Getting "stuck" vs "sweet spot"

above is an illustrated photo of a Realize band in place, the upper pouch is what makes my new stomach, the food is then processed there and continues into the rest of the stomach, with a lapband there is no alteration in the digestive process as would be with a gastric bypass. the access port in which they adjust the tightness of the band is to the right of my abdomen just below my ribs. this is where they inject fluid to tighten the band. ... so when i go for "an adjustment" this is what i am getting done.
For reasons beyond my surgeon's office control, (two Physician assistants leaving, and one in a terrible car accident.) it has been about 6 months since my last adjustment. there are different kinds and makes of lapbands available. some hold as little as 4 cc's of fluid, these bands are tighter in the beginning, and people usually experience the "sweet spot" ( which in Lapband pt terms, means the point in which you are able to drink fluids with ease, and eat about a cup of food and then you get the full feeling) after the first or second adjustment. With the Realize band that I have, it holds 11 cc's of fluids. which is good that i have much more room for adjustment. However they told me on friday, it also takes several adjustments to find that "sweet spot". all these months when i'd eat and get that "stuck" feeling. I just assumed it was the "sweet spot". and i have decreased the amount of food i've drastically ingested. We went over what i am eating, and it is a really healthy balanced diet. and when i go on maintenance, it will be the perfect amount of calories ( 1600 -1700). However it was explained that the lapband isn't doing it's job if I can eat 6-8 oz of baked fish, 4-6 oz of veggies, and 4 oz of potato or rice, and 4 oz of sugar free pudding that ='s almost 22 oz of food which is about 3 cups of food......... seems like a lot when i look at it that way. The doctor that did my adjustment on Friday explained to me, that getting stuck does not mean finding the sweet spot. i can get the first bite stuck if i don't chew well. which makes sense. it will be one year in March. and I just found my sweet spot this weekend.
and it is amazing to finally understand what that means.
i can drink fine, i can chug 12 oz of water with no problem (sometimes a too tight band, and you cannot drink) HOWEVER to my surprise, i can eat only 6 to 8 oz of food at a meal. today we took the kids to get clothes and take them out for lunch, i ate chopped chicken and veggies that equaled about 6 oz's of food. I didn't experience pain or a stuck feeling, it just felt like i just enjoyed a thanksgiving dinner, and i could NOT take another bite. Supper today i ate 60z of greek yogurt but i could only eat less than 2oz of my grilled turkey burger. today was the first day i could eat something other than soft foods. and it worked fine. I ate dinner at 6pm, it is almost 10 pm and i am full, and i have no desire to eat before bed. I haven't had the stuck pain, or throw up urge. I must admit i had a miserable day yesterday..... my chest hurt from back to front... the doc said there are alot of nerves surrounding my stomach area, so when she deflated my band completely to check the fluid level, then she filled it back up aggressively (cc when they usually fill 1 cc at a time) that i may feel sore, but as long as fluids where going down, and if i did not throw up i would prob be okay. Because of her aggressive adjustment she told me if i threw up even once, i was to go directly to the ER. {{ yeah, didn't happen}}.
AND bottom line ... i've dropped 7 lbs since i weighed myself Friday morning before my appointment. :)
I KNOW that my calories are low, I know Vitamins are a must right now, and I know i must eat 4oz of protein before i eat the other food..... BUT i did get the lapband to help me lose weight. If i drop weight too quickly they will remove a little fluid, if i start to maintain again or even gain, they still have room to add more......... I love this decision i've made, and i am doing well.
I know this blog entry is quite boring, so hang in there. i had a couple people ask exactly what is the lapband, and what is an adjustment......... so i thought i'd just explain it here.
Love and Blessings, Think i'll drink a few more cups of water before i go to bed. Good Night