bambam31

Forums like this are a great tool to mine ideas and share experiences. And I think experience is the one of the greatest measures of credibility. I am very greatful for the people who regularly post on LBT who are, and have been for some time, at or near goal. They've done it - they've made it - and yet they come back to share their wealth of knowledge with us because they want like-situationed people to succeed too. After all, our surgeons can give us all the advice in the world - but unless they themselves have succeeded with a band in their stomach - they have no idea how it feels or what it's like to live through the pitfalls of a fat person who desires to be fit. A classroom can not teach it and patients can only describe it. Now we may not like some peoples' delivery - but if the core content is accurate - don't scoff at them - THANK THEM. When you solicit advice on here you get all sorts of responses. It's your job to sort through them - assign credibility - and take a positive course of action. I too think there is way too much coddling around these parts. And IMO, I assign low credibility to those posts. There are two main camps of bandsters... Those who have made or are going to make it... and those who blame the band for their own shortcomings, rationalize their behavior, and will never make it goal... What camp are you in? Brad

wannabskinnyb... don't freak out. It all depends on who's doing your fill. There is a definite art to it. Some are much better at it than others. I'm surprised that some docs numb the area before doing a fill. My doc has me do and hold a leg lift which tightens up the abdomen and he uses a couple of fingers to poke around and find the port. Then it's just a little poke and once he's in the port I can relax the leg lift. Moments later the whole things' done. I've had four fills and have never been poked more than once each fill. There are some definite horror stories out there, but most are not bad at all. Brad

I also have a 4cc band, although the surgeon said it would hold upwards of 5cc. When I get a fill he pulls all of the Fluid out, then adds fluid back including the new fill amount. He leaves the needle intact though, so it's only one poke. How did your fill doctor do the fill? Leads me to believe he missed the port somehow or put a hole in the tubing. I'd be headed back to the original surgeon's office I think... Brad

Keep the Fluid in the band! In a few weeks you'll be real glad you did because you will get very hungry as the surgery swelling subsides. Brad

I had my first fill 3 weeks post op, and subsequent fills every 4 weeks. Your in the period that I consider bandster hell and will require lots of will power on your part. Just do your best until you have enough fills to achieve satisfactory restriction - which may take many months/fills... Fills tend to wear off/diminish within a couple of weeks, as you continue to lose weight. Brad

One of the best ways to get back to normal is to just get moving. My surgeon told me that this is not the type of surgery to lay around and recover from - rather get up and get busy. It will get easier every day. Brad

Nicotine is a stimulant and that's why your losing more weight while smoking than not. I gave up cigarettes cold turkey 1-1-1999 and havn't had one since. I was a two pack a day smoker and the first two weeks were an absolute HELL - but after that it got easier with each passing day. I sincerely hope that all of you that want to stop smoking are able to reach that goal. (If only I could have given up junk food that easy) I smoked heavy for 7 years before quitting. It was 9 years later, while going through pre-op appointments for the band that I was diagnosed with COPD. Nobody came here for a lecture, but trust me... do yourself a favor and pitch those things... It makes me wonder if the docs are using the band as an excuse to get people to quit. I'm certainly no doctor but I don't really understand a direct correlation between smoking and band complications.... For those of you gaining after surgery and before any fills - that's normal. That's the period that I consider bandster hell. You'll have to count largely on your will power to get through this period without gaining weight. And it may be many months and fills down the road before you achieve satisfactory restriction. You just have to work hard and keep fighting. We've all fallen off the wagon - just dust yourself off and get back to business. Brad

Plain gives the plain truth.... Ever notice how sweet something with sugar is when all you've had is artificial sweetners for awhile? And then how crappy artificial sweetned foods taste after you've been indulging on sugar? Sugar is one of those things that is ok if you can control it in moderation - but if it causes you to want to binge - get rid of it. Brad

100 calorie Snacks? 1 is good... 5 is bad.... Brad

Well, take away the political correctness and add a dash of straight talk and here's what you get... A lot of the people who say you won't be any happier when you're thin are fat people who've given up trying to lose weight... As painful as it is to admit, most all of us have people we associate with on a daily basis who aren't 100% behind our succeeding with the band. They're the ones who make comments like, "boy I sure am glad I can have bread." OR "I don't think it's healthy to just eat that small amount of food." Let's face it... misery loves company. They can do without mine because I'm with you... that's just a lie... Brad

Wow... quite an ordeal. I think I'd schedule the next fill for the first appointment of the day so you have a bit of time to see how it feels/adjusts! Brad

Your band was most likely put in place empty. So once the surgery swelling subsides, your appetite and ability to eat will be close to what it was pre-op. Most surgeon's at your stage are focusing on healing your stomach from surgery. It's true you don't want to overeat and stretch your pouch. But, if your eating very small bites and chewing bery well, it's likely that it's going right through the band, so stretching the pouch wouldn't be physically possible. Overeating at your stage is very easy to do. However, if you don't have any sense of fullness after eating, it's likely that the band is not restricting you because it's empty and the surgery swelling is gone. Do your best to eat the prescribed portions, but don't be surprised if you need to eat more frequently because you don't have any restriction. What you're experiencing is very normal - don't fret about it. Brad

