Hi there. I had a lap band fitted on the 7th of February and had my first fill on the 26th of March. I still seem to be able to eat large amounts and am not sure why. I will be receiving my next fill at the end of April. I feel like a real loser as it seems to work for everyone else. Has anyone out there had the same experience or has anyone found that it did not work initially but then started working? This is what I hope will happen with me. I should say that my surgery took place in Scotland and it may be that the the fills here are done slower, starting with smaller amounts but I don't know. I am looking for any reason just now.

Hey everyone.......I was banded on 2/23/07 and had no restriction from about a week after surgery until my 2nd fill. At that point I had slowly lost 18 pounds, but almost half was the preop diet. I was pretty discouraged, and couldn't believe that I would ever find restriction. I was wrong. I am at the point now where one drop more would be too much restriction, and I have to make great choices to get the right amounts of nutrition. I needed this for the band to work.......and it is! I've lost an additional 6 pounds this week, and this morning I was 30 pounds lighter than my first weight on my scale at home. My point being that restriction is truly the key, and I think I've found the right balance so far. I know everyone will get there. Gretchen

The pain in your neck and shoulder could be gas. I's very common with this surgery. Try gas-x or some think to release gas .

How much of a fill do you have? If you don't know ask the doctor. You need more , you will know when you have the right fill . you shouldNOT have to pay ANY THING UNTIL YOUR SATISFIED!!!WHEN YOUR FILLED RIGHT YOU CAN'T SWALLOW ANY MORE THAN A FEW BITES. GOODLUCK

I just asked my dr. about the shoulder pain last time I saw him. He said it wasn't from the band but I know it is. Other bandsters complain about it too.

Mine comes and goes. It was much worse after my last fill for a few weeks. It's also worse in the morning and seems to go away in the daytime.

I am sorry you're stuggling. We were banded 2 days apart! I have to totally keep sweets out of the house. I just try to eat small meals and if I am hungry I have a healthy snack. I have dropped a few lbs this week and I hope I don't get stuck again on a long plateau. You'll lose as long as you aren't eating the wrong foods. I was cheating here and there in the beginning but I knocked that off when I wasn't losing.