How the band changes with stress/TOM/sickness

[Rhondasue]

Hello All,

As I read through the posts I see a lot mentioned about the how the band can seem tighter even though there has been no fill, how the band tightness changes with body and hormone changes and even due to stress.

Is this totally random and unexpected or can it be predicted and planned for in regards to food choices.

I lead a terribly structured life due to my work and family commitments....( single mom of three boys) and I want to understand how much "upredictability" I am in for. I work over patients all day ( I'm dentist) and I cannot afford to be sick/pbing/sliming or whatever all those other things are that happen when something doesn't go right with the food choices.

Is this all just random and trial and error experience? How long does it take to work out the kinks in how to

work with your diet/band?

Thanks for your help!

Rhonda

[JazzyJude]

EXCELLENT post Evette! I couldn't have said it better!

[Rhondasue]

Hello Rhonda!

It sounds like you live a structured/active life, you're always on the go. When the band gets tighter due to stress, it all depends on your tolerance and how you let things affect you. For instance, someone can become stressful over spilling coffee on themselves, whereas I could laugh it off. See what I mean?

Right now, I am getting over a flu, and also have a 2nd interview with a company and just told my VP of my department about it. To me, that is stress! I can't eat much especially when the old me wants some comfort food. Hehe.

With TOM, you automatically know that you are going to be tight, so it's planned.

But with the tightness, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to be PBing a lot. It is trial and error in the beginning, but once you can listen to your band (and body) and know when to stop, you will have better control over it.

When food gets stuck, a PB is not projectile. Rather, you have time to excuse yourself and casually walk to a bathroom so I wouldn't worry with patients so much.

As far as working out the kinks, it depends on when you start practicing. Before your pre-op diet starts, you can begin using a salad plate versus a dinner plate, eating your proteins, veggies, and carbs in that order, and eating tiny peices, not drinking during eating and noticing the first sign of fullness, for example, a sigh. Once you're banded and are allowed solid foods, you should do the same even before your first fill.

Hope this answers some of your questions, and I am sure others will add to it.

Thanks so much for this info.....especially the part about no worries with projectile upchucking.....I really didn't know what people meant by the....PBing thing.....is it just small amounts of vomit in your mouth as it comes back up? I am good at following directions usually as long as they can fit into a busy life:))

I loved your suggestion about practicing before hand......I hadn't thought of this....great idea....start slowing down and eating less. I start the pre-op diet on the 12th Dec, but I could start eating my normal food now in a different way and see what happens. I was just going to go from eating to protein shakes , but I like the idea of a gradual slow down. Thanks again for the clarification and suggestions.

Rhonda