I had my second fill a couple of weeks back, and went up to 4.5 cc. At 5 cc I couldn't swallow Water, so .5 was taken out, and everything was/is fine.

A couple of times this past weekend and today I ate the "wrong" foods too fast, and PBd (not a pleasant experience!). Yesterday it was on a hard pretzel (the snack-size kind), but today it was a doozy -- a steamed veggie spring roll. I slimed and spit up for a good 10 minutes.

So my question is: How does PBing correspond with restriction? If you have a PB episode, does it mean you are at your correct level of restriction, or does it have nothing to do with it? I personally feel that I am NOT at an ideal level of restriction, so my guess is that the two aren't necessarily related, although I could be wrong.

I don't think they are necessarily related. In fact, sometimes when I feel I am at a perfect level of restriction, a pb episode takes me unawares. While pbing can be an indicator of too much restriction, it is often merely an indicator of poor eating habits--too fast, too much, not enough chewing. In fact, when I am feeling I am at a perfect restriction level, I often pb because I am not thinking about being banded and how I have to eat regardless of my restriction level.

I don't think it's related. I pb when I eat too fast and something gets stuck. Sometimes, after I'm unstuck, I'm hungry again because i haven't eaten enough food. It just got stuck along the way. Is this how you experience it? The best thing I have found is to eat very small bites and slow slow slow. If nothing gets stuck, I eventually feel that full feeling--it may not come as soon as I had hoped (which I think relates to restriction). But I'm certainly no expert, being banded on 2/27/08. I'm still learning all this. Also, I did throw up a couple of times when I think I may have overeaten (not from being stuck). Have you experienced that?

I think the more you are restricted, however, the more likely something can get stuck and so you have to be more careful.

I am new here. I keep reading about PB but what is it? I am assuming it is not peanut butter!!

PB=productive burp=upchucking chewed food.

I agree that it has little to do with restriction, although you will tend to have more PBs the more restricted you are. Even if you don't feel you are at the right level, you can PB, esp if you aren't chewing carefully or choose a food that just doesn't agree with you. When you do it irritates your stomach and makes you swell so you are more likely to do it again soon. That's why it's recommended to go to liquids for 24 hours after an episode like that. When people continue to eat (later that day, for example) and have more PB episodes, each one makes it swell more, and then you can have that situation where you have to have a lot of fill taken out to let the swelling go down. This sets you back further. I'd try going to liquids now for 24 hours and let the swelling go down before attempting solid foods again.

Thanks for the info and advice. It's so hard to undo years of habit; not only do I need to focus on chewing, chewing, and more chewing, but also learn what I can and cannot eat. I definitely took it easy afterwards, to give my espohagus/stomach a rest.

Being able to eat a good 11 or so ounces of food and only starting to feel some fullness must mean I'm nowhere near restriction though? (I base this on pre-packaged meals, like WW and Lean Cuisine).

You got that right; it takes a long time to unlearn a lifetime of habits! But sounds like you're starting to get it.

About whether you are near restriction, it depends on who you ask. Some people's docs tell them they should only be eating 1/4 or 1/2 cup at a time. I've learned that this is actually a gastric bypass rule, not a band rule--a lot of docs tell both their bandsters and bypassers essentially the same things. My docs told me I should be able to eat 1 to 1 1/2 cups of food for a meal. Getting "full" isn't really part of the game anymore. Try to learn the difference between "satisfied" and "full"--if you can learn to stop when you are satisfied and before you get full, that will help you. I think that one's the hardest to learn, and I still miss those "stop signs" (or soft stops, as some call them) at times.

Hope this helps! Good luck--