Be prepared to spend A LOT of time over the toilet. Be prepared to constantly feel the "golf ball" in your esophagus after you eat. Be prepared NOT to be able to eat in front of people you havent told about the band. Be prepared to be afraid of eating ANYTHING non mushie in fear of throwing it up. Be prepared to teach yourself to eat VERY VERY slowly. Be prepared to kiss bread goodbye.

The first 6 weeks is easy, once you get your fill...thats when you will play the "get to know your band" game. Its very finicky. It loves liquids, hates bread. Forget about steak, even chicken has problems going through.

You will have that "stuck" feeling a lot, after the stuck feeling, you will salivate profusely and then everything you ate comes up.

The only thing I can eat now is Soup...any kind of soup, but most everything else I have tried I have thrown up.

I'm 2 weeks post 1st fill..and I know i'm not too tight, since I watched the whole thing on fluoroscopy.....this is just how life is with the band.

Any many other people that I know that have this band say the same thing. Things get stuck often..and are also afraid of trying new foods in public.

I am not complaining, I am happy with my decision to get it placed.. I mean, vanity is priority #1...but these above facts DO NOT get mentioned often in this forum....at least I really havent read about it.

PB, the productive burp, is misnamed. It is when something gets stuck and won't go through the banded area. First you might "slime", a somewhat fascinating thing the body does...producing a very thick saliva to try to get the food to go on through. Then if it doesn't, it might pop back out. It's not as gross as vomiting because you have no digestive juices coming back up so it isn't painful or bitter tasting. The food essentially pops back up looking pretty much the way it did when it goes in. It's a reminder to either chew more, eat more slowly, or something else. You'll find after you do it the first time, you'll forever more check where the bathroom is when you enter a restaurant, and try to sit close to it. After a while, you get educated about your finicky best friend the band, and hoepfully stop PBing.

See, I never did that. And to be truthful, it bothers me when I read it. It's giving the impression that PB'ing is normal, when it isn't. I'm not saying that I have never PB'd, but honestly, I have never had to find the toilet, and sit as close as I could to it when I ate out. I simply enjoyed my food, and the company!

Yeah. I only did it at first, but I really did develop the habit of checking for the bathroom anyway.....

Please let's stop picking apart the OP. She eventually got a slight unfill and is doing much better. That's worth celebrating and moving on!

Dear Doctor Deb:

Let me please respond to your post:

But one more thing, want2beme, how sad is it when you actually encourage animosity on a place like this??? Me thinks someone other than me needs the psych couch???

First of all, this thread is rediculous and so are all of your responses with the bickering back and forth. This is what I posted:

Screw TIVO! This is my new entertainment! This thread is AWESOME! It's like a freakin' soap opera! I LOVE IT!

This was an attempt to make some of you realize how stupid you sound. Maybe if somebody put an antagonistic spin on things, they'd get the hint: Shut the hell up idiots, you sound so stupid!

Next, you wrote:

You acutally replied to one of my posts that I should and I quote " have your band removed and get the gastric bypass since it seems to fit your lifestyle better" Huh?? I haven't even been banded yet.

You were complaining about the band as if you had one. You seemed confused about the differences between surgeries. You don't have to listen to anything I say, or anybody else on this website. Do your own research and come up with your own solution. I have taken note of your sign-in name and will not respond to anymore of your posts, if that makes you feel better.

Lastly, I want to thank you for making this site such an unpleasant place to visit. There are a hand full of you who need to get a life. I hope you all find what you are looking for, but I am not on this site to be ridiculed by non-professionals. I am here to gain advise and opinion in a secure way. Thanks for ruining that for me...

Have a great life.

WORD

VanCouver Girl: I felt smarter than the average bear before I was banded too. When you live it, you may find that it's a bit more complex, no matter how much you've studied it. Some of the changes you feel or that are needed are subtle ones, like with the OP needing a slight unfill. Please know that we're on this journey together, and the academic learning is different from the experiential, so it takes awhile to get the hang of it!</p></p>

I do understand that some pts are not required to have a psychiatric evaluation. It depends on your doctor and most of all your insurance. Maybe I should have said this... In my opinion, it is a great idea to have a psychiatric evaluation. My best friend and I are on this road together. Although we've eaten our way across the country, we still view food in two totally different ways. We couldn't help eachother with the mental blocks. We each had to seek help from a professional to put things into perspective. I don't know about some of you, but I was sure scared that somebody was going to take my best friend away from me... FOOD!

I just really think its a good idea. Most of us are over-weight due to mental and emotional stress in our lives. I had to fix my outlook first before I could take that step into bandhood. And, I'm glad I did because mentally, I am doing great with the band and have had no problems so far.

Thanks for listening...

Please stop the "stupid" and "shut the hell up idiots" comments. This site is for encouragmeent and support, and this thread seems to be attracting folks who keep fanning the flames of hostility. You made some excellent points, But they get lost in the nastiness.

Please stop the "stupid" and "shut the hell up idiots" comments. This site is for encouragmeent and support, and this thread seems to be attracting folks who keep fanning the flames of hostility. You made some excellent points, But they get lost in the nastiness.

I 1000% agree, BetsyJane. This thread will be locked if the personal attacks and name-calling don't stop. Thank you.

What keeps people from eating bread with the band ? I noticed alot of people say that, just wondering does it make u sick or what ?

Bread tends to go back to it's dough state in the belly as the glutens break down. It is hard to pass a ball of dough through the stoma....that is why toasting, or some whole grain breads are easier.

Welcome to LBT....not all threads are this crazy I promise!!!

Kat

What keeps people from eating bread with the band ? I noticed alot of people say that, just wondering does it make u sick or what ?

TNNurse

I can eat bread (I think alot can eat it if it's toasted but am not 100% on this one - it's just what i have read) - this is very individual and yes it get stuck. - I think it might be due to the amount of restriction you have - i have some but not alot - each person here is different as you can see by reading the variouse post - there are nasty people - nice people - just like life - some are over filled and can't eat - some don't have any restriction, some are at their sweet spot - just like the 3 bears.. Some don't follow the rules - some do... just like life...

Good Luck..

I've found that crisp works. I can't eat a flour tortilla, but I can eat corn, or totilla chips. Don't worry too much about grieving the loss of foods. Your preferences will probably change.....Some foods just turn out to be not worth the effort and lose their allure.

Everybody really is different. I can't easily do shrimp but I can do crab and lobster. Go figure.

Anyone still have sugar cravings that u cant control ? I am waiting on the band, and am worried I will still be hungry and wont do good with it. Thanks for all replies and help. Linda

Will u still lose if u cant eat all that protein and just watch fat and calories ? I hate protein.