My First Unfill

[JudyDF 0]

I suffered for months with a band that was too tight....don't ask me why I guess I thought it would get better without getting an unfill. Finally I could not stand it any more and went to the doctors. They emptied the band completely (my biggest fear) to see if I had caused any major damage. Thank God I had not. Well they took 8 1/2 ccs out and when I went back a week later put it 5cc's. Now I knew in my head that was probably not enough 3cc's less but I was so glad that there was no damage that I didn't say anything, thinking he's the doctor he knows whats best. Well now I can eat anything and everything and although it feels wonderful after throwing up almost every day for 4 months I have gained back 7 lbs. I now have to go for another fill but I have to say being able to eat pizza, Pasta, bread anything feels sooooo good. But I know I can't undue all the good I have done ( lost 80 lbs) so I will call and make an appointment. Having a band that is too tight is the most miserable feeling you can have.

[Lollicatt 36]

I experienced the same thing last tinge and its horrible! I also cant get very big fills so I only get. 5 Max at a time. I haven't been in 6 weeks because I'm pretty tight still and have no desire to be even tighter. So glad you got relief!

[yesucan 0]

I am glad I had the partial defill because I had an upper GI and the barium contrast was still in my pouch after 5 minutes. My surgeon said it kind of looks like it slipped but he wasnt clear. He said if it did, it wasn't enough to be concerned ( but I am concerned). I was up to 5.5 cc then had 0.5. Cc taken out of a 10 cc band. They warned me that it would be like starting all over, no matter how much they took out. I am really trying not to eat to much but it is really hard. I am ready to get another fill but I don't want to suffer or risk band slippage. They also told me that the same .5 cc put back on could have a totally different effect. I have already gained 5 lbs in 1 wk.. So many decisions.... Any advice ??

[JudyDF 0]

If your doctor feels that it is ok to get the fill I would do it. You will only keep gaining weight if you don't and you don't want to do that. I didn't realize how quickly the weight can come back on if the band is too loose.

[angbutler0712 30]

^{Reading these unfil stories is making me nervous for my next appointment.}

^{I am hoping to have another fill.. a small one, but I don't want to over do it. The last thing I want to happen is to have an unfill and start over or to have a slip from being too tight.}

^{I was reviewing the lapband green zone chart yesterday.. I would say i'm 75% green, 25% yellow. Is that close enough? Should I even try for another fill or wait a few months? I am 7cc in an 11cc band. I know the cc amount doesn't really matter since ever person is different.}

^{I am satisfied after a meal that consists of a weight watcher meal and a yogurt. I usually stay statisfied for about 4 hours between meals. I really should eat more Snacks, but I forget and then it's too late and i'm starving. I'm not able to eat bread or dry foods at all anymore. Even ground burger or turkey is hard to get down. I definitely have seen a reduction in the amount of food I can eat in one sitting. However, there are days when I feel I can eat more than I should be. A couple cups of food at a sitting.. I would say i'm averaging between 1200-1500 calories per day. Since my last fill 3 weeks ago, i've lost 6lbs. So with that all said, I feel like I'm getting there... and could use maybe just one small fill . What do you guys think? From what I'm telling you, is this the green zone? I want to lose weight so badly.. but I do not want to be over filled.}

^Thanks,

[Lollicatt 36]

I know this has been said many times but it really drives on your preference. I think I finally hit the green zone with this least fill/unfill BUT I have a hard time with meat. I chewed the shut our of it and took teeny tiny bites and it has still been a challenge. I found myself turning to slider foods so I think I was to tight, for me. I ate allot healthier when I was just a tad looser. I still lost and kept small portions. Some people like to be tight and it works for them. These past few days I've loosen Ed up a bit, and I'm happy here so I'm not going to get a fill for a while. Just listen to your body and pay attention to food habits so you can find a right tightness for you.

