I was banded May 9. It's about time for my first fill. And I don't think I want one. :nervous The fills come with the aftercare, so it isn't a financial issue.

I'm afraid that if I get a fill, I'll start pb'ing and sliming and such. Like it will ruin a good thing because now I'm able to eat anything I want. I still eat small quantities but can eat normal sized bites. I feel full, and I am losing 1-2 lbs a week.

I've only had one golf ball and it wasn't awful, just uncomfortable. Is the whole process really so much better after getting fills?

You have some control over this. Ask for very small fills...explain that you want to sneak up on your optimum amount and go very slowly. My fill doc is very receptive to this, and if you'll look at my signature, you'll see I have only had .7cc's and the last one was in November. I probably should have more restriction, but I have been very cautious. So, I understand where you are coming from, and you are the best judge of your situation.

Hello,

I was banded the same day May 9th 2006. I do not feel the Vanguard Band that I have and I want an agressive fill. I will get a fill on June 21st. Right now I have no symptoms of the band and I think that it is time to get it going and do some learning on myself and my band and my restrictions. I need to learn then, good, bad and indifferent. It is time to get it on! I still only eat a very small amout and about 800 calories aday and 70 oz of Fluid. But it is time to go to the next level and get what I paid for. I will keep you in my loop as I go to Boston and then the next day to Central America for a few days. I am bringing Protein Shakes with ma as I might not be able to eat for a few days....

Peace

from everything I've read in the literature, what I've been told by my Dr. You're exactly where you should be. If you're losing 1-2 pounds a week, and not struggling with hunger, then you don't need a fill. You honestly don't need to lose faster, it's hard on the body, you're more likely to have issues with things like hair loss and sagging skin, if you lose too fast. 1-2 pounds a week is awesome loss, and if you're doing it without feeling deprived then the it sounds like you have ideal restriction allready, so why mess with a good thing? If you end up too restricted you can end up with sliming PB's and end up more likely to have serious complications too, like slippage or erosion. The band is supposed to work gently with you, I'd love to be in your position, congratulations!

XO

Leila

Don't do it! It makes me crazy when I read about people who are put on, or feel like they're on, a "fill schedule".

Only get a fill when you stop losing weight or you feel like you're starving or seriously dieting to lose. Every BODY is different and so should be the timing and amount of everyone's fills.

I got my first fill too soon and have regretted it ever since. I did it because I was at 12 weeks post op, still hadn't had a fill, and I was worried I would be left behind the pack in weight loss! What a stupid reason to have a fill. I wish I hand't done anything! I'm still having problems - even with two subsequent fill adjustments. Read my LBT Journal if you want to see THAT screwed up story!

Don't rush yourself. There are only so many fills you can get, so why push it when you don't really need to? Save 'em up for when you NEED them. IMO, if you have good restriction with no fill, it's probably because your stomach is sensitive to the band and when you get a fill you may resensitize or irritate your stomach (like I did) and have to go through swelling and discomfort just like post surgery all over again.

Thank you for posting about this - I've wanted to say that for a few weeks now! Thank you.

I just read your journal. OMG!!! :omg: Thank you for sharing your experience. I will ride this until the wheels fall off. I only get really hungry occasionally, and then it is usually just before mealtime.

I have no restriction after one fill and have scheduled the second one. When I do feel restriction, I plan to ride the wave as long as I can. You're lucky that you have some restriction and have not had a fill so hold off as long as possible.

There is a woman in my surgeon's support group who has lost over 100 pounds in a year and has NEVER had a fill. Some people get great restriction just from placement of the band.

I say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. You are doing great!

My doctor told me some people never get a fill and lose all their weight. It is possible. I had my surgery on April 26th and so far have not had a fill. My doctor said as long as i felt full and was losing it wasn't necessary. However the last 3 weeks I haven't lost and I feel like I can eat normal portions, so I am scheduled for a fill on June 22nd. I think as long as your losing and you aren't hungry the fill isn't necessary.

I'm with you! I'll wait as long as I can before I get a fill. Glad to hear someone else express it. Like you, I usually get hungry just before its time to eat (is this possibly like a "normal" eater, OBG?! what a unique experience)

i was banded 5.5.06, losing weight just fine and I have a dreadful but I think healthy fear of a bad fill. (thanks to stories like Donnas, I mean it, thank you, sorry you had the experiece but sharing it helps us!)

Do you have the VG band?

I feel exactly the same way about fills. I have my own personal little theory here and I'm not at all offended that not everybody will agree with it but it goes like this:

Most of us need fills at some stage to lose the weight. I really believe for me the best way to use the band is to fill to the point where I"m losing but can eat everything. I've reached that point. So far I've lost 20 easy kilograms, really without much effort at all. Now I'm losing only 1kg or so a month at my current fill level - 1/4 lb per week.

