I was banded on July 31st 2009, I had great restriction and followed the Dr orders to the MAX. My band Dr is in Chicago and at the time wasn't much of an issue to drive. Now I have a Job in Peoria and its 3hrs one way and a day off work. needless to say here's my issue...

About 18mos ago I was down from my 385 to my 220 goal weight. I was starting to feel hungry more than the normal 4hrs after eating. I had a fill of 2cc and that's when the problem(s) began. It has taken me in the past 3wks for the fills to settle in and become more normal but months later I didn't feel as if I could still eat solid Proteins, so I stuck to mushy foods as to not stretch my pouch or PB (which I have never done) Mushy food have now turned into Junk Foods...

I finally broke down and did some research and found a local Dr willing to help me out. I had 1/2 my fill removed and am now about 2-3cc in a large band. I had a scope done and everything inside looked OK according to the Dr. I have minor amount of esophagitus (sp) and am taking meds for that... I have plenty of restriction when I eat but RARELY get the stomach growling that I use to judge (along with a clock) when I need to eat. I have now gained about 50lbs and am freaking out that its all going to come back.

After sticking with my long winded post, Does anyone else have similar problems to what I have? I'm massively frustrated...

I'm not clear on the sequence of events in your story. Had you regained the 50 lbs before your unfill, back when you were eating slider and junk foods,or after? When was your unfill? Has your eating changed since then? In what ways? If you have plenty of restriction when you eat now and rarely feel physically hungry, what is the problem? Are you snacking/grazing even when you don't feel physically hungry?

Are you weighing your protein? My doctor says 3 oz of solid protein per meal. Eat the protein and then low fat/veggies until full. Your biggest issue looks like food choices. Junk food is high in calories. I have food trigger. I can't keep even low fat chips, cracker, sweet children's cereal in my house I will eat them mindlessly. What are you food habits. Are you eating out of habit vs. being hungry? Perhaps you need to set a timer that you can't hvae another meal until five hours has passed from your last meal.

Usually after the fill, my experience has been similar to yours. I had to measure the amount of food intake. But in my case if I felt hungry after two to three weeks it was an indicator that I needed another fill. Just depends how your body is going to react after each fill.

We have different reactions from our own fills. I am glad that have a dr that is willing to work with you which is very important.

Hang in there, I know what you are going through just takes time to get use to the fill and each fill will always be different while you are slowly losing the weight.

Sorry for any confusion,

I had gained the 50lbs before my recent un-fill... I know that all of my gain is due to the improper food I am eating. I guess what the frustrating thing is, I rarely feel like eating. I know that I must eat, so I graze in order to not eat a "standard" meal and stretch my pouch. I have tried several times going almost an entire day without eating, just to see if I would feel hungry and I get nothing...

It sounds great to not feel hungry, but its very difficult to eat. The satisfied feeling after you eat is the feeling I have constantly. How do I gage my food intake if I can't go from hungy to satisfied?

I know portion control will help to ensure I'm not eating to much but, I fell like can eat a proper portion and in a 2hrs or 8hrs still feel the same. I can't get that satisfied feeling because its there before I start eating. I don't want to eat enough to feel bloated ant cause other issues...

I hope what I am trying to describe makes sense...

The simple answer I know is schedule meal time and eat the proper amount with out grazing. Done! but what has changed inside that I no longer have sensation and does anyone else have this issue?

Yes, I've had the experience of not feeling physically hungry. I didn't experience it as an issue but rather as a benefit of my band.

And yes, you need to plan healthy meals and Snacks and eat them according to a reasonable schedule. I also suggest that you weigh and measure your food. When you're not getting physical cues to eat, you have to rely on your own discipline. To understand why you no longer feel hungry and no longer experience satiety after eating, you really need to talk with your surgeon. It's my understanding that the presence of the band on the upper stomach stimulates the vagus nerves that are responsible for carrying hunger and satiety messages to and from your brain.

I have to force myself not to eat until satisfied .... I have to stop eating when I feel pressure in my band and my breathing gets heavy during my meal. If I eat past that point, I start to get acid reflux starting and Im miserable for hours with tightness in my chest. But even during all of that ... I dont feel "satisfied" ... I just feel like my chest is tight.

Listen very carefully for the signs that you have eaten enough. Your body will send them. Also maybe try the "5 Day Pouch Test" - google it - to maybe "reset" your band so that you go back to when you were havign success before.

Thanks for the input... I will give the pouch test a go-around and see how it woks.

Jean,

I appreciate your input. I'm down 110lbs and I know I was doing things correct cause I was down about 165 just last year. I guess I will start setting alarms for meal time with proper portions... it's just frustrating cause I can deal with the hunger pains, that lets me know everything is OK. Maybe not grazing for a few months will put everything back to "normal" if there is such a thing with being banded...lol