Htx_Pepper

Im at 4 of 10 and i feel the same hunger tht i did at 3.
It was tight the first day or so but now 10days out and its back to the same.
I can even eat bread. Abt half a burger 2hrs apart.
My nurse says i shld feel green somewhere around 5-7cc's & i cant wait

6 weeks in and no REAL loss and FINALLY Restriction at 6.5 !!!
The best way that I can describe it is, its like swallowing an ice cube, whole, really fast, while its still solid..
Even if i have chewed a thousand times i can still feel it going down my throat and down into my chest.
It definitely scared me I'd never felt this before now and i think I like it especially if it means eating less and losing weight.
Maybe NOW i can do the no carb diet my office has been suggesting.
My friends and coworkers have all cancelled their lap band consultations bcuz everything id lose after a fill id regain the same before the next fill.
Hopefully my new found restriction will have them reschedule their appts!
Yay Me!!!

Im at 7.5cc's in a 10cc band for 4days now & the mornings & Breakfast is the only thing i have issues with gettn down.
Is this cause for an unfill? Should i expect this to loosen as the weeks go on?
My lunch and dinners go down just fine.

It's not getting the band, it's getting the fills that makes the magic happen. Need to keep the self will and control until you get yourself to green. Good luck

I totally have to agree.. i know i could have done more research and found this out before hand. but it really should be shared upfront that no you won't be any where near that green zone right out of surgery and that they will make tiny adjustments to the band after the first one. i had 2cc's added at my first fill and they then told me that they would only adjust it by .25 to .1 at a time going forward. as i'm in a 14cc band.. that will take me YEARS to find restriction if for some reason i need all 14cc's in there. Next fill is on the 12th i'm hoping i can persuade them to be a little more aggressive other wise i'm going to be in their office every 2wks - I too regret telling any one about the surgery.. it's not that i care they know but they look at me now 6wks along and don't see much of a difference.. they look at another coworker who had the gastric bypass and see a HUGE difference..

I'm nearly 2 years out now. I felt the same as you during the first 4 months that it took to finally get some restriction. But looking back, the 7 months and 6 fills it took to finally find the green zone turned out to be a blessing. I learned how to work with my band during those months. I learned how to eat slower, chew more and eat smaller. So many newly banded people post on this site that they can't eat and they get stuck all the time. Many of these bandster's fall off the wagon simply because they never learned or never accepted the ways of living with our bands. Some cause their bands to slip or dilate their pouch or esophagus.
I like that my doctor slowly brought me along my journey. If not, I may have made some mistakes I've read others make? However, It would have been more comforting if my doctor or nutritionist would have informed me that this could be how my journey would unfold so I would be more prepared for the slow process.

Things have unfortunately changed with the band. With the 4cc band there was restriction right away. And it didn't take many fills to get restriction. I have to say reading that some of you now take 3-5 months worth of fills or even a year to get get restriction is really a shitty deal (sorry guys 'n gals). I'm so glad I have the smaller band.

I sure wish someone explained this to me in pre-op.
I think we go in believing we'll come out of surgery w/all the restriction necessary to drop the lbs & its furthest from the truth.
Back in the day before Allergen they'd fill the bands to 7,8,9cc's in surgery.
Lap band, i find, is the only the procedure that doesnt give significant restriction right outta surgery.
I hate that ive told family & friends ive had lapband bcuz they ask me for weightloss updates & when they see me, they look me up & down & its been 90 days & i have to tell them everything ive lost after a fill ive regained so im back at my surgery weight, playing around with fills trying to find my green zone for the last 3 months..
Im at 7.5cc's in a 10cc band for 4days now, and its been 3 months since surgery, and im FINALLY feeling the push back of the band.
Just hope it lasts this time. If not ill be back in their offices in 2 weeks...

Hi Beach,
When you get closer to GREEN, smaller volumes can have a drastic effect on the band than you are originally accustomed to. You can overshoot green by 0.1cc intervals when you get to the tweak stage.
So say you get a smidge overfilled and combine that with one oopsie moment, or perhaps you are just dehydrated, and than you start having symptoms of being too tight. Unfortunately once inflammation starts, it only gets worse. Therefore unfills are necessary to rest the band/stoma. Docs typically take out a liberal amount to help with your recovery, but will be less assertive when refilling you to fine tune your band back to green.