[sweetangel 3]

Can I just offer a little advice and this is not critical of anyone? Your band is just a tool, one of the may tools that you can use to achieve your goals. It's not the magic bullet to success. I just don't believe being too tight or too loose helps you loose weight. It's a tool. So for those who have had unfills and you see yourself gaining may I suggest what I did when I had my unfill. Since I knew the band would be looser and that my tool would not be as effective. I supplemented. I started doing caloriecount.com and logging every piece of food I ate to make sure I still stayed in an acceptable caloric intake range. I upped my exercise to an additional ten minutes just by taking my dogs on a longer route. I didn't gain weight. I actually lost during my unfill. Once I was able to get filled again, didn't have to count calories as much. I was able to decrease my exercise back down. All that to say, being loose is a temporary situation. One you can counteract if you want. And you will get filled again but don't forget the band is one of many tools you can use. Not the only tool!

[sweetangel 3]

And one more thing. The green zone! Someone on this board helped me realize that the green zone is not some magic spot. I'm at 3.9 cc right now and I am able to eat any and everything. All meats, bread, pancakes, etc. However, I loose on average 6-9 pds per month and I never plateaued. Never lost less than 6 pds. I doubted if I was in the green zone. But someone on this board helped me to see that yes I am in the green zone. 1-My weight loss is good 2-I am satisfied for at least 4 hours between meals without snacking. On the rare occasions that I am not satisfied for four hours between meals. If I eat a fruit or a small snack and that keeps me satisfied, then you're green. It doesn't matter that I can eat bread or pancakes. Again try to use your band as a tool. I think and not saying its right or wrong some of us like to use the band as a prohibitor, and not aid. We want the band to keep us not only satisfied but keep us for eating things that we probably could be able to eat. Thus they keep the band so tight til the band is not an aid or a tool but a crutch. I hear and dont know how true it is, but soon you never get that 'tight tight' feeling to stay and you risk being overfilled and band slippage. If your weight loss slows, get a fill and do maybe 5 mins extra of exercise just to see. But if your stomach is irritated and you can't get filled right now just now you don't have to gain weight. And also if you're losing weight but you're still able to enjoy certain foods and you're satisfied at least 4 hours, you're green. When you stop loosing and stop being satisfied, then go for a fill. Just my little opinion but we are all so different

[angbutler0712 30]

Thank you sweetangel. You are right, I guess I'm just so nervous about my band not being tight enough. It has taken me 6 months of going through bandster hell to get to this point. It has been some of the longest months of my life and I even started to regret getting this. You are correct, the band is a tool. That is something I've had to learn over this past 6 months. I was hoping I would be able to lose weight quickly with little effort. BAHAHA.. boy was I wrong. I went through 2 full years of prepping for this surgery.. I knew it was going to be a slower loss than with gastric bypass.. I just didn't realize how much slower.

I am definitely the type of person that likes my band tight. It helps restrict me from eating things that I would LOVE to eat.. such as bread and muffins and cake and cheeseburgers.. I have very little will power and the tight band keeps me in check. Lack of will power and an addiction to food got me here in the first place.

Along with the band I use myfitnesspal.com to track my calories and work out at the gym 4 days a week. I see my nutritionist every 3 months to stay on track with food choices. After this last fill, was when I started really seeing changes and feeling restriction, instead of feeling like I was starving myself. I go see my doctor in 2 weeks to discuss another fill and have my 6 month post op. Unfortunately, my mind is saying.. I don't want to "waste" this doctors appt and not get a fill after all the time and effort I've put into this process. Please don't take that statement the wrong way! I know that any time I have with my doctor to discuss my band is not a waste.. it's just my head telling me that I need another fill to continue losing weight.. Some days I think I'm in the green, some days not so much.

I think you're right about waiting until weight loss slows and I start feeling less satisfied. I would rather be safe than sorry.

