mirramjr

So I signed up for this board just before or just after getting banded in Dec 2010. I hadn't been on since my second fill as I had gotten discouraged because of my lack of success. It's now 8 months post surgery and I have to say I am one of those who has not enjoyed early or rapid success. My band is now only 1.5 cc fro being full. I have a realize band that holds 10cc's. Up until my last fill I had enjoyed almost no restriction and my hunger was not in the least bit controlled. However since my last fill which was a little over 2 weeks ago it is finally working the way I always thought/wanted it to. I have experienced almost no hunger, at least not like the hunger I used to feel. I get full on about a cup of food, maybe 3 to 4 oz. and I say full/satiated for 2 to 3 hours at a time. I am having to force myself to eat at times to make sure I am getting enough protein. Also making good food choices is a breeze when you are eating to live and not living to eat. I have lost 10 lbs in the past two weeks and my enthusiasm for the band is renewed. I finally am looking forward to my next fill appt since I don't think I will need a fill and will actually be able to get on the scale without being embarrassed. To anyone who is going through the slow process of finding your sweet spot with fills hang in there! When you hit it it's awesome. Thanks to all of you out there who constantly share your experiences...getting and reading your updates in my email kept me from giving up completely.

Staci, You and people like you/us are exactly the reason I wanted to share my experience. I remember when I was at 4 - 5 cc's and was still hungry all the time...and I know what you mean by stomach hungry not head hungry. Let me tell you...even head hunger gets controlled once your band hits that sweet spot. Not that it goes away, I think most of us are in the place we are because of head hunger in addition to stomach hunger. But it's a lot easier to shut the head hunger out when your stomach is always full/satisfied. I still struggle with it...like yesterday when I wayyyy overindulged on my wifes Cookies...she's a baker :-/ Still, I know that I didn't do near as much damage as I would have done if my band wasn't working. It simply becomes way more painful/uncomfortable to overeat when your band is fighting for you than when the food goes down with no problem. Trust me Staci when it works it works GREAT! Just be patient and have faith. If your current fill place isn't working with you the way you think they should then find a new place. I had the luxury of deciding where to get my fills here in the states because I had my surgery in Mexico (that's a whole other story). Anyway, the hospital I go to (Stamford Hospital in CT) has a great woman that does my fills who works with me. She won't do more than 1CC at a time but will schedule me more frequently if I/she/we think its necessary (within reason, usually at least 2 weeks in between fills as opposed to a month). The reason in my case that it took so long to get to my sweet spot was because I got discouraged and stopped getting fills. So talk to your fill place where they do your fills and request a 1 cc fill. Make sure you ang around for a while afterwards and drink a couple of glasses of Water to make sure you aren't too tight. But whatever you decide to do just keep getting your fills and give it a chance and above all don't get discouraged, it all happens when and like it's supposed to. It's not a race except in our minds (trust me that was my frustration). Best of luck to you and please keep us posted.

Glad my experience is helpful. I guess from reading the post below that maybe it doesn't work for everyone and I actually began to think it wouldn't work for me but everyday I wake up wondering if today is the day that the hunger will return and the restriction will go down and it hasn't happened. Got stuck this morning on peas so it's still working. I see from your states that you are still ways away from your band being full...just give it time, as long as there is space in you band there is hope that you will hit that sweet spot. I guess its the folks who get to there max fill and still don't experience restriction or hunger control that it doesn't work...my heart goes out to them. I would hate to have gone through all of this and not have it work. Best of luck to you!

Hi all. i was banded on 12/9 and am down 13lbs. Been on clear liquids for 5 days now and am sooooooooo fortunate that I must still be swollen inside because my hunger has not returned fully. I get mild hints of hunger but a few sips of tea or broth usually quiets everything down for some time. I basically just spend all day sipping either water, tea, crystal lite or broth. I find that the warmer liquids are more satisfying. I am scared to death of the moment my hunger returns and hope I am close to my first fill when it does. Although I'm also scared of getting too tight and eating stuff that gets stuck. They aren't kidding when they say this isn't the easy way out. My heart goes out to everyone who is experiencing hunger so soon after surgery. Just stay strong and keep coming here for support. Best of luck to everyone.

Hi everyone. Just got back last night from being banded in Mexico on Wednesday the 9th. Thank you all so much for sharing your stories, I feel so much better about what's going on in my body now that I know I'm not the only one feeling all the gas pain, loaded toots etc. The gas pain for me hasn't moved to my shoulder, it's all in my chest and belly area. Actually the gas pain is in the chest and I have bubble guts in my belly like when you have upset stomach but without the actual pain. It's kinda hard to tell if I'm hungry which I don't think I have actually felt since surgery. It's more of a hollow feeling. I know this will change when the swelling goes down. Like a lot of you most of my incisions aren't really painful but my port incision is pretty swollen and bruised and painful. Anyone else have this? Anyway thanks for sharing everything guys. This site is really a peace of mind bringer.