slice of meat. Its hard to be totally concious of the time. I may try using as timer and every 5 minutes take a very small bite.

I ate that meat at 11:00 and at 3:00 I tried to drink and it came back up with a little of the meat. I was so thirsty : / Then, at 4:30 I tried some milk and the first few small swallows ended up coming back up. Then 30 minutes later I tried again with the milk and it went down and I could feel it go through.

Then I ate a little bit of soft food and I feel so much better now...whew.

I'm going to try something a little different tomorrow. I'm going to first eat a little protien pudding and then eat a small piece of meat. Def. taking my time!!!

Mercedes--

I believe that Kristin is right in eating too fast! BOY have I done this!!!!!!! I KNOW!!!! Timing is good!!!! It helps....I still have to practice and watch the clock!!! If you are having pains....hot liquids are more helpful....cold makes it spasm. If I eat too fast and get the golf ball and pain then I start taking big deep breaths and then go to liquids....hot liquids. I rest my esophagus/gut for a while.....

Hope this helps!!

God Bless,

Melody

Banded 3/20/06 -43lbs

Mercedes,

I don't know much about you, your band, your history, etc. But, what concerns me about what you've written is that you have such intense back pain that lasts so very long.

You didn't specify how the meat was cooked. I know beef can have a higher fat content than chicken, so I'm going to go out on a limb here. Because the location of your pain is unusual, the first thought I had was gall bladder because gall bladder pain often presents itself in the back kind of on the right side under your shoulder blade. If you have the pain AFTER you eat. Whether it's 15 minutes or an hour and a half, your body is trying to digest food with some fat content, but your gall bladder is having trouble. Whether you have stones or a blocked duct or a malfunctioning gall bladder......it's painful.......VERY painful.

From the statements you made that sometimes it's O.K., sometimes you can eat a lot, sometimes you're afraid of food and get the pain.......I just feel that it's something like gall bladder......Because that's the EXACT same way I felt when I was having gall bladder attacks. I didn't know what was causing this terrible pain that made me beg my husband for death. Then, the ache would finally go away and I'd manage to work myself back up to "regular" food again. I'd be going good for a week or so, then WHAM! That pain would build up, and take me down. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what it was I was eating. Heck, I got one of these attacks on cheese, an egg, a salad (thanks to the dressing, I guess), a Protein bar.

My advice, don't be so quick to blame the band. It might not be the band. It might be something else. Typcally the band does not cause back pain.

I second the vote for gallbladder. I haven't been banded (yet!) but it sounds exactly like what I had when my gallbladder was acting up. Intense back pain that only went away if I put lots of pressure on my stomach, which might not be best thing with a band and moving around. I'd talk to your doc about it. Hope you're feeling better soon!

In my experience - limited since I've only eaten chicken and fish - it helps if you use a little sauce or gravy on your meat - I think I've heard it referred to as 'lube-ing the tube'. You have to be careful with that though because of the added calories involved.

I use a powdered gravy mix - it tastes much better than it sounds, I promise - which has 25 calories (5 from fat) per tablespoon. It's made by "Tone's" and I buy it at Sam's Club but I'm sure you can find it elsewhere, most likely in the spices/seasoning isle in the market. It's inexpensive and can be made very quickly with just Water and the powder mix. I've used the Poultry Gravy Mix quite a few times with chicken and it tastes good. I've just bought the Brown Gravy Mix thinking I might try out beef here sometime soon, but, since I'm pretty scared of beef I haven't tried it out yet! I know, I sound crazy being scared of beef! lol

On fish I sometimes use Lawry's 30 Minute Marinade Sesame Ginger (30 calories per tablespoon, 0 fat). It's good as a marinade or to drizzle on the fish after it's been baked or grilled.

Sorry you're having such a hard time of it but maybe by eating a little slower and possibly trying the 'lube-the-tube' method, things will get a little easier.

Good luck, let us know how its going with you.

