So last month I got my second fill. I had been fine before that, with my 1cc fill (in a 4cc band). I was able to eat roast beef, steak, broccoli, whatever (didnt try bread or pasta), but I started noticing I could eat more -- way more -- than I should. I'd always been determined to avoid PBs and being filled too tight, so getting the addition fill took a couple of months to decide on. I thought he put in .5cc for that second fill, but today he said he'd only put in .3cc.

Anyway, I started getting stuck on foods I had no previous problems with. I could feel an uncomfortable pressure at the base of my sternum (you know, that pointy piece that sticks down at the bottom/center of your ribs). Sometimes it felt like that pressure became a pain that went straight through to my back. I'd feel it when drinking anything cold, or sometimes when I wasn't even eating or drinking.

Then there was the port pain. Now my port has always felt uncomfortable. It sticks out and when I slouch my ribs press on it. But after that second fill, it started feeling bruised around the port. I'd wake up in the night dreaming that someone was stepping on my stomach where the port is. And realizing it was hurting, I'd roll over onto my back.

And then I started noticing a pain just to the right of my belly button, about half way between the belly button and the hip. It felt like, hmmm, a slightly torn muscle? Or perhaps maybe it was a tender ovary. Wasn't sure. But then that pain shifted to the left side and became more intense. Soon, I found I was feeling these bruised/torn muscle pains all of the time, along with the pressure under the sternum.

So, today I go in for my monthly check up with the band surgeon. I tell him my symptoms. He agrees I'm too tight and says he going to take all of my fill out. Errrr.. Wha?? He explained that he wanted me to have a week of getting back on my solid Proteins. Yup, I had been leaning far too much on cottage cheese for my daily food intake. And I'd only lost 2 pounds since the prior month, in contrast to the 8 to 12 pounds I had been losing per month. This is a danger in being too tight. You start eating more soft foods, which go through the band easier so you want to eat more often, thus taking in too many calories. (Yes yes... I know that wine has 90 calories per 4oz and I've been drinking like a fish. Shhh :tea: )

Anyway, he took it all out and I'm on liquids today. I was sitting here tonight and wow. It suddenly occurred to me. There's no pain in my stomach! None. Not when I move, or poke, or anything. So, here's what I'm thinking. Ever hear of ghost pains? That's where the location of the source of the pain is not where you "feel" the pain. The brain gets scrambled I guess, and maybe that's what was going on? I don't know. But I had to share with everyone to say this. DO NOT IGNORE nagging pain and uncomforts. DO NOT ASSUME that it's not band related. It very well could be. And left without care, those could possibly develop into further problems, such as a slipped band or erosion.

So, the next delima. I'm wide open. Do I take this time to go have a few things I normally don't get to have (yes a cheeseburger is on my mind)? Or... do I stay true to my new eating lifestyle and not tempt the gods? hehe

Thanks for listening. I hope this helps someone.

Oh wow, I havent seen you round here lately, so had no idea you'd had any problems. Sounds like you've got it sorted out quickly and yay, no PB's still.

If it were me, I'd plan one or two treats but that's it. In fact I'd probably be on the phone ordering Lite N Easy (a home delivered diet program) to ensure I stayed on track. We've all done stuff like that for a few weeks at a time, you can do it!

Wine only counts if you can remember drinking it!

Oooooohhhhhh - tough one!

Jeez P'nut, you've done so well by being the model bandster. Do you want to risk finding out you CAN eat bread? Once you know you can, you WILL do it again.

I'm kinda hoping you'll stay strong and stick with the program. I know it's not fair, and everyone deserves a break but . . . you're my nutritional/moral conscience. If you give in to temptation, how will I ever, when confronted with a tough food choice, be able to say - "What would P'nut do?"

Do what you know is right. No pressure here.

LOLOLOL! Seriously, do what you think will make you the happiest.

Wow Pnut, isn't it amazing the difference such a small fill amount can make? I felt a world of difference with my last .5 cc fill, and for a while thought I might need a slight unfill.

i think you're talking about referred pain, where what you feel is not in the same place as where the actual irritation is. I get that when I'm stuck on something. It will frequently hurt me in my hips and to either side of my bellybutton. The back pain I'm told (by surgeon and nurse) is normal and has to do with the pouch working to get the food through.

Did you get stuck on everything, or just some things?

*grabs Donna and gives her a big hug* I needed that! No bread for me. Maybe a homemade grilled cheeseburger with no bun. :tea:

Jacut, how ya doing my hero? Unfortunately, I do remember drinking the wine. Gads it's been a heck of a month. *laughs*

Hey Wheetsin :bowl: I was amazed a the difference .3cc made. Prior to that, while I was in Tennessee, I ate a 9oz steak, veggies and baked potato (no skin). The bummer is, I don't think that restriction limited my quantities it only made it harder for me to eat foods that are important for the well balanced diet that kept me on track.

I got stuck on steak, fish, and broccoli. The broccoli was the first bad one and I was in a restaurant. I didn't slime or throw up, but the pain was incredible. It felt as tho the broccoli would try to go thru the band and then move away for a bit then try again. So much like labor pains. *chuckles* I couldn't leave the table because we had our grandson with us and Dawg's limited vision would have made it very hard to take care of the little guy without me there. The steak was at home, very juicy, small bite, chewed well, but it stuck and took probably 15 minutes to finally go thru. I did a lot of bending, twisting, arm raises, stretching, even hit my fist to my sternum trying to get it to pass. Oh what fun that was. Then guess what I did after it went down? Yup, I enjoyed the rest of the steak luckily with no problems.

I really am amazed that those pains are gone now. I really didn't think it was band related but apparently, like you said, its a common thing to feel it in the lower stomach and hip area. Interesting.