Lisa, After my 3rd fill I had a lot of fluctuations with restriction. One day I would eat a Subway salad, finish it all and then eat some chicken strips because I was still hungry. The very next day I could only eat 1/3 of the exact same Subway salad... I believe there are very many variables that effect this including stress, salt intake, hydration, pouch irritation, and on and on and on... And of course women also have other issues that cause fluctuations as well. When I went in for my fourth fill appointment, I explained the fluctuation to the surgeon. I was discouraging against a fill because some days it was quite tight. He said that if I still had hunger issues on some days then he wanted to do a small fill. After that fill I have not had any daily fluctuations. Now as time has gone on, the restriction has lessened, but has been a consistent trend rather than the daily variables. I think it's just something you're going to have to experiment with and discuss with you doc. My apology to hope4newlife for the hijack... Brad

Experiences in docs finding ports is all over the map. There are some real horror stories out there. I've had 4 fills and was very lucky in that my doc has me do and hold a leg lift (this tightens the abdomen right up) and then he uses two fingers and finds the port and that's that. Don't get discouraged about lack of restriction after fills. Everyone's experience varies, but most don't have satisfying restriction until they've had SEVERAL fills. I have an appointment with my doc every 4 weeks. The first two weeks after a fill are the tightest, then things start to slack off. My fourth fill is waning and I'm ready for my 5th next week. They don't do a good enough job explaining this at the outset so people expect that once they have the band and a fill they'll have good restriction, and this is rarely the case - although there are exceptions. It's kinda unsettling that it took 4 months post op before I have satisfying restriction - but it takes some people even longer than that - you just have to be patient. Brad

Strange... Last day I took my acid reflux meds was the day before surgery. Havn't had one heartburn episode ever since. Brad

JULIEM81... There is something you might want to consider in that approach... I have read, from many different sources, that the first 18 months post-banding is the "prime time" for weight loss. Your body will adjust to the band like everything else and weight loss will become much harder long-term. From that perspective, times' a wastin'.... Perhaps some long-time banders who have more experience can comment on this. Brad

I believe that for weight loss to continue long term you have to change things up and break routines. A battery of different intensity exercises, as well as a change in calorie intake, is the way to go. If you exercise the same, and eat the same amount of calories day in and day out, especially a very low amount of calories - then a plateau is in your near future. Sometimes increasing the length of time you exercise will be enough to provide that challenge - for awhile. But in time your body will adjust, become more efficient, and that alone will no longer provide the required challenge. We have to always find new ways to keep our body's challenged - physically and mentally. Brad

55 pounds lost and counting...

I've been a police officer for a little over 15 years and am finally fitting back into uniforms I havn't been able to wear for a very long time. Police uniforms are not fat friendly... Imagine getting a fat roll pinched between your body armor vest and your gun belt. All right... knock off the donut jokes... LOL... New Yawk Lawyah jokes are funnier anyways... Brad

Lisa, has the restriction eased at all yet to allow you to eat more solids? Brad

slicedbread... To directly answer your question, no doubt, additional fills will help your gf feel fuller with less food as it pertains to solid foods, no matter whether those solid foods are healthy food choices or not. So if right now she's eating two cheesburgers, bun and all, with large fries - after a fill she may only be able to eat 1 cheeseburger and small fries. She'll definitely benefit from a fill IMO. However, no additional restriction will be accrued in regards to liquid calories or "sliders" (like ice cream) from additional fills. I solidly agree with Jacqui that the more restriction you have, the easier it is with time to make wiser food choices - so go for the fills! So in the SHORT TERM, continue to get fills until a satisfied level of restriction is achieved. But know full well that good restriction will limit her ability to continue eating many unhealthy foods. Quite simply, she'll vomit them right back up. A few painfull events of getting food stuck will guide her to make better food choices. :biggrin: The band requires we pay attention, or it gives us not so subtle reminders.... But in the LONG TERM, Tom's response and experience cannot be ignored because, like it or not, he's painfully spot on accurate. Healthy food choices, lifestyle change, and intense - ever challenging exercise is the only way to achieve her long term goal. That's just the painfull truth and it cannot be rationalized away. Brad

A lot of people actually gain weight between surgery and their first fill. Most surgeons have their patients focus on healing the pouch from surgery during this period, which is also why most bands are installed without any Fluid. It's like you have the equipment installed, but it's not yet operating. With each passing fill you'll get more and better restriction. Depending on your surgeons approach to fills, it may yet be months before you have a satisfied level of restriction. Don't get discouraged and stay focused. Once you get to your sweet spot with the fills you'll find it's all been worth it. Brad

Teri, just know that it may take numerous fills before you get a satisfied level of restriction. A lot of doctors fail to mention this, leaving patients feeling that something is amiss. Good luck with your first fill! Brad

Both my surgeon and dietician said I could have a few sips of a beverage during a meal. Occasionally I do but I try to avoid it. For me it seems to disrupt the meal because it gives me a strange bubble feeling in the pouch and usually causes me to stop eating until that passes. Brad

Teri, hope your son is OK and you can breath again! I've had quite a few episodes where factors affected the restriction of the band. Besides those mentioned, salt intake can also makes the band temporarily tighter as the stoma tissues swell with excess Fluid. Making sure you're drinking lots of Water will help keep excess sodium flushed out. Brad