Kat1215

I haven't posted in a while but this thread caught my eye. I was worried about feeling full before my surgery, too. To tell you the truth I really didn't think I would even take any of my weight off. My real weight loss didn't start until after my first fill which I think was about 5 or 6 weeks after surgery. It took me a while to get accustomed to the new full feeling that I had with my band. It is different than before the band and one bite too many can cause a problem with p.b.'s. I had a second fill about 12 weeks after my surgery and I haven't had any more since then. It takes very little food to make me "unhungry" and I stop eating. I don't eat again until I need to. I don't feel deprived of food at all. I have gone from wearing a size 22 to a size 14. The best part is that I fell so good which has made food become less and less important to me. Good luck!

I have a 1.8 cc fill also. I have hot coffe or tea first thing every morning before anything else. In fact, that is usually all that I have. Around 10:00 I have a protein drink and then yogurt for lunch. By late afternoon I am usually able to eat protein and vege's or pretty much anything (except bread or tortillas). Also, I know they tell you not to drink with meals but I often have hot tea with me evening meal to help me get it down. I don't pb very often but if I do I stay away from anything solid for several hours. It took me a while to figure out my "system" but this is the one that works best for me. Good luck and don't give up.

I wouldn't miss voting in this Texas election for a million bucks. I'm praying for some changes. The good news is that both of my daughters are old enough to vote this time around.

Thanks. I guess I'll give her office a call next week. I need the fluro because of a medication I have to be able to swallow so I can't allow my fill to become too tight for it to get through. Thanks again for the info.

Hey, Y'all! I had my surgery in March. I don't get to post much. I have a full time job, plus hubby and I have a small business so I stay pretty busy. I love my band. Seems like my weigt is coming off without much thought on my part at all. Good luck to the new bandsters.

I just saw your posts today and was surprised to see that a doctor in Baytown is doing fills. I had my surgery by Dr. Spivak in March. My weight loss has really slowed and I know I need a fill, but Spivak's office only does them before 1:00 p.m. daily and I need an afternoon appointment because of work. Does Dr. Hewitt use the x-ray machine when she does the fills? I have 1.8cc in a 4cc band and I have lost 52 pounds so far. I started out in a tight size 22 and now in a size 16, but I think I'm ready to go down a little more.

I'm in the Baytown Area, but I drive to Clear Lake for just about everything. I would love a support group. I am a Spivak patient also. I work full time but could meet in the evening. I've had two fills and I'm hoping to stick with this as long as possible. I have meds I need to take and a tighter fill would complicate it. So far, so good.

I see what you're saying. I think the bottom line is you have to burn more calories than you take in. If you do that you should lose weight no matter what.

O.K. I definitly agree with everything that Gayle just said. Plus, assumming that your band is perfectly filled, you may not be able to eat all of that food. I can't eat bread at all, and crackers are tricky. I wouldn't even attempt pretzels. I even find certain meats to be out of the question if they are too dry. I stay away from fast food completely unless I am in a pinch, and then I get a salad and take my time. If I know I'm in a hurry and don't have time to eat I grab a high protein Ensure. The truth is, I've had two fills and I couldn't eat most of the stuff on your menu even if I wanted to because it probably wouldn't go down. I eat a lot of soup with meat, and fruits and veges. I think that once your band is adjusted correctly, you'll be surprised at how much less you will eat.

I had mine out 5 years ago. I can't tolerate iceberg lettuce at all. I can eat spinich salad in moderation, but raw bell peppers give me a hard time. Fried foods almost always make me feel queasy.

The same thing happened to me. I stopped dropping weight for a while but my restriction is still great. I started keeping closer track of my eating and I realized that I was only eating between 800 to 1000 calories a day. I wasn't hungry so I didn't realize I was eating so little. Anyway, I started eating more calories, making a special effort to add breakfast because I'm really bad about skipping it. My weight loss picked up again when I started getting in the calories. I am trying to get in at least 1200 a day.

This whole thing has been one big WOW for me. In the back of my mind I really thought the band would be one more thing that wouldn't work for me. This week I hit a weight that is actually within reach of getting under 200!

