Veteran Bandster - Tight One Day then Flood Gates Open the Next???

Nikki C.
on 1/30/12 4:43 am - Gaithersburg, MD
Not sure what's going on with my band  - trying not to freak out too much here.  I've noticed for the past two weeks my band has been so inconsistent! One day I have good or what i consider normal restriction for me and the next day it's like the flood gates opened, no restriction, eating faster, not chewing as much and starving with no issues!

The reason I am worried is because I had a stomach bug a few weeks ago and had some painful dry heaves.  Doc called in an rx of nausea meds and they stopped but I still had them inititally.  Never had a stomach bug like that since being banded over 2 years ago. So of course my worst fear from heaving is a slip or something.

Do I need a slight fill for those days recently when I'm just not getting full? Do I need to worry about a slip? All these thoughts racing through my head. 

Today for lunch I had a healthy choice meal and only got half of it down, but last night for dinner I ate ate swedish meatballs with some noodles - 3 meatballs - precooked size and the noodles and it just slid right down! I could have eaten more but I stopped. 

I generally do not eat pasta often because it takes me almost an hour to eat even the smallest portion but last night not one problem.  It actually felt like it was sliding down....no backing up at all which is usually my queue to stop and put the fork down and wait a minute.  I think I plowed through that bowl in 10-15 minutes. 

Not sure what to think.....trying to play it by ear though!  I did make an appointment next week for a fill just in case so I could get the time on the schedule I needed so I'm going to play this week by ear and see how it goes.  I wish my surgeon did fills under fluoro or had the option of doing fluoro on site but he doesn't.  That would certainly put me at ease but so much for that.  If a problem was supsected I'd have to go to an imaging center for a barium swallow first then an upper GI if necessary

Any thoughts? Similar stories to share about your varying restriction etc?


 


 

NanaB.
on 1/30/12 5:24 am, edited 1/29/12 5:24 pm
Restriction will never be the same every day, if you vomited this may have temporarily stretched your pouch, same goes with drinking carbonation, you may want to go back to liquids for a few days this may help shrink your pouch, if you are having reflux -- your pouch may be stretched, the usual treatment for pouch dilation is a complete unfill and rest for about 6 weeks and then resume back to slowly filling the band again.

But only looking at your band with an Upper Gi will tell whether your pouch is slightly dilated or if you just simply need a fill.
 Are you overall Happy with your Band and want a postive environment to stay on track? Join us and become a member of our Happy Lap Band Group Keep it bookmarked! http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/Happy_Successful_Banders/ 



Nikki C.
on 1/30/12 6:01 am - Gaithersburg, MD
NanaB - thanks for your reply.

I know my restriction varies from day to day but honestly it has never been this drastic which raised  a flag for me.  In your experience or knowledge of a "temporarily stretched" pouch, it can shrink if one doesn't continue to stretch it by overeating or drinking carbonation?

Any major problems with reflux have been ruled out with an Upper GI less than a year ago and the reflux I was having was not as a result of any band issues.  My band and pouch were fine I'm just prone to it and have to take meds for it everyday.

Also for someone so far out, I hardly have anything in my band - somewhere around 4cc depending on how much they extract from my tubing from the port.

I'm trying to keep my portions down and get in my liquids - I did a shake this morning ugh!

I'm still going to keep my appointment for next week and see how things go this week.  I'm hoping I don't need to treat pouch dilation or anything worse! 


 


 

MARIA F.
on 1/30/12 8:07 am - Athens, GA

Band restriction can vary from day to day, minute to minute. I call mine a psycho band. No rhyme or reason to the fluctuations it has! :-(

 

   FormerlyFluffy.com

 

Tiff tells all
on 1/30/12 11:58 pm - Ewa Beach, HI
RNY on 05/21/19
 Hey Nikki, no crazy shoulder pain or anything right? 

I have wildly varying restriction to but I think mine is due to inconsistent hydration. Ive always been this way and there is nothing wrong with it.

Better safe than sorry, I'd try to do soft mashies for a few days just to make sure all is calmed down in there. If you're eating hearty, then it sounds like it is already taken care off. I'm glad you are feeling better.

Tiff

Current MD- Dr. Mikami, Honolulu Hawaii

Lapband 14cc AP Lg in 2008- slipped and removed 2016 -VSG July 21, 2016-dx Gerd

** RNY Revision 05/21/2019 **

"A few drops of hope can water and nourish our garden" - Jean M

Nikki C.
on 1/31/12 12:10 am - Gaithersburg, MD
Thanks Tiff and Congrats on your pregnancy! 

No shoulder pain that is consistent.  I do get that from time to time but generally if I am out to dinner for a long period of time grazing and not realizing how much I actually ate until my shoulder is killing me!

I am trying to "take it easy".  Last night I felt restriction again and now this morning I had oatmeal and it didn't fill me up worth a damn.

Still trying to eyeball this and figure out my pattern here.  I wonder if my hydration has anything to do with it?  When you are hydrated you feel more or less restriction?  I feel like I never drink enough of anything!

When things don't seem right with this band - even after going on just about 2.5 years - I immediately get paranoid!  Because everyday is different with me, I don't always have the best band behaviors. I don't measure or count anything and generally eat when I am hungry and let my band tell me when to stop.  But mental control is having to kick in here in the past 2 weeks.  I'm still keeping my fill appointment and will decide 24 hours before hand if I'm going or not!


 


 

melly37
on 1/31/12 1:34 am - Rio Rancho, NM
VSG on 04/03/12
Hey stranger!

That is pretty much my life with the band.  It is frustrating and happens to tighten up when I am trying to do well with stickting to  good quality protein and veggies. 

I keep thinking of getting a slight unfill, just to hopefully stop my tight days from being TOO tight, but 8 hours of driving to get a couple of drops removed seems so drastic.  ha ha


  LapBand Surgery 01/10/08, Revison to Sleeve 04/03/12

Nikki C.
on 1/31/12 3:06 am - Gaithersburg, MD

Hey lady how are you?  I see your happy posts on facebook so it seems like you are doing well!  I've been doing good I guess.  Since september I lost around 30lbs an made it through the holidays!  I am around 25lbs to my very first goal I set when I started this....the weight on my driver's license which I was not at even at 16 when I got the damn thing LOL! I remember when I wanted to hit the century club and it seemed like it took forever...now I just want to get to onederland! 

You know I have always been paranoid - especially following your exps!  Plus the rough road I had the first year and a half! I know how much weight I have lost but I still feel "big" and by the standards I guess I am.  For my BMI I should get down to 140!  I can't even imagine 140 - I don't think I was 140 when I was ten.  The last weight I remember myself at was around age 11/12 and I was 155!!!! I would be elated to get to 165 but I think I will try to do a cartwheel WHEN I get to MY goal of 185!!!  I'm hoping i meet that goal by the first week in May which is my birthday...seems realistic to lose 25lbs in 3 months but we all know how hard it is!

I do feel like I need the support right now to get there and just in general.  i've never had a good support system around me which is one of the huge reason for my struggling journey! However, seeing my collar bones in a mirror though certainly makes things bit more real to me! My before photos are absolutely shocking to me!

 


 


 

Most Active
×