Hi everyone,

I was banded on May 12th. My doctor gave me my first fill 3 weeks after the surgery (during the Post-Op). I am now (trying) to eat solid foods.

I noticed that if I eat something really mushy like Canned Tuna, I'm okay. But if I decided to go for a piece of chicken or turkey, sometimes I get pain in my stomach, right around one of the big incisions.

I think the pain is caused by food passing through the band. Is this normal? Am I not chewing enough is that why it hurts when I eat?

Thanks you~!! ^_____^

It is normal with certain foods. Just chew well, that is the most important thing. I would only worry if it is a really intense pain that happens all the time and you are still chewing well.

Thank you Heather~!! ^____^

I was banded the day after you and had my first fill at my post-op too! I find if I don't chew well I get a pain in my chest that feels like I swallowed a golf ball. It doesn't last long but boy does it hurt. I find if I am starving by the time I stop to eat I forget to chew well and that's when it hits me. I don't have any restrictions yet and I have 5cc's in my band.

Some foods are harder to digest than others. Poultry and uncooked tomatoes are two that I have to watch for. You might have to cut them up smaller or shred them before you try to eat them to help stop the hurt. Best of luck with the band.

In addition to chewing your food to mush, you want to make sure you are taking very small bites, especially when eating things like chicken that are a bit tougher. To train myself on what size bites I should be taking, I used baby utensils for the first few weeks.

throwing up

Think of a cut on your knee or a sprained ankle... the more you move it the more it hurts. Your stomach is like that post op... The more solid your food- the more the stomach has to work to digest it. When you eat softer foods or chew them well or eat smaller bites- that's less work the stomach has to do- so it won't hurt as much. Even though you are a month out I would bet that you are still healing... so maybe give your stomach a break and do what you can to make it easier on it.