Frustrated With The Lapband And Myself

[workinprogress0180 9]

When will I feel restriction? I have had a fill two weeks in a row and the doctors say I can come in this friday for another fill which is exactly one week since the last one. I just feel like this may be too much too soon. I feel absolutely no difference with these fills. I never get stuck, which I dont really want to, or feel any difference at all. I feel hungry all the time. I have to side track myself out of eating....Yikes. Wondering when will this "tool" will kick in!What am I doing wrong? Do you think I am getting too many fills too soon and its having the adverse affect?

Crystal

[Raindygus 1]

Hi how long have you had your lapband

[KimberlyCoyle 2]

I actually had the same exact thoughts when I first got my band as well. The nurses and doctors kept telling me that I was going to feel a restriction when I got my band adjusted. If you just got your band, depending on who your surgeon was, they might have left the band pretty loose when it was first placed inside you. That's what happened to me, so it took several different tries at first to get it to be where it needed to be. It wasn't until the 5-6 time I went in did I finally start to feel some form of restriction and I knew I was heading down the right path. Once you find that "sweet spot" you should be able to eat the right portion of food and have no difficulty doing it. I wasn't so lucky to keep my sweet spot for long because eventually I had to get readjusted because I ended up really sick and was also on my period. Obviously there are other things other than throwing up that can inflame your band; things like allergies, being sick, periods, etc, can have an effect as well. Point is, you're going to have to pay attention to your body more than ever. Especially if you feel like you're still hungry. Maybe you should take a step back and ask yourself if you really are hungry or is your mind trying to make you go back to your old eating habits? You've probably heard this a lot, but it does help when you talk to yourself and question yourself.

[SageTracey 608]

I seriously doubt that getting multiple fills in that period of time is preventing you from feeling restriction. Please have patience (sorry, I really am not joking) and follow your dr's guidelines. Your dr has trained for this and should have plenty of experience or be under the guidance of an experienced WLS.

And try to pick the difference between head hunger and actual hunger. That's real toughie!

[honk 780]

Took me 6 months of fills to get restriction.

[jennifer1 180]

sometimes it takes a couple of weeks to feel the effects of a fill..so i would try and wait at least 2 weeks between them. but getting to restriction can take a while..it took me 8 months 5 fills and 2 emergency unfills. so be patient it will happen..lol i know i wanted it right away and i had to wait..lol

[workinprogress0180 9]

Hi how long have you had your lapband

Thursday makes 6 weeks since i was banded!

Crystal

[Kimberly Collins 15]

It took me months and months to feel restriction. I stopped getting fills and stretched my pouch from too much food and couldn't fill my super tight restriction. I cut way back on portion size, my pouch shrunk down, and totally feel it now.

[JimR915 21]

Took me 3 huge fills to feel restriction and 2 smaller fills to get into the green zone. About 5 months total.

[ssmsdjs 11]

it takes time to fill restriction I got banded in August 2011 and still am not in green zone and have had 3 fillls. It's not going to happen overnight be patient

[B-52 7,113]

it took me 3 fills, about 5 months after surgery.

Everything is between you and your Dr., but if I read your post correctly, 3 fills 2 weeks apart for each?

be careful, sometime a fill does not "kick In" for 2 weeks.

Also, every Dr. gives a different amount per fill. Multiple fills with little Fluid, or a few fills with larger amount fluid.

[1shauna1 129]

Only 6 weeks out and you've had 3 fills? That's a lot to me....I'm 1.5 years out and still haven't found the right levels. My surgeon starts with some Fluid in the band during surgery (I think 2.5 cc) which is supposed to lessen how many fills you need, but that didn't for me. After my first fill, I needed to go back for a defill. I think I had another fill and defill ( and I was only putting in .5 cc....the first time I went back down to .1 cc). Now my clinic has a rule (which I think is pretty dumb) that they will only give you a 1cc fill, and if you need to after you try to drink, they can take out .5.

As mentioned, you do need patience at the beginning. And also as mentioned, for whatever reason sometimes it can take a few days/couple of weeks to feel the result of a fill. You're still just learning, you'll get there! When you have restriction you will definitely know it!