Steffyp

I was leaning toward that too. It was just making me nervous! Thanks for the reply.

I had a fill a few weeks ago. 1 whole cc which brings me to 7.2 cc's in my 10cc band. I hadn't had a whole cc in a while. I normally get .5 or some other fraction and not having a lot of restriction so the np decided to give me a full cc which I thought would be fine. my band felt tight for a few days then it was fine, then TOM rolled around so it was tight again. Now TOM is over and I can still feel my band. It doesn't hurt, but when I move in certain ways I can feel it. I have no problem eating or drinking. I have not had any stuck episodes I'm just concerned that I can still feel my band. Is this normal, or should I have a few tenths taken out? I have had my band for a year and a half and have never felt this before, but this is also the first time I have felt real restriction. I had the fill on 01/15, me next appt is on 03/03.

My NP is very conservative with my fills also. Her reasoning is because she does not want me to get too tight. I am at 5.8 cc's in a 10cc band. I just had a .2cc fill on Thursday. So I would think the more fills you have the smaller they will be. I'm a slow loser too. You just have to hang in there and trust it will start working. I can't feel my fills right away, sometimes it can take up to 2 weeks. When I drink the Water after a fill and they ask if i can feel the Water going down I never can really. But, on the flip side I have never been stuck and I have never been too tight.

I got that too. I was 214lbs and 5 foot 1. Not cute, but my weight was distributed all over and unless I told her what I weighed you wouldn't guess it. I told a co-worker I was getting the lap band and got " Oh don't do that, you don't need it". My response was, well I'm tired of not feeling good, low energy and ongoing reflux. furthermore, this is a personal decision and I have already made it!. I have been banded now for over a year with no regrets. Well,maybe one. I wish I had done it sooner!! After that episode I only told my immediate family and no one else. They were very supportive.

I have just passed my 1 year bandiversary and I never had this issue before. But this time, i had nausea 2 days before my period started, band tightness and still some occasional nausea 2 days into my TOM. Does this happen once you get in the green?

I had that happen on my first fill. After that my dr scheduled a flouro. That made it much easier.

I take fiber supplements to keep things moving. No more triscuits for me either. My do not eat list is getting longer.

I was never told no straws. I had straws in the hospital post op and had straw in the barium for my first fill. I have never had any issues, but like everyone else has said I think the issue is they don't want you to take in too much air. I don't know about anyone else but sometimes I can find it hard to burp so if I have a straw I'm really careful.

I agree with all the above, but one question I have is do you have lactose issue's? I am lactose intolerant and certain Protein shakes do not agree with me. I have to read all labels closely to make sure they are lactose free. If I use Protein Powder then I mix with lactaid. At any rate take it easy, and give yourself time to heal. I hope you are feeling better soon!!

I had an ablation a few years ago so my periods are almost always light, but this last one is VERY painful and I have had nausea for 2 days. That is very unusual.

It also helps to mix your Protein powder with milk, not Water. Milk is more filling, and also to blend some fruit in it.

This is a hard thing to learn, and now 6 months in and just after my 4th fill I'm beginning to realize what satiety feels like for me. I have the slight pressure in my chest. But before that, I measured all my meals, eating on a saucer and never more than a cup of food at a time. I stopped eating after that cup and never went for seconds. Now that I have a "soft" sign it is getting easier, but like the other posters has stated above it can take a while to feel those. In the mean time just measure your portions and my fitnesspal is a great help in tracking calories.

I'm learning that. I'm 6 months in but have not lost a pound since September. I'm going to increase my workouts. I'm sure it will start to come off again. I'm down 4 pants sizes and feel great so I'm not complaining at all. I didn't gain this weight in 6 months and I know it will take a lot longer than 6 months to get it off. I feel better than I have in years and I am enjoying buying clothes from the regular rack and not the plus sized one!! I just had my 4th fill and I'm really feeling a difference, I feel like I'm about the turn the corner.

You sound almost identical to me, but I am not discouraged. I had a nice talk with the NP on my last visit(fill number 4, I now have 4.5cc's in my 10cc band) She first of congratulated me for maintaining my weight over the holidays and said a lot of people don't lose a lot of weight after your first few fills unless you have over 100lbs to lose. She said I should see a difference with this fill, and she is right. I finally can fill some restrictions and am having to slow down when eating some foods. So I have decided to kick up my exercise and stick strictly to no more than a cup of food per meal. Even though my scale is not moving I am losing inches so something is definitely happening. Hopefully, this will get the scale moving. It will come we just have to be patient.

