2muchfun

Go to youtube and search for lapband fill. There are many videos of bandsters getting fills. It looks rather frightening but they all say it was not painful.

Relax. Once you get a fill or three you'll be back on track. Right now you have no restriction and it's the holidays. Schedule your fill with your Doc as soon as you feel up to it. This is bandster hell.

I look forward to meeting you and others but I believe that's my local support group meeting day so I may not make it. Dan

Fatboy is right. We're in bandster hell right now. I'm 4 weeks out myself and I can eat the same amount as I could 5 weeks ago(I don't though). I don't eat as much and I do seem to feel fuller but it's obvious that I have virtually no restriction. I recall in support groups and from my pre op seminars that I will only be able to sip 2 ozs at a time. HA! I can down a 10 oz glass of Water just as I did prior to surgery. Hoping my first fill on Jan 5th does the trick but I've read that it could take several fills before I find the right level of restriction for me. I personally have no problem with the level of restriction I have at this point. I'm not losing and I'm not gaining. Just going sideways over the holidays is a victory for me. Ready to hit it hard in 2012!! Dan

Julie, Apria came by and picked up my O2 Tuesday. Chae took me off O2 on the 15th. I sure slept better when I was on O2. If not for the hassle it creates with all the tubes etc, I'd use it every night if I could. Looking forward to seeing you again at our next Red Robin Rendezvous. Merry Christmas!

You'e in bandster hell. That's the first weeks or months before you get a fill that causes the right restriction. I too am no longer losing but that's because I can eat anything I want and don't feel any kind of restriction. Getting my first fill Jan 5th and hoping it is all I need but from what I read, it could be several more fills till I get that right fit. Good luck.

Hi Patty. Hope to meet you too. I did some searches here and on youtube. I doubt I have any slippage, I'm just nervous that I can still eat as much as I can. I was hoping for more restriction right after surgery but this is normal I understand. Jan 5th is my first fill. Looking forward to hitting it hard in 2012. Merry Christmas to all!

Doctor knows best.

You're in bandster hell right now. It'll probably be this way till you get the right fill. Basically your band is wide open and you're feeling hunger just like you would have if you didn't have surgery. You have to decide if you want to stick to a strict diet(never worked before right?) or indulge till you get your first fill. I'm about 17 days out and I'm allowing myself to eat some Protein shakes, egg drop Soup, tomato soup, egg salad, tuna salad or something soft like deli smoked turkey. I'm still losing weight but I refuse to feel hunger. It's so uncomfortable and isn't that why we were banded in the first place. If you have the will power to stay on a diet, then eat only 3 times a day. But throwing together about 4 ozs of cottage cheese with some applesauce(or one of the other options above) seems to satisfy me between meals. Hope this helps. BTW-This is simply a suggestion and I'm not a doctor and perhaps you should consult your doctor or nutritionist? This works for me but may not work for you? Dan

Julie, I don't have a date set up but I'm shooting for the first week in January. I'm feeling virtually no restriction and can eat most anything I want. Still losing weight because I am being careful and trying not to pig out over these holidays. Sometimes I fear the band has slipped and it's not where it should be. But I searched these forums and that seems to be a concern for many bandsters. Looking forward to that first fill and hoping I feel some restriction. Merry Christmas and good luck Tuesday. Dan

I'm in for Red Robin in January Julie. Good luck and Merry Christmas!

Thanks for the inspiration. I saw you in one of your Lake Powell sweatshirts. My weight is one of the reasons I haven't gone in many years and hope to remedy that problem by this summer.

Mom, I was banded on 11/28 and I think I started to turn the corner 5 days later on 12/3 but definitely felt better one week post op. My incisions were oozing, painful to the touch, itchy and the flesh around them was bruised and tender. Here I am 12 days later and it's so much better. It's somewhat disappointing for me that I don't feel my band much at all. I think I have some restriction but not enough to keep me from adding on pounds. Hope this helps? BTW- I've lost 11 lbs so far. Woo Hoo!

Momnear40, You need to go back to square one. You didn't say how much fruit juice you drink but you should drop any beverages with calories. No drinks with sugar and yes, capri sun has tons of sugar. No chocolate. Eating any kind of sugar defeats the low carb lifestyle. And most Dr's don't recommend Atkins. There are many other foods with carbs in them that are good for you but contain complex carbs and not simple sugars like you are consuming. The band is a tool that you should use to help you stay satiated with less food till you can drop those pounds. I'd highly recommend you see your Dr or nutritionist? Dan

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I cheated a little bit by making egg drop Soup. There's some packages in the asian Isle of the grocery store and they make about 3 cups, I'd eat a little less than a cup for lunch or dinner. Like Ale above I also had broth and Protein shakes. Dan

I've been told that from post op until we get our first fill, this period is known as "Bandster Hell". The band is not really tight enough to restrict most foods so it's so much easier to cheat or consume more than we will after our first fill. I know I'm still hungry most of the time and it's nearly the same as before when I went on diets. I too eat less but not really enough to make that scale plunge like I know it will after my first fill. I think you would have to count the calories you are consuming? And are they carborhydrate based? Carb based calories will tend to make you retain more fluids therefore denying the scale to move. You say you are consuming less than before? If you consumed 3500 calories before and you eat half that now, you still are consuming 1750 calories and won't lose any weight. If I were you, I'd take what you can till that first fill. That's when the action all happens(I've been told and read on these forums). I know I'm eating more now than I will after my first fill and that's OK. I really don't like being uncomfortable and being hungry is very uncomfortable. Good luck and be brave! D

Great article. He really paints a picture for the patient. I'm looking forward to my first fill. Till then it seems like I can still eat about whatever I want including salads and red meats. Fortunately I'm eating low carb, low fat and with the band I'm eating about 30% less. Still losing weight but it's slowing down now. I'll enjoy this through the Holidays and look forward to a skinny new year. D

Thanks Nessy. I was banded on 11/28 and it seems like I can eat anything I want now that the swelling has gone down. My wife said she was surprised at how much I'm able to eat. I'm eating less than I used to but much more than we both thought I would be able to eat. I'm still watching what I eat and still losing weight but curious how that first fill will effect me? Thanks for the info. D

I was banded on 11/28 and I have to agree on the anesthesia(still very fresh in my mind). Recovering from all the drugs they put in your body is so stressful. I do not ever want to go back there again.

OK, so this is what it feels like to eat too much of the wrong food? Uggg! I got my teeth on some veggies tonight and went a little crazy. I ate good food but too much and not the soft kind I'm supposed to be eating.

That's super. It took me 1 1/2 years to get finally approved. Banded 11/28/11.

Me too. I deleted it.

Hey Skinny, was there a big difference once you got filled? And, do they just take a wild guess as to how much to fill? I'm still in the just banded phase and food seems to pass through quite easily. D