unfill or?

Dear Cowgirl - I have been there a couple of times...the first time I pretty much lived on protein drinks for 6 weeks and lots of pain, I got a 1cc unfill and felt great for 6 weeks, had another fill of .75 cc and ended up being so tight I couldn't even swallow my own spit and was in so much pain I didn't care if I ever lost another pound, I just wanted the pain to stop...I went in for an unfill of .75 two days later and was so dehydrated I almost ended up in the hospital. We decided that I was too close to the perfect spot that I am going to have to use this as the tool it is and base some restriction on will power. It isn't easy, but nothing is worth my life or that pain again. GO IN FOR A Small unfill...even .5 cc can help and make the different

Hi Guys, how long does it take before a "too tight" band can cause damage? I'm thinking I'm too tight, but just got filled on the 15th so I was thinking of waiting a little longer to see if it loosens. My last fill took me about 2 weeks to adjust. Today, I still can only do liquids.........so far, but since the surgery I've only been able to do liquids only in the AM. I haven't had anything but liquids since last fill and they hurt, but stay down. Probably should get a slight unfill but 2 hour drive, gas prices, time off work etc. is making me think I should deal with it for a few more days and see what happens....will a few more days of being too tight hurt my stomach or start erosion?

Thanks to all that gave advice on this thread. After nearly two months of not keeping down any solids, I had been going back and forth on whether to wait it out until I lost enough weight to loosen the band a little, or to get a little taken out. I decided to get the unfill, and went in last week. She did everything under flouroscopy, and said that what I had looked really good, but suggested taking out just .1cc's which would take me from 2.1 to 2.0 (in a 4.0 band). Amazingly, that has made a HUGE difference! I was able to begin eating protein and vegetables the very next day, and haven't thrown anything up this week. The best part is, I've lost 5 pounds in just one week!!! I'm never hungry now, after being hungry all the time (because I couldn't keep ANYTHING down), and since I'm eating actual protein, I feel better. So, don't despair if you find yourself needing a little unfill. That doesn't mean you'll be gaining weight, or treading water until your next fill. It can actually help to make the band work better at times.

Thanks again for all the great suggestions.

Kristine
The Woodlands, TX (40 pounds lost since November, 2007)

People seem to have the impression that if they go in for an unfill, they will stop losing weight. Often it is the opposite. When you are too tight and need and unfill, your body is not going to give up any weight loss.

Many people have said that they went in for an unfill and started losing again. Getting an unfill does not mean being completely unfilled.
The tiniest of unfills can make the difference between being able to eat like a normal person or throwing up and sliming every day.

Retriction does not mean throwing up or sliming . It means being able to eat a small amount of food, and feeling full and staying full for a few hours. It is a VERY fine line between being too tight and the sweet spot. It took me about 8 fills and unfills to get it right.

Now that I am at goal, I haven't needed a fill or an unfill since December. I can eat anything I want, just not very much of anything.

If anyone can't eat all day long until evening, I am telling you this is not normal. It's normal to be tighter in the daytime, but not to the point where you can't eat.

Feel free to send me a private message if you are having problems
and wondering if you need an unfill. Being too tight is dangerous!

It may loosen up on it's own because as you lose weight, you lose part of the fat pad around the stomach. This causes the band to loosen. I was too tight for about 6 weeks where all I could get down was soup or
protein shakes. I talked to my surgeon and he said if it was going to loosen, it would have done so by that time.

If you are not throwing up, and able to keep soup and protein shakes down, you can give it about a month. If you get to a point where you
are having trouble keeping liquids down, go and get a slight unfill. These things cause swelling inside which just compounds the problem.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

I am dealing with the exact same problem... I PB or vomit all day long but dinner is USUALLY ok. I had a slip repaired a few months ago, so all the PB's kind of scare me. I might be able to do room temp water for the first few hours in the morning. A hot Carnation Instant Breakfast is doable during the day... but the problem is that I am so hungry by that time because I had been 'starved' all morning, that I over do it the rest of the day. I'm not even losing weight because of this. I do much better if I have 3-4 small meals/snacks spaced out. I used to do a protein shake for breakfast... but not a chance anymore! That comes straight up! I think what I am going to do is ride it out and just do liquids for a week or two and see if that helps the swelling to go down. If it doesn't I guess I'll ask for a partial unfill... but I am not at risk for dehydration... but I just don't want to cause another slip with all these PB's!

ImaKaren4U
Thanks for the support. I don't have a doctor's appointment until about 10 more days. I'll ask the doctor about an unfil. I've been thinking I might need a fill though because when I'm okay with eating (no pb or chest pain) I can really eat. I don't get full for 4 hours and I can eat more than a cup of food. Yesterday I ate 2 regular slices of pizza. So I feel stuck - which way do I go??? Anyone else with this problem??????

That's a hard call. It sounds like if you can eat 2 pieces of pizza you really don't need an unfill. Just go over everything with your doctor, what you eat, how much, etc, and let them decide

I do best when my band is loose enough to let me eat solids at night. 2 slices of pizza... that is not too loose for me. I would be happy at that level. If you can eat pizza, you could probably eat meat, veggies, fruit and other filling things. Oh I so long for real food! I'm sick of "baby food" type things.

Yes, the point of the band is to eat smaller portions, not throwing up, and not hardly being able to eat at all.

Hi Girls
My doctor showed up at the monthly support group today and of course I ran over to him to tell him what's going on. When I told him I could eat 2 slices of pizza , not be full for 4 hours like others, and the restriction has lessened with eating morsels on the fork (really morsels, like rabbit food) he seems to think I need a fill. Will talk with him further at appointment next Tuesday. It's been 3 weeks since my last fill and it's taken me this long to see how my body reacts. Wow this is a real task finding the right spot.