Hey P'Nut! Glad to hear an unfill solved your problems. For what it's worth, I say use this time to have foods that might have been problematic before, but are still on the right side of the "program." Since I've been unfilled I've been loving things like fresh fruit and vegetable salads, which I was only able to nibble at when tight.

Take it easy and slow; you may still have some healing to do. Good luck!

Hey P'nut, it's good to see that you are still around.

I have kinda dropped off the GFG club since you left. It's just not been the same, you are missed!!

I hope all is well with you and thanks for the advise it's always good seeing a post from you. I would say take a day or 2 only if you can and enjoy small portions of those things that you have missed.

I had 1cc taken out about a month ago and during that 4 day period, I was on liquids for 2 days and then back to eating normal after that and I enjoyed something that I hadn't been able to eat in over a year, BREAD! It was sooooooooo good but I was glad to get half that fill back cause I know I couldn't take it for to long.

Anyway, it's always good to see you are still around. Take care!!!

Wow ... it's like reading my own experience without having typed it! THe surgeon told me that some people are just very sensative to fills and are not able to tolerate them. I have literally exactly the same symptoms when I go over the 1cc fill mark. Even at 1cc... I still have the issue with not being able to eat the foods I should be eating... pressure in the sternum region and mild pain through to the mid back and the port site... but it is tolerable at the 1cc mark. It's totally freaking me out to see another person having the same problems and quite frankly... makes me feel a little less crazy! I'm so sorry you are having this problem Susan... hopefully the unfill and a slow approach to re-fill will spare you any continuing symptoms!

I am with Donna, step away from the bread! Just because you can doesn't mean you should. And you have come this far without it so I know you can make it a bit further. Any idea when the fill will be put back? I am so glad that you and your doctor work so closely and are able to find the resolutions like you do. Just enjoy some good steaks, maybe some chicken, or so smoked fish. Eat lots of Protein. Enjoy the protein and some hard to eat veggies. I think Alexandra's idea is a perfect one.

Take care sis!

I'm glad your feeling better whooh. IMHO, stay away from trigger foods for as long as you can. Once I started adding no no's to my diet, it was down hill from there. I'm still losing slowly which is okay with me, its just a scary feeling when you can't stop.... all the old mind games start to come back into play, and once that starts, they always seem to win (for me that is).

Good luck :tea:

Hey P'Nut!! I am so sorry you're going through this. Being too tight is definately no fun. I would absolutely NOT eat any cheeseburgers or go wild on crap. Just like NJChick said, once you start it's downhill from there. BEEN THERE!! DONE THAT!! And, I'm still recovering from the crap I ate. :tea: :bowl:

You've done so well P'nut. Keep it up.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I truly feel like an alcoholic standing at the door of a bar, and my tab has credit on it! LOL

I'll be fine though. You guys have brought me back to reality and the temptations and cravings are just about gone. I swear, wine has a lot of sugar in it and I think the carbs are bringing on the cravings. I've been fine until I started letting myself drink again. And no, I'm not really an alcoholic, just going thru some tough times right now (not band related, and Dawg is by my side being his usual wonderful self) and it's been a good release to just get blasted. *laughs*

Alexandra, you have an awesome ability to cut thru the crap and lay it out with logic and wisdom. I do appreciate you!

I've been unfilled since the end of June. I've been enjoying things that I haven't been able to have. Lots of fruits & veggies & salad. I have had a couple of burgers, If we head to a sit-down burger joint, I will usually get a small burger, not eat the top bun & have lots of lettuce on it. What I am really enjoying is the ability to chug ice cold Water.

I have gained a couple of pounds since being unfilled. My doc & I decided to wait until I get back from a rafting trip in Idaho before refilling.

Good luck to you!

P'Nut ((((((((((BIG HUG))))))))))) Sweetie, I am so sorry you were feeling so bad but I can TOTALLY relate.

I did take a band vacation and feel like I am back on track. If you can stay away do it...if not, I understand!

When I got my unfill I ate a chicken sandwich. For some reason, that is really what I wanted to eat.

I should be geting another fill in about two weeks.

TAKE CARE OF YOU!

Good luck with all of it, p'nut. I'm so glad you found out what was causing the problem, and that there was a solution. Thanks so much for posting about it, so we'll all know what's going on if it happens to us. Really appreciate your sharing this! Take good care!

Cindy

Thanks again everyone. :huggie: It's kind of sad to hear so many say that vegetables and fruits are not on their "can eat" list because of restriction. When I only had 1cc I could eat all fruits and veggies and meats. And I think I let my perspective of quantities get skewed. So what if I could eat a steak and some potatoes and veggies? It was all good for me. I didn't do it all the time, in fact I rarely did. I was losing weight at a good clip. Prior to being banded, we would go to the Texas Steakhouse and eat a bucket of peanuts, then eat tons of bread and butter, then have salad with the meal, eat the potato skin and THEN have desert. My band WAS doing its job darn it. The way I feel right now, I'm in no hurry to get a fill. Today, I've eaten like I did with 1cc:

Breakfast:

Healthy Choice lunch meal (chicken w/mashed potatoes)

Lunch:

Green salad

1 can tuna on the salad

2Tbs fat free 1,000 Island dressing

Dinner:

2 Gorton's Garlic Butter Fish Fillets

1/2C frozen peas n carrots

I have not been having the constant cravings for breads, nor have I wanted to eat between meals. And, the best part of it all, no getting stuck! With a tighter fill, I was eating too much cottage cheese and peaches and I wasnt losing. We all chase after that "sweet spot" but I'm beginning to wonder what that is exactly. If it's being so tight you can't eat healthy foods, then there's nothing "sweet" about that at all. For me, that sweet spot is being able to eat reasonably, eat healthily, lose weight sensibly and feel good.