Hi! I got my second fill today.. I now have 5cc in a 15cc band. I got the fill at noon today.. and doc was sure that I would feel a lot of restriction. That I wouldnt even be able to have an entire Protein shake at once. (I am on liquids again). However, its four hours after the fill and I have had one shake and one broth and am starving! Not in my head either, my stomach is growling painfully!!! I can get through this now, I am not looking to eat something, I am wondering is this still normal?? My doc was so sure that this fill would make a huge difference, I would barely be able to eat a cup of food when I was back on regular food. It sure doesnt feel it!!

Ugh!

I have found that after I have my fills I don't immediately have restriction the first few hours. I also stick with liquids the first 24 hours. I usually fill the restriction the next morning when I wake up. I have heard it takes a little while for the fill to actually reach the band itself. I bet you will fill it in the morning for sure. Good Luck

Doctors can guess when we'll start to have restriction but at the end of the day, it's just that, a guess. There's no magic amount of Fluid that will guarantee restriction in our bands.

Don't be discouraged. For one thing, 15cc is a large band, so it stands to reason it will take a bit more to get restriction in it too. (btw, are you sure that's the size? I've heard of a 14cc band but not a 15cc one before) Most people it does take multiple fills to have restriction.

It will come, it just may take a little more time and fills.

Best wishes.

Mis you are right, it is 14cc band. I hope I will feel some restriction. I did gain back 3 pounds from my last visit (yes I am a bit discouraged, even though it is that time of the month)

Thank you for your feedback so quickly. I know logically the answers, but I am feeling a bit down.

Mis you are right, it is 14cc band. I hope I will feel some restriction. I did gain back 3 pounds from my last visit (yes I am a bit discouraged, even though it is that time of the month)

Thank you for your feedback so quickly. I know logically the answers, but I am feeling a bit down.

Don't be down or too hard on yourself. You're fairly newly banded and still very much on the learning curve with all this. Heck, I have found there's something new to learn with every single fill I get.

A small piece of advice that might help? Before I had adequate Fluid in my band, I knew only eating a cup of food every 4 hours was totally unrealistic. I was freak'n starving! So, until I had good restriction, I concentrated on calories. I would have a set amount of calories I allowed myself a day and planned it so I could eat something every 2 hours. For me, this did two things- it allowed me to stay within the one cup limit and I wasn't absolutely starving all the time. Plus, I did lose weight consistently, even without restriction.

Hang in there, I promise it gets easier

I would think that even for those of us who are in the green zone we would also be hungry after a shake or broth so I don't see any need to be concerned just yet. Wait till you're able to eat solids. You may find a new sensation with a "stuck" episode.

tmf

I have not had much restriction after my first fill OR second fill. I am on count down until my third fill (September 5) . . ~ whew ~ I didn't realize it was going to take 6 months to get into the GREEN ZONE

I have not had much restriction after my first fill OR second fill. I am on count down until my third fill (September 5) . . ~ whew ~ I didn't realize it was going to take 6 months to get into the GREEN ZONE

Yeah, it's disappointing when you realize the first 4-6 months are a learning process. I know I was disappointed. I had planned on being super skinny by now. HA! I think back to the seminars, doctor visits, some posts here and a few support groups I went to and I think I was informed but chose to wear my rose colored glasses and assumed I wouldn't be one of those slow losers and I'd be losing 10 lbs a month. What did Elvis say? "Fools rush in, where wise men never go"?

Well, I don't feel foolish and I'm glad I did this. I think the rose colored glasses enabled me to make the big leap and had I known or thought that this was going to be so hard I may not have done it. But, I have no regrets now and I love my new life. Not looking back, only looking forward to a skinnier and healthier me. It will come for those of you who choose to stay the course and the course may not be that far away.

tmf

I have had two fills, I have6cc in my 11cc band and can still eat anything.I cancelled my last fill appt because I have not lost any wt. Everyday I say I'm going to diet today and I always fail just like before the band. I hope you will have better luck thanI have had.

I have had two fills' date=' I have6cc in my 11cc band and can still eat anything.I cancelled my last fill appt because I have not lost any wt. Everyday I say I'm going to diet today and I always fail just like before the band. I hope you will have better luck thanI have had.[/quote']

You sound so discouraged! Please don't give up hope. I know what it's like to struggle with a band that fluctuates wildly between too tight and too loose! Try another fill. Also try to break it down to small goals. Take it one meal at time- instead of 1 day at a time! You arent a failure, you just need to get back on the right path.

I have had two fills, I have6cc in my 11cc band and can still eat anything.I cancelled my last fill appt because I have not lost any wt. Everyday I say I'm going to diet today and I always fail just like before the band. I hope you will have better luck thanI have had.

I say this with all due respect, but why would you cancel a fill appointment for not losing weight? That's when you need to see your doctor most.

You say you "can still eat anything". The band isn't supposed to stop you from eating anything. In fact, most of us can still eat anything and should be able to. If you're expecting it to stop you from eating you're in for a big disappointment.

The band is supposed to make you feel satisfied with less food for longer periods of time. It's not supposed to restrict what you eat, it's not supposed to make you feel stuffed full, and it's not supposed to force you to stop eating.

You are sabotaging yourself right now. I encourage you to get back into your doctor and discuss all this with him. Possibly even go back to a seminar or support group so you can understand the true purpose of the band and what it's supposed to do.

Best wishes.

I'm making an assumption. Have to post this comment for Snielsen from a fellow poster who I cannot recall his name:

"In my case, the most fearful thing I had to do in order to succeed with my band wasn't switching to skim milk, surviving a liquid diet, or giving up bread. The most fearful thing was giving up my emotional attachment to food. In the nearly 5 years since I was banded, I've made a lot of progress with that, but the attachment is still there. It forms one of the innermost layers of my turtle shell. Working on that layer will probably be a lifetime job for me. At times I'm not even sure I truly want to get rid of it altogether. At times I'm afraid that if I shed my shell completely, I won't be able to survive. On the other hand, I seem to be doing fine without that thick old b***h layer. So I'm going to pay attention to my dreams rather than my fears and pray for a miracle. And why not? It can't hurt to try!"

tmf

thank you to everyone for their help with this post yesterday... I do not feel hungry today at all. I am onto mushies again and this morning I had half a Protein shake, (I was super late getting out the door!) and two small bites of a gf cookie (a new gf bakery, I had to try) and about three bites of cottage cheese and I do not feel hungry. I am not sure I am going to stay this way, but I will take it for now!

thanks!!