2muchfun

Some insurance companies require it. Mine required I go to 2 plus 2 support group meetings.

Banded 11/28/11, first fill 01/05/12. Virtually no restriction yet. No change, I can eat what I want(but I'm not). Already scheduled my next fill on 2/2/12. Just a continuation of "Bandster Hell" so far.

Your profile doesn't say where you reside but I'd google bariatric surgery or click on surgeon in the tab bar at the top of this page. Most surgeons offer seminars on how the band works and what you will need to do. Also, they can give you information on support group meetings in your area that you can attend. Go to 2-3 seminars and sit in on several support groups before you decide. If insurance becomes a problem, consider self-pay. It's usually in the neighborhood of $10K which seems like a lot but most people will drop $20K on a car without a thought. Wish I would have done this years ago with or without insurance.

B-52, I like your slogan "It's all about Restriction! Otherwise it's just another diet." That's how I feel right now. Losing weight but mostly because I'm dieting. I'm rather impatient since it took me 2.5 years to finally get through all the insurance hoops and have my surgery. Now I find that the band doesn't work immediately. Thought I had all the angles down but I'm still in limbo till I get that fill that sends the signal, "you've eaten enough fatass". LOL

Banded 11/28/11, first fill 01/05/12, 2nd fill scheduled for 2/2/12. My Dr. offers unlimited fills with the surgery. I think it's just part of his charge. I have BCBS anthem. 2nd fill will take place if and when you need it but most docs prefer 4+ weeks. My 1st fill did virtually nothing. Hoping #2 is more successful.

I wish I would have known about Bandster Hell and the fact that the first fill may not give me the restriction I want to lose weight. I'm 6 weeks post op and I feel virtually no restriction. I'm still losing or maintaining my early loss of weight but only because I'm paying attention to what I eat. Still waiting on the band to be a tool. C

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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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

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

I start soft diet tomorrow too. I'm going to make an egg salad and a tuna salad made with low fat, low carb ingredients of course. Since I'm in this phase where I haven't had a fill, it seems like I can still eat more than I thought I could. I keep waiting for that overly full feeling and really haven't seen or felt it but twice and then it wasn't all that bad. I feel starved most of the time. Met with some other bandsters last night and they call it "Bandster hell". I agree. I'm hungry most of the time. Still, Protein shakes, cream Soups and yogurt seem to satiate me somewhat. But sometimes I'd kill for a Hot Pastrami sandwich ;op