Too tight?

Barb2Bthin · December 6, 2008

I just had my first fill 1.4 cc's on 11-16. I have been doing well until two days ago. I am sliming and PBing at each meal with solid food. I was told it may take a while to kick in. I am really trying to chew, chew and chew some more. I really hate sliming. It is so Gross!!! Did anybody else's fill take two weeks to work?
Cleone

I got my fill in the begining of Oct. I live in CO, but went to CT for three weeks, got back and had gained 5 pounds.

So then I called for a fill, my appointment is next week, BUT out of the blue, two months later, I have a tight restriction!!! I guess I'll have to cancell my appointment. I think a two month delay is long, never two weeks GEEZ LOL

lemmerdeur · December 7, 2008

My only problem with being too tight is the sleep loss. Most of the things people mention here as negative side effects I actually enjoy:

1. The gurgling - I LOVE THIS. It not only entertains me, it also reminds me of my band, my weight loss, the fact that I am leaving the 2-steak, massive-bowl-of-Pasta, 2-hero, 2-pint-of-ice-cream fatass in the dust bin of the past one pound at a time. Gurgling puts a smile on my face, and sometimes makes me say "Yeah!"

2. The PB/sliming - I used to hate vomiting in my pre-band days. Somehow, I've gotten used to it. In fact, even my first PB was not unpleasant. It isn't good for you, and I do avoid it, but it is kind of neat to eat very little and then lose that as well... more weight loss!

The problem I've been having since the summer is that I've gotten too tight twice, and now I might be too tight for the third time. The strange thing is, I am able to eat and drink, even foods that are difficult, but I find myself burping all the time, which of course wakes me up at night, as my saliva comes up and then goes down the wrong way. I had it loosened after every incident, and then gradually tightened again, only to run into the same problem long before achieving adequate restriction.

The last time this happened, I got an esophagram to see what the band looked like when I had the burping problem, and the passage through the band was about as wide as a needle, and my pouch was twice the size it should be, yet I was able to drink and eat without PBing. A couple of weeks after going from 6ccs to 3ccs, the band and pouch were back to normal.

More strange: I was at 5ccs until yesterday morning, and I was quite unrestricted (able to eat a plate of food, sometimes quite a bit more). This restriction was "maintenance" level, meaning I wasn't gaining or losing weight. I added 0.5 ccs yesterday morning, and now I'm burping up saliva again, and I got very little sleep last night.

I can handle nausea, gurgling, PBing, not eating, but I cannot take more than a couple of nights with a couple of hours of sleep. So I'm going to give it a couple of more days, see if things settle down during the liquid/mush phase before taking any action.

Edited December 7, 2008 by lemmerdeur

RealityCheck · January 19, 2010

I truly appreciate this post because this is where I am at right now. I do not want to go in for an unfil because I think I am at a new point where I need to get reacquainted with my band. Before now I have always been able to just gulp liquids down... not anymore.

Very good discussion here on the subject of fills and the possibility of being too tight. I think too many times there tends to be a "panic mode" that sets in, when in reality there needs to be some patience.
My experience in 5 years of being banded has told me that I've never been too tight to the point of needing an unfill. In fact, my personal preference is to have my band on the tight side (but that's just my preference). Yes, I've been very tight after a fill, but time and experience has shown me that even though I may have thought I was too tight, that as I nursed myself through those days following the fill, the band adjusted itself accordingly, the stomach adjusted itself accordingly, and I adjusted my eating habits accordingly and then I went on with my losing weight.

The most important thing is if you get to a point that you consistently cannot get even fluids down, then you need to get to your doc for an evaluation. I've had periods right after a fill where, even though fluids went down in the docs office, that fluids would sit and not go down after I got home, but the situation always resolved itself after a period of time went by.

As always, warm liquids are often a help in loosening up a tight band, and after a fill I always take extra care when taking those first bites of solid food to sort of "test" the band to see what its new "personality" is after getting the extra juice.

Some days the band has multiple personality disorder, ya know... :mad:

Hope this helps!

HD Gloria · January 20, 2010

I'd like to know how you know it is working right!

I've been almost two years since my surgery and I've never had a full feeling - does anyone? The only feeling I get is 'stuck'.

Through the clinic I used there have been 4 different doctors see me and say that the band is not working right and I should have surgery to see what the problem is and if it needs to be replaced. The owner of the clinic (doesn't do bariatric - does plastic surgery) now wants $3,500 to allow me to have this redone. I paid $15,000 first time and it has never worked right. If I don't get some satisfaction from them, I'll be putting their name out for everyone to see.

Comments anyone?

shmack · January 21, 2010

I am scheduled for an unfill Wednesday afternoon. It won't come to soon. I tried to eat a SF pudding a little while ago. No go. My chest is tight and I am gurgling like crazy. My husband says it sounds like I am having a conversation with a whale. Nice Huh!

Oh dear... I just got my first fill today and I've been gurgling at work.... figured no one else could hear it, it's more an inside sound if that makes sense... how embarassing.... both times it was with the same guy:bored:

justwant2lose · January 21, 2010

I wonder if stress has anything to do with the function of the band. My mom passed away on January 1 of this year, and ever since, I have been too tight. I had my surgery in September of 2007 and have gone through a few phases when my band would just tighten up on its own, and I would PB every time I put a bite of food in my mouth and when it go to the point of not being able to drink liquids I would go for a slight unfill, which worked. Now, I am wondering if at those times I was stressed out, and that was what was causing my band to tighten by itself. It is so frustrating. I am going to try a liquid diet for a few days to see if it helps.

marie715 · January 21, 2010

I wonder if stress has anything to do with the function of the band. My mom passed away on January 1 of this year, and ever since, I have been too tight. I had my surgery in September of 2007 and have gone through a few phases when my band would just tighten up on its own, and I would PB every time I put a bite of food in my mouth and when it go to the point of not being able to drink liquids I would go for a slight unfill, which worked. Now, I am wondering if at those times I was stressed out, and that was what was causing my band to tighten by itself. It is so frustrating. I am going to try a liquid diet for a few days to see if it helps.

Oh, yes, for me stress definitely affects how tight the band feels. I was banded in Sept. 2008 and have noticed several periods where I've been very stressed for a couple of weeks and have had problems with PB'ing. Fortunately, it never got to the point of not being able to drink liquids. Others in my lap band support group mentioned the same thing about stress.