I had a fill on Monday which took the volume from 6.75 to 7.5 in a 10cc band. They gave me cold Water and hot tea to drink and they seemed to go down very slowly, but successfully. Or so i thought.

It's Thursday night now and I've barely been able to drink anything all week, let alone consider eating anything.

The reason I've waited so long before freaking out is that I had a fill in Feb where too much was put in and I panicked and had some taken out the following day which then resulted in the band being too loose and very little weight loss was achieved. At £125 per fill in the UK I couldn't afford to get re-filled at the time.

Therefore, I wanted to make sure I gave sufficient time for any swelling to subside before "giving in".

However, I'm now at the stage where I don't think it's going to loosen any more. I'm PB-ing after any intake and feel rotten so have booked to have a little bit taken out.

Any recommendations as to how much I should ask to be removed?

p.s. on the plus side, I've lost 8lbs this week (probably mostly water, I know) and haven't been hungry at all! Lol.

I've been too tight for two weeks now and have been hoping for it to get better. I have noticed that once I PB I cannot get anything down most likely from swelling. When this happens I try to stay on protein shakes and smoothies. Today, finally I was able to eat a salad with grilled chicken so I believe that it is getting better. If money is the issue I would just give it a little longer and treat your stoma with tlc. Just my opinion though as I am sure you will get many varying opinions.

few times ive been real tight i know when i follow what dr says 2 days liquids then soft 2 then food im alot better.i just went on shakes a week or so it lossened up,no way pay all that have take out ,i couldnt either

If you can't stay properly hydrated you are TOO TIGHT and risk a trip to your emergency room for liquids infused via IV. Call your doc, get just a LITTLE taken out (like .25 cc) and you will most likely be good. Don't wait; it could hurt you.

hi guys, thanks for your comments.

I went to the doctor and had .25 taken out so i'm now on 7.25 in a 10ml band. It feels soooooo much better already and I managed a 500ml drink in small sips with no problem almost straight away. And heck was I ready for it!!

I haven't attempted any real food as yet apart from a yoghurt but already it feels much much better.

It's amazing how a volume as small as .25 of a ml can make such a difference!!

Donna, I'm really glad you've managed some food finally - I hope it gets better. Two weeks is a long time to wait!

Anyway, thanks all. xx

Great! It's funny what a BIG difference a LITTLE saline can make when you are close to your "sweet spot"! :cool2: