I just had a very difficult fill (25 minutes of digging) anyway my fill PA told me that when I go on my 12day cruise in 4 months she will empty my band so I should not have any problems. Has any one done this? If so is it hard to get refilled?? Just wonder about your advise on this. I am 4 months out and only 30 lbs down. Thanks

Well, unless you are overly filled I wouldn't get an unfill for an endless food buffet cruise. Just my opinion, though. Many poster's have done cruises both ways, so you have to pick which is right for you. By the way, congratulations on your 30 pound loss...you are right on track averaging 1-2 pounds a week. It stinks that your port was so difficult to access.

Best wishes and happy cruising,

Mimi

I finally reached my sweet spot five months after surgery, only three days before going on a cruise. There is NO way I would have traded that for endless cruise food. And I still had an amazing time on the cruise without piling up my plate! I'm glad the band can be unfilled, but I consider that an option ONLY when I may be too tight or if I ever experience serious health problems, NOT as a way to enable me to eat like I used to. If I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have had the surgery.

Well I thought this as well!! I am not cruising to eat! Lol I want to just enjoy the ship my husband and sun in the middle of February ( I live in Pittsburgh ) maybe some swimming with my new body!!!

I guess we will see when I get there but just wondered if anyone did this and how it all worked out! Just don't want any set backs!! I know sweet spots are precious! Can't wait to hit mine!

Woohoo Nina! I'm from Pittsburgh too! :smile2: I'm not sure I'd get unfilled either..I'd be too worried about slipping into my old habits. It's a tough decision because, although I've never been on one, I hear that a big part of cruising is food. You can still eat things you enjoy, just in little bits. And btw, 30 pounds is AWESOME! You should be very proud of yourself! Have a nice time on your cruise! Leeanne

Hey! Pittsburgh! I had dr Eid at Magee!! Too cool! Hope yinz r good!!! Been on cruises before and yeah there is tons of food! I am not big on buffets. But I do love the seafood and fruit and really they put lots of butter and cream in stuff so yeah I worry I will un do the good. I have 4 and a half months till we sail. I am using it as my incentive to keep dropping! I never expected them to offer this so for now I will just keep going and cross that bridge later. By then I think I may know for sure what to do! Don't think I want to at this stage. Thanks.

Getting unfilled before a vacation was brought up at a support group meeting the other day. It was being recommended by the staff. All I could think was that being unfilled was stupid. Why ruin my hard work by getting unfilled so I can just fill my face, fall back into old habits, and have to struggle to get pounds off when I get home. Vacay's aren't about eating as far as I'm concerned.

Personally I feel that is putting your "brain" in the wrong mode of thinking for your life success of losing weight. "I can go unfill so I can eat at a buffet" after a 40k surgery, in my case, I would absolutely not even consider it. And again my personal note is that if a doctor's PA even suggests this it's wrong. I dunno but the entire reasoning behind this is absolutely nuts. We spend months working on reconditioning our minds to rethink and restructure our brains to be healthier individuals.

Just my two cents. Awesome on the weight loss!

You are so correct.. this is a "mind" issue. thanks for all the comments because it verifies my mind set..

Right now.. I enjoy thinking about going away where it is warm.. working out while watching the ocean.. Walking on the beaches and port towns... and doing things that have nothing to do with food!!!

Food is for keeping my energy up to do what I want.. and yes to enjoy it... but I have no intention of stuffing myself! We all work to hard to go backwards...!

I just wondered if anyone else had this experience... It seemed really unusual to me...

Hi Nina! My surgeon was Dr. Courcoulas and I had my surgery done at Magee too! :smile: I'm thinking Eid is in with Courcoulas, but not 100% sure! I'm doing good thanks...down 45 pounds and really glad I had this surgery! :yesnod: I agree with you guys about it being a "mind" issue. For me, if I got unfilled to stuff my face, I would probably feel horrible about myself which would ruin my fun. On the other hand, I can understand why some might do it. I get down once in awhile because I have had to sacrifice so many foods that I love. Then I think of how good I feel and that there are still things I love to eat that I can eat, so that makes me feel better! :sneaky: Whatever decision you make (which sounds like you won't be getting an unfill), just enjoy your cruise!!!!!

My thought is that weight loss is 99% mental, 1 % physical. For me, my band is that 1% that keeps me sane. I KNOW that ice cream will go through the band no problem so, being a food addict, I can't take that 1st bite because I won't stop. It is a slippery slope and I have worked too hard to gain back any weight. I wouldn't unfill because that band is your food police...it keeps you from overeating. Good luck and, no matter what, enjoy your cruise!!!

Another line of thought.. have you travelled at all since you got your band? Everytime I get on an airplane, I get off MUCH tighter than I started. My last vacation to Mexico, the doc sent me with a huber needle so that I could unfill in case of an emergency (meaning no liquids going through). I really thought I would need to for the first 4 days, but it finally opened up enough so that I could eat. It's not going to be fun to be in the middle of an ocean with no one capable of unfilling. Perhaps a loosening instead of an unfill?

I've had the tightening trouble because of flying as well, but it has only been one or two days worth of tightness. Not that they feed you anything worth having on an airplane anyway! lol

I've been on cruises with my band and other vacations and have never had an un-fill before hand either. It's just to hard to reach the sweet spot and if you lose a pound or two on va-kay, what a perk! It's a life style change that includes vacations, birthdays, holidays, weddings, etc.