Question about that "full feeling"

[Donna34]

OK, I've been banded for 5 weeks now. I really don't have any restriction, which is normal, but I have gotten some food stuck from time to time. I haven't PB'ed, but have come really close once. It was VERY painful, and I was at the point that I knew if I took one more bite, it was gonna be HORRIBLY PAINFUL, and I would most likely PB.

Is this what "feeling full" will feel like after I get a fill?? I know it is probably a little different, but I'm really wondering. Most of the time, when I have gotten something stuck, it was because I was in a hurry, and didn't chew enough, or maybe just FORGOT, to chew it good enough, and swallowed it too soon. Either way, it was BAD painful until it passed through the stoma.

So, for those of you who have been through this, what should I expect after my first fill?

Thanks,

Donna

[Donna34]

OK, I've been banded for 5 weeks now. I really don't have any restriction, which is normal, but I have gotten some food stuck from time to time. I haven't PB'ed, but have come really close once. It was VERY painful, and I was at the point that I knew if I took one more bite, it was gonna be HORRIBLY PAINFUL, and I would most likely PB.

Is this what "feeling full" will feel like after I get a fill?? I know it is probably a little different, but I'm really wondering. Most of the time, when I have gotten something stuck, it was because I was in a hurry, and didn't chew enough, or maybe just FORGOT, to chew it good enough, and swallowed it too soon. Either way, it was BAD painful until it passed through the stoma.

So, for those of you who have been through this, what should I expect after my first fill?

Thanks,

Donna

Nobody knows??

[KatieB]

Nobody knows??

Hi Donna,

I was banded on march 5th and had my first fill 6 weeks later and I feel no restriction at this time,and in fact the way my band is working is exactly like how you explained your situation.I wish I could give you some advise on personal experience, but unfortunately at this time I cant. Keep me posted on your fill , when you get it, and how it works for you.

[Kim927]

Hi, I think you've asked a good question. I can only speak for my experience, and don't know if it's typical, but I'm starting to think it is. I was banded on 12/1206, and had very little restriction before my first fill. I did feel like something was stuck a couple times before that, but figured I just didn't chew enough. I stopped eating and tried again a couple hours later. After my first fill 6 weeks later, I realized that my idea of feeling "full" was not going to be the same as what I felt before. I've found that the things I should be eating seem to get stuck after just a few bites, but the things I shouldn't eat can go down by the buckets full! Not that I'm eating buckets full, but sometimes more than I should of these things. Before this surgery, I thought that I would feel full on small amounts of food, regardless of what they were, but haven't found this to be the case, which is a bit disappointing. For me I find that I have to stop eating when I get the "things are about to get stuck" feeling. If I go past that, I do PB. If I eat the things I should be eating, especially my proteins, that happens fairly quickly, and I guess that's what it's designed to do, but sometimes my stomach is actually still rumbling and hungry feeling, and I can't get enough down to feel satisfied, so I just wait for a short period and try to eat a few more bites. I now know that I'm not actually going to feel "full" like I did before and have to recognize that when things are about to get stuck, that's my "full" sign. Sometimes it's enough, sometimes not, and sometimes it doesn't come soon enough! Like they say, this little band is fickle!! All in all, I'm down 37 lbs., it's going slower than I wanted, but I'm not giving up and I'm happy I did this, even when I'm dying to eat my half a chicken breast and it won't let me!! Hope I didn't confuse you too much! Good Luck!

Kim

[Pam P]

Hi, I think you've asked a good question. I can only speak for my experience, and don't know if it's typical, but I'm starting to think it is. I was banded on 12/1206, and had very little restriction before my first fill. I did feel like something was stuck a couple times before that, but figured I just didn't chew enough. I stopped eating and tried again a couple hours later. After my first fill 6 weeks later, I realized that my idea of feeling "full" was not going to be the same as what I felt before. I've found that the things I should be eating seem to get stuck after just a few bites, but the things I shouldn't eat can go down by the buckets full! Not that I'm eating buckets full, but sometimes more than I should of these things. Before this surgery, I thought that I would feel full on small amounts of food, regardless of what they were, but haven't found this to be the case, which is a bit disappointing. For me I find that I have to stop eating when I get the "things are about to get stuck" feeling. If I go past that, I do PB. If I eat the things I should be eating, especially my proteins, that happens fairly quickly, and I guess that's what it's designed to do, but sometimes my stomach is actually still rumbling and hungry feeling, and I can't get enough down to feel satisfied, so I just wait for a short period and try to eat a few more bites. I now know that I'm not actually going to feel "full" like I did before and have to recognize that when things are about to get stuck, that's my "full" sign. Sometimes it's enough, sometimes not, and sometimes it doesn't come soon enough! Like they say, this little band is fickle!! All in all, I'm down 37 lbs., it's going slower than I wanted, but I'm not giving up and I'm happy I did this, even when I'm dying to eat my half a chicken breast and it won't let me!! Hope I didn't confuse you too much! Good Luck!

Kim

Hi,

Ditto all your comments. I too have been trying to figure all this out. It's not what I expected, but I'm determined to make it work, since it seems to for many others and since I've spent a lot for the band. At first I thought it was just me, but now I'm finding other people having the same experience and asking the same questions. I was banded on 1/15/07, no restriction from that, and got my first fill on March 1st. I won't get another until after I come back from a three week trip to Paris, as I don't want to take the chance on complications from a too full band or whatever in a foreign country. When I come back in July I will go for another. Right now I'm at 1.8cc and have easily painful restriction on some foods and none at all on others. It seems possible that the people who don't do well with the band are the ones who don't learn that pre-full (pre-painful) feeling and resort to eating the things that don't give that problem, and probably too much like we have been doing all along. Just a guess at this point, but am thinking the idea is to have enough of a fill to give that "could easily be painful" restriction on as many foods as possible, while still being able to get some of all foods down, and then learning to recognize the new "full" one bite before and stop. I wonder though if I would ever consider this a "sweet spot". I would love to hear more comments from others.

[ms883]

OK, I've been banded for 5 weeks now. I really don't have any restriction, which is normal, but I have gotten some food stuck from time to time. I haven't PB'ed, but have come really close once. It was VERY painful, and I was at the point that I knew if I took one more bite, it was gonna be HORRIBLY PAINFUL, and I would most likely PB.

Is this what "feeling full" will feel like after I get a fill?? I know it is probably a little different, but I'm really wondering. Most of the time, when I have gotten something stuck, it was because I was in a hurry, and didn't chew enough, or maybe just FORGOT, to chew it good enough, and swallowed it too soon. Either way, it was BAD painful until it passed through the stoma.

So, for those of you who have been through this, what should I expect after my first fill?

Thanks,

Donna

Thank you all for the posts. I had my 3rd fill on Saturday. Almost immediately started to think that I was "too full." Everything seemed to come up - I would gurgle even when drinking water! (My husband explained the gurgling as a slow moving drain). Last night was the first food that I kept down. It took me 1 hour to eat 3 small bite size pieces of chicken, and 2 spoons of corn. I had to learn the very hard way that I must eat extremely slowly. I must pause between nibbles. This is not eating as I had learned, but a new way of life. It will take time.

Lynn