Really bloated & liquids going down very slow - TOM? Slight unfill or wait it out?

Help?
My last fill was almost two weeks ago.  I was able to do liquids & mushies no problem.  Somewhat able to advance to regular foods with chewing and taking a LOT of time to eat it.  But I'm concerned I'm not actually getting enough calories?  I started weighing what I've been eating & it's not meeting the serving size for a bandster.

Yesterday had a caffeine free/sugar free mocha (didn't finish & it was only a "tall");  A few bites of chicken for lunch, and could only get 1 & 3/4 bottles of water down (I usually get at least 4/day down) if I sipped them slowly. 

This morning it took about 2 hrs to get a protein drink down.   I'm able to sip my coffee.  Still working on yesterday's bottle of water.

Called my MD's office.  My nurse is checking with the doctor.  Said they may leave it up to me on if I want to stick it out with liquids over the holiday weekend or if I want to have a slight unfill.  I hate the thought of a slight unfill, but I'm having a stuck/full feeling for about 10 min after each sip of water or coffee.   Ultimately?  I don't want to screw up my band.

Help please?

It sounds like you are too tight.  I had a fill last summer and it became too tight after 4 weeks. I blamed it on the heat.  I had a slight unfill.
If you cannot get down more than a few bites that is not enough.  You should be able to eat 1/2 cup of food.

Thanks SoulSister.  Maybe I'm just expecting too much out of the band.  I got the last fill cuz I was at a short plateu & feeling a little hungrier.  But honestly I've really not been putting in max effort on exercise. 

With our hosp only two blocks away, I went ahead & went over for the tiny unfil.  She only took out about .25cc's and I was able to slam a bottle of water.  Didn't realize how really thirsty I was! 

Get the slight unfil.  Even .25 can make a big difference.  You don't want to risk it over a long weekend!  Life is too short to live with a too tight band.  2 weeks out from your fill you should be able to eat 3 oz of dense protein per meal!

Get in there Ambelina!  I don't want you to have an emergency over the weekend!

Lisa O.

Thanks so much Lisa!  I was hoping you'd be online this morning.  I walked over feeling sorry for myself (my own personal pity party).  They took out the .25 or .3 cc's, and I was able to slam almost a whole bottle of water right there. 

I gave myself a good "talking too" on my walk back.  I was so quick to jumping to this being a failure - Little Miss Chicken Little with the "sky is falling".  But it's really just another learning experience. 

So my plan at this point is to boost up exercise & start weighing/measuring ALL of my portions to make sure I'm getting enough protein. 

Btw, did you ever have times where you'd have best restriction in the mornings/afternoons & less restriction in the evening?  That's how I was before my last fill. 

Thanks again.

I had a slight unfill today too and my symptoms were the same as yours...I think we made the right decision.  I feel better about going into the weekend less miserable. 

It's hard not to see the unfill as a "failure" or a "punishment" but Nikki always says that you have to get to the point of being too tight to realize it, then back down a little bit from there.  It's a learning momen and we should take it as such. 

I have GREAT restriction when I wake up...and then my band gets a little looser throughout the day...but I still feel like I have good restriction.  Yesterday, when I was too tight, I couldn't even ge****er down comfortably.  I am so much happier now. 

Have a GREAT weekend!!

Wow, we really are at the same point today!  When I started having trouble getting water down was when I became more concerned & a lot less confident going into a holiday weekend. 

Good for us on a hard decision!!!

We are all different.  You'll find different points of view from us.  It's really important that you are getting in enough fluids and protein and following your doctor's advice.  Is it possible that you are irritated?  Were you maybe trying a little to hard to get your calories in?  Irritation can cause swelling and therefore a feeling that your band may be too tight.

If what you are experiencing persists, you may want to get some fluid taken out.  if this happened to me early in my journey, I probably would have had fluid removed (recognizing that I might be back asking for another fill in a week).  Now that  Ihave more experience, I would probably wait it out over the weekend and see what happens, as long as I knew I had emergency access in case I couldn't get enough fluids.    I hope this helps.  Keep us posted!

You're right about different points of view from members, but that's one of the things I look forward too when I post a question.  I thought about waiting it out over the weekend.  Since I could barely get liquids in, I decided to head over.  They took out between .25 & .3 cc's & I was immediately able to drink water at a rate higher than a sip.  I just hate unfills - even slight unfills.  Mentally, I feel like they're a setback. 

Your post did help.  Thanks!

I'm really gald you are feeling better.  Please don't think of this as a setback!  You know this is a journey.  Slow and steady does win this race.  I've had my share of fills and unfills.  I still got to goal and i'm still maintaining a healthy normal weight at 4 years out.  We learn so much about ourselves, how the tool works, how we work our tools, and how we work with our doctor and support team from each of these experiences.

Have a great weekend.  Let me know how you are doing over the next few weeks.