I was just wondering if anyone else has had trouble keeping food down?? I had my surgery last november and have had no problems until now! About 3 weeks ago i began throwing up almost everything I eat. Sometimes I can't even keep liquids down. I went to my doctor last week because I was worried, and thought my band may have slipped or something. He has assured me that it hasn't. I am afraid that I am going to get sick because I am not getting enough nutrients. He didn't seemed too worried about it, and I am frustrated!!! Would getting an unfill help?? I have only had 3 fills total.. my last one was over 2 months ago.. I am just worried about gaining weight back. I have worked so hard, and done so well. Any help would be awesome! Thanks

If you've been throwing up almost everything for 3 weeks, I think you should call your doctor again and INSIST that he see you, or at least do more than just brush off your concerns. Did he explain WHY he wasn't worried about it? Or offer any suggestions for eating without throwing up? How can he know if you haven't had slippage if he doesn't check you?

Hope you are doing better soon!

Are you throwing up or are you PB'ing?

It's PBing It's like everything gets stuck, and just comes back up. I did go to the doctor.. and he did an x-ray to make sure it hadn't slipped. I am going to call first thing tomorrow and maybe they can sqeeze me in on Tuesday.

I'm sorry Lora. I mis-read your initial post, and missed that you said you actually WENT to your doctor. I hope you can get some answers if you get in to see him again this week.

I hope so too Misty.. this is so frustrating!

future bander here...what is PB'ing?

it sounds to me like you're too tight, and while hopefully you haven't done any damage to your band yet, all that throwing up and/or PBing could cause your band to slip.

I just met a woman last week when I was getting a fill who had lost about 180 pounds and then got a fill that was too tight and was throwing up constantly and didn't address it quickly enough. After 3 months she went to the doc and her band had slipped and she had to have it removed. She was so upset and I felt so badly for her. I will definitely remember her and make sure that never happens to me. And I don't want it to happen to you either! I'm glad you plan to call your doctor again and insist on attention, and I would think, a bit of an unfill.

jmegirl - PBing means "productive burping". When food won't go through the band you feel it in the back of your throat and have to sort of burp it back up. Usually that event is associated with pain in the chest (around the band) and what's called sliming - which is pretty nasty, your body produces a huge amount of saliva in an effort to deal with the plug at the band. Fun stuff. You can avoid it by not being too tight, chewing your food really really well and avoiding foods that are a problem for you - for many people bread and chicken are the most common culprits.

Good luck both!

Oh, ok......I thought you meant you were getting nauseous and throwing up.

If you're PBing all the time, you need to get on liquids for about 3 days to give your stoma a rest. It's gotten irritated and swolen. Try that. Also may want to try having a warm drink before meals to loosen up the band.

Thanks Terri I will try just liquids.. And the warm drinks do help! Thank goodness for coffee!

So I went to the doctor today.. I didn't realize that there were different sized bands..(I'm a dork) I have been seeing posts on here with people saying they have like 8cc in theirs I can't imagine because I only have like 3 in mine and I have been having problems since my last fill! I found out that I only have a 4cc band and it was too tight. My doctor took out 1cc and I was able to eat for the first time in weeks without getting sick! now I am just going to keep my fingers crossed that I still loose and don't gain!!!

Hooray! I'm so glad you got that straightened out. I've read more than one instance of someone having a fill and having no problems for weeks, good restriction without too much, then all of a sudden finding themselves too tight. Our bodies are doing strange things inside when we aren't looking! :w00t:

When I went for my first post-op appointment, I made sure to ask my surgeon what kind of band I had, and its capacity. I've got a 4cc Allergan (Inamed). The vast array of band capacities is amazing.

Edited August 26, 200817 yr by MistyD65

That's great news! I'm so glad you got the attention you needed from your doc and are feeling better. Yay!

And if you end up feeling like you don't have enough restriction you should be able to get a .5 CC fill - and maybe that will be just right.

You've done amazingly well - I'm inspired by your achievements. Good luck with the rest of your journey!