what's going on?

[Guest guest]

A few days ago, i had to move a lot of boxes, some pretty heavy. My port site has been very tender and I've had pain bending over or sitting too long. The pain/muscle part seems to be getting better, but..... I have thrown up everything I have attempted to eat today, even things that normally give me no problem.. salads, chicken, etc. Is it possible that I have hurt myself and there is swelling on the inside? And this may make my band more sensitive? UGH, this is no fun!

[Guest guest]

First, let me say this, I am NOT a doctor and I don't claim to be (unless I stay in a Holiday Inn Express the night before!l lol) BUT, it sounds like you may need a bit of an unfill. I keep thinking about dear Dr. Aceves and Dr. Campos. One thing I have learned from them is that even though we are on a quest to lose weight, we STILL need to have a quality life when it comes to our eating. We cannot let our bands keep us from eating foods or then we will bring about emotional issues that are sometimes the devil to deal with. Keeping a band too tight does not allow for this quality of life they talk about. We have to learn to enjoy our foods in much smaller quantities, sure, but we should be able to enjoy eating. With that being said....if I had to guess what is happening with you being tight and then not so tight and then tight again, it sounds like you are on a cycle that you need to break somehow. If

you are not so tight and you eat something that irritates your esophagus or your stoma, you slime or pb and then you become tighter. I have been in that cycle before as I would imagine many of us have been. When you do eat something that doesn't work with your band, stop eating. Go on liquids for several hours or even a day...maybe even warm liquids. Let your esophagus heal. Think of it like an aching, swollen, pulled muscle that you nurse back to health with a heating pad or trying not to use that muscle until it feels better. Treat your esophagus the same way. Strawberries are typically on my list of evil foods. I can eat one strawberry over the course of about one hour...taking minute bites at the time and eating slower than reasonable...therefore, they simply aren't worth it. Many fruits fall into this category. Be careful with fruits! For some reason, odd as it may sound,

I have found rasins and grapes to be the easiest for me to handle. In fact, those are the only fruits I can eat. I have not tried wings but I can't handle any other form of chicken so I am doubtful that these would work for me. I have seen the plate of food that posted and I haven't eaten that much food since being banded! I can't imagine eating a pork chop!!! I have basically given up all meats but that is by choice, really. I don't miss them at all. I was never a huge meat eater anyway. If I had been born a dinosaur, I probably would have been an herbivore! lol Some of us, maybe you too, really react to differences in our bands. My esophagus tends to get irritated easily if I don't take care of it. I have a 4cc band with less than 2 ccs of saline in it and I am really too tight right now myself whereas some people with the same size band have

way over 2ccs of saline and feel like they need more! Everyone is different and we just have to learn where we are most comfortable. I know I need a little less saline in my band and will get a slight unfill early this summer. I don't have a port right now so my band is inaccessible or I would have already had a slight unfill. I don't need nor do I want this much restriction. Will I gain back some weight? Maybe but then that is where I become responsible for making better choices and using my band as the tool it is meant to be. I would rather be able to eat more enjoyably and use a little self control in my choices than to be so tight that I can't get foods in comfortably. Does this make sense? I would consider a slight unfill. Don't make your life miserable. We shouldn't be miserable with our bands....that isn't how it is suppossed to work! Keep in

touch! Jenni Currie DOB 2/23/06 247/146/145 4 fills 2 unfills Temporarily Portless :)wannabeskinnychic <wannabeskinnychic@...> wrote: I'm having so many up and down days with my restrictions. I was banded in October and I've lost 45 pounds (no complaints) but I'll have like weeks at a time where I can't eat anything. Then...I go about a week with a comfortable restriction and WHAM back to not being able

to keep anything down. I have only had I had a fill, an unfill and one other refill so far. My husband says maybe I need to chew more but I eat SOOOO little at each meal I can't imagine that's possible. Today, for instance, at lunch I had 3 VERY small bites of salad (which never gives me trouble) and I chewed them to mush...and then three strawberries. I was so restricted and uncomfortable for almost five hours. For dinner, I tried chicken wings which usually I can get down and keep down two or three. I ate ONE wing and threw it up within 15 minutes. And I mean threw it up...none of that simple PBing...it's heaving. It's like a have a combination of what my fill doctor calls "first bite syndrom" which makes my stomach spasm after the initial bite...but it comes 15 or 20 minutes after I take the first bite...it's so painful I don't dare try a second bite. Do you think I just need an unfill or have I damged

something from vomiting?Help...love the weight lose but I would like at least a minimal amount of enjoyment from food again. I see the portion size that has on her website and I WISH I could eat that MUCH....I'd settle for that much of even one of the items she has on the plate.Helpless in wannabe land.

Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check out

new cars at Autos.

[Guest guest]

Jenni,

Thank you for the response. I guess you are right, I do need to pay

more attention to what makes my stomach react...but I also think I'd

better do an unfill. If you don't eat meat and fruits what does that

mean veggies and carbs go well for you? The only veggies I can

tolerate are lettuce and asparagus. I can't really do any carbs

anymore. This is all since my second fill so I guess that means I do

need an adjustment. Definately not at the sweet spot yet.

If you don't mind me asking, why are you portless?

> I'm having so many up and down days with my restrictions.

I was

> banded in October and I've lost 45 pounds (no complaints) but I'll

> have like weeks at a time where I can't eat anything. Then...I go

> about a week with a comfortable restriction and WHAM back to not

> being able to keep anything down. I have only had I had a fill, an

> unfill and one other refill so far.

>

> My husband says maybe I need to chew more but I eat SOOOO little at

> each meal I can't imagine that's possible. Today, for instance, at

> lunch I had 3 VERY small bites of salad (which never gives me

> trouble) and I chewed them to mush...and then three strawberries. I

> was so restricted and uncomfortable for almost five hours. For

> dinner, I tried chicken wings which usually I can get down and keep

> down two or three. I ate ONE wing and threw it up within 15

> minutes. And I mean threw it up...none of that simple PBing...it's

> heaving.

>

> It's like a have a combination of what my fill doctor calls " first

> bite syndrom " which makes my stomach spasm after the initial

> bite...but it comes 15 or 20 minutes after I take the first

> bite...it's so painful I don't dare try a second bite. Do you think

> I just need an unfill or have I damged something from vomiting?

>

> Help...love the weight lose but I would like at least a minimal

> amount of enjoyment from food again. I see the portion size that

> has on her website and I WISH I could eat that MUCH....I'd

> settle for that much of even one of the items she has on the plate.

>

> Helpless in wannabe land.

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Ahhh...imagining that irresistible " new car " smell?

> Check outnew cars at Autos.

>