Just wondering....does anyone have VERY erratic restriction....this last month has me confused....I mean one day EVERYTHING seems to go down nicely whether I chew slow or well and then the next Water when i work out seems to take a minute to go down and I get stuck on what I chewed very well and then the next seems like little to no restriction!

Before this restriction seemed to be fairly predictable......right after a fill.....tight....until I lose the weight then it loosens up...or maybe stress or my feminine cycle could influence it a bit.

Anyway just confused....any advice....suggestions...comments?

Hi I got my second fill about three weeks ago and i just keep getting tighter and tighter all the time. Strange...... Donna

Here's my experience. With my third and fourth fillsl I felt like I was almost perfect. However, then you become a little unpredictable. I am tight in the morning and loose in the afternoon. It also seems that almost no matter what time I eat, I wound up having an incident with the first three bites of food, that ultimately wind up coming back up or a major slime session. Then for some reason everything seems to loosen up and I can finish my meal just fine (slllooowwwly). It's like my esophagus freaks out when food first comes in and then relaxes somewhat. I am getting to where I can sense the feeling of it and I will stop for a while and let the first bites sit and then go through (providing I haven't gone past the point of no return). A lot of people also have a "delayed reaction" to their fill....in other words...it really kicks into gear a few weeks AFTER they get it....hence that feeling of getting tighter and tighter. It's a science and and art....you have to really focus on your body and what it is saying to you. Some people learn to listen and adjust and work with it and go with the flow, and some folks opt for a slight unfill. I am very happy with my restriction now. Hunger is almost non-existant and occasionally if I have a rabid craving for something I will get it....because I know I am only going to be able to get a few bites in anyway. It's a wonderful feeling to be able to "cheat" occasionally (and by this I do NOT mean eating around the band....like milk shakes, etc.) without the guilt afterwards.

I'm convinced that little piece of plastic is really alive and has a mind of its own and loves to play tricks!! Every day seems to be a new world....it was especially that way when my band was a little tighter. It's looser now and a little more cooperative. I've also learned to drink a warm drink in the mornings before even trying to eat.....and even in the evenings I'll do that if I'm going to eat out and don't want to embarass myself or ruin everybody's meal - I'll have a cup of coffee or hot tea before eating and the food goes down a little easier.

I posted a very similar thread last night, because I have noticed the same thing ! At first I was very tight then gradually I loosened and now all of a sudden ( 5 weeks after my fill) I am extremely tight again .

There are two things that I could possibly attribute it to, the first is that I have been very irregular for the past few days and I wonder if constipation could make me feel more restricted However, even after that's passed I still feel very restricted and uncomfortable and I think that there might be a correlation between my restriction and menstrual cycle.

Thank you so much! Your insight really helps! I don't post much because I'm too busy reading everyone else's posts! But it really helps to know someone else has experienced something similar!

My band is becoming increasingly more fickle too. Some days I can eat just about anything...other days no way.

Here are the things I've noticed that can affect the restriction of my band:

Irritation from previous PB or sliming

Stress

Trying to eat after a workout

Time of day (later is better)

temperature of food

texture of food (obviously)

Amount of attention paid to chewing/swallowing

Whether or not there are other people at the table with me

I don't have periods, but that is a big factor reported all over the board

Anytime within 2 weeks after a fill can be tricky

Lots of factors here...so any combination of these can cause problems. For me the trick is this: chew, swallow, wait. If you feel pain, slow down. If not, chew, swallow, wait again! It's a ballet!!

! It's a ballet!!

Then somedays I'm REALLY REALLY ungraceful!!!!!!!