brianb

i dont sip but i dont gulp
(and via most doctors carbonation is a no no but each to their own)
and having a lap band to me means no pain..if you have pain eating
or drinking THIS is when you tell your doctor as something is not right.

No question. I would do it again, but gastric bypass or the sleeve instead. The band certainly worked, but it's been very painful and annoying. Also the significant possibility of a slip or erosion pushes me towards another type of WLS.

Thank you Skiddles. Thinking I need to get a little removed. Beer and soda are so painful I don't even try anymore. I used to love both, but haven't had either in months.

I've been assuming that sipping was the way it is with the band, but starting to wonder if it's just too tight. Maybe I need to go to the doctor and see about having Fluid taken out of the band.
Drinking Water in the morning hurts. I have to take tiny sips spaced out for over a minute per sip. Even at this pace it hurts a bit. Later in the day, I have to sip and drink slowly, but the pain isn't as bad.
For me, I've come to believe that the band means pain, but then I remembered some people on here seem to have great weight loss success and never mentioned anything about pain eating or drinking.
I want to think it through carefully before getting an unfill as I've read many posts about people that were doing pretty good until they had fluid removed from the band.

Thank you Skiddles. Thinking I need to get a little removed. Beer and soda are so painful I don't even try anymore. I used to love both, but haven't had either in months.

I agree with B-52. If I get stuck I can drink something to bring it up. And depending on what I eat sometimes drinking will wash it down. I don't normally drink when I eat.

I can't gulp liquid but i can drink it at a good pace. The only thing I have to sip us soda and beer

I cannot drink with meals, this theory of liquids pushing food through the band or diminishing the effects may hold true for some, but based upon my experience it is quite different.....
The band is there restricting the passage of food at a reduced rate, meaning there will be food sitting in my pouch...
Drinking Water will not push the food through, but instantly increase the volume of what is sitting there....which can result in severe pain..(pouch stretching?)...and since this increased volume as no where to go, it will over flow...meaning it can come right back up....not pretty when you have to get up and run to the bathroom...
However, early on when I was still learning..(the hard way)...getting stuck sometimes 2-3 times a day, drinking warm Water was something I learned to do from my support group to get instantly unstuck....just be sure to do it in the bathroom.
As a side note, I read posts everyday where people say "THIS is the way it is, THIS is what will happen or this is how the band works......
I wonder if people make these statements from personal experience, or are they just repeating what they heard someone else say...so they have adapted it....
I prefer hearing other peoples experiences....good and bad.
Just a pet-peeve of mine.....had to vent

Awesome! You have so much to look forward to!

Hmm, 10.6 CC is a bit. I'm guessing she is just trying to play it safe with the 0.3 CC fill.
I'm not far behind you at about 8 CC, but I couldn't possibly take any more fills. Just more proof to me that everyone requires a different amount of fills.

Hmm, 10.6 CC is a bit. I'm guessing she is just trying to play it safe with the 0.3 CC fill.
I'm not far behind you at about 8 CC, but I couldn't possibly take any more fills. Just more proof to me that everyone requires a different amount of fills.

Depends upon your Dr. and how aggressive He/She is, and how you react to moving fast or slow....
I know someone whose Dr. only puts in 1/2 cc per visit, per month...at that rate one year would be 6cc's.....she felt he was milking the insurance and went to a different Dr...got on track real quick...and started meeting her goals much to her pleasure.
But to answer your question, I had 3 fills...the first was 4cc's, 2nd was 2cc's, and the 3rd...was 1 cc....
Each fill was one month apart, so it took me a little over 3 months.....and don't get me wrong, it was not easy during those first few months...a lot of adjusting and behavior modification...but I have not had a fill since, and that was over 2 years ago....
And everything became as easy as can be about 6-8 months after surgery.

just found out my plan (self-pay) will only cover 3 fills. After that I will have to pay $200 for each fill. Wondering what the average number of fills needed to get to the green zone is for each of you. I know there is no one right answer for this so any other info explanation would help...

Bingo! If it didn't change your eating habits, what good would it be................ Happy for you! Congrats.

Great post and good points. I had the same questions, but now I'm a firm believer that the band works. It only started working recently for me, but here is what I've learned from reading a ton like yourself and thinking things through.

There is a lot of conflicting info online about the band. I personally believe this is because the band requires work from the patient. Lot of people aren't willing to do the following and they are very important.

