Ok - i had surgery july 5. All has been very well - no complications - down about 44 pounds including 2 week pre-op diet. The surgeon is great (center of excellence, nice guy, very experienced) EXCEPT he can never give me a "straight" answer on how much saline is in my band. He claimed there would be a "little" in at surgery - at first follow up appt. he said there was none in at surgery. At first fill appt he said he gave me 3ccs, what he called a "good/large fill" then at second fill appt he said there were 1.5 ccs in the first fill. He gave me 1 cc more at second fill. The not so straight answers are frustrating but i have not pushed it yet because at this point - to me - it does not matter - everything is going perfectly - and we are no where near the fill line and believe me if i wanted to push for more answers i am not shy about doing so. That's not why i'm writing - but if anyone else has experienced that "jumping around" from there surgeon i'd love to compare notes.

As of this day, after 2 fills, i still feel i can eat everything and anything - which i know is not that unusual as it may take several more fills to feel real restriction. I don't eat anything and everything and have been sticking to a lien cuisine size or smaller - been losing weight and all is well. Mostly will power up until this point. I wouldn't even know i had the band except for what i'm about to say - and i have not seen anyone else on here comment about this so i thought it was unusual enough to ask all my fellow bandsters if they have ever felt this.

I feel no restriction/saiety (sp?) satisfaction at all while i'm actually eating. Admittedly i do not always take 30 minutes to eat, but i have slowed way down and take smaller bites etc. However, after i wait the requisite amount of time to drink (my dr.'s office says 30 minutes - i've heard of others saying 1 hour - i try to wait 45 mins as a compromise) - i am IMMEDIATELY full as if i just ate a huge meal. In fact, i'm uncomfortably full - even if i just only drank 6-8 ounces, for example. SO, it's the combination of eating then the drinking that is causing my fullness/satisfaction. After this second fill, that feeling of satisfaction - many times but not always, can last about 4 hours.

Anyone else find that the "restriction" only works AFTER waiting the correct amount to drink and then taking those first drinks? Just curious. If so, anyone experience that but then later, after more fills, experience that same fullness/satisfaction on the food only - before the drinking later??? just curious.

Allison,

I had my surgery a few days befor you had yours. My DR told me that there was just a tiny bit of Fluid in my band when I had the surgery. Then I had a fill last month of 2 cc. I went in for another fill yesterday and was told they weren't going to give me another fill yet because I am experiencing restriction...and a good amount of weight loss. I think everyone is different in how and when you experience restriction. For me I have a hard time eating a lot of things, and especially in the morning. I am losing about 3 LBS a week and am feeling great. You just have to find your sweet spot......everyone is different. But I have to admit I am struggling with the no drinking while eating thing. That will be my biggest challenge I think.....but good luck to you!

Ok - i had surgery july 5. All has been very well - no complications - down about 44 pounds including 2 week pre-op diet. The surgeon is great (center of excellence, nice guy, very experienced) EXCEPT he can never give me a "straight" answer on how much saline is in my band. He claimed there would be a "little" in at surgery - at first follow up appt. he said there was none in at surgery. At first fill appt he said he gave me 3ccs, what he called a "good/large fill" then at second fill appt he said there were 1.5 ccs in the first fill. He gave me 1 cc more at second fill. The not so straight answers are frustrating but i have not pushed it yet because at this point - to me - it does not matter - everything is going perfectly - and we are no where near the fill line and believe me if i wanted to push for more answers i am not shy about doing so. That's not why i'm writing - but if anyone else has experienced that "jumping around" from there surgeon i'd love to compare notes.

As of this day, after 2 fills, i still feel i can eat everything and anything - which i know is not that unusual as it may take several more fills to feel real restriction. I don't eat anything and everything and have been sticking to a lien cuisine size or smaller - been losing weight and all is well. Mostly will power up until this point. I wouldn't even know i had the band except for what i'm about to say - and i have not seen anyone else on here comment about this so i thought it was unusual enough to ask all my fellow bandsters if they have ever felt this.

