I am 6 weeks post op and am on regular diet. I am hungry all the time. I go for my first fill on Thursday. I hope it helps... I just feel that I went through all this for nothing .

Hi,

It's totally normal! I am afraid you will feel this way for awhile. It's time to put on your big pants and diet. Some people are lucky enough to be in the green zone on the first fill but others (like me) needed many more. I was banded in November and am still not in the green zone. However I diet eat right and exercise most days it's hard work but I would be more pissed now if I didn't take my health into my hands and have dropped weight at this point. I still get hungry and can eat bad foods but I don't. It's hard work and the band is a tool that can help you when it kicks in it just takes time. Good luck!

It took me 3 fills to start to feel satiety/restriction. It may take you less or more. Your band won't work it's magic until it's properly adjusted. Till then, it's just another diet.

Don't be discouraged.. the band will not stop you from eating bad.. that is up to you... I have very little restriction.. about 2 cc's total since surgery.. I can still eat crap if I want to.. but I don't...try to track what you are eating.. that helps.. even though I don't have a lot of restriction, I know that the band will give me a signal when I am eating too fast or too much.. it might be a little burp or hiccup but I know what it means.. listen to your body and your band..

I see a lot of posts like this and I don't understand - was it never explained to you that until you have had a few fills the likelihood is that you won't feel any differently once the swelling from your surgery has gone down?

I walked into surgery KNOWING that I would experience hunger until I got to the green zone, and getting that sort of 'help' from the band could take months. I knew that I would have to wait until then, but that it didn't stop me from working towards weight loss while I was waiting for the band to 'kick in'.

At no point did I feel like I'd done it all 'for nothing' because I knew it would take time. And that time, I tried to use wisely to learn new eating habits, start exercising, and lose the weight. That's the difference between the band and, say, the sleeve or bypass. The band is reversible but it also needs to be 'tweaked' over time to get the benefit from it. And it's not just you OP but LOTS of newly banded people I see on the boards who don't seem to realise that that is the way the band works, and who seem to have the expectation that it will erase all hunger the minute surgery is over. It very very rarely works that way.

I see a lot of posts like this and I don't understand - was it never explained to you that until you have had a few fills the likelihood is that you won't feel any differently once the swelling from your surgery has gone down?

I do not recall anyone telling me anything about "Bandster Hell" or needing 3 fills to find a little satiety but then I think I may have had rose colored glasses on during the seminar, nutrition class and I may have blocked any negative information. I too was pretty shocked that it was going to take me 4 months to start my journey. Could have been my bad but since I've had the band I've received some conflicting information/guidance from the nut and the doc. I'm not sure some of these practices really understand how this all works?

Looking back on my travels up to being banded, I think if I had hung around this forum more often I may have understood this band thing.

tmf

That's really interesting tmf. I think I would have been mighty pee'd off too if I came out of surgery not knowing that it was going to take time to get to the green zone, and therefore felt cheated when the hunger returned (for me, just 3 days post surgery). My doctor wasn't much of a talker, and he never sent me to any classes or to see any nutritionists, and I never have, but to his credit, he did explain bandster hell and how it would be for me in the those first few months at my very first consult. And he was in fact the best support I had throughout. Gotta love great aftercare!

I agree noone told me that either I was told I would have a lot of restrictions from just having the band even unfilled and I may or may not ever need a fill.. Same thing with my friend who had it done by a different surgeon in a different state

I agree noone told me that either I was told I would have a lot of restrictions from just having the band even unfilled and I may or may not ever need a fill.. Same thing with my friend who had it done by a different surgeon in a different state

That's crazy! Few people have restriction straight out of surgery! Way to inflate someone's expectations!! No wonder so many people are confused by what's happening to them!

Everyone has some sort of restriction after surgery a band was just wrapped around ur stomach and altered

I'm still not having restriction either and I've been banded since 12/28/12 and I'm hungry but I've learned so much and I'm extremely grateful. I've learned portion control and that every calorie counts and I'm OK with that. My doctor is conservative with his fills and I'm hoping that when I get my next fill which is next Monday, I'll start feeling satiety/restriction. In the meantime, I'll continue to eat properly. Down 58 lbs without restriction so I'm doing a happy dance anyway!

Everyone has some sort of restriction after surgery a band was just wrapped around ur stomach and altered

Straight after surgery I felt it, sure, because I was still swollen, but no, when the swelling dissipated at day 3, I had NO restriction. None. Nothing at all. I didn't get any until I had filled my 10cc band to 6cc.

Same thing when I got my band replaced. Hunger returned a few days post surgery, and I had zero restriction until I got to about 5cc this time.

So not everyone has restriction straight out of surgery. In fact I think if I were to do an unofficial poll, I'd say over the years I've seen more people couldn't feel anything at all once the swelling went down than people who could.

Straight after surgery I felt it, sure, because I was still swollen, but no, when the swelling dissipated at day 3, I had NO restriction. None. Nothing at all. I didn't get any until I had filled my 10cc band to 6cc.

Same thing when I got my band replaced. Hunger returned a few days post surgery, and I had zero restriction until I got to about 5cc this time.

So not everyone has restriction straight out of surgery. In fact I think if I were to do an unofficial poll, I'd say over the years I've seen more people couldn't feel anything at all once the swelling went down than people who could.

I agree. I had my band in May and didnt get a fill until last month. I have a surgeon who is very conservative with his fills and didn't get a fill until I booked an appt with his wife and partner. She gave me my first fill. I still don't feel any restriction and hopefully will be closer with my next fill. Sad part is, my visits with him were free for a year. Going to her, I have to pay a copay, but still its worth it. But like some posters here, I took this time to learn new eating habits and starting a postive exercise program and have successfuly lost 40 lbs. It may take me several more months to hit the green zone, I don't want to waste that time.

I do not recall anyone telling me anything about "Bandster Hell" or needing 3 fills to find a little satiety but then I think I may have had rose colored glasses on during the seminar, nutrition class and I may have blocked any negative information. I too was pretty shocked that it was going to take me 4 months to start my journey. Could have been my bad but since I've had the band I've received some conflicting information/guidance from the nut and the doc. I'm not sure some of these practices really understand how this all works?

Looking back on my travels up to being banded, I think if I had hung around this forum more often I may have understood this band thing.

tmf

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