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I got my third fill on July 1. I have a small band (holds 4 ccs), and the dr. filled me to 3cc. On my previous fills, I had no problems, I was on the liquids for a day or two then mushies for a week. I felt restriction. OK. So I haven't lost weight in a year. (I know. I'd been avoiding having a fill) I get this fill on the 1st. I can swallow Water in the office. So I leave. I find myself burping a lot right from the beginning. I start the liquid diet. No real problem at first. I do notice I have to sip and can't take big drinks at all. I am always drinking water and usually manage to drink about 3 big bottles per day on average. I found myself not even being able to get one down, but then all my meals were liquid too, so I think I'm ok on liquids at first. I notice I have to be careful. Drinking Soup is harder than colder stuff. I pb'd a few times. I call the Dr. and ask if this is normal. I'm assured it's OK, sometimes it takes longer for swelling to go down, I'm told. About a week into it I develop reflux, which I've never had before. I wake up throwing up, horrible...very acid. I get to the point where I really can't lay down and I'm feeling sick to my stomach all the time. I call the Dr. He says to take pepcid and see if I feel better. I do at first, but after a day or so it has no effect. I call again, exhausted because I can't sleep, feeling sick much of the day. I'm eating water ice and ice cream milkshakes. These are the only things that don't make me feel sick. Even water makes my stomach upset. They order a Upper GI. I go for that, and can see everything on the screen. The barium in my pouch is a dark mass, and there are thin threads coming down from the band into my lower stomach. I ask about the threads, and the radiologist says that it is the barium, barely eeking into my tummy. I get lightheaded from the lack of food (I couldn't eat from midnight til after noon the day of the test), and almost pass out. I call the dr. the day after the test, and they want me to come in immediately for an unfill. A doctor (mine's on vacation) takes out one cc, leaving me with 2cc in, a half cc less than before I got the last fill. Immediately I find that I can drink more easily and am able to drink about 8 oz of water in five minutes, which is great. Now, last night, we were taking a family member out to eat at a buffet. (we live in Amish country, it's a really fab restaurant). I get some mashed potatoes and gravy....and it's heaven. I missed eating so much. I just wanted to take the band out and be fat. I dont know how this is going to work for me in the future. I have an appt in six weeks for another fill (probably up to 2 and a half ccs--where I was before this last fill). I don't always follow the rules of the band. I've lost a decent amount of weight but not the ideal. Sometimes I wonder if I should have gotten the bypass. I need the discipline of being sick if I eat the wrong thing. But I was so depressed and flat when I couldn't eat. It was a real torture, as being a mom of 4 I had to cook for everyone every day and I couldn't eat anything. It was very hard and very depressing. I lost 10 lbs, but have to say, it was the hardest ten I've ever lost. In the beginning of the last fill, I thought...wow...this is awesome, I can deal with this for a while, losing weight and drinking shakes. But man oh man, that reflux changed that pretty quick. So many emotions...elated when I lost the weight at first, so quickly...then depression when I couldn't eat, exhaustion and lightheadedness when I couldn't eat. I was out with my daughter after the unfill yesterday and thought I might pass out. The feeling of being able to eat those potatoes yesterday...I was so happy, it was like I could feel every cell in my body be happy over finally eating again. My mind got clearer, I could think, and my mood was over the moon. What a rollercoaster ride. Sigh.

i had my band on the 23rd may this year every went great .i went for my first fill under xray BUT when the doc went to fill they noticed the tube from the port was leaking plus the some object from the port has come away and is lying in my pelvis area Afteri had the band 2 days later i was getting electric shock like feelings down below i thought it was my coil so i had it taken out but i was still getting pains now and again ive never had these feelings before . any hospital phoned the other hospital where i had the operation this all happened a week ago today im waiting for a clinic date so i can show my surgeon the xrays i paid for this op and im very dissapointed but at least i know now why im getting this pain i live in england and was banded in nottingham with dr beckingham :cry

well im on my second month of my mandatory diet with a nutritionist. well today was all bad. I mean all bad. I over ate. I didn't eat good foods and I so didn't get my protein in. I feel like crap about it. tomorrow is another day.

