RobinJ

Welcome to the forum Jen. Yes I heard good and bad stories as well and was unsure about getting the surgery. Well just let me tell you I do not regret the decision to have it and it has been over two years. Just remember it is a tool that can help you reduce the amount of food you eat, but eating the right foods and excercise will get you to your weight loss goal. Good luck with the surgery

Okay after reading this post I'm thinking I have never really been "stuck." When I eat something dry or too big I instantly feel a painless lump in my chest and the food immediately comes up...always within a minute. I just read a previous post that said they had been "stuck" for 24 hours. I don't slime or anything and this has occured over 50 - 60 times in the last two years. God I hope that never happens to me.

Wow I think you should get a very slight unfill...you will not be able to get the calories your body needs if you don't. Also this situation sounds miserable because you are restricted to only a few food choices. Good Luck!!

Good luck on your surgery and I'm hoping you can get rid of all your medicines. I remember stopping mine one by one until I was only taking a multi-vitamin...amazing. I don't regret it at all.

Oh by far the lapband was the easiest...I was suppose to stay 2 days at the hospital, but I was up and walking around the next day including walking up and down hospital stairs, so they let me go home. The gas and shoulder pain was the worst for me, but it only lasted 2 days and I am a baby when it comes to pain.

Hi Justin,

It is perfectly normal to have no restriction after you are banded. Your pouch is not stopping the food yet. It is essentially just a band around your stomach, but the fills are what causes the restriction. I still remember being in the hospital the day after surgery and not being able to get a teaspoon of Water down. However after the swelling went down, I was eating foot long subs and my normal sized meals. Essentially your pouch is not holding the food yet. I learned that many others experienced this too, although a friend of mine had restriction without ever getting a fill...go figure.

It took me about 4 fills to get the restriction that I needed. I have a 10 cc band and the Dr. gave me 2 cc's at 4 weeks post op. Another 1 cc two weeks later. Somehow my port flipped and I had another surgery to repair it. So they started me off again with 4cc. Let me just say, I only had a little restriction at this point. Finally out of frustration and dissapointment I begged the Dr. to give me more fill than he normally would so he gave me another 3cc's, well it was too much lol and I couldn't swallow Water so he reduced it to 6 cc's and I had great restriction. I finally knew what it was like to feel full off of a 1/2 cup of food and be at my sweet spot, but this is when some foods started getting stuck too. FINALLY the weight started coming off, especially when I excercised. But believe me there was lots of frustraion up to that point. About 8 months later I started eating more than a 1/2 cup so I had another .5 which put me at 6.5 cc's. I'm perfect again.

So yes perfectly normal...The fills will give you the restriction you need.

I had diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. I was 191 pounds when I got the band two years ago. 30 pounds later I am off all meds and cholesterol is under 200. I would do it again in a heart beat because it probably added years to my life.

It sure was one of the best decisions I have ever made...learning how to make the band work for you is trial and error, but so worth it. To think I had high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol a few years ago and now I'm healthy as a horse, Not only does it help you lose weight, it also helps you keep it off. Do It!!!

Amy Girl,

Don't get down about not having restriction yet because you will. It just takes a little time. I am assuming you have a 10cc band. If so, I find that restriction for most is between 5 - 8 cc. Although some need less and some need more it depends on the person. I have good restriction at 6.5cc. HOWEVER I remember being really, really frustrated prior to getting to that sweet spot. My doctor kept giving me small fills and I only had a little restriction.

You will know you have good restriction when a small meal feels like you just had a Thanksgiving dinner. I just finished eating a fried chicken salad, well half of it and I am stuffed. I cannot eat anything for the first couple hours of the day. It's even hard to take my medicine in the morning with Water because most days the Water comes back up. Normally around ten I will have a v-8 juice and a piece of cheese. The band gets looser as the day goes on, but there is always restriction. For instance last night I had 5 chicken Mcnuggets (I know bad) and I was stuffed. I find drinking hot tea loosens the band, but most days I just wait for it to loosen on it's own.

Actually you probably should enjoy the less restriction you have now...lol...wait until food gets stuck and you're running to the bathroom because you know it's coming back up. If you can get the doctor to give you 3 or 4 cc's and see if you can drink water. DO NOT leave the office if you can't because if you can't get down water, you won't get down food either. Just try and eat light at dinner until you get the restriction that you need and keep excercising...the weight will come off.

Depression can hinder the most motivated person so please don't be too hard on yourself. First and foremost is to deal with the depression. I have been banded for 14 months (1 month after you) and the depression really kept me from focusing on my goals. I have had a lot of setbacks in that time. I have been on Wellbutrin for about six months and have completed so many important things because of the antidepressant. I really feel so much better.

If you cannot find a good doctor there, try and take a trip back to Michigan if you can or search this site for recommended Doctor's in your area if money prohibits taking the trip. Don't just search for Doc's in Illinois, look for doctor's one or two town's away as well.

Don't let your environment or circumstances change the fact that you should take care of yourself first and foremost. Start taking walks everyday to clear your head and to help with the depression.

The fact is setbacks happen to all of us but try and remember why you got the band in the first place...I'm sure you wanted a change...I know I did...I wish you the best of luck!

Okay let me tell you...I am not good with pain, a real baby, but I have had about 5 fills so far and none of them were painful. I was really scared on my first one too, but the needle was so thin that it felt like a little prick. Now there was a time when my port flipped and I was stuck about 10 times because the Doc was trying to find the opening of the port...that started getting painful after about the seventh time...now I am not scared to get a fill at all and I have never been numbed.

Also don't forget to Celebrate the fact that you have lost a lot of weight so far. Besides the scale can fluctuate depending on many factors. Dropping 12 pounds in five days is a lot so your body is probably trying to adjust from the Fluid loss. I agree throw the scale away or you'll go crazy.

I also am a low BMI'er, I started at 190 pre-surgery and it has been 14 months since I have been banded. I have to be honest I stayed at 185 for about eight months. Reasons: tiny fills, a flipped port (more surgery), drinking alcohol heavily on the weekends, and eating junk food despite my continued exercise for the entire 14 months. I was frustrated with the band and felt like such a failure. Although I was happy with those who were losing weight, I had to stop coming to the site out of anger - mostly at myself. Especially because I have high blood pressure and diabetes. So six months ago I would've agreed with every word in your post and I even thought about getting the sleeve.

Things changed after I decided I was not going to let $8,000 be thrown down the drain. So again I reread the posts and decided to follow the plan to the letter.

The result was a 25 pound weight loss in six months (great for a low BMIer). Of course I stopped drinking, and finally reached my sweet spot at 7 cc in a 10cc band. Eating Protein with every meal was difficult as I used to be a heavy carbs eater but I stayed full a lot longer. I was convinced I could not lose weight but viewing the band as only a tool allowed me to use the other essential weight loss tools as well. The biggest tool for me is not eating after six o'clock unless it was a piece of fruit...I was hungry for about a week and then my body became used to eat.

Please give it another try...but have a plan that includes exercise. Believe me I am an emotional eater as well, but no weight loss surgery will work permanently unless we decide to change our destructive habits. Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck.

My surgery date is June 3rd. I am so ready for this surgery.:thumbup: