Question:
Band fill too tight?

I got my first fill on Monday and have not been able to eat at all and can only drink about a 1/2 oz. of liquids at a time. Is this normal? Do I need to have some removed? My doctor said to call him on Monday, but I don't know if I can wait that long.    — catkrazzy (posted on December 8, 2005)

December 8, 2005
I think that if you worried enough about what is going on with you, you should call your Dr. immediatley.
   — kizie23

December 8, 2005
Hey Catherine. One rule of thumb is, if you can't get liquid down readily, the fill is too tight. Sometimes fills will "settle" and loosen within a matter of days, but it is not advisable to keep a fill you feel is too tight. Call the doctor and tell him what's going on. Too-tight fills are a misery, and can lead to unneccessary complications. Also, if you haven't yet, visit the Band board here. There's lots of support there. :)
   — Jeanie

December 9, 2005
its probably too tight..BUT, if you can get down liquids there is no emergency....it may stink, but waiting until monday won't hurt you. the stomache is a sensitive organ, and you may have some swelling just from getting the fill, which may go down in a few days. I would wait until monday and see if its gone..think of this as bonus weight loss...because i guarantee you will lose a few pounds if you stick to liquids for a few days:) ps--although please don't misunderstand--don't keep a too tight fill because it forces you to not eat...that is not what the band is for and although you will hear of bandsters doing that, i think we are getting into eating disorder territory there...
   — jessicamegan

December 15, 2005
catherine, did you start your diet over? when you get a fill you must start your diet from the begining. start with liquids then mushy foods then advance as your band relaxes. I had the same problem with my last fill. I did start over and was doing well then I ate something that caused me to vomit and for 2 weeks got sick from eating some days were good and then i would try the same thing and i would get sick again, water was even difficult to drink. I was going to have my fill removed because i had a doctor appt on the following monday and just decided that I would go back to just slim fast and other liquids after drinking like that for about 3-4 days on friday i tried some chicken and it was fine and then I progressed my diet slowly over the weekend and by monday I was fine. I now can eat anything but bread. try sticking with the liquids for a few days to let your stomach rest and see what happens. when I drank the silm fast it was sips it would take me along time to get it down I did 3 cans a day and added some skim milk to thin it down. the low carb slim fast has 20 gr of protien per can and with the milk it gave me about 70 gr of protien a day and it helps keep the hunger away. when I told the doctor what I did he said any time you vomit or have pain with eating you should back off for a few days due to swelling around the band (it can happen very easily) he said He would have told me to do exactly what I did before he would remove anything. hope this helps. good luck cynthia
   — gurdy