Hi everyone:

I'm in a dilemna here. Picture this if you will....

I get up in the morning and drink a bunch of water to replenish my bodily fluids due to not having any since the night before, which is of course on account of the warm overnight temps we have here in Denver, CO this time of year. I try to do this 30 minutes before taking my morning meds.

However, the first few sips of water I drink almost ALWAYS seem to bounce right back up, thus forcing me to barf it up so I can continue drinking water and subsequently take my meds with no problems at all.

30-45 minutes after this, I eat breakfast. This has been something of an ordeal for me as of late, but that could easily be attributable to the cereal I'm eating too (Kashi GoLean Crunch). However, there's one more thing that puzzles me.

Now we all know we've been told to NOT drink ANYTHING 30 minutes either before or after eating (Or eat ANYTHING 30 minutes before or after drinking), right? Well....Guess what I'm finding myself having to do just to get food to go down.....

Yep! You guessed it - DRINK WATER. Albeit in sips, but water nonetheless.

Sometimes the water will help the food go down and sometimes it'll just simply loosen it up whereas it'll come up when I barf.

Is this normal? If not, what might I try doing to alleviate this problem? What does this problem seem like? 9I know not everyone here is a doc, but I know there are a few here ).

I ask this because I've had two fills by appointment in the last two months & had to go back in earlier this month to have some saline removed due to complications. And if that weren't enough, I'm scheduled for my 3rd IN AS MANY MONTHS (The book says I'm only supposed to have 6 in the first year, yet I'm on pace to have 12 as it stands now).

Any insight as to what this problem is would be appreciated. :thumbup:

Cheers

Hi Pat. My doc told me not to drink anything 30 minutes prior and to wait an hour to drink after I eat. This may help. I try to make sure that whatever I eat doesn't measure more than 1/3 to 1/2 cup. I hope this helps.

Best,

Aimee

I agree with what Jack said!! I also wanted to let you know, that they do often schedule you monthly for fills in the beginning, very few have ever needed 12 fills---in fact I have never heard of it!!! They work them every 4 weeks so you can achieve restriction, and maintain it.

You do NOT have to have the fill!!! If you are eating properly---slowly, small, well chewed bites---and you fill up quickly, and do not find yourself hungry again for several hours, you do not need a fill. In fact it sounds as though you may still be suffering from being slightly overfilled. Another possibility is that you are dealing with residual swelling caused by the "barfing" it up. I was told anytime something passed painfully or I PB'd (barfed it up) to go to liquids for minimally several hours to allow the stomach to calm down again. It is an evil cycle if it gets started.

I would suggest you do just as Jack said, and try treating it as first bite syndrome. Drink something warm in the morning before trying to eat the bulky cereal. Also there are no rules set in stone that you must eat the cereal early in the day! Have a container of yogurt for breakfast, and save the cereal for lunch when you seem to be more open.....

And some meds will irritate the band, and cause some swelling, so you might just have to experiment around and see if doing things in a different pattern will help!

Good Luck!!!

Isn't it nice to have the warm nights rather than the snow, I thought winter would never end!!!!

Kat

Hi everyone:

Have you tried slow sips of warm tea first thing in AM rather than cold water?

Heh...I'm not a tea drinker Jack. But nice thought though.

I too often eat Kashi....and when I was too tight last year, I would get "first bite syndrome" especially in the AM.

Except lately, that syndrome has been lasting throughout the day, mainly whenever I have a meal.

I found a routine that works well for me (AFTER slight unfill) and I rarely get the 'first bite' issue....

I arise early, sit and luxuriate over a mug (or 2) of coffee. Usually by the time I've been up and hour or 90 minutes, my appetite announces it's time for breakfast.

As I said, I'm not a tea nor a coffee drinker. I could probably drink some hot chocolate though and see if that works.

I drink plenty of water through the day, especially now weather has warmed up. And I love herbal sun tea of various kinds.

I too drink lots of water. Each month, I always get a case of purified water (Be it Aquafina or some other brand). I've also got a 1.5 Liter water bottle which I use both around the neighborhood and as a backup when the purified water runs out.

I also have a water filter on the kitchen faucet to produce purified water from home (This water is stored in a couple of pitchers which are kept refrigerated until I need them to fill up the water bottle).

I have a couple liters of water in my rig so I drink along the way running errands also.

See above.

The only thing I don't do is wear a belt with water bottles on both sides of me as if I were the Lone Ranger or something. *LOL!*

Cheers :thumbup:

Hi everyone:

I agree with what Jack said!! I also wanted to let you know, that they do often schedule you monthly for fills in the beginning, very few have ever needed 12 fills---in fact I have never heard of it!!! They work them every 4 weeks so you can achieve restriction, and maintain it.

But the question is with me dropping in weight faster than a rock, DO I EVEN NEED A FILL:?:

You do NOT have to have the fill!!! If you are eating properly---slowly, small, well chewed bites---and you fill up quickly, and do not find yourself hungry again for several hours, you do not need a fill. In fact it sounds as though you may still be suffering from being slightly overfilled. Another possibility is that you are dealing with residual swelling caused by the "barfing" it up. I was told anytime something passed painfully or I PB'd (barfed it up) to go to liquids for minimally several hours to allow the stomach to calm down again. It is an evil cycle if it gets started.

Which is why I drink water throughout the day.

I would suggest you do just as Jack said, and try treating it as first bite syndrome. Drink something warm in the morning before trying to eat the bulky cereal.

Well, I'm not a coffee or tea drinker, but I can always drink some hot chocolate in the morning. :tt2:

Also there are no rules set in stone that you must eat the cereal early in the day! Have a container of yogurt for breakfast, and save the cereal for lunch when you seem to be more open.....

Either that or just don't pour the cereal in a bowl and drown it in milk. Just eat it right out of the box. This way, no cereal gets wasted and all I have to do is simply put the box away when I get that "Full" feeling.

And some meds will irritate the band, and cause some swelling, so you might just have to experiment around and see if doing things in a different pattern will help!

Yeah, that's what my docs are doing now (Especially my neurologist since I'll never be able to escape my anti-seizure meds even if my PCP takes me off all the meds HE has me on).

Good Luck!!!

Thanks. Seems like I've been in need it this year - In more ways than one. :thumbup:

Isn't it nice to have the warm nights rather than the snow, I thought winter would never end!!!!

I just wish the Presidential Race would come to an end. Seems like they've been at it since THE LAST ELECTION in 2004!!!

Cheers :thumbup:

While it isn't particularly tasty, just a couple of sips of warm water will even work....it is the warmth, not the tea or coffee that is supposed to help....so warm water, hot chocolate, hot broth.....anything like that would be worth a try.

You are right, it does not sound like you need a fill. During the first months post op, I think it is important to go in, and touch base with your surgeon, but unless it is indicated through hunger, and lack of restriction that a fill is needed. Surely telling your Dr. about the issues you are having and him seeing your weight falling within or above the 1-2 pounds a week, he will agree that a fill is not indicated.

I do a lot of dry cereal as snack food, while I am on the computer! It is great for the fiber content! I also stir some in my yogurt for the same purpose. But I have been known to eat any food at any time of day....must go back to my school days of cold pizza for breakfast!!

I drink a lot of water.....but I am not picky, I'll refill a bottle straight from the tap! I also do a LOT of decaffeinated iced tea.

Hope they figure it out for you soon. And I hear ya on the election, I cannot believe it hasn't really even started......Ay-yi-yi!!!

Kat