Ok so here is the deal! I had surgery 10 months ago and have lost all but 13 lbs to get to goal weight. I am really happy with the loss. I haven't lost anything for about 2 months and I am ok with that too. I now know that I will start to lose again when my body is ready! I exercise, drink my Water and eat about 1200 calories a day! That works for me,,,my problem is this :

I get up in the morning and I drink hot tea or coffee. I cannot eat anything at all not even a Protein drink for hours (3 or 4). I use to be able to eat a drink in morning and then some lunch by noon but that has all changed. I now can not even eat in the afternoon unless it is Soup or believe it or not popcorn. I gagged even on the smallest amount of food before night time even Protein drinks are too thick. I slime, pb, gag, foam, and sometimes vomit at least once a day lasting between 15 mins and 2 hours depending on the day,,,not the choice of food or quanity. When I first got the band, I lost the weight without this happening. I could eat oatmeal or Protein Drink for Breakfast, chicken salad and avacado for lunch and a regular meal (albeit small) for dinner. Now all bets are off. I cannot even eat ice cream most days (not evenings)without sliming for a good 20 minutes. I can however eat dinner without pbing most days. I get full at about 1 1/2 to 2 cups at dinner and then that is it for the night! I can eat low cal ice cream too if I choose to. So dinner is under control but the rest of the day and I mean even into 3 or 4 in the afternoon, most days pb, slime etc when I try to eat (6 out of 7 days) . I eat slow, I don't drink and I cant even eat just a small little chucks Carrots etc in soup Soft ones and cause I still slime at the very least. It sometimes is so fierce I vomit a little. So my question is: does this mean I am too tight? or is this what others do to stay thin? I don't think I can live pbing most days and staring into a bathroom toliet in a restaurant while others are enjoying a meal. I am sick of public restroooms let me tell you. I carry around cups and paper towels in my car and run out there if I eat during the day. The weird part is sometimes after I go through all of that, I can eat without a problem the exact thing that caused the pbing an hour before. What is the deal, is this what others do? I am thinking on getting a little taken out. I want to go back to the time when I could eat a small breakfast and chicken salad for lunch. This doesn't feel normal. Advice please. I gave this time, haven't had a fill or anything since Oct 07. Do you all have this issue,,,isn't eating suppose to be ok just little bites and good choices? I am eating soup soup and more soup during the day and that isn't right,,I lost all that weight doing it different. Why is it too tight now when it wasn't before on the same fill amount? Ok thanks for taking the time to read

this and thanks to all who reply. PS: got band in Mexico and now cannot get a response from one coordinator for help so I cannot just run to call the Dr. to ask,,,also, I have had a lot of problems with fills but found a good nurse to do it and haven't had any problems since so I feel like I at least have that going for me.

Susan

After reading this thread I realize I have the same problems, I get another fill on the 7th but I think I might need to have them unfill it.

I found this previous post by Dr.Watkins a band surgeon that has posted on the forum. I remembered this post about his description of a perfect fill.

His words:

My opinion is that the band restriction should always be perfect. It is adjustable so I see no reason why it can't be perfect all the time.

In my opinion, if you have your first fill and you can still eat a lot and you feel as hungry as if you were on a diet and you find it hard to lose weight, I think you need more saline in there to help you out. I think a lot of band clinics don't get it perfect soon enough.

perfect = full on small meals, not hungry between meals, easily lose 1-2 pounds per week, think your surgeon is miraculous, send your surgery practice a Christmas card that will bring tears to your eyes

too loose = hungry, able to eat a lot, feel like you're on a diet, hard to lose weight

too tight = heartburn, everything hurts to eat and wants to come back up, the only thing that will go down is ice cream and Cheetos

OMG the cheetos thing is so right!!! Ice cream too of course. I was tight and was amazed I could eat cheetos!!

I did go in and had 1 cc removed yesterday - I am much better. The last fill he gave me 1.75 ccs. Of course I am going through the "Oh my god I am going backwards" fear with having some fill removed lol - even with the pain I have that fear. The psyche is so funny. I wish I lived closer too.

