I just threw up.

I am almost 8 weeks post-op.  I had my first fill a little over a week ago.  It's been kind of a rough week.  It was like relearning almost everything when it came to eating.  Stuff that didn't bother me before was starting to get stuck.  But every once in a while if I paid close attention and ate really slow and took tiny bites, I'd be ok.  But almost every time I ate, the food was getting stuck.  Well, tonight, I was stomach growling hungry, and we just got back from vacation today, so we don't have a lot of great food options in the house at the moment.  So I made myself a can of ravioli.  I took maybe 6 or 7 bites, then started hiccuping.  I just didn't feel right, so I ran to the bathroom, got that lovely "I'm about to throw up" mouth full of saliva, knew what was coming next, so I sat down next to the toilet, and up came my food.  It wasn't a very forceful throw up.  Whenever I've thrown up in the past from having a stomach bug, it's usually projectile, coming out of my mouth and nose type of grossness.  (Super sorry if this is TMI, I'm just trying to give you as much info as I can.)  But this was fairly calm.  Just did my business, left the bathroom, and about 5 minutes later my stomach was growling again.  So, my question is this, am I just having a hard time adjusting to having my first fill, or do you think he put in too much?  He didn't put in a lot at all, only 1cc.  But maybe it's more than I need??  I'm just really frustrated and keep thinking, if I'm going to feel this was for the rest of my life, I'd almost just rather get this thing taken out.  :/

Congratulations you've just experienced your first PB (productive burp) not really a vomit but more like a burp plus food. This is where we separate the girls from the women so to speak, from now on you will probably want to avoid anything like pasta, bread, rice or anything with a doughy texture as they will turn onto balls of glop and return. You probably aren't too full with just 1 cc so you are going to have to be very diligent about how and how much you eat from now on. Make sure you always have something that is easy for you to eat just in case you are having a bad day.

When eating make sure you cut your food in pencil eraser sized bites (I always do mine before I ever eat so I don't forget), chew until food feels almost liquid in your mouth before you swallow and make sure the bite is completely swallowed before you take another bite (put your fork down if you have to). This is how you will need to eat from now on. I'm surprised you weren't told this by your surgeon. Of course it takes practice but it beats PBing all the time. Now that you have PB'd it is best to do liquids only for at least 12-24 hrs to let your tummy rest so any inflamation can go down, if not you will just continue to irritate it and throw up more. This is your new life and you'll probably get used to it.

Everything Hislady said.  But, I was told to go back to protein shakes for 24 to 48 hours.  Not sure what size band you have and if the primed it during surgery.  Our center puts 3 cc in at time of surgery as to fill the tubing, this is in 10 to 14cc bands.  We didn't get our first fill until 8 weeks out and it was 3cc, I had a 10cc band.

Just make sure you follow all her advice from now on.

 I am going to disagree at least partly with the two previous posters. 

I do agree that after a fill we need to relearn eating. So at just a week after a fill, you may still be learning. But if it is only "every once in a while" you can eat a meal comfortably, then you are, in my view, too tight. 

We differ as bandsters in how we react to different fill levels. Some need less than others to get restriction. And some people believe that the band needs to be tight enough to physically stop them eating - as yours is doing now.

My optimal level is when I can eat normal food, as long as I do not eat too fast and as long as the food is not over dry or doughy.  Some foods require extra care but there are no foods I find impossible. PBs should be rare occurences as should any other discomfort.  PBs occur when we eat faster than food can pass through the band or when we eat food which is too large and solid to pass through. 

My last meal was a pork chop, probably about 4+ oz, two tiny new potatoes, a serving of fresh runner beans (do you call them string beans?). I didn't eat particularly  slowly but I have lived with my band for a long time and no longer take tiny bites as we need to at first.  I have got into the habit of putting normal sized bites into my mouth but I then chew, swallow a *****ew a bit more, swallow! 

So my view is that if this continues, you need a bit of saline removing. This is not how banded life should be.

I do not personally go back to liquids after a small, painless PB.  I would do so for a more painful episode which went on over any length of time. This has happened to me once. 

kate

I asked my dr what size band I have at my last appt.  I believe he said 10cc.  The band did come slightly prefilled, but I don't know how much.  1cc was all I could tolerate for my fill, that's why that is all he put in.  He tried to put more in but I couldn't even get   water to go down.  So 1cc was plenty for me this go around.  This week I will make an effort to concentrate on cutting my food tiny and chewing thoroughly and waiting between bites.  If I still have any stuck episodes or God forbid another PB, I will talk to my dr about getting a little taken out.  I know this is what I'm supposed to be doing, and yes, my dr did inform me.  But I honestly just forget sometimes.  If I'm real hungry or eating w/ other people, I'll just sit down and start eating then a few bites in I'm like, oh boy.  I'm still learning.  Try not to be too judgmental.  lol

It takes us all time to relearn eating, heck we've doneit all our lives right? We are only human and believe it or not some surgons really don't tell people how to eat they just say eat less. So just keep practicing. Kate is also right in that we are all different because even with my band empty now doughy type foods still give me problems, so while Kate is able to eat most everything I can't. It take trial and error to find each person's way.

For me, part of being successful with my band is not letting myself get too hungry, period.

You have to put yourself and your band first right now and get on a schedule so you are not in that situation.  You are still learning as you say, so please try to learn that one.

Also, social eating for the first few months was really hard and I pretty much stuck to soups or mushy food (chili, tuna salad, efc) or I ate before everyone else and then sipped my beverage while they ate.

it took months to learn how to successfully eat with others and carry on a conversation and take small enough bites of appropriate food.

you are in a learning curve, as you said .... Please take this time to weigh and measure your portions and cut tiny, tiny bites and eat carefully.  Stop when the food runs out (the small portion) or when you feel any type of 'soft stop' such as burping or hiccuping or a runny nose ... Those are all subtle signals that your pouch is full ... Even if there is food left on your plate.

Put the food away and wait about 20 minutes to see if you want or need more.  I would say that 90% of the time, or more, I did not go back for more.

after 20 minutes, my brain and stomach realized that I was satisfied.  Not full, not stuffed, just satisfied.  That is the beauty of the band when it is working.  It lets me eat and dims my appetite after a small amoun

Same here Kate.  Even unfilled I couldn't eat doughy bread or regular bites of chicken.  

HHislady and Pineview,  I am one of the lucky ones, I know! For me the band does just what it is supposed to. It must be awful to have problems even when the band is empty.  In the OP's case, she does have the flexibility to go down a level if necessary and it is my personal paranoia that we should never, if it can be avoided, be so tight eating is difficult. 

Hugs, Kate

Yes, she canmove down and if she is eating properly, she should get some out.  She may be one of the ones like me that if I got a fill, even .5 cc I would swell and .25 would have to come out.  They had me down to .25 fills and I would get to tight to swallow.  Two weeks later when the swelling went down, I could eat anything again and would always be hungry.  I should never have had a foreign object implanted in my body.