I like to keep a journal of what I eat for a couple of reasons. First, it helps me with my grocery list...I glance back and say, "Oh, yeah, *that* was really good...I'll pick up some more." But also, if I stall out, I can glance back and think about what I might want to change or limit. Although I'm still on mushies, I think it will be helpful later to jog my memory of what foods didn't work...if I PB a certain food, and note whether I really chewed that bite well. If I really chewed it well, then I'll probably just have to avoid that food. If I didn't really think it was well-chewed, then I'll know to try again with caution! And, out of curiousity, I also have started checking the calories and protein grams of the foods I'm eating. So far, it's been staying around 800-1000 calories a day and 30-40 gr. protein. But, I don't really see this as "calorie counting", because I'm not shooting for a specific calorie level, as I did when "counting calories" for dieting in the past. I'm simply limiting myself on the *quantity* of food I'm eating, and sticking with low-fat and low-sugar foods. Somehow that makes it much easier for me. Tami Birmingham, AL 273/249/150ish

Mine got infected about..well close to the month after surgery. And I had a feeling it would get infected from the moment I got out of surgery. Just that "ouch that doesn't look good" He opened mine up to look it it and said it wasn't deep just a skin infection. Then gave me meds and in about 2 weeks I was fine. Although that area seems to get dried and I have to use cream. I had a back operation when I was 14 and I had one then that didnt heal. I had to have months of visiting nurses to come and "pack me in" with stuff. Now that was a bitch.

Sure. Two cups of coffee every morning including weekends to start. Monday-Friday varies because of work. Usually after coffee I will have my protein shake made with 1 scoop of whey protein mix, ice, greek yogurt with fruit, and almond milk. If, which is not all the time. If I get hungry before lunch, I will have a cheese stick. Lunch will then be 1 four ounce baked fish fillet with a lettuce, tomato, cheese, bacon bits, and bell pepper salad with ranch dressing. Some days I can eat all my salad other days I cannot. Supper will then be a small chili with cheese and onion from Wendys. or some type of Mexican food. I love Mexican food. Some days it may be a beef Gordita. If I eat out with my SO, we share a beef and chicken fajita platter for which I will eat the Charro beans, some meat, with guacamole and pico de gallo so I can have the left overs for lunch the next day. It sounds like a lot but I nibble. Other evenings I will cook me a turkey patty with cheese and no sides. Everyday is different and depends on my mood. If I crave a hamburger, I will get one. I usually purchase the $2 bacon McDouble and I only eat one bun. I can't eat two and will have a few French fries. That's only when I crave which is not often. Other mornings if I'm feeling hungry I will eat eggs with bacon. This past week I shied away from my norm and actually bought Weight watchers dinners for breakfast and Lean Cuisin meals for lunch. They have the ounces on the box so I don't usually eat it all. I only get them for the variety of meats and green vegies not so much for the potatoes or pasta which most of them have. I try to avoid those. I hope this helps.

I saw that you experienced band erosion. I am still waiting for my first fill and had the Midband implanted instead of the Lapband for this very reason. After researching the issue it appears that this problem may have been resolved with the Midband. Have you thought about getting a Midband replacement? What were your symptoms? As for the diet I am feeling better after reading this posts. I am down 21 pounds after 2 weeks. I thought it would be more. I also am able to put away more food than I thought I would beable to you. However, I am having trouble with solid food. I am scheduled to have my first fill on July 18, 2004.

There are a couple of possibilities. It could be that you are being too restrictive with your calories. In that case, your body is in starvation mode. It will hold on to everything and cause your weight loss to stall. The other could be that after coming off of the liquid phase of the post-op diet, that you are losing weight, but you are also displacing what was basically an empty colon (TMI?) with solid waste. In that case, you are losing weight, but the adding of solid waste to your colon makes the scale stay the same. Start measuring yourself. That is a better way to tell if you are losing than just relying on the scale's numbers. Good luck to all of you!

I had my fill two weeks ago feel some restriction but no weight lost, how long I have to wait I know I am eating less and I am less hungry but no weight loss. Please advice if you experience same situation.

Okay gang, I need some inspiration and I know all of you do as well. LBT is such a great place for support, accountability and fresh new thinking. So what new habit is helping you? Is it a habit to add or avoid? Post it here and let us know how it's working. Are you giving up chocolate for a week? Are you adding in a mile on the treadmill 3 days a week for a month? Are you taking a walk everyday after work? Are you refusing to allow chips into your home for 2 weeks? Anything! What is it and how will it help you?

