Help!? New here and need advice

[rachelmom]

hi there. went last week for my first fill 5 weeks after the surgey back at the end of january.--followed doctors advice, but am having a VERY hard time eating solid foods after my first fill. i eat it. i chew it. i swallow it. and then in like 5 minutes the first waves of pain come. sometimes enought to make me want to vomit it up just to stop the pain. b.t.w. we are talking about tablespoons of food here, not big quanities at all..... i'm so frustrated and upset. if i would have known i wouldn't be able to enjoy food at all, i might not have done this. the first fill was 1.3 and she recommened i make an appointment for a second fill in two weeks which is this friday. i don't know what to do because i don't want the band to be loosened as after surgery and before fill-i.e. when no restriction i could eat whatever i wanted and was gaining weight (!), so i'm scared because i DO want to loose weight, i just don't know if this is normal? does anyone have any expereience with this or any advice? i haven't called the dr. b.c. i keep thinking i just have to get used to it and i keep thinking it will get easier, but it's not.

any help would be SO appreciated!!!

thanks in advance,

rachel

[Clynn]

If you are chewing to goo, eating slowly, and staying away from starchy, sticky foods and are still having problems then it sounds like you are too tight. Don't be afraid to be loosened because being too tight is counter-productive in many ways. 1) If you food intake drops way way down to almost nothing it will arrest your metabolism and you won't loose any weight despite the very low caloric intake. 2) Oftentimes when someone is too tight it is easier to eat high calorie liquids which the band is powerless against instead of the good nutritious foods you should be eating. 3) Being too tight can cause problems most notably being slippage. Nothing is gained by being too tight and what you are experiencing isn't the way it's supposed to be so don't be afraid to speak up.

Contact your doctor, tell them what you told us, and see what they think. If you look at the posts from many of the regulars on this board you'll see filling and unfilling is not uncommon.

Good luck!

[rachelmom]

ok. so how slow are you guys really eating and how little bites are we talking? i think i have been eating "normal" size bites, like a teaspoon at a time and chewing until rather pasty and then swallowing. is that too much or too fast? it seems to be worse when i am trying to eat like pasta in a sauce, or bread, or a piece of chicken? it seems like soft, and wet foods go down rather easily? will i never be able to eat normal foods again? sorry if i sound like i am wallowing a bit, it's just been harder than i imagined it would be. and b.t.w. i'm DYING to drink some diet soda lately.... and today i go back to my doctor and we'll see what she says but i'm going to be honest and tell her i'm hungry pretty much all the time, but that when i eat dry food it all gets stuck and really hurts and after a few mouthfuls i just stop not becuase i am full or satisfied but because i don't want any pain.

thanks so much for your support and advice, as a newbie here i can definately say you are all an amazing inspiration, and anyone who thinks the band is an easy-out has no clue just how much vigilance and sacrifice this entire journey requires.

may god continue to bless us all on our paths.

rachel

[Clynn]

There may be some foods you will have to give up but it is different for everyone. There is just no way I can eat pasta or bread at all. Starchy foods tend to swell in the stomach. That at the stickiness of bread and pasta cause those foods to get stuck immediately in my throat no matter how well I chew or how loose my band is. If a certain type of food is causing a problem then avoid it. Take small bites, chew slowly and thoroughly, and take a break between bites if you feel the food having some trouble moving past the band. Behavioral adjustment on your part is very important to make this work but if you're following these rules and still experiencing pain and vomiting, then it's probably time for an unfill. Talk to your doctor, be open and honest and don't be afraid to ask questions. This whole experience is a long process and rarely is it a straight line to the end.