How is it possible to have 7.5ccs in my 12cc band, and still have very little restriction? Could my band be leaking? or is my surgeon missing the port and just injecting into my stomach? im confused and a little discouraged that ive only lost 9 lbs since Nov3rd (preop diet) I havent started exercising just yet because of port soreness. Anyone else have this problem?

Just this last Thursday, my surgeon extracted all of the fluid out of my band in a syringe to check if I was leaking. I was not, just needed more. He put another cc in and now I can tell. Ask your doctor to check you.

That does seem a bit odd. I had to get two unfills in the past week and a half because I was throwing up so much and I only had 4.2 in my band. Everyone is different though, so maybe you just need a lot more that some.

What do you think 'restriction' means? If you're looking for the band to stop you from eating in volume, that may never happen. While some people do have that bonus, many do not...until they're overfilled and 'stuck' occurrences are not a rare event...as they should be.

Restriction is actually when you can eat your meal (assuming your doctor doesn't have you on a starvation diet) and go 4-5 hours without hunger. If you're still contantly stomach growling hungry, then you just might be one of those who needs more Fluid in the band before it exerts enough pressure on the vagus nerves (that control the hunger hormone).

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What do you think 'restriction' means? If you're looking for the band to stop you from eating in volume, that may never happen. While some people do have that bonus, many do not...until they're overfilled and 'stuck' occurrences are not a rare event...as they should be.

Restriction is actually when you can eat your meal (assuming your doctor doesn't have you on a starvation diet) and go 4-5 hours without hunger. If you're still contantly stomach growling hungry, then you just might be one of those who needs more Fluid in the band before it exerts enough pressure on the vagus nerves (that control the hunger hormone).

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I would like to think restriction means feeling full after eating small meal. ive never had anything stuck, or PB or slimed or whatever happens (thank goodness) I just cant believe how some people have 3 or 4 ccs and they are dropping weight like crazy. its just discouraging. my dr does not use fluoroscopy so im kinda wondering if its possible hes missing the port. i dont know, but im going to schedule another fill next week.

I have 8 CC's and have limited restriction. I weighh my food and am pretty diligent.

What do you think 'restriction' means? If you're looking for the band to stop you from eating in volume, that may never happen. While some people do have that bonus, many do not...until they're overfilled and 'stuck' occurrences are not a rare event...as they should be.

Restriction is actually when you can eat your meal (assuming your doctor doesn't have you on a starvation diet) and go 4-5 hours without hunger. If you're still contantly stomach growling hungry, then you just might be one of those who needs more Fluid in the band before it exerts enough pressure on the vagus nerves (that control the hunger hormone).

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Actually the main purpose of the band is to decrease volume. It wont tell you what choices to make and you can eat around the band by eating high calorie "slider" foods and drinking with meals which could "wash" the food from your Stoma (pouch) enabling you to eat more at least in the begining. When I was researching my dr. told me the band works great for volume eaters but not grazers(people who pick all day). Usually stuck episodes arent caused by overeating its caused by taking to big a bites and or not chewing enough. Sometimes that uncomfortable stuck feeling causes you to throw up or slime, neither of which I've experienced. After a few fills, everyone is different, you reach your "sweet spot" which is when you can eat a certain amount of food and feel satiated for a few hours between meals. If your like me and you still always think about food its tough to not feel hungry all the time. I am not at my sweet spot yet and could use another fill which will get me closer if not there. Also full shouldnt mean " stuffed" like it did before, it should mean feeling satiated or comfortable after a meal. Most of my problems are mind problems. Im not sure what satiated means because I still love to feel stuffed. I still think about food pretty much 24/7. I dont always make the right choices but its a lifelong learning process and you shouldnt base your results on what others do because everyone is different. Some just sooner than others.

I would like to think restriction means feeling full after eating small meal. ive never had anything stuck, or PB or slimed or whatever happens (thank goodness) I just cant believe how some people have 3 or 4 ccs and they are dropping weight like crazy. its just discouraging. my dr does not use fluoroscopy so im kinda wondering if its possible hes missing the port. i dont know, but im going to schedule another fill next week.

Melly, What is your definition of feeling full?

I ask because I don't feel full the same way as I used to pre-banding. I feel "satisfied". If I ate till I was full, I'd probably be overeating. I weigh out my Protein, measure my veggies and eat that and get up from the table and go do something else. IF I'm still hungry 20 minutes later, I'm allowed more low calorie veggies (provided they're not drowning in butter or other high calorie sauce).

I do know what you mean about people having different responses to Fluid levels. There's another gal I know, banded by the same doc as me, same band size.. she's got very good appetite dimming at 2cc's and I'm good (but beginning to need more) at 5.5cc.