Yes, AJ is doing fills too - he is just as nice as everyone else, and very caring - he assisted in my surgery. It was funny, the first time he did my fill, I was laying on the table and when he came in, he said "the last time I saw you, you were in the same position but snoring" lol

(and he is very cute lol)

Anyway - keep up the good work and the great support. I go back in 4 - 6 weeks to see if we should add any back.

Hi all,

thanks so much for all the information on "sweet spots" I will read Wendall's sticky! I am doing good although I know that I can eat too much too fast! I am trying not to overdo but I am eating about 1400 calories a day now,,,sometimes 1500 but I walk 4 miles 4 days a week so I don't know if that is still too much! I am certain if it is the scale will let me know :thumbup: I have only slimed 2 times since the unfill and that is good! I did it for so long one was a PB but I had to guzzle coke and let it come up hard and fast to get it out! I mean it was REALLY stuck in there and after about 2 hours it had to come out! However most days I can eat anything I want but bread! I can eat too much at one time probably about 2 cups especially if I eat salads,,,I can eat pretty much endless amounts of lettuce! I haven't been really careful like I should but I think I just need to refocus. I am going to add back 1/2 of what they removed to see if that helps b/c I find that I want to snack all the time which is not a usual thing for me. I am good though! I think maybe up a lb or two but that I believe is my body readjusting. We will see. I am glad others are doing so much better. It is such a relief to not be in pain any longer! I am looking forward to that "sweet spot" where I cannot eat 2 cups at a time but I can eat without pbing and sliming! I hope it is the next fill in 3 weeks that does that for me~

Again, thanks for all who share and I am so glad to know I am not alone!

Hugs to all

Susan

Karen,

I know what you mean about feeling like you are going backwards but I am trying and I don't say that word lightly,,,:thumbup: to remind myself that this is for the long haul and I can always put more back in if I can't lose but if it is too full, then I could get into trouble and lose it! It helps a little to remind myself of that! I know I can eat too much but I need the rest! So I am going to keep my chin up and allow it for another 3 weeks and then decide where to go from there. I think that when a person adds back in a few more calories ,,,at first,,the body gains a little but then it will burn to that level as long as it isn't excessive and once it adjusts to a higher intake! If it adjusts to the lower amount of calories (or gets use to it and plateaus) then it must adjust to a little higher one after a while and start losing again,,,I mean if it isn't over a low calorie intake! Does that make sense? Ha

Anyway,,,I hope I know what I am doing! I do know that my quality of life is better with this little unfill but if I gained a bunch of weight it wouldn't be! I am a little worried but I keep getting reassured here that I did the right thing,,,so I will trust that and say I think we both did!

Susan

Thanks for the support - I agree that trying is all we can do... you made total sense. I know this was the best decision to have some removed so my innies can heal. I just need to make the right food choices.

I have not had my first fill yet, your post gives me hope that this will work if done right and I didn't go through all this for nothing. Thank You

You have to look at the big picture. If you are too tight for too long, you could end up losing your band down the road. It's just not worth it to need a slight unfill and not go in to do it. I want my band to last years and years, with no complications a few years from now!

hope someone can help have 14ml band was up to 12.75 ml after two weeks band to tight was sick most of the time could only drink fluids and eat soft got unfill of 0.5ml but now cant stop eating dose anyone know if band will tighten up again or should i get an other fill please help thankyou

I haven't been on this forum for quite a while, but logged on today because I've been having this issue for a couple months now. And at this point, I am having the problem no matter what time of day. I am able to keep down some tomato Soup, or sometimes if I'm very careful and go very slowly, chicken & stars might stay down. I drink a lot of hot tea, couldn't even THINK about drinking anything cold, and can't eat any solid foods without them coming right back up. And of course, I don't like this. But, I had to have my ovaries removed a year and a half ago, and my metabolism wasn't great before the surgery, and afterwards it has gone downhill even more. So, with the band before this fill I was able to eat a little bit, and was doing the required exercise (I love to exercise, and walk about 15 miles or more a week, and take a hot yoga class), eating Protein followed by a few veggies, drinking all the Water, and was eating maybe 800 to 1000 calories a day and was still only losing about 3 pounds a month. Now, I'm finally losing the amount we're supposed to lose with the band (about 6 pounds a month now). So, I hate to mess with that, because I know that if I get the unfill the weight loss will either slow down dramatically or stop altogether. Such a dilemma, isn't it? I guess I'll give it a couple more weeks to see if I can get the inflammation to go down some, and then, reluctantly, I'll have to get a little bit taken out if it doesn't get any better. At any rate, I AM glad to see that this isn't a problem that no one else has ever had. There is a lot of reassurance in knowing lots of people go through this.

