Do you swell with a fill?

[DonnaB]

OK, I'm really getting tired of this. I got a fill on Tuesday .4cc's. While I was getting the fill, the PA said, several times, "This is the PERFECT level of restriction," while I was swallowing the barium. I was fine in the doctors office while I drank my water. I stayed there for about 20 minutes just to be sure.

Shortly after I got home, I began to have trouble getting water down. It goes down, hits the choke and hurts, then gurgles past with a little bubbling noise. I decided to take some liquid Tylenol to help reduce swelling, but as soon as I took a sip, I began to slime. I tried really hard not to to heave, but after about 20 minutes of pacing and sliming I finally couldn't keep from it. I didn't bring up anything, just heaved 3 times. It really hurt.

All I can think is that I've got a very sensitive stomach and when I get a fill, it swells up in reaction.

This is the second time this has happened to me. I get a slight fill and then a couple of hours later, I slime over water or broth. I don't know how I'm going to find the proper restriction if I can't get a small fill without swelling to the point of blockage. I've been trying to wait it out for a couple of days on just water and clear liquids, trying to see if the stomach swelling will go down and I will actually HAVE that "perfect level of restriction," but I'm afraid I'm going to have to go for an unfill. Worst of all, the F-ing doctor is the one who does fills on Saturdays and I won't let that man ever touch me again after my first nightmare fill from him! Which means, I won't be able to get in for an unfill until Monday. If I have an unfill on Monday, I'll miss my first period class. I wonder if I can make it till Tuesday for the unfill.

I'm so miserable right now.

[DonnaB]

Nobody? No one else has this problem? I guess I truly am unique. Too bad it's not in a good way.

[mini_me]

gosh, i don't have that problem at all. if anything, i am the opposite. they fill me, and it looks tight on the flouro, i drink at the office and things seem adequately restricted, then i get home and eat the a$$ end of an elephant with not prob.

well, good luck with that. i hope the professionals are able to help you get it sorted out.

[MiaHalliwell]

I don't have that problem. I am always afraid when I have a fill that I will, but I always end up being able to eat just fine. I actually almost have the proper restriction. Maybe .4cc's more. I hope all goes well for you, keep us updated.

[LindaV]

Oh Donna you must be miserable. How much of a fill did you get? Can you take a liquid anti-inflamatory like advil. I know some doctors tell bandsters not to take it but mine is fine with it so I do use it sparingly.

I hope you are feeling better soon!

[Clovermeg]

I was just gonna suggest, tylenol won't work to reduce swelling, it's just a pain reliver, (from what I understand from the PDR) and an anti-inflammatory will work MUCH better! I hope you get some relief! :)

[DonnaB]

Thanks everyone. I didn't realize that Tylenol isn't an anti-inflamatory. *sigh*

I called the doctor's office this morning and the office was closed. The answering service didn't know if they opened today at all and they offered to page the doctor, which I agreed to. He never called. The answering service followed-up to see if he called and offered to page him again, which I declined. Like he was really going to do anything for me anyway! What a jerk. I wish his PA would go work from someone else so I could be funding a doctor who actually cares about his patients. With my luck, she'd go to work for a doctor who won't see Mexican surgery patients. I guess I should just be glad I get to see her - no matter who gets the benefit of my $. What a jerk. I'm really glad he's not my surgeon.

I was able to get down about 1/4 cup of cottage cheese today, in addition to my chicken broth, but I'm still uncomfortable and I will be going in for a slight unfill. I had 1.2cc's in a 4cc band. I got a .4 fill which takes my fill level to 1.6cc's. Too tight. Maybe 1.4 will be good. But it's not going to happen until Monday at the earliest.

[barbara465]

I react to a fill about 6-9 days later. I can drink the barium and it looks like I'm wide open. Then wham. I PB on soup and can't recover. After a few days of not being able to tolerate liquids I go in for an unfill. The fluro shows no blockage, but when they unfill me, instant relief.

I think some of us are just more sensitive. I didn't swell after surgery and was hungry from the beginning. Whenever I try to get a decent fill its just too much. Now its going to be .3 for me each time until I get to the sweet spot.

I also run a little fever several hours after a fill or unfill. I get real cold and tired. If I'm home I can wrap in a cover and take a little nap. Doesn't work that well if I'm at work. Now I schedule my appointments for later in the day so I can go home.

Also, I'm on clear liquids for up to 3 days and mushies for 3 days. Don't eat anything on the day of the fill and nothing cold.

Hope this helps and that you are feeling better now.

[NotSoFunny]

if you can get down the cottage cheese try upping your water intake to a whole lot! this will help with swelling in the stomach as it makes your boy's cells replace its water. try this and hopefully it will help to get the swelling down and leave you with a good fill. i am so sorry this is happening!

[DonnaB]

Hey everyone!

I went and had a slight unfill - I'm back down to 1.4cc's. I'm with you Barbara .2 - .3 per fill from now on, MAX, no matter what the doctors' office says.

Even though I was finally able to get down some cottage cheese yesterday, I was literally eating it 3-4 curds at a time! No. That doesn't work for me. That and anything at all thick was causing pain, so I went for my unfill.

