Feeling So Discouraged! No Restirction, Band Almost Full!

[2muchfun 8,928]

It's great knowing that we're not alone. Hang in there! We can get through this!

2muchfun, I also worry about getting too tight. I know that once I get to a high fill level that even 1/4 cc can make a huge difference. My doctor is very conservative and told me that if I have to come in for an un filling, he prefers to almost empty the band and start over.

I have to agree with Lisa on this one. Taking most of the Fluid out and restarting seems extreme to me? Giving up on months of fills just to start over would make me very frustrated. My doc was conservative too and by using very small fills, we snuck up on the green zone. I did go back in at one point because I thought I was too tight and he took .5 out.

Turns out, it was too much. In fact, I think I was never too tight, I believe I was not eating slow enough, small enough and not chewing enough. I eventually went back and had a couple more small fills.

If your doctor usus fluoroscopy for fills I think that would be OK to completely unfill.

[kll724 3,055]

Hang in there, everyone is different. Full is not an optimal feeling, satified is what you should be pushing for. But, if your surgeon doesn't use fluoro, perhaps it would be a good thing to request to see how long it takes for food to pass through. Best wishes, hang in there! Karen

[msbam 16]

Hi, I just wanted to tell my experience.. I too feel like a failure.. I had lapband surgery over a recent gastric bypass in jan 2013. I currently have 13.2 cc in a 14cc band, and too be honest I feel slight restriction.. sometimes food get stuck from not chewing my food and I have to take a sip of Water to make it through. Last month when I went in for my adjustment, I asked for my surgeon and told him I wanted him to show me what was in my band bc I can't believe it's taking me so long to get to my sweet spot. Well, he took it out and boy did I feel like someone hit me in my stomach.. btw, yes I had what they said I had in there.. So he gave me a huge adjustment and I left with 12.8cc in my band and it felt tight for a few days then it eased up.. I assume bc of the Fluid being taken out and added back, it swole it up and that was what I was feeling. This month I got .4 cc added and am up to 13.2 cc and like you am like~ how long is this gonna take bc am almost full. Since it's been almost a yr and I haven't really lost much, ive decided to stop focusing on feeling that full feeling and count calories and watch what I eat and evidently i'll get some sorts if results. It seems like am depending more on this band as a miracle cure instead of doing my part. I have to admit, I haven't been eating right... I love sweets and I was eating them. I exercised but was eating badly. I guess I wanted to see this band do it's part before I do my part but for me it hasn't worked. So my advice to you, is to never give up... all of our bodies are different. Because I had a previous wls my stomach was already small and it is taking me a long time to feel that restriction. But I have come to realize, nothing will work without YOU doing your part and sticking to it.. Good Luck

[msbam 16]

Oh yeah, I use my fitness pal to log all my exercises and food intake (1200 cal a day) and I also use runkeeper when I go to the gym or outside walking.. It's amazing when you can see on paper, what you actually putting in your mouth and or exercises you do.. When I get close to 1200 cal, am like am done for today.. But since I exercise and burn at least 500 cal a day, I don't feel bad and it is working for me..

[honeydew008 22]

I also use MyFitness Pal. The problem is, to stay full, I have to eat just about the same as I did before surgery. If I eat the small child-like portions my Dr. recommends, I'd be starving in an hour or so! I know I have to do my part by eating right and exercising, but I would love for the band to do its part. I feel like if I could simply exercise and eat healthy and lose weight, I wouldn't have needed the band in the first place.

[endingyoyo 28]

I'm in the same boat. Banded in May 2013, 8.75 in my band and still not in the green. I can (and sometimes need) to eat a lot of food to feel satisfied.

Two important things:

- It's okay and totally normal to be frustrated and want to vent

- It's not okay to give up

Every day is one step closer to being in a good place.

GOOD LUCK!!!

[cheryl2586 3,053]

I think the problem here is you are trying to feel full. Its not about feeling full anymore with the band, its about being satisfied and staying satisfied for 3 to 4 hours after you eat. The band no matter how tight you have it is not going to keep you from eating as much as you want. You have to do that part by measuring your food and only eating 4 ounces at a time of good lean Protein. I tend to think that people get restriction wrong. Its not about keeping you from eating, its about being able to go 3 to4 hours without being hungry. You do 90 percent of the work and the band does 10. You have to have some constraint and not eat as much as you did preband because if you do you are defeating the whole purpose of the band.