My doc said nothing bigger than a birth control pill. That has not been a problem for my synthroid, birth control or the meds I take for migranes. The problem I am having is the Welbutrin XL I take for depression and ADD. I tried lots of different things for years and if I have to choose the meds or being fat I choose the meds. I am taking 300 mg. daily but my PC split the dosage into two smaller 150 tabs daily but they are still bigger than recommended. I had my first fill several weeks ago but it didn't really take because some of the fluid was absorbed. I had my second fill yesterday. When she pulled out the fluid from the first fill I only had 1.1 cc left from the 1.8 fill. She refilled it with 1.8 cc and I feel really tight today. I felt like I was just barely able to get my meds down this morning, but I am also tight enough that I am full after just a couple of bites. If I can keep this amount of fill I think it could work. I am hoping to find a balance between losing weight with my band and still taking the medication that I really need.

I don't know about that 2 week thing, but I got my first fill on April 27 and I don't have any restriction either. This Thursday will be two weeks and I have the same lack of restriction that I had before the fill.

My first fill was April 27 without any numbing agent. No pain to to speak of. The PA put a band aid over the sight and sent me out to sit down and drink some water. As I was sitting I looked down to straighten my blouse and it was covered in blood. The PA came out an applied pressure until it stopped bleeding. She said it doesn't happen very often. Next time I'm wearing a black shirt instead of a pastel blue blouse.

Hey MDL, I had my first fill on 4/27/06 also. I don't feel like I have any restriction either. I am doing my best to stay away from bread products (although I can eat all I want). I am trying to stick with proteins as much as possible and I eat a lot of yogurt. I have not gained back the 15 I lost yet, but I'm having a heck of a hard time keeping it off. I can't take off any more time from work to get another fill until after the first week in June. I am really frustrated too. I find myself asking the same questions about whether or not it was worth it. I have decided that it's a little late to ask myself that question and I'm just gonna have to hang in there with it until I can get my fills right. I know I'll get there and you will too.

I had my first fill last Thursday. I was given 1.8 cc in a 4 cc band. I don't feel any difference. I still don't feel any restriction and I feel like I am still eating too much. I'm hoping to go back in a couple of weeks. I feel like I am just waiting to be able to really start losing. I have lost about 15 lbs. and haven't gained it back but I'm ready to really get started.

I definitely burp more than I ever have. It seems strange to me too because I don't drink anything carbonated any more. It also feels exactly as you two have described. I really don't like it. I hope it gets better.

I had my first fill yesterday. I received 1.8 cc and I don't really feel any more restriction than I had before. I've read here that some people take a day or two to notice the restriction. I hope that is the case for me.

I got a new puppy. She's adorable and needs lots of attention. When I feel like eating out of boredom I play with her or take her on a walk.

I was banded on 3/13/06 by Dr. Spivak in Houston. He said to come in for a fill in 30 days. Does he just automatically do a fill? I lost about 10 pounds the first week but now I'm having a hard time just keeping it off. A friend of mine who goes to him said she didn't think he gives a fill if you have lost weight. There's no way I'm going to be able to hang on if I continue to be this hungry. Any feedback would be appreciated.

You look great! I hope I have made that much progress in a year.

Hi, Audra! I was banded on 3/13/06. My actual lunch time is about 20 minutes. I haven't told anyone on my campus about my surgery so I have been taking yogurt every day. It's easy to eat and my team just thinks I'm "trying to cut back". I usually have a high protein Ensure about mid-morning and I keep some South Beach Diet breakfast bars in my desk in case I don't have time for breakfast at home. I know you can't do the diet bars yet but you will pretty soon. I also do my best to keep a bottle of water on my overhead desk so I can sip throughout the day.

My surgery was pretty cut and dried. I saw my surgeon one time before the surgery and I didn't have to see any other doctors at all. My insurance is 80/20 so I had to pay 20% plus $500.00 deductible. My total out of pocket ended up being about $4000.00.

Was your surgery laproscopic? Seems like you should be healed up well enough by June to have your lapband. I hope you don't have to wait. I have TAKS next week, too. I was banded during Spring Break, and I'm beginning to get a feel for how much of a stress eater I am. I've been doing fine but the closer we get to TAKS the more I want to eat stuff I shouldn't have. I am 4th grade L.A. and S.S. My principal is a fanatic about test scores, and I'll just be glad to have it over with one way or another so I can get back to sanity.