Edit: I didn't notice that it was back pain you were having. Maybe it is gallbladder. Of course you could still try the gravy/sauce thing to see if it helps. Good luck.

Yup. Re-evaluate the types of meat your eating. I have never been able to eat much beef at all, since banding. I simply cannot chew steak up enough to masticate it. Also, never eat bites larger than a pencil eraser, then chew, chew, chew it.

If those things don't make a difference, I second the gall-bladder theory. My gallbladder also had referred pain to the back/lower shoulder area.

Hi Guys,

I don't think it's gall bladder. It's at bra strap level on the left in my back. It hurts in the banded area too in the front. There is food that will not pass through and it stays there for hours. I try to burp it up to get relief. This time it was stuck in there from 11:00 until 4:30 - 5:00. I could tell when the food went through and the relief was immediate. Only aches remained because of the trama. I can tell it's irritated still and that even liquid has to be taken slowly.

Seriously, you need to go to liquids for a few days to let any swelling go down and then move through the mushies phase before trying solid food again. If you keep trying to eat, it will continue to irritate and cause problems. It's a vicious cycle that you need to break.

Good luck, let us know how you're doing.

Call Dr. Ortiz or Dr. Martinez. They are always available to answer our concerns!

Hi Guys,

I don't think it's gall bladder. It's at bra strap level on the left in my back. It hurts in the banded area too in the front. There is food that will not pass through and it stays there for hours. I try to burp it up to get relief. This time it was stuck in there from 11:00 until 4:30 - 5:00. I could tell when the food went through and the relief was immediate. Only aches remained because of the trama. I can tell it's irritated still and that even liquid has to be taken slowly.

O.K., then if it's in the left side the location makes sense with your band. Even though I still contend that it's unusual to have back pain related to the band.

If you're getting something stuck for 4.5-5 hours, and PAINFULLY stuck. That is irritating your stomach, the part we all call the stoma where the band has made your stomach smaller. Along with that irritation comes swelling. It's no wonder liquids pass slowly after such an episode. When you irritate your stoma, you need to go back to the beginning, go to liquids and slowly progress back to solid foods. Even if it takes a couple of days on each stage. Be kind to your band and your stomach. Don't push it.

Once you get back to solid foods, make sure you're chewing well and eating slowly. I know these things are easier said than done, but if your band is that sensitive you absolutely MUST or you're going to find yourself going through this cycle again and again. Pay attention when you eat. If you get one of these "stuck" episodes, ask yourself "did you take small enough bites?" "did you chew it well enough before you swallowed?" "were you eating slow enough?" and finally, if you've done all these things.....maybe it was the food itself that you're sensitive to. Some people just can't tolerate beef or chicken or eggs or bread or......whatever.

I think you are all right. I think that what I am doing wrong is eating too fast. I chew enough but I must be eating too fast. I think I just don't think about extending a 1/2 cup of food over 30 whole minutes.

I was about to try the beef again and cut it in eraser size pieces and eat it over 45 minutes, but maybe I should go to fluids today and mushies for a couple of days. I feel fine right now and I had a protein pudding this morning and it went down smooth as could be??

Do you have any fill?? This sounds exactly what I was going through when my band was too tight.

How long have you been out of surgery?

I felt like that for 2 months out. And it happens still because I was eating too fast. (or too much)

Before banding I shoveled huge amounts in. SO I thought I was slowing down (by MY standards) but it was not slow enough for the band.

What worked for me is actually timing mouthfulls. I would put the fork down and wait 30 seconds or a minute between bites. I had to time myself because I had no clue was "band slow" was.

I know I am not filled too tight because there are times when I can eat anything, even bread and pasta.

I really am quite sure I am not slowing down enough. Like Leenerbups said, I thought I was slowed down....because I am slower than before...but that isn't slow enough.

I feel good today. I don't even feel swollen or anything. Liquid & mushies are going down just fine.