I've asked before but I'm still confused....

[CindyLou]

Ok, so I sit down to eat and every time the first few bits bet STUCK. I then get u and walk and move side to side and I can hear it gurgling down....sometimes I PB with little effort...totally controlled though...I just push a little and it comes up. Then I sit back down to eat and all is well. In fact once that happens sometime I can eat more than I would think I should be able to eat without what I would imagine is good restriction. It's almost like it clamps down when food first goes down them lets up. After the first few bits of being stuck the the eating is normal as long as i am chewing correctly, which I do religiously.

I am getting hungry between meals and though I am losing, not as fast as many of you. I've been choosing my foods more wisely lately hoping to put off a few lbs before my class reunion in Oct. I called the clinic but we keep missing each other when he calls back.

But does this mean I need a tighter fill, an unfill, or nothing. I made an appt for sept 12 at 1030 for a flouroscopy to see if they can tell. I read that is there was even a little slip it could cause a little pouch budge that could be catching that first bite and causing the spasm. Anyone have that? I certainly don't want a complete unfill. I know I might need a little unfill and I will go with their advice.

Any ideas???? Oh, and what I eat doesn't matter. It can be anything from pudding to steak. Still gets stuck....then with movement and a little burp or hiccup, and an occasional, it's all fine.

Please help anyone! Do you think I may have stretched my pounch?????

[Lindsay]

it sounds like you're either taking too big of a bite .. or you're just too tight.

another thing you should try: drinking something warm. (ie a cup of tea)

I always find that 'primes' my stomach for eating, and helps things go down a lot easier.

[Smiley]

My first thought is that you are too tight. Getting hungry in between meals can be normal, especially if you are PB'ing part of your cup of food as you probably are not getting a full cup of food. I still get hungry in between meals, but as long as it is at least 3-4 hours after I have eaten before I get hungry I don't worry about it as there are very few non-banded people out there that could go 3-4 hours on just a cup of food. As long as you have stayed within the cup of food I wouldn't think you would have stretched your pouch, but just be careful during the times when you say that it seems like you can eat more than you think you should be able to. Those are the times to definitely stick to your one cup maximum. I don't really have a sign that I am full or getting full, so if I don't stick to a cup I can and eat forever as long as I am careful.

[CindyLou]

I can eat way more than a cup once the first few bites are down. I am chewing A LOT. And taking TINY TINY bites. It's conflicting signs. Too tight but then I can eat too much. I don't get it.

[JudiM]

I have the same problem - but I don't PB. I have just learned to take one very, very small bite, then wait a while - maybe 5 minutes or so, then take my second bite and wait the same. After that I am ok. That is why I hardly eat out. When we do, I always ask for a carry out container and when my food arrives, I put most of it away and maybe end up eating just a couple of bites over the next half hour. Then when I get home, I can eat. If I don't wait, then I am sitting there hurting. I have had just 2 fills, but I still think I need the 3rd (scheduled for the end of next month) because once I do start to eat, I have to control how much I eat - I never feel full. It has been this way since I was banded and my 2 fills were in TJ under floro and nothing wrong has showed up.

Judi

[wild6]

Ok, so I sit down to eat and every time the first few bits bet STUCK. I then get u and walk and move side to side and I can hear it gurgling down....sometimes I PB with little effort...totally controlled though...I just push a little and it comes up. Then I sit back down to eat and all is well. In fact once that happens sometime I can eat more than I would think I should be able to eat without what I would imagine is good restriction. It's almost like it clamps down when food first goes down them lets up. After the first few bits of being stuck the the eating is normal as long as i am chewing correctly, which I do religiously.

I am getting hungry between meals and though I am losing, not as fast as many of you. I've been choosing my foods more wisely lately hoping to put off a few lbs before my class reunion in Oct. I called the clinic but we keep missing each other when he calls back.

But does this mean I need a tighter fill, an unfill, or nothing. I made an appt for sept 12 at 1030 for a flouroscopy to see if they can tell. I read that is there was even a little slip it could cause a little pouch budge that could be catching that first bite and causing the spasm. Anyone have that? I certainly don't want a complete unfill. I know I might need a little unfill and I will go with their advice.

Any ideas???? Oh, and what I eat doesn't matter. It can be anything from pudding to steak. Still gets stuck....then with movement and a little burp or hiccup, and an occasional, it's all fine.

Please help anyone! Do you think I may have stretched my pounch?????

Cindylou~

It was as if I was writing your question.....I am exactly the same! I have only been banded since March 27th, 2009 and have lost 26 lbs....and I am continuing to lose but it did worry me at times. I would think that my band had slipped but I would ask my mother-n-law, who is a doctor and has had the lapband for over 3 years in the States but now refers to Dr. Ortiz, if she thought I had slipped. She assured me that it is really very hard to have your band slip and there are some stories out there but that what we are doing is sometimes a little bit normal. Since that talked I have started losing more weight. She said to do soups and foods like that for a couple days because it may be irriated.

Anway, I am glad that someone else feels the way I do at times.....my friend that was banded with me NEVER feels like this. I guess we are all a little different.

Enough of my blabbing...good luck with the weight lose for your reunion.

[dawns]

Hi CindyLou,

I do this also. However I have discovered that if I drink something warm right before eating, it helps a lot! The other thing that I have noticed is that if I start out eating standing up, I don't have any problems. I think that my torso is shorter so things get clogged easily when I sit and eat at the very beginning. I know that sounds weird but oh well what can I say.

Congrats on your weight loss.

dawn

[ggdiva99]

I too am the same way - those first couple of bites no matter what they are - are just a pain in the booty! I'm so used to it now that I just plan on the beginning of my meal taking at least 10 minutes, then after that just like you I can usually finish the rest. This makes eating out a lot of fun! LOL Keep up the good work though, honestly its amazing what you can get used to. Its just the way I eat now. =D

[IrishRN]

I can eat way more than a cup once the first few bites are down. I am chewing A LOT. And taking TINY TINY bites. It's conflicting signs. Too tight but then I can eat too much. I don't get it.

Understand. I feel the same. I'm going into the OCC on Monday. I'll let you know what they say. I feel I need a little more restriction in between meals.

[CindyLou]

I think it has something to do with whether I am sitting or standing too! If I start the meal standing then it doesn't happen. I do think I need a fill as I am able to eat a lot more than a cup of food at each sitting. I ate a whole tuna sandwhich today and barely felt full. So I go in next saturday and I am looking forward to it!