Just looking at your signature, it appears you have already lost over 10 pounds. You must be doing something right! I completely understand how hard it is consume fewer calories before your first fill. But, I have to tell you that even after that first one, you still may not feel the restriction to make a real difference. I understand it can take a few fills. I got my first fill two weeks ago today (1.5cc) but can still eat just about anything I want. I have noticed a slight restriction this week and am getting fuller faster. Why it took two weeks, I'll never know. I have seen similiar comments on this forum though. The scale is finally starting to move downward after a month of status quo. Talk about feeling discouraged. As for exercise, that is the hardest part! Eventhough I go to the gym twice a week for cardio, I have been getting on the floor and doing some stretching. It probably doesn't burn many calories but it does get my mind off food. Even if you only do a few sit-ups, you did something good for yourself. I'm still stuggling with mindless eating when I'm bored. It's all I can do not to go into the kitchen and grab a handful of crackers when I am not hungry in the least. Old habits die hard. Hang in there. You'll be thin before you know it! PatU

What my doctor stressed to me is that until you get your first fill, it is not really about weightloss...it is about adjusting to the band and letting your stomach heal from surgery. It took me 2 fills to get really good restriction. The thing you have to realize is that you aren't going to change bad habits overnight and it will take time to make all of the lifestyle changes needed to make the band work for you. Maybe you could say that you are only going to allow dessert once a week and that would help you not get so discouraged. However, you are doing something right because your scale is going down!

Lol, I had one like that once. Back in my youth when I used to get through litres of diet coke a week, I dreamed that diet coke had calories. It was a really scary dream. I'll eat ten cream cakes, but I dont drink calories. That's a fat person's warped logic. Order big mac, large fries AND a sundae but draw the line at regular coke!

I think you will be really happy with Dr. Kurian. She is such a sweetheart! If you have an apppointment in two weeks, it may be at least a 6 week wait for surgery. I don't want you to be disappointed if that is indeed the case.

Bandpal, you are doing great. Are you sure you're not too tight though? You should be able to eat more of a variety of foods. It did take me 2 weeks after my last fill to eat normal foods. I still have to make sure everything is moist and I can't handle solids in the morning. If you can hadle the tightness, then great! Have fun in the states. Sounds like a great trip!