I'm still having a little discomfort in the sternum area (I'm probably still a bit swollen), but now I can drink water without pain and I actually ate some refried beans for dinner tonight - it was like heaven. Hopefully the pain at my sternum will be gone tomorrow or the next day. We'll see. It's still loads better already.

Thanks for all your support, it really does make a difference to have someone to talk to that completely understands what's going on.

[NotSoFunny]

i am glad you got the unfill. that was fast. i hope the pain and swelling goes down. just keep drinking the water!!

[HeatherGurl]

I guess I caught this at the tail end... but I am glad to hear you are better!

[barbara465]

My doctor recommends liquids for 3 days and mushies for 3 days, for unfills and fills. I usually do mushies after a unfill because I haven't eaten in a while. That seems to work for me and the swelling goes down fast. I can actually feel the relief as soon as they unfill me. I can chug a bottle of water, when before the unfill, I couldn't get a sip in. Our bodies are so weird!

Glad you are feeling better after the unfill.

[DonnaB]

I held off on the unfill for 7 days. If it ain't unswollen by then, it ain't gonna! 7 days is a long time to take in under 100 (under 50 for the first five of those!) calories per day.

I'm back down to 1.4cc (my original first fill amount!) and am easing into mushies per my fill doctors' instructions. Cottage cheese going down easier, but still not a piece of cake.

Mmmmmm. Cake.

Doh!

[DonnaB]

Hi everyone, I thought I'd come back and give y'all an update.

I'm doing well. After my swelling went down I felt like I could eat just anything. It's so frustrating to get a "perfect fill" and have it hurt for so long that you have to get an unfill, only to have too little restriction! Fortunately, I had the experience that a lot of bandsters report - my fill "kicked in" at about 6 days post-unfill!!!! How crazy is that? Can you imagine what would have happened if I hadn't got the slight unfill! I don't even want to think about it!

I've had good restriction for a few days now and I'm not hungry AT ALL. I've been keeping busy with school and I find myself at 5:00 pm realizing that I haven't eaten all day. Wow, that hasn't happened in a long long time! When I'm sitting around the house I still want to eat but it's really just boredom.

I dropped about 10 pounds in the 7 days of being overfilled which I assumed was mostly water. While I haven't gained any of that back, I'm haven't lost any more either. I think my body/fluid level is catching up to that rapid 10 pound drop. Hopefully when everything evens out I'll start losing at a steady, sustainable pace. For now, everything is good.
Fingers crossed.

[mysherrijo]

I'm so glad your better. I would do the fill you feel comfortable with and not them. Dr. Curry always ask me what I think I need and then he'll tell me what he thinks and we usually cut it right in the middle. I like how he is somewhat aggresive. I got my 3rd fill yesterday and it was .4 and puts me at 2.65 in a 4cc's band and it so far is perfect. I just hope it stays that way.

Happy healing and losing. Hope you have no more trouble.

["Just" Paul]

My doc NEVER discusses the numbers with you during the fill. He and I work in conjunction to a comfort and restriction level ONLY. I find out the volume AFTER he is done.

The number means nothing, the comfort and restriction are everything. Too many bandsters are obsessed with the number (volume) of their fill when they go to their fill docs... I constantly see folks writing how much they are gonna get before they get in there. Stop worrying about the number!

[DonnaB]

My doc NEVER discusses the numbers with you during the fill. He and I work in conjunction to a comfort and restriction level ONLY. I find out the volume AFTER he is done.

The number means nothing, the comfort and restriction are everything. Too many bandsters are obsessed with the number (volume) of their fill when they go to their fill docs... I constantly see folks writing how much they are gonna get before they get in there. Stop worrying about the number!

Sorry Paul but I disagree with you on this. That number can be critically important, and therefore very useful information.

When my doctors office uses the "comfort level" method of fill with me I'm fine - until several hours later when I can't swallow my own spit and have to go back for an unfill. It's happened every time so far. That's the reason I started this thread.

Instead of filling until it "feels" right (at that moment anyway) I think you should pay attention to how your body reacts and use that information. "Knowledge is power." "Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice." Sound familiar? There's a reason.

Because I know how my body reacts, I will use that knowledge and never again have a fill over .3cc's.

As in most things lap-band related, your mileage may vary.

[Jill]

I had this once, but my issue had to do with whem I got it (right before my TOM), and that only made it worse. 7 days later, it was indeed the perfect fill.

[Allie]

I am having the same problem!!! I got a fill 5 days ago--not really sure how much they put in, but I know it was not alot. At night-- I cannot eat anything anything. I PBed 2 times last night trying to eat soup. So later on I had 1 sip of milk. The same feeling-I had a golfball for about 20 minutes. What is wrong??? I am miserable and do not know what to do? Is it the swelling, and if so when does that go down?? Do I need an unfill??? Does anyone know what I should do???

[barbara465]

Sounds like an unfill to me Allie. I don't think PBing and sliming is normal. If you didn't eat the wrong food or eat too fast, hard to do with soup, I would say an unfill. Get an unfill especially if it goes on for more than a day.

