Are fills really necessary?

[sweeteebls 0]

I had surgery on April 2 and have noticed that I am a lot more hungry this week. I've also noticed that I have kept in my mind that I am on a journey and although I notice that I have no restriction, I have kept my diet in mind. I've read were a lot of people have problems once they receive fills like vomiting, which is one of the things I hate most in the world, and would really like to avoid at all costs. Has anyone ever not had a fill and continued to lose weight just by following and sticking to the diet? Just curious.

[Bonnie_Lass 1]

If I thought I could lose weight without the restriction offered by the band, I would not have had the surgery. I have tried many times to lose weight with temporary success, every time I gained all that lost weight back plus more.

Good luck, keep going keeping your diet in mind.

[jensmallwood 0]

The whole point of the band is to get to that "sweet spot" where you have enough restriction that you are full after eating a small meal and are not hungry between meals. Just using your diet/willpower is the same as before the band. Why bother with surgery if that works?

I think that some people who have a lot of problems with vomiting, etc may have too much fill, or don't follow the directions regarding chewing well, etc. Of course I'm sure most people have problems occasionally with different foods. I'm pretty active, so while I am going for restriction, I'm not interested in being so restricted that I can only eat a 1/2 c of food or anything. I'm hoping that with that sort of restriction (where I can still eat 3 400-500 calorie meals on average- 1200-1500 cal/day) I won't have that sort of problem.

I have had only one fill, and am able to eat whatever, but I don't really have much restriction yet.

Also-- the "vomiting " that people talk about that is due to the band isn't really like regular vomiting at all. (I believe) it's more like spitting up that one piece of food that was causing a problem. I believe that it just comes up-- not the retching, or the stomach acid or all that.

[juliansmom2003 3]

I think you might get a couple of different insights on this, but I was told that a big part of a successful lap band journey included maintenance, which is getting your fills. While you certainly can lose weight following the lap band eating lifestlye, you might have constant hunger issues and suffering is not what this should be about at all.

A lot of times, the vomiting issues can be contributed to the band being filled too fast with aggressive fills or not slowing down while eating or taking bites that are too large and not chewing enough to go down without incident.

Does your doc do fills under fluoro (radiology/xray so the doc is able to actually see the level of restriction and therefore highly unlikely to overfill you) or does he/she just go with a set amount? That is definitely something I would ask, as it effects your experience.

Short answer--your success rate will be much greater and you will be a lot happier if you maintain your band and get the necessary adjustments to ensure its success.

Hope this helps!

[season4change 0]

I had surgery on April 2 and have noticed that I am a lot more hungry this week. I've also noticed that I have kept in my mind that I am on a journey and although I notice that I have no restriction, I have kept my diet in mind. I've read were a lot of people have problems once they receive fills like vomiting, which is one of the things I hate most in the world, and would really like to avoid at all costs. Has anyone ever not had a fill and continued to lose weight just by following and sticking to the diet? Just curious.

I know of someone in my live support group who has never had a fill and I think he was banded about a year ago. If you can get your mind set to where you can have control and are losing weight, then there's no harm to not having a fill.

I was banded on Nov 2, 2010 and have lost about 90 lbs so far. I know that sounds like a lot for such a short period of time, but when you are larger the weight comes off faster in the begining. My initial weight was 359 lbs.

I too was worried about having a fill, yet I could see the pros and cons. After all, I didn't go to all this trouble to have the surgery without utilizing the tool. So, I discussed my concerns with my doctor and he said we could go with a very small fill and see how I feel. That was just enough to give me that extra restriction I needed as I felt I was starting to get a little too hungry inbetween meals. A couple months later when I went to the doctor I still had a concern about getting another fill but I was also concerned that I was starting to eat larger quantities. Some people say that when you lose the weight the band will get looser. So once again we went with a small fill. While I'm happy that I did it, I do have to be more careful about eating certain foods but that is my reminder... so it works out in the end.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you can do it on your own, there is nothing wrong with that but do keep in mind that your band is a tool so don't be afraid to use it to it's potential if needed. Best of luck to you!

[oceancity4me 0]

I think the fills are great! As long as you don't get too tight. I too would not have had the surgery if I wasn't going to get the fills. I had no restriction before them. My advice would be to start with a small fill. Good Luck to you.

[curiousinoh 0]

I had FOUR fills before I got really good restriction so before my first fill I ate no differently than before surgery.

