I was banded in December 2008 and have had left shoulder, neck, chest and rib pain ever since. I am going for a CT scan soon to see what might be going on. I do notice that the pain is worse after a fill. :tongue_smilie:

I am disappointed that I have only lost 15 pounds since surgery. I have had 3 fills and only the first couple of days afterward do I feel any restriction......after that I can eat anything and just about any amount including bread, salad and carbonated drinks. I thought I would have lost alot more weight by now. I haven't exercised at all because of this pain...........has anyone else had this small of weight loss and if so, what do you make of it?? Also, what is PB...I see it on the posts and don't know what it stands for.

I had pain for a few months just like you are describing. I think it was all from the gas put in at surgery. I know that seems like a long time, but that's what I was told by my surgeon. It finally got better, but I still feel that same exact pain every once in awhile. I felt NO restriction after surgery or after my first or second fill. Losing 15 pounds without restriction is great - you will lose more once you get good restriction.

PBing stands for productive burp. Once you get restriction, some foods just don't go down - seems to be different for everyone. I cannot eat plain chicken or turkey (baked without anything on it), white pasta, and bread. If you take a bite of something that isn't small enough, or chewed enough, or if you don't wait inbetween bites, food can get stuck. When I PB it feels like I need to burp. The food that won't go down, comes back up... with a lot of saliva. It is not really like throwing up... the food never makes it into my stomach. You just have to spit it out. Sometimes it lasts a minute or two and sometimes it lasts longer. Not too big a deal if I am home... not so great if out in public, but you learn how to deal with it. I have days where my band is tighter than other days... and on those days I have to be careful. I know this is kinda gross... but....

I was not very good about practicing taking tiny bites, chewing lots, and eating slowly before I got restriction - didn't need to. I should have!!!! Now that I have good restriction, I HAVE to do those things. I think it would've been easier if I had practiced before. Anyway.... that is my story and I'm sticking to it :thumbup: Good luck to you. Take care!!! Becky