I think I have been putting to much on my stomach. Ever since the surgery I have been bloated and could not tell gas from full. But now that I've started mushies and It's been 2 weeks and the gas is gone I can tell I was pushing it to far. Now that I started mushies I actually measured out a cup and chewed thoroughly and took 20 min to eat and can tell a difference. I think I'm going to have to cut back because I still got uncomfortable at about 30 min.I'm not noticing any soft stops yet. If this keeps up I won't need a fill on the 19th, but things can change by then. When I talked to the Dr. at a week post-op he basically said I could not have any restriction at this point without a fill. I mentioned it because of the bloating I was having. Do you think this sound like restriction or just gas? I need to know so I can go up against the Dr. if need be. I don't want a fill if I don't need one. How do I know? I am staying full for 4 hrs. and I mean full, full for about 3 of those. Hope this makes sense. BTW he said I was just getting use to the feeling of the band. Like wearing a belt for the first time. But if that the case the belts to tight.LOL

~~~Stephanie

It is possible to have restriction without any fills. In fact, there's a number of people on these forums that have never had a fill and are still in the Green Zone.

However, it's very likely a lot of what you're feeling is both gas and swelling. Remember, your stomach has been manipulated and sutured. It's very swollen and it often can take weeks for it to totally subside.

I would enjoy the satiety while it's here but be mentally prepared in case you one day (soon) wake up starving hungry because the swelling has finally gone down.

Best wishes

I did not get a fill until 6 weeks out ... I didn't have much hunger until week 6.. then I got a small fill .. I have only had one more fill since surgery I am now 1.8 cc in my band.. I probably won't get a fill on my next visit cause I am not hungry.. my 1 cup of food keeps me happy for 4 hours... we are all different though so it depends... don't be in a hurry to get a big fill.. sometimes that is worse than no fill from what I can tell.

My Dr. says if you can't eat a 1/2 sandwhich and some potatoe salad (as an example) than you don't need a fill...

If you are staying full for that long, it doesn't sound like you need a fill. Believe me, you will know!

When I started on mushies, I couldn't eat a full cup; 1/2-2/3 at most. Actually, that is still the case. 2/3 of a cup is my max, otherwise I'm too full (can't even believe I'm hearing those words come out of my mouth!!).

Steph - is your doctor wanting to give you a fill, whether you need it or not? If so, YES - tell him that you want to wait. If you're too full on one cup, and staying that way for a good 3-4 hours, it seems to me that a fill will put you over the edge. It's not necessary to put yourself through that. CG hasn't had a fill since her surgery, and I know another patient from my doctor's office that did perfectly fine for the first year without one. I don't think that there is a template; everyone is different.

Thanks for you're all's replies. I will see how things are going by the 19th, and then we will go from there. I'm pretty sure if I am still in this situation by that time that they wouldn't push me to get a fill if I explain it to them. But I good need one by then so will see. Thanks again.

~~~Stephanie