I dropped weight like mad because my food choices changed so drastically after surgery. Pre, I ate fried foods and nachos and pizza and hamburgers, etc. Since banding my choices are lean and green. I'm not saying your choices aren't the same..just explaining my loss rate. Also bear in mind that those who seem to be losing really fast may have also started at a much higher weight than you. The bigger you are, the faster you (can) lose.

Asking your doc (or whoever does the fills) to draw back all that's in the band isn't a half-bad idea. Hang in there, even if you're losing slower than you like, you're still losing.

This is a great thread for me!!! I was banded in August, Lost 15 pounds immediately, then have only lost 10 pounds since. I have only lost 25 pounds in the past 4 months. I started at 205 pounds and am 5 "8. I had 7 ccs in my band last week. I could eat almost everything!I would not have seconds though so that was good.

I just got a fill last week of 1 cc and lost 3 pounds immediately, even after a huge party I had. I am sooooo restricted that I can not eat during the day and can eat a small amount at night. I am so happy that I am finally here. I felt so bad for being able to eat so much before my most recent fill. You are almost there. Trust me!!!

I know how you feel. I'm around 4.5 CC's. In June I had to get my Fluid taken out of my band because I was too tight, and since then I've slowly got only 4.5cc's in my band. I recently got a fill last week and it was only .25 of a cc. I feel like it has made a difference, not a dramatic difference, but I can tell it is tighter.

Previously, I felt discouraged because my doctor refused to give me a fill because based on the fluro-xray -- it was tight enough. I guess before I got the band, I thought that I was going to get more restriction then I thought. People talk about having times where they just don't feel hungry. Regardless of how tight my band is, I'm always hungry. My mind plays tricks on me, and I joked with my surgeon if he could put a lap-band around my brain. That is why they require that you see a psychologist and get a psych consult prior to surgery.

I have thought about getting a revision (lap-band to gastric bypass) because I felt that the lap-band has failed me, but I need to be honest with my self and give myself more time. It's been a 13 months since I had the surgery.

People are all different regardless on how much your band is full. You say that your band is 7.5 cc but you could have a different size band then others, thus needing more to fill it up.

Don't give up!

Actually the main purpose of the band is to decrease volume.

Actually...it's not.

The band works by putting pressure on the vagus nerves which then tells the stomach to stop producing the ghrelin hormone which makes us hungry. That's why some people never need a fill. The band alone gives them enough pressure. Others need some sort of fill. It's not the food sitting in your pouch for 30 minutes (because the first time you take a drink you wash it through) that tells you 'enough'. It's the food that passes through the narrow opening (where the vagus nerves are) that puts additional pressure on the vagus nerves which tells the stomach to stop producing the ghrelin.

From Allergan's site: "The LAP-BAND^® System is adjustable, which means that the inflatable band can be tightened or loosened to help the patient achieve a level of satiety while maintaining a healthy diet"

Yes, some people do have the added bonus of being physically restricted...but many many more of us never have any physical restriction even when we're overfilled and our list of taboo foods grows longer...and at some point we feel like failures because we can't figure out why we can still eat as much as we did before.

I was on the verge of getting a sleeve revision because I thought my band wasn't working. Since it also has been causing me phrenic nerve pain, I told my doc to take the fill out until the surgery since the band wasn't working anyway. By that evening the hunger started and by the next morning I had a constantly growling, ravenously hungry gnawing in my stomach...even minutes after I'd eaten. I'd forgotten that I dealt with that constantly prior to the band. Two days later, after talking to the surgeon, I went back in and they gave me back 6cc of the original 8 they'd taken out. Within minutes that ravenous hunger was gone. Sure I get a normal hunger about an hour before a meal, but not the out of control ghrelin monster.

Best of all, I can eat *anything*. I haven't had any PBing or sliming and no 'stuck' issues. eggs, hamburger, chicken, fish, salads, broccoli...all back on the menu and I can eat enough (not just a couple spoonfuls) to satisfy me for 5 hours. Most importantly, I've lost over 10 pounds in the last month which is more than I'd lost in the previous 4-5 months while I was looking for actual physical restriction and dealing with stuck episodes, overfills, etc.

There are way too many people out there who most likely go right past their sweet spot where the actual hunger is controlled because they're looking for physical restriction they may never find. Worse...many give up because in order to get that physical restriction, they deal daily with PBing, sliming and stuck episodes. Eating becomes a chore because they spend it running back and forth to the bathroom. Some accept this as the new normal because they're losing weight. Many more give up.

According to my surgeon, PBing, sliming and stuck episodes should be a rarity. If they're a daily problem, it's a sign of an overfill *and* the risk of band erosion escalates.

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I would like to think restriction means feeling full after eating small meal. ive never had anything stuck, or PB or slimed or whatever happens (thank goodness) I just cant believe how some people have 3 or 4 ccs and they are dropping weight like crazy. its just discouraging. my dr does not use fluoroscopy so im kinda wondering if its possible hes missing the port. i dont know, but im going to schedule another fill next week.

