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When does the swelling normally go down after a fill?



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I'm sure this has been asked on here, but I'm not finding it....I just got my first fill a week ago, and have been on liquids for the first 2 days...then mushies for 2 days. The problems start when I try to eat anything solid. I chew and chew...swallow and get swollen. Now even mushies hurt to swallow. I keep going back to liquids for most of the day. I'm frustrated because prior to the fill I was able to eat about 1 1/2 cups of food...and was full for 4 hours. I could eat dense protien and vegetables. Now all I can seem to handle is protien shakes, and that's due to swelling I get when I attempt normal food. So! Question is, am I too tight, or is it too early to tell such a thing? I was losing weight just fine prior to the fill, but my surgeon didn't want me eating 1 1/2 cups...he wants me down to 1 cup. Right now, I can hardly eat 1/4 cup of solids before feeling my throat swell. If it is soupy, or liquids...I have no issues. Sigh. Maybe if I'm on straight liquids for a week then mushies for a week like I was after surgery, it will calm down? I know some of you have gotten a fill..thought it was too tight, but ended up being perfect after a month or so. Not sure when I should be concerned about it being too much.

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Some misconceptions seem to be part of your thinking. First, the band won't stop you from eating 1, 2 or 3 cups of food. You still have a large, regular sized stomach below the band. I can eat more than 1 cup anytime I want. But do I want to, that is the question?

Feeling full is never what we strive to be. Feeling satisfied with less food is the goal. If you eat till you're full, you've eaten too much usually. Not being hungry for 4 hours means you're in the green zone, right where we all want to be. Seems like your doctor is trigger happy with the fills. Rather unusual because usually it's the other way around, they're stingy with fills.

Yes, I would ask for a small unfill. Maybe .25 CCs? Now sometimes the fill settles in and you'll be able to eat more, or, maybe less? give it till Monday and if the issue isn't resolved by then, ask for a small unfill.

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Okay, full was the wrong term...I was satisfied after 1 1/2 cups for 4 hours at a time. My surgeon wants me to be satisfied with 1 cup. I'm just used to using the term "full" to describe satisfied and done...not overstuffed. I am putting myself on clear liquid today..as my throat feels really swollen, and hurts to drink anything thicker than Water. It's crazy .5 cc will do this. I already had 5cc in the band at surgery. I was happy he put that much in at surgery...I didn't have the banister hell stall so many talk of... But I suppose this is kinda banster hell...just a different kind...lol! I'm with you on thinking maybe .25 taken out would be perfect. I just didn't know how long it takes a fill to settle in. Maybe if this swelling would ever go down, I could better determine the need of an unfill. My main question is, how long does it usually take for the swelling to subside? 2 days, 2 weeks? What is normal, and when do you need to be concerned?

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No such thing as normal. All of my fills took 2 days to take effect except the last one and it didn't settle in till about day 10 and it's been consistent since then.

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So, after struggling with solids for 2 weeks, I went in and got .3cc taken out...feel sooo much better!

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So, after struggling with solids for 2 weeks, I went in and got .3cc taken out...feel sooo much better!

I also feel the same three weeks ago I had a fill of . 5 cc, and still I'm very restricted ....... I. Do good with liquids, however solids seem to hurt still. I'm wait for my next appointment , to see if I gets any better...... Finally starting to lose, I'm happy about that...... I don't want to go in for an unfill and lose restriction, as I've read could happen. It has taken me so long to reach an kind of restriction

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I really don't think restriction should make eating painful, and cause swelling. I was really worried about the damage it might cause to my esophagus. I felt comfortable restriction before the fill, with 5cc... I was satisfied on small amounts, and it wasn't painful at all. I think I'm back to that point again. Be careful...from what I have researched, a too tight band can cause problems later on. That's why I finally went in...in fact my surgeon wanted me to come in as soon as possible when I told him about my issues with solids. Tricky business, finding the sweet spot with these bands. Keep me posted on how you are! It helps to know others are going through the same things :-)

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Hi Junebug,

I just saw your posts after personally messaging you. Very helpful. I did not get a fill at the time of surgery so my first fill came yesterday at 4cc.

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Yeah...I had a bit too much. Sooo much better now :-). Just had to listen to my body.

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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