[honeydew008 22]

Cheryl, that's the part I don't understand. Before getting this surgery and researching, I was under the impression that the band was supposed to make it so that I feel full faster and longer with less food. According to my Dr.,it is supposed to restrict me. According the official lapband site,

"The LAP-BAND® System reduces your stomach's capacity, restricting the amount of food you are able to eat at one time. 2 You also feel full faster and stay full longer."

I'm not trying to be defensive or excuse poor eating habits. Sure, I stay full for quite a while if I eat my normal over-sized portions, but when I measure the food and follow portion-size guidelines, I'm starving in about 90 minutes. I didn't get this surgery to be hungry all the time. It doesn't seem like a productive and long-term solution to my weight loss goals. But, I wont give up. I go in Friday for the suggested Fluoro fill. I pray to God that it works.

[2muchfun 8,928]

Cheryl, that's the part I don't understand. Before getting this surgery and researching, I was under the impression that the band was supposed to make it so that I feel full faster and longer with less food. According to my Dr.,it is supposed to restrict me. According the official lapband site,

"The LAP-BAND® System reduces your stomach's capacity, restricting the amount of food you are able to eat at one time. 2 You also feel full faster and stay full longer."

I'm not trying to be defensive or excuse poor eating habits. Sure, I stay full for quite a while if I eat my normal over-sized portions, but when I measure the food and follow portion-size guidelines, I'm starving in about 90 minutes. I didn't get this surgery to be hungry all the time. It doesn't seem like a productive and long-term solution to my weight loss goals. But, I wont give up. I go in Friday for the suggested Fluoro fill. I pray to God that it works.

Unfortunately the band is still being sold this way. My doctor and my nutritionist still believe I have a pouch that fills up with food and when it's full I should feel satiety. That's not how it works. I love my doc and he'll fill me whenever I want for free but it's important for bandster's to really understand how this process really works.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but many people cannot tell the difference between a craving and true hunger. You may not be one of these people but it's one of the most difficult aspects of WLS for patients to understand. We all got fat because we ate too much food and many of us ate too much because it's an addiction. Addictions can play games with our minds.

Here's hoping your next fill does what you want?

[lisacaron 5,075]

Cheryl, that's the part I don't understand. Before getting this surgery and researching, I was under the impression that the band was supposed to make it so that I feel full faster and longer with less food. According to my Dr.,it is supposed to restrict me. According the official lapband site,

"The LAP-BAND® System reduces your stomach's capacity, restricting the amount of food you are able to eat at one time. 2 You also feel full faster and stay full longer."

So many variables weight into this statement. With the lapband you have a stoma around your stomach that limits the amount of food you can take in, in one bite. It restricts the flow of food from the upper chamber of the stomach to the lower chamber of the stomach but it is not itself a cup or pouch that holds food for any extended amount of time.

Things like Soup or yogurt icecream or soft cheeses, will not be slowed by any measurable amount and will simply slip through the stoma and into the larger chamber of the stomach and digest. Eating these type of slider foods does not and will not stimulate the Vagus nerve that is responsible for stimulating the feelings of satiety in the lapband patient. To do this the lapband patient must eat whole solid food such as chicken, fish or other solid Protein types of food.

Adding dressings, gravy or sauces as well as drinking a beverage while eating, and or directly after eating will create a soft food that may slip through the band easily and not stimulate this nerve to help the patient feel full.

There is much compliance required by the banded patient that needs to be explained in detail by doctors and surgeons. It is misleading to let someone think that the band creates more then a stoma to slow the movement of food. It is the very movement of the food that stimulates the feelings of satiety and if we do not eat the foods that comply with the operation of the band then we are out of compliance and will not have the feelings of satiety we search for.

