Ok heres whats going on and maybe some of you will be able to help me determine wheather my band is too tight. Well i can swallow liquids and food but i dont want too cuz theres a sharp pain as it goes down my band. Liquids i can feel go down in a short amount of time but i still have the pain. Solids on the other hand I'm chewing very well and i still have the pain (even mashed potatoes) but i have to wait longer for it to go down and its very uncomfortable theres a sharp pain and it makes me not want to eat or drink anything at all. I get so uncomfortable because of the pain that i cant focus on what ppl are saying and i become very annoyed. I have thrown up a couple of times but for the most part im able to keep it down its just very uncomfortable. Is this normal? Is this the way lap band works? I really appreciate everyones feedback. Thank you all!

Sounds to me like you need to call your doctor fiirst thing tomorrow, or tonight if he has an emergency number. It isn't supposed to hurt like that. When did it start hurting that way?

I agree. I sounds like you are too tight. Pain should not be part of the band. Call your doctor and get a slight unfill. That should do it.

No, I do not believe that is normal. Having had your band for over 4 months you should know what is normal for you, and it doesn't sound like this is. If I were you I would eat only liquids until discussing with my doctor. I wonder if you might have an inflamed esophagus (esophagitis). You could try some OTC acid-suppressing medications in the interim.

Amber, yes, the band is too tightly adjusted, you should be able to swallow fluids without any sharp pain. I've had Mine now for over 1 year,, the first test they do after the adjustment is supposed to be a drink test. So yes,, get in touch with your Dr asap

Thank you all so much for the info. RestlessMonkey, Its been going on ever since this last fill on 1/14/09 thats why i was thinking my band might be too tight cuz it only started after that. Stormwind, I did take the water test but i didnt experience that pain then. I got the pain a few hours later when i took my first drink after getting the fill. Has anyone else experienced this???

I you haven't already called your doctor, please call him/her tomorrow!

The longer you wait, the worse the swelling will be, the tighter you will become and the bigger the unfill they will have to do to get you back to center.

Call your doc and let us know how it goes.

Hi fellow bandsters. I just got my band monday. When I went to do the barium swallow the radiologist felt it looked to tight. He called the Dr. and he said if I could tollerate jellow and liquids then all is fine. I am having what i think is gas pains in my upper chest still and they are worse after I try to drink something? Do they put saline in the band when they initially put it in? Also, since I am only 2 days out is it normal for my belly area where the incisions are to be swollen? Thanks for your help! Cara:confused:

Hi Cara, I was banded in March 2008 and live in Kansas City, KS. Dr. Hoehn was my surgeon in Shawnee Mission. Yes it's normal for your belly to still be swollen 2 days out of surgery. You'll probably still be swollen for a few more days and things should start to settle down some. Not every surgeon puts a fill in your band at surgery, if they do it is very small. I can assure you once the swelling goes down you will definitely know that they is not much, if any fill in your band. The pain you are experiencing in your chest after drinking is probably just gas since you're just out of surgery, those pains can last a week or longer. Gas-X strips helped me, you might try that. Good luck and congratultions on your recent banding. I love my band and wish I'd have done it sooner.

To RestlessMonkey and all who gave advise and cared... I had gotten my fill on the 14th and that was when i was thinking it was too much cuz of the pain but i called my doc like you all advised and he said he thought i had too much so i went in today the 21st (an exact week later) and i have lost 13.2 pounds in this past week so i was happy bout that but i knew it was cuz my band was too tight so he took .2cc's so, so far even though its only been a few hrs i think i can tell a difference but thanks for everyones advise and ill keep you all updated.

I hope you feel a LOT better really fast! That WL is great but not if you're in misery all the time. You'll still lose a lot but be able to enjoy life, too!

Keep us posted!