We are feeling very discouraged. We need to hear from those who have had fills and gotten to the effective point of restriction. How did you keep your spirits up while you were able to eat way too much and knew you needed another fill? Did you diet during that time? Did you know soon after your fill that you needed another one? Did your doctor ask you to wait 8 weeks between fills, like ours did?

Our scenarios : Surgery for both was 2/24/04. Sister has had two fills under Fluoro. She is at 2.2ccs. I have had one fill under fluoro. and am at 1.5 ccs. Even though doctor was watching the liquid speed through the stoma, he would not add more saline than he had added. He said we would be calling him that night because we would be throwing up even water. If the fills are done under fluoro, why can't the doctor get our stomas to the correct point of restriction? He swears he is being aggressive about the fills. All I can say is that neither of us feels the least bit restricted and have not yet started utilizing the band in our weight loss.

We tease each other that any weight loss thatwe have will be a result of the "placebo effect." We feel like we are living in "the twilight zone" when we tell our surgery center's director, the one who schedules the fills, that we need another fill. She is exasperated with us. She says, "Are you telling me that you can eat as much as you could before the surgery?" We tell her that is exactly what we mean. We are not trying to eat as much, but the only thing that seems to be stopping us is sensibility and willpower. She seems to think that any amount of band restriction should help with food restriction. We think that as long as the stoma is large enough for our food to slip through into the big old lower stomach, the band is not working to keep us feeling full with less food in the stomach, and what good is that?

Will those who have dealt more effectively with this stage of bandsterlife please step up and tell us how you handled it? Do we just wait and wait until we have enough saline in our bands to begin real weight loss? Do we diet as hard as we can for as long as we can and pretend the band is working for us? Do we pressure the surgery center for more fills until the doctor gets it right?

We knew the day after our fills that nothing was different. We knew that we would need another fill. We're wondering whether the doctor is prolonging the process so that he can collect many fees from from us. We're hoping that is not true, but at $250. per fill.... No, I'm sure he doesn't need the money. He just seems to think that a fill of any amount of saline at all should keep you restricted for a period of time.

So, we need to know: is it all or nothing with the stoma, or is any restriction better than no restriction? Maybe our anatomies are such that we will need the full 4ccs. Who knows? We just can't fathom having to wait 8 weeks and then another 8 weeks and then another to find out.

Please, successful bandsters, give us the benefit of your experience. We are feeling lost and perhaps regretful that we didn't choose the bypass. I know it's sacreligious to say that on a bandster website, but we are truly frustrated and upset. We're feeling like we're not going to be able to make it work.

Thank you, CandyB.

Candy, it's so good to read of your good experience!! And I was going to post too about my great support group meeting of the other night. (Did we go to the same support group meeting and just not meet? )

I met Colleen on Wednesday night, when she attended our meeting in Florham Park. She does look great! Gary from Inamed was also there, but he was solo. I've seen him at two meetings now, and think it's terrific that Inamed cares enough to have reps at these meetings. And it's NOT a sales pitch!! Gary is helpful and instructive, patient and compassionate. Was he at your meeting?

I completely agree about how important it is for bandsters and bypassers to meet separately. We've had three separate meetings now and the group is really growing.

Where was your meeting? We should post this info in the New Jersey section because I know there were people at my meeting looking for things in other parts of the state.

Dear Alexandra,

Our meeting, mostly made up of Dr. Borao's WLS patients and prospective patients, is at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, NJ. We meet on the 4th Thursday each month, from 7 to 9. Anyone interested in joining our group (please do!) can call the surgery center for info: call 732-923-6070. We do have one Dr. Abkin patient who comes to our meeting. She lives in Toms River; so, this one is closer for her. She also likes our meetings.

We had Gary, too, and a woman named Susan at our meeting. Yes, I think it's kind of neat that we USA bandsters are in on the early stages of the band in our country, and we're getting a lot of necesary attention from INAMED who wants to make certain their product is well-supported. Gary and Susan provided a wealth of information supporting our choice to have the band vs. bypass. And I was so comforted to hear that everywhere else in the world, the band is the "gold standard" for WLS. It is only in America that bypass is still considered the "gold standard". Did Gary tell your group that there are bypassers who have gained back their weight and have added a band to their bypass so that they can lose weight? That blew my mind! I always thought it might work the other way around. I feel so good about my choice now.

Thanks for your consistent support,

Candy

Hi Sisters,

I cannot offer you words of wisdom or success, but I can offer lots of empathy. I am in the same boat. I was banded 12/29/03, and have lost only 25 pounds. I have had three fills (I am at 2cc), and I feel very little restriction. Sometimes I feel the first few bites go painfully through, but they do go down, and never up. I can still eat anything and lots of it. I get depressed about it too, so I know how you feel. I am having another fill on the 23rd, and I am so hoping this will be the one. My Dr. is conservative with fills; it is her philosopy to have the band a little looser so that there will not be incidents of reflux. I don't disagree with that; I don't see much future in PBing all the time, but I NEED more restriction. Lately I find myself avoiding this site, which is not good. I am always happy for the success of others, but when I read about all the weight loss, I feel like a band failure. I try so hard to eat right, and I exercise. I am trying to believe that I am just not restricted enough, and that I am one of those who just needs more restriction. Luckily, my Dr. seems to be willing to work with me. Why don't you contact Inamed about fill data that you can present to your Dr.? I am sure that it is not the same for everyone. I am glad that you have each other!! My doctor does not do fluoro, but last time she did withdraw all the saline, and said that it was all there. Did your dr. do that to check for a leak?Please keep me posted, especially if you get some cheerful news.