I had my surgery Oct 24, 2009. I was doing really well for 2+years. I had lost nearly 100 lbs. Then I went on a family trip to Jamaica. While on the plane I took a drink of something (don't remember what now) but it got stuck due to the altitude. I spent the whole week in Jamaica in agony. I couldn't eat anything or drink anything. Since I was out of the country, I obviously did not have access to an unfill.

I lost 10lbs on that trip. When I got home, things seemed to get better, so I didn't see my doctor right away. But a week or so later the troubles began again. I went and they did say I had gotten too tight. So I got an unfill. Ever since I have been on a fill/unfill roller coaster.

I had an upper G.I that showed I may have a slipped stitch but my doctor said it wasn't a problem that needed to be fixed right away (and since I'm a self-pay patient I don't have the extra funds to pay for that right now).

I have gained back 60 lbs and had my last fill probably almost a year ago. I am still struggling day to day with food. I can't eat anything in the morning due to tightness. And depending on how stressful my day is, I may or may not be able to eat dense solids by dinner time.

Does anyone have suggestions about how I can get back on track?

If you struggle to eat, you are too tight and are putting your health at risk.

Being too tight doesn't even help weight loss as " easy" foods are often higher calorie and don't make us feel full.

Self pay or not, you must not stay this tight. It can lead to major and irreversible problems.

I know I don't have that much in my band now. The last time I went I got unfilled.

Are you totally unfilled? If so, you need to get this checked out. We should never struggle to eat. If we do, we are putting pressure on the base of the oesophagus, this can lead to oesophageal dilation and, worse case scenario, oesophagus dysmotily which can be irreversible.

I'm completely un filled and I still throw up on a daily basis....

I'm on the same rollercoaster! Not that it's any fun. I am also self pay. I had an unfill in June and then gained 48 pounds. So my doctor told me to do the pre-op diet for 2 weeks. I ended up going longer. It jump started my system to lose again. Protein shake for breakfast, protein shake for lunch, 3oz lean meat with 1 cup green veggies and 1 cup fruit for dinner. No banana, starch veggies and low carbs. Totally worked! I'm back to smaller portions and losing again. Give it a try.

Oh, the other thing I do is no solids in the morning. Only liquids. And when I'm tight I drink hot liquids to help loosen it.

If unfilled and throwing up or too tight to eat a lapband-friendly diet, something is wrong with the band's placement. Either a tilt or a slip. And unfilled band in a perfect position would not cause these symptoms.

If I were in this situation, I'd get to my surgeon's office and I'd request an xray, endoscopy, or whatever is the correct protocol for them to check the band's placement.

As another person said above, if you don't do this, and you just continue on, you are heading towards major damage to your digestive system. You already have one complication, but it is a reversible one. Please don't let it move forward into a non-reversible complication.