Hey Bandpal, Great to hear your news. 61.5 pounds is a big accomplishiment. Congratulations! I know you say it's two weeks since your last fill. It sounds like you have a lot of restriction, I hope you will see your surgeon if you start to think it's too tight. I've heard that can lead to band slippage,so i worry for you. I'm amazed at how many of you have good restriction, seems Sades and I are still searching for that. I think I'm close, maybe next fill. I can still eat too much, don't have to chew, chew, chew, much. How nice you'll be visiting the states and weddings are a happy, fun, family event. Funny how we notice things differently when the focus is not just on the food at events now, like you're experiencing during Passover. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Hot, Halfway, Honest, Happy and Homeward Bound -Bandpal's Periodic Update- Hi Nymphs, Hot It's 40 degrees celsius with a hot desert wind howling down the valley and kicking up clouds of sand. My three year-old and I are riding out the weather inside while the big kids are out with DW bowling and ice skating down in the city by the sea. He just scored a thumping victory over the old man at Candyland, thanks to a little clever card manipulation on my part, and after celebrating with a round of drinks (pink grapefruit juice for him, chicken broth for me), he's settled down on the couch for the latest adventures of Sammy the Fireman on TV. Meanwhile, I'd like to share a little bit of what's going on with this old bandster dad. Halfway I've lost 61.5 pounds since being banded on 21.11.07, putting me at 224.5 pounds, or 102 kilo. I haven't been under 100 kilo since you could take in the view of Manhattan from the observation deck of the World Trade Center, so that'll be a pretty significant milestone (kilometerstone?) for me. I'm more or less at the halfway point of the weight I want to lose. Meanwhile, it's Passover now, prime eating season for us Jews, yet I've actually lost weight during the holiday. Now, that's definitely a first. Honest My second fill, two weeks ago, is keeping me honest. Unless I eat or drink very slowly and in exceedingly small quantities, I can expect to see whatever I've eaten or drunk again, often in vivid projectile displays that would not embarrass the special effects crew of The Exorcist. Only yesterday, in fact, I narrowly missed covering my 14 year-old son, sitting across from me in one of our premier local seafood establisments, in a mighty stream of masticated scallops in cream sauce (leaving him, for once, entirely speechless). Finding the point at which I am full, before the food starts to back up, has been very challenging for me. I'm usually hungry when I sit down to eat, and it's hard to remember how important it is to eat slowly. Any tips would be appreciated - how do you know when you've had enough? This evening I managed to keep down two slices of steamed zucchini, each about an inch thick and two inches in diameter, each slice cut into 16 sections, four across and four down (I know this sounds really anal retentive, but I need to describe where I'm at). I ate the sections one at a time with a toothpick over 45 minutes. Besides that, the only thing that stays down are liquids, mostly clear and some full, and only if I drink them slowly. Happy Don't get me wrong – for all of this I am grateful. My appetite is much, much smaller, my stomach is shrinking, I am literally being forced to learn new and healthier eating habits, I am learning how to navigate various social and emotional situations without overeating... "je ne regrette rien", as they say in French. I can't believe what's happening to me. I have broken a pattern that was totally out of control, that was making me miserable, ruining my life and which I was convinced was going to kill me.I'm so glad that I was willing to take the risk, and that I had people around to support me. In the space of five months – hey, I just realized, five month banding anniversary was the day before yesterday, congratulations on month number 5, everyone – my life has changed. That's what I tried to tell my surgeon in the space of the two minutes it took to give me my fill, and he just nodded his head and smiled. He probably hears the same thing twenty times a day. Homeward Bound Next up for me is a three week trip back to the States for a family wedding. I'll be with my parents and siblings in the greater New York area for most of the time, and then we'll all travel down to San Antonio, Texas to watch my cousin tie the knot. Accompanying me will be my six year-old daughter, and I am looking forward to visits to the ballet, the zoo, toy stores and the rowboat lake in Central Park. I am hoping for a binge-free visit, one in which the people I am with and the things I am doing won't be overshadowed by my relationship with food. Wishing you all sure steps forward on the road we are all walking together, Bandpal P.S. Next day's breakfast: 1/2 hard boiled egg, 1 cherry tomato and two depitted olives, eaten slowly with toothpick. Am now sipping fruit juice through a straw. I have to be aware enough to see what I need, and resourceful enough in order to get it.

I'm just very sad that I gained some weight. I work really hard, I jog two to three miles aday and walk one mile. For me to gain back eight pounds is hurtful. I don't understand what is going on, it's not like I eat much.

I'm so frustrated I could scream. It's been almost 4 weeks now and I'm down between 2 and 3 pounds depending on the day. I'm doing everything right and it's not working. I'm not overeating, I'm not making bad food choices. Yes I'm thrilled to be down as much as I am, but I hoped at this point I'd be down at least 10-15 more than I am. My one cheat has been yesterday we went to Rainforest Cafe to celebrate some birthdays. I had fish and chips and ate less than a third of it, maybe 4 tortilla chips with queso, plus a itty bitty portion of brownie and ice cream (maybe 5 tiny bites). My breakfast and my dinner were each about 150 calories of almost pure protein to allow for my overindulgence at lunch so I came out fine on my daily totals, yet today, that flucuating pound is back. Even after going through all I have to get help, I'm failing. It makes no sense at all. I've gotten used to the 20-something pounds being gone and lost that feeling of being smaller and I just feel like a cow again. I guess after getting adjusted thursday it will be better, but honestly I don't see how I could eat much less than I am right now.

You need to be kinder to yourself and appreciate how much you have lost. The first six weeks is for healing and I would not worry! You are doing great! We have all been through the bandster hell! Try to weigh yourself only once a week. This will ease your stress and you will see the results better. Good Luck with your fill! Talk to your Dr about how you feel. Maybe he will be a little aggressive with your fill.

