11 Months Banded and STILL a ton of questions... HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!

[want2beme 2]

:confused:I am just miserable right now.

I am 9 pounds from goal. My last fill was 5 weeks ago. Restriction was very good after last fill. HOWEVER, I've been feeling tighter and tighter over the past week.

I ate last on Wednesday (3 days ago). I woke up Thursday morning and couldn't drink Water. I paniced. The doctor says I probably ate something I shouldn't have. But, I don't recall eating anything out of my diet guidlines. Right now I am on strict Clear Liquids until Sunday (yeah, 5 days without eating), then call the doc on monday to tell her how I feel.

It's Saturday night and I FEEL LIKE CRAP! This morning, I could not keep 2 oz of cranberry juice down. Later in the morning I was able to open up a bit and get down some hot tea (with the prilosec I was told to take, crushed) and then my 20 oz Protein 'clear' drink. (ISOPURE FROM GNC) ~

I am trying to eat a popsicle and I can tell its too cold and tightens me up again. This sucks!

My questions:

Can your lap band tighten by itself, even if you're losing weight?

How many days should I live like this until I decide to book a flight and get an unfill?

If I get a slight unfill now, lose 10 pounds, am I going to losen up and have to get a fill again?

Thanks!

[lynners 0]

Strangly enough, I just went through this. I was banded sept. 28 2006. I had my last fill on May 21. I was on vacation on June 26th when I tightened up so much drinking Water was iffy. I could pb on Water, coffee. I spent the next 10 days just trying to stay hydrated. The good news was I was anything but hungry.

I kept thinking, if I just drink liquids it will open back up. We got home on July 3 at about 10:30. I was on the phone first thing on Monday. The fluoro showed a drop of liquid got through the band the rest just sat on top. He took out 0.8 mls which was equal to my last 2 fills. I was so relieved to be able to eat again.

Now I am ready for a fill again. I can eat way too much.

[MerryHearted 20]

Is it "that time of the month" or just before? The band can tighten up then, as well as due to stress.

If it were me, I'd hold out for a week or so as long as I could stay hydrated. Stick with warm liquids, and avoid cold ones. Popsicles, blended drinks (i.e. anything with ice in in), and cold stuff in general makes me significantly tighter and it seems that's the case with you too. Water expands when it's cold, and your band is filled with Water.< /p>

So: warm tea, chicken broth, coffee, room temp Meal Replacement drinks like Glucerna, Medifast or SlimFast... and yeah, if you don't loosen up in a week or so then you probably do want to book a flight and get an unfill. Of course, your doc is your best guide for all of this.

Congrats on being so close to goal though!! That's fantastic!!

[bbjerseygirl 0]

I don't know if the "band" tightens but my doc said it could take up to a month or more before you actually get the restriction from a fill. This could be your situation. However, not being able to swallow liquids is not a good thing and your doc should have seen you within 72 hours. PBing and vomiting can cause band slippage and of course you wouldn't want that. If this continues, you need to make an appt an get a slight unfill. They may only need to take out .5cc. When you continue to pb' and slime, etc. you cause stomach irritation and swelling which would continue to make the band tighter. Sometimes after a few days to a week, it could get back to normal but 10 days is too long and a risk to the band. At least have it checked out to be sure. good luck

[Donna113 2]

What is PBing? I got banded 7/16/08 so most of this is new to me.

[want2beme 2]

Thank you all SO MUCH for your responses. Today is Sunday, so it's my last day on clear liquids. I have no energy. I called my boss today at work and told her I couldn't come in b/c I have no energy. (I am a manager in training, and have been working like this for the past 3 days. The last thing I want is the employees to think I am a waste of space, not understanding that I am just trying to keep myself upright at this point!) So, I am going to work outside of business hours today, which is great!

I have another issue that has arose from this situation as well. The roof of my mouth has been sore for the past two days. Last night, it started hurting really bad. It almost feels like I burnt myself with hot cheese/pizza (but we know that's not the case LOL). I did some research and found that this is common in people who are dehydrated. I found that several marathon runners, who were dehydrated and actually finished the race, with their mouths open, had this horrible pain in the roof of their mouths. Some say it lasted a week, some say up to one month. I thought it was 'thrush' at first, but the symptoms are slightly off. So, I also found there is nothing a doctor can do for you. The pain was so bad last night that I couldn't sleep. At 8:00 am, I crushed 1/2 vicodin with my prilosec in hot tea. I was able to sleep for an hour. The pain is similar to a wisdom tooth-removal-ache, but not anywhere by your teeth... just the entire roof of your mouth. Like you have 20 teeth pulled. Ouch. I am in pain right now. Took another 1/2 V to releave the pain, but it's only taking the edge off at this point. I just wanted to share this just in case somebody else had this happen to them. OH YEAH! I've been rinsing with salt Water too, just to eliminate any chance of infection. The roof of my mouth feels like little blisters.

Updated weight info... last wednesday when I ate last, I was 163. Today is Sunday and I'm 156. Not exactly how I wanted to lose the weight and its a bit scary actually. I'm hoping I can eat soon and I'll get back up to 160 and then lose 1 pound per week after than.

I'll keep you all updated... and thank you again for all of the great comments and suggestions. They really help a lot. I guess I just have to wait till tomorrow and try to eat some Soup or something and see what happens.

PS - PBing is something I've only had 2 or 3 times. It's when you eat something too big or not chewed enough to pass through the stoma. It then comes back up with some mucas on it (I guess to help it come up easier). It's like a baby throw up. One time it happened to me so fast I didn't see it coming. So be careful when you're out to dinner on a date. It could lead to... no second date. LOL !!!!!!!!!

[Jachut 487]

Its quite a normal phenomenen to find your fill tightens up over a few days or weeks after its actually been done. It sounds like you're simply a bit too tight and need some out.

Fancy the doctor saying its your fault, that you've eaten something you shouldnt have! How rude, he needs his butt kicked for that. He ought to know that this is possible after ANY fill!

I wouldnt muck around with this if you think you're getting dehydrated, get in as soon as possible for an unfill.

By the way, the roof of my mouth always aches if I something gets a bit stuck and its a sure sign of impending PB for me.