I have two choices here: I could go back and get another fill but I just know I'm on the brink of one more fill and there goes bread, hello PB's (I've never PB'd), hello never knowing whether what you eat is going to stay down, etc etc. I have no desire to live like that even though I did choose to have a band. But I could jack the weight loss back up to 1/2 to 1 kg a week. I'd be at goal by the end of the year.

Or I can have no more fill until I feel this one has significantly loosened, I can continue running five times a week, build up distances and chew up even more calories. And I could pull my finger out and actually do weight watchers or, actually, we're thinking of a month or two of Lite n Easy (home delivered meals) as DH needs to get moving again too.

I vote the second option for now. Option 1 has no guarantee that if I fill more and sacrifice my comfortable relationship with my band, that I will actually lose weight at the rate I imagine anyway. I also worry that being "tight" will lead to more complications such as erosion - just my feeling, not fact.

And lastly, I feel that in 20 years, NONE of us here may have our bands. There just are no long long term stats for whether or not this thing can stay in our bodies. So I'm still extremely mindful of trying to teach myself to overcome my bad food habits, and those are habits I"m still fighting now whilst banded although to a much lesser degree. Whether that's wishful thinking or not, I dont know.

But the moral of the story is there's as many reasons not to fill as there are to fill, its all how you choose to view it.

Do you have the VG band?

I have the Inamed 4 cc band.

And Jachut - thank you. That is how I feel. I am comfortable. I can eat, although I haven't tried bread yet. My DH is gluton intolerant so I don't have wheat products in the house, except for my crackers, so giving up bread isn't really an issue now. I eat the bandster way, chewing, no drinking (except wine, occasionally). I put what seems a reasonable amount on my plate. I didn't get this band to count calories or grams of Protein. I've already done that. I want to eat like a normal person and not think about it too much. If I am still hungry 10 minutes after finishing, I allow myself to eat more, but it hasn't happened, yet. Since I am losing weight, I am hesitant to step into the fill arena just yet.

Hi Stitchy. I sound exactly like you!! I was banded on 2/28/2006. My highest weight was 244 and im 5 ' 2. Currently I am 209 and feel great. I have a lot of energy, blood pressure is below normal, my joints stop hurting, and I have no shortness of breadth. I also have no fill. My support group cant believe im loosing with out a fill. Yes, I eat more that I used to but I still manage to loose slowly. I have the Vanguard band. Also in the beginning, say 6 to 8 weeks I would get heartburn, and the pain if I ate too much. Now I just feel normal, get full quickly but don't have that restriction as before. I am able to eat everything, meat, rice, pasta, bread, salads. Is this normal? I mean I don't want to have pain, or PBs but I want to make sure this is normal. I hear a lot of people have problems with certain foods. Am I just lucky? Sometimes I do get hiccups. I do not drink soda at all and will never. I feel great and am so happy I got this. My meds the Dr has me on are Nexium and Actagall for 6 months and I take daily vitamins. Also I get nervous that I stretched my pouch since Im eating more (but not like I did before surgery). Im averaging 1 to 2 lbs loss a week. Any thought on this?

Banded 2/28/2006

Dr. Noel Williams

HUP Phila, PA

244/209/150

DAA - Yes, we do sound just like each other.

I don't think we are stretching our pouches because we are losing 1-2 lbs a week. If were weren't losing (or HORRORS gaining), I would think there could be a possibility. I am hesitant to get a fill because I don't want the pb's etc., that can come with more restriction. I did email my surgeon's office and their response was "Sounds like you are doing great." She said if I was hungry, searching for food, etc., it might be time for a fill. She also said that people don't always need one and that they don't always give one. That would suck if you had to drive a long distance .

I don't know if there are some foods I can't eat. I haven't tried any of the suspect foods. I'm not going to mess with sticky rice (fried is just fine, thank you), I don't keep bread in the house because of DH, and I don't have any desire for carbonation.

I was just wondering if the actual users knew something I didn't. I think that I (we) should ride this thing until the wheels fall off. If we are happy, feeling full, and losing weight, why mess with success? I suppose that eventually I will get a fill, but I think I'd like to put it off awhile.

If you are still losing, and you are not having any problems there is no reason for you to get a fill yet, wait until you feel like you are hungry all the time and you are eating too much and not losing weight then you will know it is really time for a fill

DAA/stitcy, I am similiar too. Top weight 258, banded 5.5.06, VG band and do not want a fill. Losing a little each week. Lots of exercise. I haven't had a problem with any food so far. I tried sushi last night and even some sea weed salad. I chewed really well and no problem. I've also tried spinach salad, eggs, and even ONE bite of bread, chewed to oblivion, at which point it reallly wasn't very good. A little hungry but will stay the course of no fills for as long as possible.

DAA, When did your joints stop hurting? My joint pain is better but still some pain. I haven't lost as much weight as you, but I may be older than you, 55! So maybe it will never go away totally.