long night... too tight... trying to re-learn being banded... question about fills

Does anyone else have a hard time figuring out how good their restriction level is during a fill? My Dr has me drink some water and count how long it takes to pass. But I have the HARDEST time counting and figuring that out. So frustrating.

Yesterday I had my first fill since my port replacement. I was filled to 5.75cc and felt pretty good. I was able to drink a protein shake when I got home. Took me awhile to drink the shake but I didn't think too much of it... it has been so long since I had any restriction.

Later in the night I decided to have a greek yogurt. After 2 bites I was miserable. I stopped eating it and kept waiting for it to pass. I kept sliming.. and finally I had an urge that it was going to come back up. I PB'd on greek yogurt! Seriously? UGH.

After that it got progressively worse. I tried drinking hot tea to loosen things up and I couldn't keep that down either. I ended up spending the night spitting my saliva in a cup because I couldn't even swallow it. Disgusting!

I was hopeful morning might be better but I was worse this morning. Tons of acid reflux and I still couldn't swallow my saliva. I was really really miserable.

My surgeon was able to see me for an unfill... and removed .5cc. I still wasn't feeling really good about the time it took the water to go down ( so clueless on how to gage this!?) so I had him take out another .5cc. Now I am at 4.75cc in my band.

I am probably slightly loose right now, but I don't care. I am just excited to get some fluid in me. I lost 7 pounds since the weigh in yesterday. How insane is that? Amazing how much being dehydrated will influence the scale.

I was able to drink my protein shake on the way home... and am having no issues thus far. I am shocked that I was so tight with only 5.75cc in my band!! Before port replacement I was sure 6.5cc was around my sweet spot. I guess this is what it feels like to have a functional band. What a difference. I feel like I am learning to this all over again.

The counting thing with drinking water after a fill is silly so no reason to learn or perfect it.  Sometimes it takes time for a fill to "kick-in" so while you might be good at the office that may change when you get home. 

Unfortunately if you were fill sensitive before your port replacement, you will still be sensitive after.  This was my issue.  I too had port replacement.  My surgeon used to give my fills in really tiny increments like .1cc or .2cc  anything more would produce adverse effects like acid reflux, choking in my sleep, night cough.  I would go from loose to tight, there was no inbetween most of my Banded time.  I was not tolerable of those states at all and I would immediately run to my surgeon for an unfill.  My esophagus truly hated having something over it and in rebellion dilated twice - the second time not resolving with a fill.

I pray that your port revision allows you to get where you need to be with your health and weight.

Blessings,
Leila 

Thanks Leila...

This was probably the worst it has ever been for me. Spitting in a cup all night was no fun and choking on my reflux overnight was really scary. I Thought I was miserable back in December when I couldn't keep liquids down, but I wasn't refluxing and I could at least swallow saliva or hot tea!

I don't think my esophagus likes the band either... but I can't afford a revision, so I am going to try and make this work now that it is finally fixed.

I plan on having small fills from here on out. I don't want to play the put some in, take some out game. Frustrating.

Just work with the Band.  If you can keep on the looser side and incorporate Weigh****chers or something like it (any TOPS where you live?  or OA).  Exercise will be your saving grace too!  When I added these to my Band experience I had the most success AND it was the 3rd year of being Banded - down an additional 62lbs in 2008. So you can have a second chance with the Band. 

Here is me in my glory (May 2010) . . this is when I started to gain!  I want to taste this again.  It was the coolest thing to just wake up and have ANY size 8 jeans fit you.  No fussing in the morning about dress clothes or anything.  Smaller is the bomb.  I'm going to put on these Calvins again!  I feel nostalgic - I had a ton of free designer jeans from my sis.  I'm too practical for that type of spending.  Size 6 Ralph Lauren's!!!  It was crazy.

I think I am ready to rid myself of 80% of my stomach .

Good luck with the revision. I actually scheduled a revision to VSG and then due to other life factors, decided to go with the port replacement instead. I am motivated right now, which is something I have lacked since I started having problems with the band at the end of year 1. 

I really hope this time is going to work for me. Any more mechanical issues though, and I will most likely revise to VSG. It is hard sometimes to remember why I chose this procedure over the other options... but I had my reasons, and I need not to look back but only forward. I am going to work it. And I am GOING to be a success.

Size 8 Calvins. Wow. That would be amazing. Congrats on reaching that. You will again. What an awesome goal to strive towards reaching again.

I have never felt that, so I don't in some ways believe that is possible. For my body to get down to a size 8... seems unreal. 

It sounds like you 2 guys experience the exact same problem as I have been since 2004!. I've actually had my 1st band replaced due to a slip, but my problem is oversensitivity to fills I think and never seeming to be able to find the sweet spot. Please tell me what you think. I am either:

A. - too loose as in very tight in the morning with only coffee or juice going down and then very open by lunch and dinner as in as much of anything I want going down

or

B - very tight in the morning, liquids only at lunch, and mostly liquids or mushy foods at night with a lot of throwing up and a very occassional small meal going down at night like once or twice per week!

I have to drive 4 hours to my surgeon in Atlanta so you can imagine the misery, the money, and the number of whole days off from work I have ad to take over 5 years to work on this.

I have now actually waited another 8 whole months since my last unfill of .4 cc last June and have gained 24 lbs. just because I am terrified to get back into the whole throwing up 10 times a week thing or making another quick trip back miserable because even water won't go down.

Will I ever find a sweet spot??? Any suggestions are appreciated!

Well I just wanted you to know youre not alone, I've been in that same situation more times then I can tell you and it took me a while to figure out that I couldn't eat past 6:00 in the evening or I would be up with reflux. You said you ate yogurt that nite but even though its yogurt and you would think it would just go on down it doesnt, it's like our bands close for business at night and dont open up again until the next afternoon, well thats how mine works anyways. I cant even drink anything too late at night or I have reflux. So you might try not eating past 6 or 7:00 in the evening and see if that helps, just an idea. And I know exactly what you mean about the whole getting a fill experience, I have the hardest time trying to figure out how much I need even drinking water in the office cause as sure as I get home it tightens up and then Im throwing up the same water so I know exactly what youre talking about. I wish there was an easier way to know for sure the exact amount of a fill before you leave the dr. office but unfortunatley they haven't perfected that yet. I hope some of this helps, good luck! Heather P.