Beware of the UN-fill !!!

[tita_f 15]

Ok, we've all been there...You go and get a fill and they give you all of these specific instructions on what to eat and what not to eat. They make you drink Water before you leave to make sure you're not completely shut off, etc etc.. But what about if you get it loosened? They don't tell you what THAT'S gonna be like!! So here's a list of the potential side effects for having an UN-fill (I wish I would've known before I had my band loosened):

- Gas

- Bloating, Water retention

- Diarrhea or constipation.. or diarrhea followed by Constipation followed by diarrhea

- More gas and bloating

- Hunger

- RAPID WEIGHT GAIN!!!!! And I mean RAPID, even if you're watching what u eat!!!

So what do we Banders do?? We go back and get a fill, right???? And another fill, and another fill.. But guess what!! THERE'S NO GOING BACK!! It's that "green-zone" everyone talks about. If u get to your green-zone, then don't mess with it!!

Unfortunately, I did mess w it. And after 3 more fills in my 10 yr old band, I'm up 65 pounds in about 6 months. So I gave up.. had my band removed last month and in 3 weeks I'm getting the Sleeve.

Anyone else have this happen???

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,722]

good luck on your surgery that is coming up. wish you all the best....the part that struck me in your post was that you gave up and gained 65 pounds.

to gain you must eat more cals than you burn off....the band will help one eat less but one must help the band also... and if you gained that much, you were clearly overeating..

[Toddy 758]

I've been unfilled twice, and not experienced any of those side effects. I just had to watch my weight very carefully until they got the problem, in my case a slip, fixed. Now I've been filled several time and am in the green zone and losing again. I've said on this site so many times... everybody is different!

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I've had two unfills and never experienced any of those side effects.

As far as "rapid weight gain", that only happens if you start eating more than you should be. The band itself doesn't make you lose weight or gain weight. The band simply allows you to be satisfied on less food for longer periods of time. Whether you lose or gain weight depends entirely on how much you eat.

[hockeywife91 106]

I had a partial unfill last week and didn't have any problems. It actually helped me since I was too tight and couldn't eat more than one bite without pb'ing. I'm still losing weight, so it hasn't affected me the same way as it did you. I wish you luck with your sleeve !

[this sucks 557]

Over the last three years I've had multilple fills and unfills. I've never had any of those problems after an unfill.

I've had more weight gain from being too tight than from having an unfill.

When you post a thread like this, you make an unfill sound like a death sentence to the band. This is not an accurate representation. Sorry the band didnt work out for you, but scaring newbies about having an unfill isn't playing fair.

[line-dancer 810]

I just had my (hope) last fill coming back from a slippage and it all taken out 8 wks ago and didn't have any of those problem. A lot of head hunger but I tracked it all and stayed with in my calores limits and have maintain perfectly. It was hard the head hunger is gone for me when the fill is around 4.5. I am so sorry you had problems and hope this next choice will be just right for you.

[ShellyBellyIowa 78]

I had an infill and it was perfect because it put me in the green zone!

[tita_f 15]

good luck on your surgery that is coming up. wish you all the best....the part that struck me in your post was that you gave up and gained 65 pounds.

to gain you must eat more cals than you burn off....the band will help one eat less but one must help the band also... and if you gained that much' date=' you were clearly overeating..[/quote']

Thanks Carolinagirl, I hope the surgery goes well too.

And just to clarify... I didn't give up and then gain 65 lbs, I ate healthier, exercised more, continued to get fill after fill after fill and STILL gained 65 lbs. THEN I gave up.. And actually I'm not the one who gave up, the nurse practitioners gave up on me. They refused to tighten my band any tighter bc they said it was TOO tight. I literally had to BEG them for the 3rd and final fill.

[tita_f 15]

Glad to hear that I seem to be in the minority with the UN-fill problems. And don't get me wrong, I'm still a fan of the band. I had it for 10 great years with great success!! I'm just sharing my experience as is everyone.

