I was banded mid-November and had cardiology clearance before the procedure. Now that I am on the soft foods phase and have little/no restriction (meaning, I don't often feel "full"), I have noticed that I will start to have chest pain after a meal, most often dinner. It takes a while to subside - usually when I fall asleep. I have even had that pain in the a.m. sometimes, too (after meals). Anyone else have this?

I have placed a call to my doctor's office and am playing phone tag w/ them....and at the same time experimenting w/ why this could be happening:

1. Perhaps I overate (and still don't have those "full" signals because I have little restriction - first fill isn't until mid-Jan.)

2. Perhaps I drank too soon.

Last night I watched my portion size and made sure I drank 30 to 60 min. or more after this meal. NO PAIN! Glad, but thought I'd bounce this off you good people in the forum. Thanks in advance for "weighing in". :biggrin:

PS The lack of "fullness/restriction" feeling is such a pain in the neck (or chest!)

It is certainly not unusual to feel pain if you do not eat properly with the band. That includes taking small bites, chewing well, eating slowly and not overeating. The pain I feel from not eating right is above the band in the esophagus and so it is chest pain.

The couple of times I've tried drinking too soon I have had discomfort and even had the liquid come back up once.

I still get pain in my left shoulder if I over eat. Gas-X usually helps, but I really need to try to look for other clues before its too late. I would mention this to your doc just to be safe, but maybe it is a form of overeating. From what I've read there are LOTS of different ways our bands let us know when we've had enough. ...

I've had the pain you mention since the day I got my band (Last Tuesday) I have discomfort in my collarbones, shoulders and chest. I think I need to be taking smaller sip of everything. I tend to gulp!!

I get this if I eat too much, too quickly or try to drink too soon after eating. I feel it in my chest and in my right shoulder. If I stop eating and wait awhile it usually gets better. I don't think I had this problem when I was on liquids and mushies, just started on solids. Good luck with it! It is hard to get used to the feelings of being full!

I get a pain in my chest as well if I overeat and it takes some time to subside. Drinking too soon can make it worse as well (I am already full and the drinking just adds a little additional pressure until it subsides).

I know in my case it is definitely related to eating. You may be having the same exact issue and it is not uncommon at all for bandsters. It is good that you called your doctor just in case and will follow-up, but you are probably just fine.