Upper GI and restriction levels?

Do you think an upper GI shows level of restriction accurately? I had one and the doc says the liquid went through quick so he filled me another 1cc. When i was at this level a few months ago my heartburn was so bad I thought i was having a heart attack so he slightly unfilled me.
Now I am back to the same level.
I just don't understand. Will I never find a happy medium? It's either pain, vomiting, gerd, heartburn or being unfilled 1 cc and feel nothing but hunger and no restriction.
My original surgeon moved out of state. This guy took over and i just don't trust his opinion. I have an appt next week with a more experienced doc *****vises bands to sleeves.

" It's either pain, vomiting, gerd, heartburn or being unfilled 1 cc and feel nothing but hunger and no restriction."

That is how it has been for me since the beginning.

Why not ask for very small fills?  I know people who are very sensitive and need only .1 cc fills.   I usually get .2 cc myself and .5 is a big fill for me.

Best of luck to you.

No, i don't!  Our bands are over liviing tissue and that means that the fluoro only shows the state at one particular moment.  Most of us find that our bands are tighter at certain times of the day, if we are dehydrated, TOM etc.. So whatever your state at that time is only at that time!

I get on well with the approach my own doc takes. He doesn't use fluoro but after the fill he gives me water; if that goes down fine, he gives me thick, smooth yoghourt. Then he asks me to judge how that felt. If I can eat half a large pot without discomoft but then feel full, we leave the fill at that level. It has worked fo me with every single fill!

Could your doc not do smaller fills? As little as 0.1cc is possible and for many of us can make all the difference.

Kate

When i have requested .25 fill he almost rolls his eyes and tries to persuade me otherwise. So I know less than that he wouldn't do.
I don't know why he told me the fluoro showed it was going through to fast if thats untrue,
This is why i am switching drs.

I'm no doc but having lived with a band inside me for 5 years, I know how tightness varies. If the doc did a fluoro on me at 3 in the afternoon, when I was well, not stressed and well hydrated, the liquid barium would go through vey much faster than it would just a few hours earlier!

Kate

 I've had that same thing happen to me a few years ago, either too tight or not enough...SO the solution was to change surgeons, to a BAND ONLY surgeon not a surgeon that still do RNY, SLEEVE or anything else they seem to be more dedicated to the band ....and now I have PERFECT restriction.   Some surgeons or assistants don't fill the band properly.

 I'm not sure exactly what part the level of restriction plays in inducing the stomach to produce too much acid.  I considered my level of restriction to be pretty good over the past year and a half.  It was a bit more snug than the first couple of years, but I was still able to eat just about any type of food, slowly, could eat breakfast, and rarely PB'd.  But, I had ongoing heartburn.  When I had it checked out, the barium swallow/upper g.i./fluoroscopy (why so many names for one procedure?) showed that my restriction level was fine, with fluid moving through readily.  However, since I had been having breakthrough heartburn, even while on a PPI, I was scheduled for an endoscopy.  The endoscopy showed a small ulcer, which the doc said was caused by excessive stomach acid.  I am unfilled completely and on a prescription PPI.  So far no more breakthrough heartburn, but the real challenge will be when I go off the PPI and/or attempt more fill in the band.  Fortunately, I'm in my goal range, so if I have to live the rest of my life with an unfilled band, that's OK with me.  

But, to answer your question, it's my belief that sometimes people have issues with excessive stomach acid regardless of fill level.  I'm not sure why, though, and I sincerely hope someone does a study on this issue.  I know a LOT of people without a band at all have the same kind of issues, so there's a good possibility that the *cause* is not band-related, but the *effect* of excessive stomach acid can be damaging to the band.  Regardless, it should never go untreated, because of the possibility of damage to the esophagus, and *possibly* facilitating band erosion.

I hope you're able to resolve your issues, and  find a happy medium, even if that means that you have to settle for less than "optimum" restriction with the band.  I can tell you this, even with no fill in the band, once I got back to eating whole, natural foods, limiting carbs, and drinking my water, I started to lose a few re-gain pounds.  If ultimately revision is your best option, I wish you the best.

Tami