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

Hi Guys, how long does it take before a "too tight" band can cause damage? I'm thinking I'm too tight, but just got filled on the 15th so I was thinking of waiting a little longer to see if it loosens. My last fill took me about 2 weeks to adjust. Today, I still can only do liquids.........so far, but since the surgery I've only been able to do liquids only in the AM. I haven't had anything but liquids since last fill and they hurt, but stay down. Probably should get a slight unfill but 2 hour drive, gas prices, time off work etc. is making me think I should deal with it for a few more days and see what happens....will a few more days of being too tight hurt my stomach or start erosion?

Thanks to all that gave advice on this thread. After nearly two months of not keeping down any solids, I had been going back and forth on whether to wait it out until I lost enough weight to loosen the band a little, or to get a little taken out. I decided to get the unfill, and went in last week. She did everything under flouroscopy, and said that what I had looked really good, but suggested taking out just .1cc's which would take me from 2.1 to 2.0 (in a 4.0 band). Amazingly, that has made a HUGE difference! I was able to begin eating Protein and vegetables the very next day, and haven't thrown anything up this week. The best part is, I've lost 5 pounds in just one week!!! I'm never hungry now, after being hungry all the time (because I couldn't keep ANYTHING down), and since I'm eating actual protein, I feel better. So, don't despair if you find yourself needing a little unfill. That doesn't mean you'll be gaining weight, or treading Water until your next fill. It can actually help to make the band work better at times.

Thanks again for all the great suggestions.

Kristine

The Woodlands, TX (40 pounds lost since November, 2007)

People seem to have the impression that if they go in for an unfill, they will stop losing weight. Often it is the opposite. When you are too tight and need and unfill, your body is not going to give up any weight loss.

Many people have said that they went in for an unfill and started losing again. Getting an unfill does not mean being completely unfilled.

The tiniest of unfills can make the difference between being able to eat like a normal person or throwing up and sliming every day.

Retriction does not mean throwing up or sliming . It means being able to eat a small amount of food, and feeling full and staying full for a few hours. It is a VERY fine line between being too tight and the sweet spot. It took me about 8 fills and unfills to get it right.

Now that I am at goal, I haven't needed a fill or an unfill since December. I can eat anything I want, just not very much of anything.

If anyone can't eat all day long until evening, I am telling you this is not normal. It's normal to be tighter in the daytime, but not to the point where you can't eat.

Feel free to send me a private message if you are having problems

and wondering if you need an unfill. Being too tight is dangerous!

Hi Guys, how long does it take before a "too tight" band can cause damage? I'm thinking I'm too tight, but just got filled on the 15th so I was thinking of waiting a little longer to see if it loosens. My last fill took me about 2 weeks to adjust. Today, I still can only do liquids.........so far, but since the surgery I've only been able to do liquids only in the AM. I haven't had anything but liquids since last fill and they hurt, but stay down. Probably should get a slight unfill but 2 hour drive, gas prices, time off work etc. is making me think I should deal with it for a few more days and see what happens....will a few more days of being too tight hurt my stomach or start erosion?

It may loosen up on it's own because as you lose weight, you lose part of the fat pad around the stomach. This causes the band to loosen. I was too tight for about 6 weeks where all I could get down was Soup or

Protein shakes. I talked to my surgeon and he said if it was going to loosen, it would have done so by that time.

If you are not throwing up, and able to keep soup and Protein Shakes down, you can give it about a month. If you get to a point where you

are having trouble keeping liquids down, go and get a slight unfill. These things cause swelling inside which just compounds the problem.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

I am dealing with the exact same problem... I PB or vomit all day long but dinner is USUALLY ok. I had a slip repaired a few months ago, so all the PB's kind of scare me. I might be able to do room temp water for the first few hours in the morning. A hot Carnation Instant Breakfast is doable during the day... but the problem is that I am so hungry by that time because I had been 'starved' all morning, that I over do it the rest of the day. I'm not even losing weight because of this. I do much better if I have 3-4 small meals/snacks spaced out. I used to do a protein shake for breakfast... but not a chance anymore! That comes straight up! I think what I am going to do is ride it out and just do liquids for a week or two and see if that helps the swelling to go down. If it doesn't I guess I'll ask for a partial unfill... but I am not at risk for dehydration... but I just don't want to cause another slip with all these PB's!

ImaKaren4U

Thanks for the support. I don't have a doctor's appointment until about 10 more days. I'll ask the doctor about an unfil. I've been thinking I might need a fill though because when I'm okay with eating (no pb or chest pain) I can really eat. I don't get full for 4 hours and I can eat more than a cup of food. Yesterday I ate 2 regular slices of pizza. So I feel stuck - which way do I go??? Anyone else with this problem??????

That's a hard call. It sounds like if you can eat 2 pieces of pizza you really don't need an unfill. Just go over everything with your doctor, what you eat, how much, etc, and let them decide

I do best when my band is loose enough to let me eat solids at night. 2 slices of pizza... that is not too loose for me. I would be happy at that level. If you can eat pizza, you could probably eat meat, veggies, fruit and other filling things. Oh I so long for real food! I'm sick of "baby food" type things.

Yes, the point of the band is to eat smaller portions, not throwing up, and not hardly being able to eat at all.

Hi Girls

My doctor showed up at the monthly support group today and of course I ran over to him to tell him what's going on. When I told him I could eat 2 slices of pizza , not be full for 4 hours like others, and the restriction has lessened with eating morsels on the fork (really morsels, like rabbit food) he seems to think I need a fill. Will talk with him further at appointment next Tuesday. It's been 3 weeks since my last fill and it's taken me this long to see how my body reacts. Wow this is a real task finding the right spot.