Please know this - and many people are deceived by this... you lose weight because you CANT eat a lot of foods anymore - not just because you seem fuller faster. I can't eat anything I ate before but I never get full. I have to eat tiny tiny bites to get food in. I personally think they should call this the throat band because you lose weight because your throat closes up I guess. I know I always thought restriction meant smaller stomach... uh... wrong... it means can't eat anything - it wont fit. You will throw up - TRUST me you will but after a few times you learn... well I can't eat that anymore and then the AHHH HA light comes on when you realize I HAVE To lose weight now I can no longer eat all that good stuff I use to. I ate a footlong hotdog the other day from Sonic - it took me 45 minutes. It's a real shocker but I'm finally dropping weight so it's worth it. In other words if you dont get a fill I don't believe you will lose any weight and will probably continue to gain. Do the fills you can always have them unfilled but you went this far -

[Mangofish 1]

I had surgery August 21 and wasted, YES WASTED, 4 months because I was too scared to get a fill after reading the scary experience people had. 5 fills later and I haven't vomited or had anything stuck tho I've close on the stuck. It was a 15 second scare. Once you see the pounds come up you started to want to go tighter and tighter. Just had a fill today. No pain, no fuss. I was in and out in 10 minutes from the doctor's office. If you get your fills done slowly then you should be able to know when you'll get tight enough to start eating more slowly and smaller bites. Good luck!

[twyla420 0]

I was banded on March 24th and so far I have good restriction. I can only eat 1/4 cup meal, but I do get hungry every 2-3 hrs. I'm ok with this because it evens out. I actually think it's good to eat very small meals several times a day...as I don't get low blood sugar eating that way. I'm losing 2 pounds a week and am walking everyday. I am scheduled for my first fill on the 21st of April, but I don't think I want one, as I'm afraid it will be too much. I do plan on talking to my doctor and getting his advice on it too. Has anyone had this issue and is it normal?

I forgot to add that my surgeon did add Fluid to my band on the day I was banded.

[sil 0]

Yes,yes,the only time i lose weight is after a fill.i lose between 10-12 pounds.sometimes my doctor skips maybe 2-3 months between appointments.once i lost 14 lbs in a week. it scared me so bad i went to see the doctor he said everything was ok.sometimes the fill kicks in 2-3 days later.thats when the band swells.thankfully i have never had to unfill.it,s works for me.i still do not count calories,nor do i count carbs.i just eat a small portion of whatever.i exercise 4-5 times daily.on my stationary bike.for some people who have never had a fill.how great for you.i am a slow loser.but we will get to our goal.good luck to everyone on your journey.

[MyBandJourney2009 0]

Juliansmom is right,,, throwing up with the band is NOTHING like being sick and throwing up. It's happened to me twice and both times it was because I was talking, not paying attention and ate too fast, not chewing properly. When you are sick and throw up, it comes from deep down in your stomach,,, well, since the food that is causing you discomfort is up higher in your "new" stomach, it's not as bad. I feel pressure and some discomfort,,, I started to cough and I coughed up what needed to come out. Don't get me wrong,,, I NEVER want to do it again,,, very yukky,,, but it's not the fear of the deep down throwing up.

[coloradobanding 5]

An unpopular answer to your question is NO..FILLS DO NOT HAVE TO BE NECESSARY to be successful on this journey!!!

I hear the reply..."why would I want to have this surgery and a band if I don't get fills?" Simple answer...if you don't need fills, WHY GET THEM???

Some people (including myself) didn't NEED a fill for quite awhile. I had adequate restriction with NO SALINE at all...we are ALL DIFFERENT!!!

When I got to a point where I needed a fill, I got one...but technically could've gone without. My most recent fill was exactly what I needed to reach my sweet spot (1.2 cc in 10cc band). But 2 people in my support group had NO FILLS at ALL and have lost EXACTLY what was expected!!

Don't let anyone's opinions make your decision for you. If you feel like you don't need a fill...DON'T GET ONE, if you need more restriction...get one, we are all different!

[Marine mom 3]

I am 4 months out, and have had one fill. I have always been able to diet, cut calories, etc. But I can't do it forever on my own. I figure that I will get a fill when I need it. Technically, I am considering one now. But we will see.

I see your point, though. it does seem like people have a lot of trouble with fills.

[BetsyB 9]

Well, sure--you can lose weight without restriction. But then, what's the point of having had the band put in place?

Some people do experience restriction without fills. Others of us are not as lucky.

Being restricted doesn't have to equal vomiting, though. I've had a couple of episodes (usually with meds), but by and large, when I pay attention to bite size and chewing well---and stop eating after an appropriate amount (weighed or measured), I do just fine, even when my band is feeling snug.

And it's true: throwing up post-banding is nothing like the vomit you're thinking of. It's just....regurgitating. No stomach acids, no bile, no gross stuff. Just mucus-enveloped undigested food. And the relief it brings is ASTOUNDING.

[SoccerMomma73 1,867]

I also have an acquaintance who was banded almost a year ago, has had no fills and has lost close to 100 lbs and is at goal. For her, just having the band in place allows her to get full quicker and stay full longer....

That would be awesomely wonderful, but I for one required fills. I've had 3 to date and am doing great. As mentioned above throwing up post band is not like regular throwing up, it's relatively painless and no acids etc like a regular hurl...I have had 1 episode post band that appeared to be like a pre-op puke...it wasn't pretty and I"m still not sure what happened, but it didn't kill me and I'm still cruising on down the scale.

Good luck!