Good luck with your next fill please let us know how you are doing.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

There are some people who love their bands very tight and so tight that they can barely eat anything. That is their way of dealing with the band. I don't think anyone should want their bands that tight. That is a reason for the band to be eroded into the stomach when it's too tight. food and any food stay less then a minute in the pouch and you have to remember the bottom part of the stomach is still working. The hope with the band is to put enough pressure on the vegus nerve to control hunger and some people no matter how much they are filled will never stop being hungry. Hunger is a natural process that tells your body when it needs food. But are you really hungry that is the question. Some people do get that tight that they can not be hungry but I don't feel that it is any way to live. I can tell you this: If you eat Protein you will stay fuller longer. While you are losing weight do not cheat (no matter how hard this may be) until you reach your goal weight. I never cheated one day while I was losing. Not once. Some people say it's okay in moderation but as obese people we have never done anything in moderation so that mentality is there still. You have to over come the head game.

[cleescruggs 13]

I am in the same situation! I have never reached my green zone. I am now at 8 cc's and can still eat an 8 oz steak and a baked potato like its nothing! I ask my doctor about another fill and she said she does not want to fill me because my stress level is off the wall. I need to mentally get fit before my band will work properly. (I've had a bad year with a sick grandchild that almost died). Does stress really effect the band. I've gained 20 lbs this year when I really needed to lose 30. Now I have 50 to lose. So scared I'll gain my weight back. And all the weight I've gained is in my stomach only, I look like im 9 months pregnant. Before surgery my fat was distributed differently. This is so scary. Any suggestions!

[2muchfun 8,928]

I am in the same situation! I have never reached my green zone. I am now at 8 cc's and can still eat an 8 oz steak and a baked potato like its nothing! I ask my doctor about another fill and she said she does not want to fill me because my stress level is off the wall. I need to mentally get fit before my band will work properly. (I've had a bad year with a sick grandchild that almost died). Does stress really effect the band. I've gained 20 lbs this year when I really needed to lose 30. Now I have 50 to lose. So scared I'll gain my weight back. And all the weight I've gained is in my stomach only, I look like im 9 months pregnant. Before surgery my fat was distributed differently. This is so scary. Any suggestions!

The band won't stop you from eating an 8 oz steak and potato. I can do the same but I don't want to because I'm no longer hungry by the end of 6 ozs and a salad. That's up to you to get in touch with your body, your band and your emotions and look for that feeling of satiety. But, stress can mask feelings, making it hard to get in touch with your body. Your doctor is right.

Best wishes and prayers for your little grandchild.

tmf

Edited December 14, 2013 by 2muchfun

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,722]

I am in the same situation! I have never reached my green zone. I am now at 8 cc's and can still eat an 8 oz steak and a baked potato like its nothing! I ask my doctor about another fill and she said she does not want to fill me because my stress level is off the wall. I need to mentally get fit before my band will work properly. (I've had a bad year with a sick grandchild that almost died). Does stress really effect the band. I've gained 20 lbs this year when I really needed to lose 30. Now I have 50 to lose. So scared I'll gain my weight back. And all the weight I've gained is in my stomach only, I look like im 9 months pregnant. Before surgery my fat was distributed differently. This is so scary. Any suggestions!

The band won't stop you from eating an 8 oz steak and potato. I can do the same but I don't want to because I'm no longer hungry by the end of 6 ozs and a salad. That's up to you to get in touch with your body, your band and your emotions and look for that feeling of satiety. But, stress can mask feelings, making it hard to get in touch with your body. Your doctor is right.

Best wishes and prayers for your little grandchild.

tmf

i agree tmf, just because we (could) eat way more than needed (or allotted to), doesnt mean we should...

[kll724 3,055]

I disagree tmf, there is no way that i could eat an 8 oz steak and baked potato! Steak is a nono for me, and 8 oz, are you kidding? I can not eat any more than 4 oz of any meat. I can't even eat more than 4 oz of my favorite fish. i have a loose fill, only 5 cc, but I know that that is all I can tolerate. I do use myfitnesspal. I have it set for 800 calories. I get my extra calories from exercise. if I don't do it, I keep myself at my 800. The tool is just that. learning to readjust your thinking and eating is a must with all Bariatric surgeries. Sorry my reply will upset some people. Karen..akakkll724