Hi,

Ok so I'm filling out my paperwork, I've chosen the hospital, I've made the decision to get banded, hopefully by the summer.

You all are great and patient with questions from crazed, nervous newbies like me. Here is a really dorky question.

Say I am banded, I am losing weight. 8 months to a year go by.

At the end of the first year I have the opportunity to travel to Italy on food/wine tour :phanvan. This may actually happen next summer. If I get a complete unfill and left with no fill at all for the duration of the tour (13 days), will I be able to eat/drink somewhat normally? No complete pig out but more than I would with a fill.

I know it is insane to ask this even before I get banded. Please don't flame me, it is a real questions even though it is a slightly crazy question.

Thanks in advance. You can stop laughing now.

Love,

Diva

275 lbs. 50.3 BMI and whopping 5'2"

That is not a dorky question. My question to that however would be....How bad are you wanting to change your life? I can tellyou that I have lost 80 lbs and nothing tastes as good as the new shorts I bought today and didnt feel like a beached whale putting them on in front of the mirror. Nothing tastes as good as getting that call from the doctor that says my cholesterol number have been reduced to half of what they were. I am not trying to fuss but this really has to be a life changing decision. You need to decide you are going to eat to live not live to eat. Living to eat is what got most of us into this position.Even without anyting in your band you are still goign to have some restriction. At least I did. I hope that you do not get a doctor that would consider giving you an unfill so you can eat and drink more on vacation. That is so unfair to what you are trying to accomplish. I am concerned about your commitment to this and I sincerely hope you are not misled into thinking this is a easy thing. It is not but it is so very rewarding. The best of wishes to you!

Don't get an unfill!

One of the things that I have finally discovered is that I enjoy food MORE now that I have some restriction. I really take my time when I eat to enjoy what I am eating because I know I can't eat that much. I can sip wine with a meal, too. If the purpose is to enhance the flavor of the food with the wine, I go for it.

Because I have restriction, if I am on vacation or I am treating myself, I forgo salad, bread, etc. and really enjoy my entree. You will find with a fill that you can probably eat almost everything you want to on your trip, just less of it!

I have been banded 7 months. I have lost 65 pounds and have not had a fill yet. I just returned from a 6 night Caribbean cruise. I ate the food that I wanted--just controlled the portions. I didn't fell deprived at all and I thoroughly enjoyed my meals. Lap band is a way of life for me. I don't want to mess up all that I have accomplished. Before the band, I would diet; lose weight; and then pig out. Of course, I gained it all back plus more. When you make the decision to be banded, you must commit to a life style change. You don't follow the dietary rules until you reach your goal--you follow them for life. The band is a great tool that makes weight loss achieveable.

::

I just knew that somehow my commitment would be questioned. I hesitated to ask this. I have been seriously looking into wls for a few years. I am an adult, I understand the idea of commitment. If anything this forum has made me even more cautious since the official literature doesn't give the honest information that the veterans on this list have given me. I don't go into this easily or with the idea that the band will not be extremely hard work. It is a tool. I want to live and not die of complications of my weight. It has held me back for too many years to discuss. However, I want to live. The tour I am referring to is a geneology vacation with my Mom. We will be visiting relatives we have never met in very very small towns in Sicily. It is once in a lifetime. And...more than a year away since I am hoping to get banded by June.

I don't have any intention of putting off the surgery due to this possible trip. I was really sincerely hoping not to open up a pandora's judgemental box. My question was about eating, dorky yes but cavelier no. I was wondering how one feels after a year of being banded, being successful at losing some weight and then being unfilled for an extremely short period of time. ::scared::

Thanks for answering though. I do sincerely appreciate it. And again, this group is truly terrific.

Love,

Diva

Thank you Bensum and Showboat girl, even Leigh Ann,

I hear the concern and the sound advice. I wrote the previous note before I saw Bensum and Showboats answers. Anyway. I thank you all for taking the time to answer.

Love,

Diva

What you'll find too is that your attitude will change and 8 months, a year down the track, your idea of going off and enjoying a food/wine tour will not be the same as it is now. I too enjoy food more than ever now that the evil hold it had over me is gone. I dont view dinner out as a chance to pig out to the extreme so that I can start my "diet" again tomorrow. I enjoy it more than I ever did.

I get the same satisifaction on 1/3 of the food.

So dont stress about the holiday, you'll enjoy it in an entirely new way.

Diva

You asked about someone's experience being banded for a year and then having a temporary unfill. I've only been banded a week so I can't answer from experience, but during my pre-surgery class I sat next to a woman who was the support person for someone else. She told me that she had to be unfilled in order to have some unrelated abdominal surgery. She was anxious to get refilled as soon as possible as she had regained 20 lbs in a fairly short period of time.

I wish you the best with whatever you decide and hope you are able to have your surgery scheduled soon.

Ellen

Here's the problem with a complete unfill - it may take you three, four, or five fills to get to a good restriction level. By a year out, you should have hit your perfect level of restriction. After you get your unfill, even for as short a period of time as 13 days, your doctor will NOT automatically fill you back to your previous level of restriction - it will take you another three, four, or five fills.

And at a complete unfill, you will not only be able to eat more than with a fill, you will eat as much as you could pre-banding...it's like not having a band at all.

However, I understand the cultural implications of visiting European relatives and eating with them. If you eat like a bird, they will think you are rude and picky. But a year out of surgery, you will have learned techniques to be able to eat around other people and not have them question you.

I know it seems to easy to you now to just fill and unfill, but once you have your surgery and go through that frustrating period of trying to find proper restriction, you will understand the gravity of a complete unfill.

Most docs won't do it, give you an unfill for a vacation. They would question your commitment, and you could lose them as your doc. Mine would not do it for that purpose, and if he knew you had it planned, he would not take you on as a patient.

Only 5 months out, and I can tell you that your whole attitude about food will change. Don't even consider it.

Bad idea.

Hi Diva,

You wont need an unfill to enjoy wine and cheese. Wine goes right through the band and the cheese is a soft food and will go down easy with the wine. Even with maximum restriction, you will still be able to enjoy yourself.

I am not questioning your commitment. This is a perfectly legitimate question, but you definitely dont want to unfill your band. Messing with your restriction could take months or a year to get it back to where it was before and is not worth the unfill.

Babs in TX

334/180ish

-150 ish

Banded ALMOST 3 years and happy!!!!

Hi Diva,

Whoops, I just noticed the tour included ALL food. I wouldnt worry. Most italian food is soft anyway with the exception of Protein which I would stick to soft meats that go down well. Beleive me, your whole perspective regarding quantity will change by then and you will be happy with the smaller portions. Just sample everything. 1/2 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/2 oz HE HEE HEE!!!

babs in TX again

334/180ish

-150 ish

it also depends on your fill/restriction level. i am fairly tight and have trouble with a number of foods. some people, jachut comes to mind, who have more moderate fill amounts and are able to eat a wide variety of foods without trouble. so, i agree that this trip is not something you should be managing your band around. you will probably not be that concerned with this a year from now. you'll enjoy the trip whether with a tight fill or a moderate one.