And for those of you who seem to know where or how I went wrong... How I didn't do the right thing or eat the right amount or types of food... Well, I caution YOU especially!!!

DON'T PASS JUDGEMENT BASED ON INADEQUATE INFORMATION!! We are all different as was said. Anyone ever pass JUDGEMENT against you??

Ever heard THESE words before:

- "YOU DON'T NEED THE LAPBAND!! YOU'RE JUST LAZY AND DON'T WANT TO EXERCISE OR EAT RIGHT!!!" -

If you say you never heard those words then you're LYING!! It's hard for people who don't have a weight problem to understand what it's like for those of us who do, RIGHT???

SOOO... Step down off of your HIGH-HORSE and remember where you started!!

Cause we all started at the same place... A place filled with the best of hopes and intentions.

[this sucks 557]

I was not judging you or your experience. I am not on a high horse and I have never forgotten where I started.

My point to you was that the title of your thread is extremely strong. Unfills are part of living with a band and no one should be scared off from having one when its needed.

The damage done from having a too tight band outweighs the POTENTIAL issues from having an unfill.

[Lapbandster 496]

I'm so sorry to hear that you're giving up!

I usually hear of ppl getting their bands removed from complications, but it seems like you lost patience, and I don't blame you

Good luck with your WL journey!

[B-52 7,113]

I have had many people tell me how they were doing fine, then needed to get a total un-fil, not 1/2 cc here or there, for whatever reason, then found it very difficult to get back to that magical place they were before....never quite the same....

But I cannot say one way or the other....I have never needed to get any Fluid taken out.....

As far as judgmental people.....this LBT...and you find that unusual??? This forum is full of self proclaimed experts.....convinced it is either Their way, or No way....

[B-52 7,113]

good luck on your surgery that is coming up. wish you all the best....the part that struck me in your post was that you gave up and gained 65 pounds.

to gain you must eat more cals than you burn off....the band will help one eat less but one must help the band also... and if you gained that much, you were clearly overeating..

Logical and simple as that.....I remember being told I was fat because I ate too much.....gee, you think???

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,722]

Glad to hear that I seem to be in the minority with the UN-fill problems. And don't get me wrong, I'm still a fan of the band. I had it for 10 great years with great success!! I'm just sharing my experience as is everyone.

And for those of you who seem to know where or how I went wrong... How I didn't do the right thing or eat the right amount or types of food... Well, I caution YOU especially!!!

DON'T PASS JUDGEMENT BASED ON INADEQUATE INFORMATION!! We are all different as was said. Anyone ever pass JUDGEMENT against you??

Ever heard THESE words before:

- "YOU DON'T NEED THE LAPBAND!! YOU'RE JUST LAZY AND DON'T WANT TO EXERCISE OR EAT RIGHT!!!" -

If you say you never heard those words then you're LYING!! It's hard for people who don't have a weight problem to understand what it's like for those of us who do, RIGHT???

SOOO... Step down off of your HIGH-HORSE and remember where you started!!

Cause we all started at the same place... A place filled with the best of hopes and intentions.

i got the lapband because i was fat/lazy and overate huge amounts of fast foods, chips etc...i feel once a person accepts what the problem is, they can fix it.

i do not have any fills *just a starting primer at surgery and i have no idea how much* but i do watch my caloric intake and try to eat better foods...and i feel is someone gains (65 pounds after a fill), they overate/drank more calories than their bodies burned off and hence the weight gain...i can say this and its true because i did not get over 300+ by dieting.....that being said, you stated you were a success, excuse me, you still are....

so to lose weight, do what you and everyone who has the band is suppose to do...eat better foods in the allotted amounts (stopping at 20 min mark) and let the band control the quantity..i understand fills help with the controlling the quantity......and because you can eat more then the 1 cup (or whatever your dr recommends) doesnt mean you should...that goes for whether someone has the sleeve or band or ds or bypass..you drink/eat more calories than you burn off and you WILL gain weight.

again, BEST of luck to you.

hope it truly works out.