I'm with Donna on this one about the amount of the fill. I know that my body reacts to too aggressive of a fill. I know that the barium swallow doesn't tell the tale on me. I react 6-9 days later. I seem to be able to tolerate a .3 fill, but not a .5 or .8 . I don't know why, but that's what history has told me. I tried to get a little aggressive when I watched the barium go right through me. I had to return 9 days later for an unfill. Small fills for me in the future. I'll pay the extra money to sneak up on my sweet spot and not PB and slime. In my case, the patient knows best.

[Leenerbups]

Hey all,

I'm a "sweller", and advise on how I can deal with my 2nd fill coming up on Thursday or avoid the swelling? I'm afraid of having a problem and with my insurance and doctors hours, I'd have to get an emergency unfll at the ER.

I'm a little nervous about my second fill.

[barbara465]

I wouldn't get a huge fill. Try something smaller, like .3. That way if you swell you might not get into trouble. I just had a .3 fill on the 3rd and didn't react until the 13th. This is the first time that I've been able to recover from an overfill without having any taken out. I swell later in the process. If you swell at the beginning you might try not eating the day of the fill. Certainly no cold food.

After the fill you might try room temperature or warm liquids. That will keep you open and allow for swelling.

Good luck

[shackdog]

Just had my third fill and nary a problem

[PhotoNut]

Well this is my first time seeing this thread. Sorry I missed on out it when you needed the support and help, Donna. But I am glad that things seem to be settling in for you now.

Allie? Did you get that slight unfill? If not, run - dont walk! to your doc and get it done. Being so tight that you slime on a drink of milk is NOT GOOD. Overtight bands can lead to problems you don't want to face, such as a slipped band (the lower stomach "pops" up through the band), esophagus irritation, or even errosion (the band works its way through the stomach wall). Please let us know how you are and that you got that unfill.

About the numbers. I think Paul is right in that comparing how many cc's we each have in our bands is pointless. I can understand Donna's point too, but the fact is that one time .4cc might be too much and the next time it might not be enough. I had to be completely unfilled because I was having major issues with a 1.3 fill. However, I'm now at 1.5 (built up to this over three fills) and I could probably use a tad more. I don't think the numbers will be consistantly reliable because our bodies do some funky things! *laughs* Everyone says the band is fickle, but I'm beginning to believe its not the band, it's our bodies that are so damn fickle.

Anyway, I'd love to hear from those of you who have been dealing with fill issues and how you're resolving them.

*hugs*

[diva girl]

Hi all...

Sorry about all the problems, Donna. And really sorry that your doctor is so "difficult", shall we say?

I had a fill this week, my second since banding. The first was 1cc and the second .33 bringing the total to 1.33 cc's in a 4cc band. It is really working and did so almost immediately. I pretty much adhere to two days of liquids and 1-2 days of mushies. It seems to help the band settle in, I think. So far, no problems other than wanting to continue to eat after my band says "no". (so what else is new?)

Good luck with it.

Lyn

[christa94]

perhaps you can take the anti-inflammatory meds right before you get your fill so that by the time you have the fill the meds are already working in your system. know what i mean? just a thought

[Jill]

Had a .5 fill on Tuesday (and happened to start my TOM that morning, 6 days early *sigh*). The last few days have been rough, but as I remember from last time, it does pass for me. I've just toughed it out and it goes away on it's own, leaving me with the perfect restriction. There's a reason we're supposed to be on liquids for 3-5 days after a fill, and that's it. The fact that it came during my TOM just exagerates it for me.

I'm always prepared for it; I have Tums and Zantac and I jump on Priolsec. I have plenty of water bottles out of the fridge and yogurt (can't eat it cold, gotta let it warm up first which is bleh) and soup (tomato or chicken broth only) ready to go. I prop my pillows up on the bed so that I don't have to deal with the reflux so much.

Maybe it doesn't make me a good bandster but after having done this a time or two, I'm prepared for my body's reactions and I treat them accordingly. I had 2.5 in in June, and when he pulled it out Tuesday, I still had 2.3, so he says the band is in good shape, and so am I.

It does suck to not be able to eat like you did the day you got the fill, and I, too, look longingly at my fish in the freezer, but I take care of the band and it takes care of me.

[Dr.A]

Hey everyone!

I went and had a slight unfill - I'm back down to 1.4cc's. I'm with you Barbara .2 - .3 per fill from now on, MAX, no matter what the doctors' office says.

Even though I was finally able to get down some cottage cheese yesterday, I was literally eating it 3-4 curds at a time! No. That doesn't work for me. That and anything at all thick was causing pain, so I went for my unfill.

I'm still having a little discomfort in the sternum area (I'm probably still a bit swollen), but now I can drink water without pain and I actually ate some refried beans for dinner tonight - it was like heaven. Hopefully the pain at my sternum will be gone tomorrow or the next day. We'll see. It's still loads better already.

Thanks for all your support, it really does make a difference to have someone to talk to that completely understands what's going on.


Where do you go for your fills? can you switch?