I think she was refering to just the average joe trying to do their own. I'm sure a nurse would have more hope than me at success..if I was to try. (I won't I hate needles) Apparently it can introduce infection damage your port, pipe work. If you do it yourself there's no warranty on your band either. Not to mention any internal damage you might cause if its too tight. Just my opinion but its lunacy. I can see the desire to do it. But I'm sure they set the rules for good reason..
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while i like the idea of being able to control my fill.. i really don't think i could ever stick a needle that bing into my self.. it's hard enough knowing someone else is doing. it.. the dr office said every 2 wks is ok they just couldn't fit me in any sooner so i'm going to keep to that schedule until i get restriction and then slow it down. i managed to lose the 2lbs i gained so i'm back to my lowest weight so far... YEA me.. just got to keep it going..

Its really frustrating the waiting to get to a level of restriction that suits you. but its vital really, it needs to be gradual. As for doing the fills yourself..its a big problem in the uk people filing their own bands and causing problems for themselves. I don't fancy that at all..
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yes we all do...it may take many months to find any help from the band...first off you are healing yet and secondly just follow the band rules eat the amt you are supposed to-not what you can. These first few months are the bandster hell as you are basically on a diet yourself until you get some help from your band.
Mine took 1 full year, 11 fills and am first getting help from my band and I am loving it now but I had a year of hell. Most bandsters will get help around the 3 to 5 month mark so hang in there...you will get thru just like the rest of us

Our terms aren't exactly the safest. Follow the lead of your surgeon. You'll be happy you did. I recently posted about MY experience last week. It wasn't pretty.

With my insurance, it didn't matter that I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, swelling in my legs, recent back surgery and back was starting to hurt again and taking 7 medications a day. You would think that if it is a necessary to better your life Insurance Co. would cover it. Oh well, I will be paying my loan off for the next 3 years!!! But at least I will be healthy.

Some might attack you, but I'll be honest. If only 10 pounds stood between me getting my Lap Band covered by insurance? I'd do the same thing. In a heartbeat.

Are u eating 'slider' foods? Any junk foods like ice cream or high calorie drinks? Potato chips? Breads?
I cant wait to get from my current 6.5 to at least 8cc's in my 10cc band hoping 8cc's will give me that restriction to finally see a significant weight loss.
Just hoping & praying my anticipation isnt for nothing.

Its a catch 22. Situation for me. I paid for my op I wasnt eligable for it another way. Fat enough yes by far but aside from mobility difficulties and aches no health problems at all.. I've founds this extremely hard at times.. Straight after surgery I was terrified to eat anything so the weight fell off. However as I grew more confident I ate more and got hungrier. I asked for big fills. I've had 3 to get me to 9/5 cc. I know its a matter of trial and error but im finding making right choices when I'm hungry as a bear really hard. Nothing has got stuck thankfully but I can still really eat. I just don't want this to be it. The best I can do..I understand your frustration. Xmas will be a nightmare for me if my appetite isn't in check...
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I had a new yrs day goal weight wise too. I've no hope at the moment of achieving it.. (
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I just want off this diet roller coaster.
When Lap Band was 1st introduced people were coming out of surgery with great restriction. Weightloss started at day 1 post op.
I feel like im wasting time getting 1cc here and there every month.
Yes id like my green zone before Thanksgiving I have a new years resolution goal weight in mind id like to hit

Hi there, I have 9•5 in a 14 cc band. For the past 5 weeks since my last fill I thought green this is it away we go..yay.. However my appetite and portion sizes have really increased again and my weight loss has stopped. I work out 2 hours a day and count calories on mfp.. I really want this right before xmas. I've lost good weight til now 86llb. But I want to start shifting the next 100..
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Almost every one of us went through this period called "Bandster Hell". Your band is usually not filled or filled with just a few CC's at time of surgery. This means your stoma(opening between pouch and stomach) is pretty much wide open. food will pass through quite easily and won't give you the satiety needed to avoid hunger. It may take several fills for you to start to feel restriction/satiety. It looks like your doctor is leaning towards fluoroscopy for your fills and that's a good thing.
Most of the weight we lose right after surgery is only Water weight. Some may be fat but not much. You probably won't start shedding fat lbs till you begin an exercise program and find enough restriction for the band to do it's magic. Highly unlikely that your band has slipped unless you had a serious hurling/vomiting session or you ate a 16 oz porterhouse?
You're normal so far so that's a good thing!

And YES!! I regret telln people i had lapband theyre expecting to see a great loss really quickly. I feel ive let them down and also myself.
Im a cash paymnt i make paymnts every month and im still eating more than 4 ounces at meal time

Supposedly i have 5.5 in a 10 band this was my 2nd fill and i feel no restriction.
Theres no way i can wait 4 weeks for a 3rd fill so i called today to have my appt moved up to the 16th of October.
Theres a # we're suppose to call if we need an emergency UNfill after clinic hours.
Im wondering if i could call the after hour # for an emergency FILL!
#wishfulthinking