Kristine

The Woodlands, TX

hope someone can help have 14ml band was up to 12.75 ml after two weeks band to tight was sick most of the time could only drink fluids and eat soft got unfill of 0.5ml but now cant stop eating dose anyone know if band will tighten up again or should i get an other fill please help thankyou

It depends on how long ago you had your unfill. It sounds like you need a fill. The band gets looser around the stomach as you loose fat around the stomach. That may be what happened. If it's been awhile since you started feeling you can eat too much, get a fill.

I haven't been on this forum for quite a while, but logged on today because I've been having this issue for a couple months now. And at this point, I am having the problem no matter what time of day. I am able to keep down some tomato soup, or sometimes if I'm very careful and go very slowly, chicken & stars might stay down. I drink a lot of hot tea, couldn't even THINK about drinking anything cold, and can't eat any solid foods without them coming right back up. And of course, I don't like this. But, I had to have my ovaries removed a year and a half ago, and my metabolism wasn't great before the surgery, and afterwards it has gone downhill even more. So, with the band before this fill I was able to eat a little bit, and was doing the required exercise (I love to exercise, and walk about 15 miles or more a week, and take a hot yoga class), eating Protein followed by a few veggies, drinking all the Water, and was eating maybe 800 to 1000 calories a day and was still only losing about 3 pounds a month. Now, I'm finally losing the amount we're supposed to lose with the band (about 6 pounds a month now). So, I hate to mess with that, because I know that if I get the unfill the weight loss will either slow down dramatically or stop altogether. Such a dilemma, isn't it? I guess I'll give it a couple more weeks to see if I can get the inflammation to go down some, and then, reluctantly, I'll have to get a little bit taken out if it doesn't get any better. At any rate, I AM glad to see that this isn't a problem that no one else has ever had. There is a lot of reassurance in knowing lots of people go through this.

Kristine

The Woodlands, TX

You need to get some taken out, I am sorry to say. You are risking complications with your band down the road. If you can't even drink a Protein Drink, you are too tight. It's just not worth it to risk losing the band later on down the road. Go and see your dr. and tell him exactly what is going on.

I know exactly what you are going through - I had a fill Monday, they added .75 and last night I couldn't swallow anything, even spit. Worse night OF MY LIFE. I went today and had .75 removed, what a blessing. Nothing is worth that pain...I agree with athinnerdenise - having even just a small amount removed can help. I have had 2 partial unfills - clearly I didn't learn the first time lol - but I have lost all but 18 pounds to my goal.

It's unfortunate that we all have to go through the frustration of getting to the right fill spot. I'm there now. I have a lot of chest pain since my last fill and problems with eating too much or too little. Thank god I can swallow liquids. That sounds like too much even for me because I too am scared to get an unfill for fear of gaining weight before I get to the right spot. But, most of the time I can't eat and throw up and then I get really hungary because my body didn't get any food or nutrition. Does anyone else go through this cycle, I dont feel full because I'm not keeping food down. I'm so busy with this cycle that I forget to take my protein drinks for that extra needed protein. I'm thinking about an unfill, any suggestions would be helpful.

Dear Cowgirl - I have been there a couple of times...the first time I pretty much lived on protein drinks for 6 weeks and lots of pain, I got a 1cc unfill and felt great for 6 weeks, had another fill of .75 cc and ended up being so tight I couldn't even swallow my own spit and was in so much pain I didn't care if I ever lost another pound, I just wanted the pain to stop...I went in for an unfill of .75 two days later and was so dehydrated I almost ended up in the hospital. We decided that I was too close to the perfect spot that I am going to have to use this as the tool it is and base some restriction on will power. It isn't easy, but nothing is worth my life or that pain again. GO IN FOR A Small unfill...even .5 cc can help and make the different