I feel no restriction/saiety (sp?) satisfaction at all while i'm actually eating. Admittedly i do not always take 30 minutes to eat, but i have slowed way down and take smaller bites etc. However, after i wait the requisite amount of time to drink (my dr.'s office says 30 minutes - i've heard of others saying 1 hour - i try to wait 45 mins as a compromise) - i am IMMEDIATELY full as if i just ate a huge meal. In fact, i'm uncomfortably full - even if i just only drank 6-8 ounces, for example. SO, it's the combination of eating then the drinking that is causing my fullness/satisfaction. After this second fill, that feeling of satisfaction - many times but not always, can last about 4 hours.

Anyone else find that the "restriction" only works AFTER waiting the correct amount to drink and then taking those first drinks? Just curious. If so, anyone experience that but then later, after more fills, experience that same fullness/satisfaction on the food only - before the drinking later??? just curious.

Its why i have always, within reason, eaten and drunk together. Now, I'm not breaking *my* doctor's rules - he advises most patients to wait half an hour or so after eating to drink because drinking will flush food faster, leaving you less satisfied. But I honestly find completely the opposite, like you're saying. I like a coffee with lunch and Breakfast and I find that it puts the full stop on my meal for me (or period, as you guys say, lol) I dont feel complete without it, and it definitely fills up my tummy more and lets me eat a much smaller amount of food. I have experimented and it does NOT make me hungrier sooner. So my doc is absolutely fine with me doing that. But he did explain that I shouldnt be looking for stuffed full, nor should i be trying to eat virtually nothing and fill the space with coffee! Drinking a heap and eating at the same time could stretch your pouch.

It depends what i"m eating though - I absolutely cannot, for example, eat toast and drink coffee together - the toast swells in my stomach when the coffee hits it and the explosion follows soon after. Nor can I eat cake/muffins etc with coffee - not that I should and not that I do, but I do know from early experience to just avoid that one.

Its why i have always, within reason, eaten and drunk together. Now, I'm not breaking *my* doctor's rules - he advises most patients to wait half an hour or so after eating to drink because drinking will flush food faster, leaving you less satisfied. But I honestly find completely the opposite, like you're saying. I like a coffee with lunch and breakfast and I find that it puts the full stop on my meal for me (or period, as you guys say, lol) I dont feel complete without it, and it definitely fills up my tummy more and lets me eat a much smaller amount of food. I have experimented and it does NOT make me hungrier sooner. So my doc is absolutely fine with me doing that. But he did explain that I shouldnt be looking for stuffed full, nor should i be trying to eat virtually nothing and fill the space with coffee! Drinking a heap and eating at the same time could stretch your pouch.

It depends what i"m eating though - I absolutely cannot, for example, eat toast and drink coffee together - the toast swells in my stomach when the coffee hits it and the explosion follows soon after. Nor can I eat cake/muffins etc with coffee - not that I should and not that I do, but I do know from early experience to just avoid that one.

I am so glad you wrote to tell me this - I thought I was going crazy. Last night, for example, my husband, son and I went to favorite mexican restaurant (that also has some American food on menu). I had the veggie/pinto burger - took off the bun and just ate the burger and the cheese on it. I was still hungry when finished BUT i took just a few sips of Water (did not wait the 30 mins this time) and low and behold - i was full. Not uncomfortable - but full for sure. I easily pushed the fries away and did not try even one. I didn't want to - the drinking of just those few sips (maybe 3 ounces or so) did the trick. I was telling a friend - that if this works WITHOUT stretching my pouch (always my main fear) then I have found a loophole or something and this is the key to success. Now, with that said, I've only had 2 fills - only 2.5 ccs of saline (or 4 ccs depending which day you ask my surgeon per my original message), of a 12 cc band - and perhaps I will get this full feeling from eating alone at some point. But, until then, I am happy that the little bit of water seems to be doing the trick. I don't understand why either - since if water is mixing with food in the pouch before hitting the main stomach - that means there is actually food still in the pounch - and I would have thought that food in the pouch alone should be causing the satisfaction/fullness.