PB and Slime

fa18mhr · August 21, 2007

My name is Mark and I had my Lap Band installed in April 2006 by Dr. Felix who works in Fresno CA. I started my program at 361 pounds and by mid Aug 2007 I weigh 298 pounds. I have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gastro-esophigeal reflux disease (acid reflux), edema (poor circulation) in lower legs, some loss of feeling in my feet, and artheritis. To say I qualified for this surgery is an understatement. The good news is that everything is currently controlled with medication and other than physical limitations inherent of being overweight, I really have full functionality and range of motion. I do not exercise like they want and my weight loss is fairly slow (~1 pound per week), but I am still taking the weight off so I am not really unhappy with the way my program is going.

I have been having major problems with productive burp (PB) and heavy thick mucus (slime). The slime seems to fill my small stomach and until I can get it cleared by spitting it up or flushing it through, I have little hope of getting and keeping food and sometimes even Water down. Unfortunately, when I do get it cleared, I can eat way more than I should...and of course I am an idiot and I then do over eat.

My fill got up to 2.5cc I weighed 299 pounds but I had to cry uncle and asked Dr. Felix to remove some saline from my port. I wanted to go down to 2.0cc and he wanted to go down to 1.0cc. We compromised at 1.5cc. Over the next 12 weeks I gained 21 pounds! He said I had absolutely NO will power and I told him he took too much saline out of the port.:rolleyes I am now back at 2.2cc and the weight is slowly comming off again (298 pounds).

This site has opened my eyes to others that have similar problems with PB and Slime. That has helped me decide to stick it out and forge ahead. I was comtemplating having the lap band taken out. I now know that all of my PB and Slime issues will go away just by removing some saline from my port, but it also means that with my current eating habits and life style, I will put back on the weight in no time flat.

My personal goal is to weight 210 pounds, even though my doctor wants me to get to something like 165 pounds. Heck, I weighed 190 pounds when I graduated from high school, and that was 40 years ago.

In 1991 I moved from the coast to the desert and weighed about 220 pounds. Over on the coast I belonged to the Sheriff's Search and Rescue unit, was an EMT, on the vehicle team, ground search team, hiked around the hills for fun, went SCUBA diving, and basically kept active and my weight was under control. Being here in the hot desert, I did not want to get outside any more than necessary and with none of the friends and activities to keep me active, the weight just piled on. My current passion in life is long distance motorcycle riding (Iron Butt Association #6027).

Well, I have rambled on enough and probably everyone who reads this is bored by my story. Hope this site keeps me on track and helps me resist the urge to abandon my Quest for a smaller body and healthier life style.

nicnaknut · August 21, 2007

Wow Mark, It sounds like you are back on track.. Losing 63 lbs is darn good.. I hope that things start going better for you and the PBing and Slime goes away.. I have read on other threads around here that if you go on a liquid diet for 24 hours after a PB and Slime episode it helps calm things back down and helps you eat again.. This is just what I read.. The band is only a tool to help you in your weight loss, the results are up to you... Maybe you can find a support buddy to help you win the war over the willpower issue so you can do your long distance motorcycle riding and make your Dr happy.. There are several threads for the guys that I've noticed while searching around here.. Good Luck to you and keep on keeping on...

Desiree1970 · August 31, 2007

Slime Me a River is my new motto...

I know that when I do slime it's because I'm eating too fast, not chewing well enough or eating something I have no business eating....

It's definately a learning tool.

fa18mhr · August 31, 2007

I get slime build up almost every day. It does not seem to make any difference what I eat, how well I chew, or how much time I take to eat. I wake up every morning with my stomach and pouch filled with the stuff. My daily goal is to get it out so there is room for some food without the whole mess coming back up. I suppose I could try going back to a liquid diet, but that is so depressing.:phanvan

MissDarlene · September 1, 2007

Congratulations on your weight loss! I am very new to the board and was only banded 08/24/2007. My doctor told me that our bodies produce about a pint and half of mucus everyday normally, and when we get the band it's more difficult for it to pass through. He said a daily dose of musinex (maybe spelled wrong) would help that mucus from getting so bad.

Maybe it's worth a try!

SimplyMe · September 1, 2007

I am forever grateful for this site and people that have posted in all HONESTY what goes on with the band! I have not been surprised by anything yet! I think I would've been discouraged like you had I not known beforehand about all the sliming and PB'ing!