My experience is pretty much like bandista's. I had my first fill under flouro because the dr couldn't find my port. Since then the NP has done them all and found my port with no problem. But we always discuss my eating habits and hunger level before she even brings out a needle. It is relatively painless, I don't bruise but I can be a little sore for a few days after. So far I have had 4 fills and 4.5 cc's in my 10cc band. My NP said that generally as long as I'm not having any stuck episodes they put in 1cc per visit, but now that I'm almost 1/2 way in by band it might drop to .5 cc, My dr also has the flouro equipment in the office but I was sent over to the hosp for that first fill. I don't remember how much it costs though, my insurance has covered everything. I don't know if filling under flouro means less fills, it all just really depends on how much you need to hit the green zone. I talked to my np about that and she said it varies for every person so there is no "magic" fill point to focus one. I would definitely discuss that with your dr.

That sounds really good. I can relate to keeping my meat soft. My crock pot is my new best friend.

Awesome!! I can't wait to get to that point. You are a great motivator!!

I would like to throw my 2 cents in if I may. I am an relatively new bandsters still adjusting to this new way of life. I am mostly a lurker and don't always post. I do read pretty much everything on here because I really do not have the time to go to my local support group. I admit I do not come on her every day because you see the same questions from the newly banded, but that's ok because when I was newly banded I had the same questions and was thankful that there was an experienced bandster there to help me. If I come across a thread that is going in a negative direction, I stop reading that one and move on to another one. I don't invite negativity and if it creeps in I high tail it in another direction.

I find the posts from the veterans very helpful and I am looking forward to the day when I'm in that position. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, keep giving advice from your standpoint and telling about your experience. I'm sure there are more people out there who appreciate the advice but may not post that versus the ones who want to argue.

Unfortunately older people think eating everything on your plate shows how much you love them. I know it's hard but you will just have to let gramma's comments roll off and keep it moving. Next time she offers you to take something home, take it, smile and say thank you, but you don't have to eat it!! She will never know and you can keep the peace. I have only shared with my family and very close friends that I have even had this surgery. Some people have noticed and other people have not said a word, but that's ok. I made this decision for me and not them. Best of luck to you and congrats on such a great loss. I can't wait to get to 50lbs lost!!!

Sounds like you also need to speak with your dietitian. Some changes in your diet are in order. Some of the things you are eating along with the carbonated drinks might be causing your issues. I'm 6 months banded and have had 3 fills so far. I notice with each fill I have to make more changes with my diet and what and how I eat. I don't have a problem with that. I understand I'm still in early days but you also have to understand this is a learning process. You have to learn to listen to your band in order for it to work. When you go see the dr you need to be totally honest and tell them exactly what you are eating and what you are experiencing. You can't just quit. I knew when I decided to have wls that it was going to be a journey. Not a quick fix by any means, and my surgical team made that crystal clear at each visit and even went over it again in pre-anesthesia. So, I'm not sure if you didn't do enough research prior to surgery or if you think you can keep your old eating habits and still lose weight. It just doesn't work. I wish you all the best, changing old habits is never easy, but if you work with your band and not against it I fell you would be much happier in the end.

I had that also. Now I have to pay attention the rise on my jeans. certain cuts might give me a twinge near my port. I have to make sure they are right at my natural waist or a little lower.

It was about a week for me also. We were in the middle of a basement renovation so that's meant endless trips to lowe's and buying furniture etc. I got a little tired, but I would just sit to rest for a few min and then continue on. That was when I got into the habit of always having a bottle of Water with me to sip on. Something I still do now.

Good for you!! I can cross my legs now too!! It's great!!

I was never a big drinker before and even less now. A glass of wine is about all I can take now. I would say you won't be able to binge drink after the band. I doubt if you would be able to, plus you don't want to risk being sick and possibly causing a slip. Why take the risk?

I think you need to call the dr also. I just had fill #3 6 weeks out from fill #2 and the NP told me if I feel like I'm losing restriction before my next appt to come back. So you can absolutely go back early. You don't want to lose your momentum. I know what you mean about not wanting to go through the holidays with no restriction. I haven't lost anything in 2 months, but when i went to the dr last week I was congratulated for maintaining. So I guess that's something. Happy Holidays and I hope things are better soon!!