[kll724 3,055]

^{Reading these unfil stories is making me nervous for my next appointment.}

^{I am hoping to have another fill.. a small one, but I don't want to over do it. The last thing I want to happen is to have an unfill and start over or to have a slip from being too tight.}

^{I was reviewing the lapband green zone chart yesterday.. I would say i'm 75% green, 25% yellow. Is that close enough? Should I even try for another fill or wait a few months? I am 7cc in an 11cc band. I know the cc amount doesn't really matter since ever person is different.}

^{I am satisfied after a meal that consists of a weight watcher meal and a yogurt. I usually stay statisfied for about 4 hours between meals. I really should eat more Snacks, but I forget and then it's too late and i'm starving. I'm not able to eat bread or dry foods at all anymore. Even ground burger or turkey is hard to get down. I definitely have seen a reduction in the amount of food I can eat in one sitting. However, there are days when I feel I can eat more than I should be. A couple cups of food at a sitting.. I would say i'm averaging between 1200-1500 calories per day. Since my last fill 3 weeks ago, i've lost 6lbs. So with that all said, I feel like I'm getting there... and could use maybe just one small fill . What do you guys think? From what I'm telling you, is this the green zone? I want to lose weight so badly.. but I do not want to be over filled.}

^Thanks,

I would definitely say you are in the "green zone". I would wait for a few weeks or a month to see what happens. 6 lbs in 3 weeks is awesome! You do not want to be too tight. Best wishes whatever you decide! Karen

[PattiL 1]

I gave up on steak. It does not matter how little or tender it is it will not go down easy.

[ms.lady 3]

So extremely happy I found this post. Since February 23 I have been miserable I have thrown up on anything I eat everyday, even on liquids! And I mean this is within seconds or minutes of eating it. I only have about 3.25cc max in my band and thought it would get better. Well its has not I have developed what I believe to be acid reflux (waking up in the middle of the night choking on acid) and now my throat is irrated and burns with food and drinks. I tired I just want to have a decent meal with out running to the restroom. It's tiresome and embrassing as well. I love when I got my band and even with my first fill I could eat anything but measured/weighed my food, used MFP, and exercised 5-6 days a week, sure sometimes I was hungry, but I rather live that why then the current. I don't feel like a normal human being, I haven't had an entire meal since February or exercised since March due lack of energy. I would have never thought I could experience this off a total of 3cc's (3 fills). Finally made an appointment for Monday for a unfill. I can't live like this.

[Joybgunter 19]

Ok, I did make appt. But for Monday...........since I am eating mushies and the weight is falling off I wanted to maximize this a bit. I told em the truth on the phone and they said Mon. Would be fine. This should give me time to jumpstart my second time around wt loss!

[1shauna1 129]

I am glad I had the partial defill because I had an upper GI and the barium contrast was still in my pouch after 5 minutes. My surgeon said it kind of looks like it slipped but he wasnt clear. He said if it did, it wasn't enough to be concerned ( but I am concerned). I was up to 5.5 cc then had 0.5. Cc taken out of a 10 cc band. They warned me that it would be like starting all over, no matter how much they took out. I am really trying not to eat to much but it is really hard. I am ready to get another fill but I don't want to suffer or risk band slippage. They also told me that the same .5 cc put back on could have a totally different effect. I have already gained 5 lbs in 1 wk.. So many decisions.... Any advice ??

This is so me! Lol. I had a defill of .25 because I couldn't even drink my coffee in the morning, and I was going on vacation and on a plane for the first time since being banded (worried about getting too tight on the flight). So that was fine....but when I came back & got back to my routine, I'm too loose. So I got another fill of .25 bringing me back to where I was....and I'm not too tight! Possibly I could use another small fill. So, I have no answer as to why these things happen, but if you get that .25 put back in it doesn't necessarily mean you're too tight. Maybe you just can't take too much at once (and maybe that's me too!). As for the "green zone"....I agree it shouldn't mean you can't eat certain foods. What was said is great advice - I was told I could eat anything after banding, just the amounts would be different and I would be satiated for longer. Not necessarily the case (some foods definitely give me issues), but I do agree!

[yesucan 0]

Thanks. I am going to wait at least 2 weeks to allow whatever was going on to heel. It is definately a high maintainence tool.