- Get fills until you hit the green zone
- Chew chew chew to avoid a block which leads to vomiting and then a slip
- Eat slowly and stop when full to avoid pouch dilation which will lead to erosion or a slip

That's not much to ask in my opinion, but some seem to find this too much for them. I don't know if it's maturity or maybe some people are just so dang hungry all the time that they can't slow down enough to eat slowly and chew. We are all built different and some might have such uncontrollable hunger that the band is just not going to work for them.

I certainly don't want to judge others as we can't possibly understand unless we walk in their shoes (and live in their body).

If these things sound like too much, then I wouldn't recommend the band until they don't sound like a big deal:
- eat slow
- chew chew chew
- go to the doctor up to 7 or 8 times for fills (usually not this many, but it can take that long)

I had my surgery 4 weeks ago and On the day had a BMI of 29 and no co morbidaties...
But the point is I was overweight.. Previously having had a BMI of 34 and sick of 14 years of being on a diet..
Done all diets know to man and lost weight well, but my ability to sustain the loss is poor.
I have obesity in my family, and I been fighting a constant battle to not allow my BMI to return to the over 30's. I am only 33 with 3 small children.
And don't want to have another 14+ years obsessed with my weight.
I know for me the lap band is about prevention not cute. I have lost 4kg already, putting me at 71kg.
Finally my battle with food is over, I can now live my life..

I have 5cc in 10cc band. I have felt restriction post 2nd fill and I can't eat a lot but I am still hungry before four hours are up. Today I had a mid morning meeting which I had to drive to and I have been very bad, I didn't stay for the lunch but came back to office and had the followings:
2 x low fat crackers
2 x slices of processed cheese
1 x small banana
1 x 55g bar chocolate ( I know ridiculous)
1 x 160ml fruit juice
Nothing got stuck, and I don't do this every day, in fact I have lost 40lbs since 3/21/2013 but I do not think I am in the green zone.

pink zone aka the green zone (i believe i am in)....losing steadily, inches coming off which is killer!!.....when i am hungry i eat good Protein filled foods and the band wont let me eat more than i am suppose to and just living and enjoying my life now...i enjoy my banded life now..i dont fret at what i can or cant eat...i just eat but make smart choices/options....

I have 4 cc in a 10 cc band. It used to be enough but now I need another fill. Going back to get 1 more cc. My surgeon says most of his patients do very well at 5 cc in my size band; I'm trusting his advice. In any case, I know I need a fill because I'm not staying satisfied on my quantities as I was before.

I was banded 1/24/13. I'm at 6.5cc. I'm suppose to get a .5 fill this Thursday, but I don't think I'm going to get it. I'm getting full with a cup of food now and I have to remind myself to eat because I'm not hungry at all now. I think I'm in the "Green Zone"! YAY!

Just curious as to what everyone's green zone is. Recently had 2 cc added, which put me at a total of 4cc in a 10cc band. But that was too much! I went back 3 days later because I could barely keep liquids down and now I'm at 3cc. I'm told everyone is different, some can have 7cc and some are fine at 2cc. Input please...

Green Zone for me means:
1) No HUNGER.....or cravings...24 hrs a day...
2) PORTION CONTROL....unable to overeat...no matter how hard I try
3) STEADY CONSISTENT WEIGHT LOSS....once I hit the Green Zone, loosing weight became the easiest thing I could ever do...it all became very natural with absolutely no effort on my part, other than getting my daily Protein and Water requirements, choosing good foods to eat and exercising regularly,
4) PATIENT SATISFACTION....When you have the above going for you, how can you not be as thrilled as can be....
I hit my Green Zone about 4-5 months after my surgery...it then took me a few months to understand and adjust my behaviors to the band, not the other way around....that was over 2 years ago, have not had a fill since, and have steadily lost weight untill there is simply no excess weight (fat) to loose....everything then settles out and becomes a new lifestyle, 2nd nature, a completed journey....
I never count calories nor measure portions...have not done so in 2 years at least....and I have no fear of ever gaining any weight back, short of some complication with the bad. (knock on wood)

I'm not banded yet but my doctor said if you throw up at all you should go see your doctor ASAP for an unfill. Definitely go in on Monday!

I agree, you must have Fluid intake, that is very critical. It sounds like you are stuck. Many folks on here have problems with steak. Hope you are doing better.

I had to try several things to find a good diet that worked for me. What I ended up settling on was a mixture of Atkins/South Beach/Mediterranean diets. Basically, high Protein and high fat. Lot's of meats, cheeses, eggs, olive oil. No bread, rice, Pasta, fruit juice, soda, sweets, etc. I did have potatoes but I try to limit it and only eat them after I've finished my protein. That might be a good start for you. Good luck!