To former bandsters: still eating 'till you regurgitate?

I got my lapband in Nov of 2006 and after six or eight months i had it filled too tight and I began regurgitating (also called "productive burp" or throwing up).   Eventually the band slipped this year and I'm one month out of revision to RNY.  I regurgitated constantly during the 5 years I had the band.  I'm telling you, it is the strangest thing to be so full you are throwing up but still want to -- and DO -- eat more. 

Now that I have the RNY, I am SO afraid that my old habits will rear their ugly heads and I'll once again ignore those "pouch full" signals.  I have found in the past month that even though I stop well before I think I'm full (using my doc's portion size guides), I feel like I can eat LOTS more.  On a very few occasions I ate a little more than the correct portion size, only to feel uncomfortably full more than 20 minutes later.  Once a little bit came back up.  I've not had any foamies, food intolerances, or gagging. 

If you are a veteran band-to-RNY postop, can you tell me how it is in the long run adapting from the band to the RNY?  Ignored for so long, how do you now pay attention to those full signals?  Right now I'm being really vigilant about not overeating, but what will I do in a few more months?

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

Ramie A

I am not a revision but have found that if I do not listen to those full signals, I will end up puking everything back up. It took me about 4 mo to figure them out and now they are clearly defined. Good Luck

No revision, just RNY.  I haven't vomited yet.  I do try to stick to my guidelines but I can guarrentee (sp) you that I have overeatten and was miserable, just never threw up.  I don't have clear full signals until it is too late.  Then I can have my nose run, burp, hiccup or just feel horrible.  My best bet is weighing or at least doing my best quess at a serving, then don't get more.  Sometimes I do feel like I can eat more or even just want to eat more.  I stop, knowing I can eat again soon if I am really still hungry.  I find my initial portion serving is key to making it work.

Sorry, but I never had the band either.  I'm guessing that since you had the revision you desperately want it to work this time.  I never really went by portion sizes but I did listen to my signals.  I used to hiccup when it was time to stop and if I took one more bite I got the foamies or I was so miserable that I had to lay down. At 3 years out my hiccups usually don't start until I've taken a bite or two too much so it's up to me to pay attention to how much I can have. 

My tool and signals worked for a couple of years.  I took advantage of that time to learn to be satisfied eating small portions.  I've found that small portions about every 3 hours works the best for me.  I also drink at least 4 protein drinks during the day.  I've found that if I get my protein through drinks then I don't think about food as much.

 I tell myself that  if I  allow myself to puke ...  thats the beginning of the end for my RNY- because im stretching out my stoma / giving myself ( again )   a hiatal hernia .  

SNEEZING  shuts me down !!  ( do lapbanders sneeze  when theyre overfull ?   )    ...  if that doesnt work or i ateTHAT fast  im often on my back on the floor saying OW OW OW  .... 

U dont have to do that TOO  many times to stop overeating  lol 

I think U will findthr RNY is a HUGE blessing in the short term (  3 years or less)  ....  i cant say about later cuz I havn't gotten there  yet  myself... 

ALSO   IMPORTANT - take Ur vitesand protein  every single gosh darned DAY  !!   Cravings  WILL  make ANYONE  even the sanest of us  act CRAZY  lol ! 

 I revised from band to RNY  a year ago.  As you can see from my weight loss I have not been vigilant about staying away from carbs (or other slider foods for that matter.)  However, I have only thrown up twice with RNY, both from eating tiny bits of lamb early out.  That is the only vomiting I have had, compared to almost daily vomit with band.  And I do mean daily!

I do not have a clear full signal, until it's too late, at which time I feel pretty darn uncomfortable, but still no throwing up.  Although I don't dump exactly, I definitely have lots of gas when I eat too much fat or sugar.

With lapband I couldn't keep anything except the bad foods down.  With RNY I have to be careful because I can keep it down.  
Hope this helps
Janet

That does help!  It helps so much to hear that someone who had as much trouble with her band as I did can and does fairly consistently follow the rules.  I blamed myself for failing the band for so long that the doubts continue to creep in. 

I think I'm going to cross post on the Revision board to see if I can get more input.  Thanks for all of your encouragement!

Ramie A

 

 Well I sure know that feeling!  The psych at my RNY doctors office even implied I would fail with this too.  Clearly someone who hadn't ever experienced the band!  It turns out that every friend I have, who has had the lapband, even those who lost weight, have had problems.  And the ones who didn't throw up constantly never ate anything at all.

I've decided to take my slow weight loss in stride.  It has given me an opportunity to adjust to being somewhat normal sized without the radical changes that happen to those who lose faster.
You are doing all the right things, enjoy the feeling of never having to worry if this bite will send you running to the bathroom for hours! 
Janet