So I had my lap band surgery on Monday 2/27 and I was on liquid diet the first week. This week I am supposed to be doing pureed, and the mushies for the following 2 weeks and then solids week 5 as my first fill is week 6. Problem is, I have no idea what to do for the puree diet and I am starving. Since I don't know what to do i have just stuck to liquids. The suggestions from the Dr say I can eat anything, just pureed to the consistency of a liquid. Anyone have any ideas for this so that I can feel a little more satisfied without eating totally gross nasty stuff? Or is it smarter just to stay on liquids and do lots of Protein shakes? Man I am so looking forward to mushies, there is al least hope with that phase!

i just got 4 cc in my 1o cc band. i dont feel restriction such as not being able to eat certain foods. everything goes down ok for me. I dont get full after 3-4 tiny bits, i tend to get full around 3 oz i had a taco salad for lunch and right now am just starting to get hungry again so i would say that is good. Is this the restriction others have? I dunno. i believe i have it because when i drink water it sits in the bottom of my throast for a bit and then it feels like a funnel effect. my doc also said i wont hit my sweet spot until around three fills. I feel good tho now. IM glad i dont have any sliming with certain foods. i do take small bites of everything.

When I had my band, it was in conjunction with about 8 of my co-workers. My weight loss was slow and steady, for others it was faster and they had greater loss in the first couple of weeks. When I would hit a plateau, then I would have a fill. I reached my goal weight 2-1/2 years later. You already have the band, let it work for you.

I use the under lined principles of low carb/ high Protein and have had what I consider a good result. I try to keep carbs at around 35-40. I eat mostly lean Proteins ( at least 70g), followed by low cab veggies with the ocassional fruit. I keep calories to about 900. And while I do try to keep moving, I realy don't push it. about a 30 min walk or eliptical daily at a leisurely pace. (If I exercise too much more, I have found my appeite increases substanially and I want to eat more....probably more than I burn.---I do allow myself a few days each month to increase my carbs and calories. One, this lets my eat those carbs that I might be missing like fruit, english muffin, oatmeal..., but I also think it confuses my body and keeps it from getting to comfortable. I have lost 42 pounds in 17 weeks,,,thats about an average of2.5 pounds a week. But the biggest difference is the way I feel!! Wow what a difference!! My energy level is 3 times what it used to be. Now that I am under 195 pounds....I have noticed a slight decline in the weight loss department. Maybe more like a 1-1.5 pound loss weekly, so its my plan (starting next week) to shake things up. Start adding a few more calories and bumoing up the exercise a little....I might also lower my carbs to nothing for a couple of days in hopes of entering ketosis. Hopefully this will get the scale back up there to the 2 pound a week mark again. If this is something you decide to try, I love exchanging low carb food ideas and recipes.---just let me know.

I had lapband surgery in 2009 in Phoenix with Dr Terry Simpson. Fast forward to now, where I am happily married, pregnant and suffering miserably from the lap-band! I did not feel comfortable going back to Dr Simpson with my issues...his office turned into a 'cattle call' with too many patients and little to no time for questions. You virtually lined up to be seen. I was also offended on two occasions, once by a fellow patient who snickered at me and said 'why the hell are you here?' and a staff member that told me that my minimal weight loss (from 200 to 185) was probably because my body was comfortable there...huh? The last straw was my attempt to go in two weeks ago for the pain, reflux, rapid weight loss....and they said sorry, he's on a family vacation...you were self pay years ago so you should find someone else to help with your 'issues'. After a week and a half of an inability to swallow food or Water, I was desperate and was referred to Dr Jason Reynoso at Scottsdale Health Care. Wow! Talk about a caring, compassionate guy that knew I was in trouble and wanted to help me ASAP. Losing 25lbs when you are 5 months pregnant is not normal and he started the process immediately. An Upper GI indicated a slipped band and little to no liquid or food able to pass through. I was scheduled for surgery and had it done yesterday. There was a lot of scar tissue that had to be removed and it appears the band wasn't originally installed correctly as the buckle essentially disintegrated. Obviously being pregnant and having surgery is the last thing you would ever think about but I knew it was becoming a matter of life and death for myself and my unborn child. I am sore but home and can eat like a human again! I decided to write this to encourage anyone pregnant with a band and suffering to reach out to your Dr as soon as possible. I have cried many tears...mad at myself for ever putting myself and my child in this position and 'waiting it out' over the past couple of years when I was obviously having issues. Sorry for the rambling rant but I needed to get it out! Best of luck to you all!