Anybody felt restriction before 1st gastric band fill ?

HI JACKIE - you could still be a bit swollen from your surgery but as time goes by this will heal and the feeling you are experiencing would probs lessen were you not to get a fill - usually a fill takes place at the first check up at around 6  wks post op so i expect you will have one lined up shortly but it will not do any harm to mention what you are feeling - it might also be that you were given a small fill at the time of your surgery - some surgeons put a little bit of liquid in and others do not - it is wise to always chew the food to smithereens in order to get it  down and not to have it stick so keep up the good work with the chewing as it will certainly stand you in good stead for later on as you have more restriction - also you will probs be quite new to solid food at the moment if you were given the usual advice about following a liquid or liquidised diet for a few wks after your op so you def do need to take it slowly and chew chew chew - like a train -  sounds like you are doing everything ok so good luck and just shout up if you hit any snags or have any further queries   

Thank you for your reply. i did wounder if the band may have had a small fill so i rang the yorkshire clinic at bingley explained i was feeling a little restriction and did i have a small fill. she said no i hadent as the yorkshire clinic do not do this she did say that some people do feel restriction and this is normal but reading the posts on hear nobody has mentioned restriction before a fill. even tho i have slight restriction i have no limit to the amount i can eat lately its been like feeding a bottomless pit i find my self constantly with my head in the fridge and cupboards and planning my next meal & snacks cant wait for my first fill on 20th of this month i really do hope it makes a little difference.

HI AGAIN - you say you can feel restriction but there is no limit to the amount you can eat which is a bit confusing cos restriction would very much limit the amount you can eat unless it is what is termed as slider foods ie ice cream, yog, soup and the like which would just slip straight through and therefore be able to be consumed in large quantities - the aim is to eat less and feel fuller for longer so protein based foods will achieve this rather than carbs - if your meal consists of a mixture of foods eat the protein first, then veges and if there is any room the carbs last - i can eat something the size and texture of a fishcake and literally not be able to shovel another teaspoon of food in but i could manage several tubs of ice cream or bowls of soup with ease - some people are really lucky and hit the jackpot straight away when they get a fill but for the majority this is not the case and restiction needs to be built up over a period of time with many small fills at regular intervals - when you get your first fill you may feel a difference initially but this often wears off after a wk or so but do not be disheartened as this is quite normal and you can still lose wgt even though you have not reached that ultimate level of restriction - good luck  

Hi. its rather an odd feeling and hard to explain like there is restriction on my stomach oppening i can only think its the band in place that is doing this even without a fill when i have really chewed the food it seems to go down very slow and i have to wait before i chew another mouthfull but ones it does go down im fine and i can eat quite a lot. like you say im still healing so could be that. im off soft food stage now i dont like ice cream but thats a good thing im eating chopped salads and crisp breads and toast batterd fish mash beans no problem just takes time to go down. not like before my opp. c haw i feel after first fill. Thank you jackie

what you describe does sound like you have some restriction there so try to put it to best use by eating healthily, not drinking whilst eating, and chewing your food reallyw well and if you can get into these good habits it will stand you in good stead for later on - with each fil it was a bit of a learning cureve cos foods i could eat with ease in the past became problematic and just when i thought i had it sussed everything would be upscuttled - sounds like you have a good positive attitude so hope you have lots of success

Thank you very much. This forum has been brilliant reading and its lovely to read about other peoples stories and there amazing journeys and struggles its certainly going to be a massive new learning curve it really does make you aware of the foods you eat i now find my self actually standing in the suppermarket scrutinizing the labels of every thing i pick up for sugar. fats. cals. carbohydrates ect. never ever would i have thought i would be doing this but hay ho thats a good thing im still pinching my self in disbelief. ps wounder if it will last Lol.