Melly,

Change your definition of 'full' to mean 'satiety'. In order words, when you finish your meal, is the hunger gone and can you go 3-4 hours before feeling hungry again. Unfortunately, most of us have a skewed idea of both full and hungry.

Jessica,

If you're dealing with real hunger even after eating (and you've waited 20-30 minutes after since sometimes it takes that long to register), it sounds like you need a fill. Hunger is one of the signs for needing a fill.

Your band isn't failing you (yet)...the doctor is if he's refusing to give you fills based on a fluoroscopy. The fluoroscopy can't tell him when you need a fill...only you can based on whether or not you're still hungry.

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Mellisande,

Great post!!

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Actually...it's not.

The band works by putting pressure on the vagus nerves which then tells the stomach to stop producing the ghrelin hormone which makes us hungry. That's why some people never need a fill. The band alone gives them enough pressure. Others need some sort of fill. It's not the food sitting in your pouch for 30 minutes (because the first time you take a drink you wash it through) that tells you 'enough'. It's the food that passes through the narrow opening (where the vagus nerves are) that puts additional pressure on the vagus nerves which tells the stomach to stop producing the ghrelin.

From Allergan's site: "The LAP-BAND^® System is adjustable, which means that the inflatable band can be tightened or loosened to help the patient achieve a level of satiety while maintaining a healthy diet"

Yes, some people do have the added bonus of being physically restricted...but many many more of us never have any physical restriction even when we're overfilled and our list of taboo foods grows longer...and at some point we feel like failures because we can't figure out why we can still eat as much as we did before.

I was on the verge of getting a sleeve revision because I thought my band wasn't working. Since it also has been causing me phrenic nerve pain, I told my doc to take the fill out until the surgery since the band wasn't working anyway. By that evening the hunger started and by the next morning I had a constantly growling, ravenously hungry gnawing in my stomach...even minutes after I'd eaten. I'd forgotten that I dealt with that constantly prior to the band. Two days later, after talking to the surgeon, I went back in and they gave me back 6cc of the original 8 they'd taken out. Within minutes that ravenous hunger was gone. Sure I get a normal hunger about an hour before a meal, but not the out of control ghrelin monster.

Ok, if it puts pressure on the Vagus nerve (which isnt totally wrong by the way) and thats what makes you not feel hungry your telling me we will never be hungry again so why even eat. Try drinking and "washing the food out" when you have adequate restriction, see how that works for ya! Satiety means eating until you feel full which is different than overfull like most of us before. The purpose of the band is to reduce volume, why do you think people on here are so happy when they reach their sweet spot? Its because they can only eat a cup of food and feel satiated, not because of the vagus nerve but because the band does not allow for them to eat more, hence getting fills to get adequate restriction. When feeling satiated because the band will not allow for more "VOLUME" the vagus nerve helps to have that feeling longer. The question wasnt about how long you feel full it was about the band controling volume which it does. The purpose of the 30 minutes is because thats about how long the food stats on your pouch before it starts to go into your stomach which can cause you to ovetreat without feeling full possibly. Ya, my surgeon is the director of Bariatric surgery at one of the best hospitals in the world but Ill believe you! You put the Allergan part in bold, it proves my point not yours, Im glad you know the name of the nerve though it actually made me think twice before arguing with you.

THIS IS IN THEC WRONG AREA< IT SHOULD HAVE GONE BELOW BUT I WASNT RETYPING ALL THIS.

Best of all, I can eat *anything*. I haven't had any PBing or sliming and no 'stuck' issues. eggs, hamburger, chicken, fish, salads, broccoli...all back on the menu and I can eat enough (not just a couple spoonfuls) to satisfy me for 5 hours. Most importantly, I've lost over 10 pounds in the last month which is more than I'd lost in the previous 4-5 months while I was looking for actual physical restriction and dealing with stuck episodes, overfills, etc.

There are way too many people out there who most likely go right past their sweet spot where the actual hunger is controlled because they're looking for physical restriction they may never find. Worse...many give up because in order to get that physical restriction, they deal daily with PBing, sliming and stuck episodes. Eating becomes a chore because they spend it running back and forth to the bathroom. Some accept this as the new normal because they're losing weight. Many more give up.

According to my surgeon, PBing, sliming and stuck episodes should be a rarity. If they're a daily problem, it's a sign of an overfill *and* the risk of band erosion escalates.

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I really didnt come on here to argue with elfiepoo or whatever the name is but look up "how the lapband really works, fills and refills". I believe if you have questions you should get the proper, correct answers! Ive researched this extensively before during and after and this site proves my point, again not to prove he or Ill assume she is wrong but so you have the correct answers!