I got my surgery in early Dec 2008 and I noticed no difference at all, I have had 3 fills, the last one was almost 2 weeks ago, out of nowhere on Thursday I noticed a big difference, all of a sudden it "kicked" in but its very shocking as I was able to eat business as usual since the day of my surgery. I have been dieting but in terms of portions, there was no difference. Anyway since Thursday I am unable to eat most foods, it seems to get stuck and today I had that PB everyone is talking about. How do I know if the fill made it too tight or if this is what I have been waiting for and I just have to adjust and learn?? On three seperate occasions, I had a really hard time and the food felt stuck, it was VERY painful, so I have been trying to do some mushies for two days, but just now, I had a small piece of chicken and I had the worst pain EVER!! Is the band too tight or is this finally where the band is working and I need to adjust to new way of eating..... ???? Thanks everyone for your support, this has been a great site!:laugh:

As you've felt no restriction until now, could it be that you are taking bigger bites or not chewing as much as you should? I find I do that myself. Bites should be no bigger than a quarter and I was told to chew each bite to the consistency of applesauce. If really paying attention to that, you find that you still have problems, then call your doctor's office and go in. Sometimes, a tiny unfill (like .2cc) can make all the difference in the world, so if that is what they suggest doing, ask for a small unfill at first and see how it works. I assume you're having no problems with liquid since you didn't say that. When I was too tight, I couldn't even drink.

Hi. Great questions. I, like you, had no restriction until my third fill. And then I started experiencing what you are going through. When I had no restriction, I was not practicing the banded way of eating - taking tiny bites, chewing lots, and waiting between bites. I knew I didn't really have to. After that third fill, many times what I was eating did not go down and I was PBing. If I had been practicing the correct way of eating, I think the adjustment to my new found restriction would have been easier. I also think there are just some foods that do not agree with my band - and chicken is certainly one of them. Sometimes I can keep it down if it is VERY moist (a sauce or in soup). I cannot eat any dry meat (baked, boiled, grilled). I can eat fish, but once again, not too dry. I think once you finally get good restriction, it does take some relearning, lots of trial and error, and time to get to know all the new signs and signals that your body is giving you when you eat. It seems to be a very thin line between not having enough in your band and being able to eat anything and everything, and having too much in your band and having problems eating. Of course it is very important that you can keep liquids down and if that is not happening, you do need to contact your surgeon and probably get an unfill. But.... like you, I am still not sure what is "normal" for good restriction. I guess that's why it is called the "sweet spot" - because once you get good restriction, figure out how and what to eat, and you are able to eat like others (only less), it really is sweet. I hope I am getting closer to that spot and I hope you are too. It's not easy to know what is normal, what is ok, and what is not. Good luck to us both :laugh: Take care. Becky

Dry meats and fish. I've posted this before, BUT there is an easy way to never have dry protein! Take a square of foil, place the beef, chicken or fish in the middle. Then here are the variations: CHICKEN -- put a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth (I keep the box of chicken broth in my fridge for this purpose). Season. Add broccoli, carrots, squash. BEEF -- Put some worcestershire sauce, a bit of water, seasoning, a couple of slices of potato, a bit of onion, a few carrots. FISH -- put a little butter-flavored spray and some lemon or lime juice. Season. FOR ALL -- close up the foil package, place on a baking sheet and bake at 375. When it's done, remove to a plate, throw away the foil and the mess and wipe off the baking sheet. I don't put anything in with fish because I don't like my veggies to taste like fish. If you're cooking pork tenderloin (very lean), put a little chicken broth in the baking dish with the meat and it will come out moist too! Grilling and broiling make proteins too dry as it cooks a lot of the moisture out. Try my idea and see if it works for you!

I can completely identify with you. Two fills ago, I had great restriction for a few days and then not much. Then the last fill, everything seemed to get stuck but when it wasn't getting stuck, I could eat a TON! So I was very leary to get another fill this past Tuesday. However, it has been GREAT! Finally, for the first time in months the scale is moving and I can tell a big difference.

The stuck episodes had gotten a little less the last week or so of that last fill, but I kept thinking why would I need a fill when everything seemed to be getting stuck. I guess it is the speed we're eating and the size of what we're swallowing. I think I've probably slowed down my eating with this fill and been very aware of portion size. Also, I'm being very careful not to eat dry meats. I just hope it lasts! It's so nice not to be hungry all the time! Slow down your eating and make sure you're taking small bites and chewing. It helped me a lot.

I got my surgery in early Dec 2008 and I noticed no difference at all, I have had 3 fills, the last one was almost 2 weeks ago, out of nowhere on Thursday I noticed a big difference, all of a sudden it "kicked" in but its very shocking as I was able to eat business as usual since the day of my surgery. I have been dieting but in terms of portions, there was no difference. Anyway since Thursday I am unable to eat most foods, it seems to get stuck and today I had that PB everyone is talking about. How do I know if the fill made it too tight or if this is what I have been waiting for and I just have to adjust and learn?? On three seperate occasions, I had a really hard time and the food felt stuck, it was VERY painful, so I have been trying to do some mushies for two days, but just now, I had a small piece of chicken and I had the worst pain EVER!! Is the band too tight or is this finally where the band is working and I need to adjust to new way of eating..... ???? Thanks everyone for your support, this has been a great site!:laugh:

You had a really bad PBing episode. You need to be on liquids for a couple of days and then on mushies for a couple of days then try small portions of protein. Your band swells and gets tighter when you PB. When you have a bad one you need to go back to basics. But call your Dr. and double check with him to make sure all is well.

Thanks so much to all of you for you responses!! I do appreciate it, and I will utilize the suggestions : )