The ugly...

Here is my belated ugly posted...

Right after my fill I wondered if I was to tight. I had only gotten... .25 cc (not much) and I was doing fine during meals but for two nights in a row I... how do I say it... I burped food/stomach stuff while sleeping. Talk about freaking out... I have tried to be such a good bandster and when that happen twice in 2 nights... I was thinking that I was going to have to go in for an unfill. I held back because I was eating perfect bandster meals during the day and not feeling over tight. Tight, yes, but not OVER tight. What I finally figured out was that with my new fill I can no longer go to bed within 1 hour of eating. That adjustment seems to have fixed the whole scary night burping thing and I seem to be on the right track.

Now for the really ugly part...


So, right before the funeral I came down with a very bad cold. (and I am positive that there is a relation between a cold/mucus that causes my band to swell.) I was so tight on our way down to Texas, that I was drinking warm liquids before every meal just so I could get any amount of food down during a meal. (warm liquids before a meal tend to help open my band up) Anyways... I was being extremely careful because I had never felt such restriction... (my fill had been 2 weeks earlier and I HAD been fine) I was nervous taking a trip while being so tight but funerals don't wait.

I did pretty well until the day of the funeral. I was at the family luncheon we had before the funeral. I wasn't able to get a hot drink prior to eating and I took some food including a small piece of homemade fried chicken. I think it was the chicken that did it. I felt that feeling of... "you better stop cause things aren't moving, better wait till it passes" feeling. So I took a break and sat there... the feeling got worse and worse. Finally about 5 min later I told my husband that I was going to excuse myself because I was having some band issues. I ended up in the bathroom with a serious stuck feeling... I felt the burn telling me that I need to throw up but I held on figuring it would pass (like normal) but it just got worse and worse. I started the drooling part and finally figured screw it... I was going to have to let give in and "toss it up" into the porcelain. What shot out was pure slimy clearness... no food at all. I felt some relief but still felt like crap. Then within 5 min it was starting all over again... I was like... "what the crap" this has never happen before. The bathroom started to fill up with extended family and I moved my agony out to an empty part of the church... and I ended up throwing up into a church trash can and STILL no food. Just clear slimy stuff... (my apologies to the church staff)

Finally, something like 45 mins later I was able to rejoin the family. Just in time too... my insides felt torn up and sore. I was so scared that I had just caused serious damage to my self and all while out of town. It was horrible.

I ended up staying on liquids for OVER 24 hours and I DID recover. But I was sore inside all that night. It was truly my UGLEST banding moment.

UPDATE AS OF TODAY: I truly am tight but I don't think overly tight. I can eat just about anything (very little to none... rice, pasta bread) but my meals are about 3/4 a cup to 1 cup. I always go to bed at least 1 hour after eating. And I pretty much feel like I am at my sweet spot. My weight has been consistently coming off and I am feeling great. If I get a cold I will be sure to watch how my band is doing. This truly is a different way of life but as I reach my almost 100 lbs gone mark I am SO grateful for this little tool of mine and I'd do it all again. I am learning to respect the band and work with it. I am willing to put off my desires for the "rules" of the band.