confused about restriction

[LadyLee 3]

i am losing and regaining the same eight lbs.

I think alot of it comes from my new TOM cycles. (every two weeks now)

but i am losing, just very very slowly. When i was here last time to get a fill (im in houston now) i was at 291 and before i left home i was 283. I feel swollen and im a little nervous about what the scale will say this time but im excited too. Its my third fill (i go for my appt in about two hours) and Im very hopeful. My surgeon says that around the third fill or around the three cc mark in a four cc band, most of his patients experience their "sweet spot" but monitor it because as they lose weight the may need small adjustments to keep the same restriction. I DO think it changes over time too...because i DO feel more restriction in the last week than i have in the last month.

So...

here i go! third filldom and hopefully some significant weight loss from here till next month.

woo!

Im staying in Galveston. I gotta tell you this...I rented an economy car from the airport (reservation with enterprise) and since i arrived so late, all their econs were out, so i had to make due with a new caddy!

im cruising around town in lavish luxury, all leather and mahogony interior..wow!

:biggrin1:

I think you're doing good 45 pounds in three months. I was banded the same time as you were. I'm not sure when I'm full either; I want the weight to come off sooner. Next week I attend a class and I'm going to ask the doctors approx. How much weight should I be lossing monthly and when I should get a fill. I go up in down in weight from 306 - 311 in the last two weeks.

Let me no how your next fill works out......

Wallygirl

[carol134 0]

I eat Soup, fruits,cream of wheat, ice cream (not a lot),cereal,the coffee in the mornings I know is bad because their cuppacinos probably spelled wrong. I know there are things I eat that are wrong but if I did not eat the wrong things I would of never had this lap band.

I just get sick of the dieting thing and not really have the wonderful effect that some people have with this surgery. Sweet Spot right, never got there but certainly have plenty of restriction going on. I' ve had to eat standing up for literally MONTHS.

[amallis77 0]

Hi, I was banded Feb 12, 07 and I just had my second fill yesterday. Right now it feels pretty tight, but it did after my first fill but then after a few days I didn't feel that much restriction. So I am afraid that after a couple of days, I won't feel a whole lot of restriction. I can relate to a lot of posts that I have read about still being able to eat a lot, I have been surprised by that. Anyway what is this sweet spot that people keep referencing? How do I know when I have found it? My second fill put me at 2.3 cc in a 4cc band. Thanks for any help.

[lizrbit 0]

wally,

well it looks like im staying a few days longer than i thought i would.

When i told my surgeon about eating a 12 oz steak and veggies no problem, he said, "you shouldnt be able to hold that much food" and decided to do a full restriction and back off from there. What he does is add ccs at a time while im still "loaded" with the syringe, adds a little and has me drink a cup of Water. I drink and he adds until im completely restricted, then he would take out enough to leave me a comfortable opening.

I have a 4cc band (ten cm) and he put in six ccs saline, water went down in gulps no problem, he added another four cc's omipaque, water went down no problem. I never closed up, or even close to closing up.When he tried to pull it back out, he could ONLY get out about half a cc.

I have a leak, a pretty fast leak at that. Im so glad i came in.

I go tomorrow am for a flouroscope fill and barium swollow and they will be able to tell exactly where the leak is..but you guessed it..i gotta go back under the knife.

The good news is that he will do it tomorrow afternoon.

the bad news is that i only have a place to stay and a car until saturday.

ill work it out.

Just wanted to share this. Mine said it shouldnt feel like you are dieting all the time. Yes he said you gotta work it, but it shouldnt be ALL JUST YOU working. The band should help you eat less..significantly less. We will see what happens tomorrow.

[Syrah 0]

Sorry to hear this, Lizrbit. How do they fix a leak? I hope you can find arrangements for your stay and transportation. Let us know how your surgery goes.

What causes a leak?

[lizrbit 0]

freaky sex in really strange positions.....

[lizrbit 0]

just kiddn..i dont know what caused this. Ill know more after the flouroscope. Leaks often happen in the port, and if thats the case they will just reopen the same incision and replace just the port. If the leak is anywhere else, they will replace the whole band.

I cant sleep. im sittin here on the balcony watching the gulf (i got really lucky with the room this time) and im thinking about how much those first three days after surgery sucked. and starting over? after everything? I dont know if he will put a fill in it or if i have to start from scratch again.

the place where im staying is booked solid through the weekend, and im paid up through saturday. It does look like ill be moving two days into the recovery.

still, maybe its not as bad as that eh? maybe since i know what to expect, it will be easier. and i have this great room..and the caddy! for now, things are groovy. sleep is overrated anyway and im sure ill get plenty tomorrow.

[Syrah 0]

Good luck. When do you fly back?

Are you really from Northern Maine? I always think of that movie, Dolores Claiborne, when I think of Maine (well, and cold weather). Accent, or no?

Are they only doing port surgery? Maybe that won't be as bad as the initial procedure?

[lizrbit 0]

He did a full band replacement.

I had a severe leak located on the top of my band. He was even able to install an upgraded band with smooth sleeve. It doesnt hurt near as bad as it did the first time, and its filled halfway already. we did a flouroscope after and im all good.

still doing the "cant bend over" blues, but im chillen today.

I live in Presque Isle located in northern Maine. I came down to houston because of Dr St Laurents stats and referrals. Im so glad i did. i had no other symptoms other than struggling to lose weight or feel restriction and if he hadnot have caught the leak i could have struggled with this for many more months. Im very happy with how it all worked out.

Im going to an aunt's house tomorrow to stay until my next appointment with dr tuesday morning and my flight back home tuesday evening.

I moved to northern maine four years ago. I was born in oklahoma, and ive lived all over the united states.

[LadyLee 3]

HI,

are you loosing any weight now that you had your second fill? I have only had one fill, since the first fill I have only lost 10 pounds. I think I need to and get a second fill and see what happens then. I think I can eat a lot. But not like I use too.

Thanks,

Wallygirl

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I am so glad you got that fixed. That better not ever happen to me. I would have to pay 10,000 all over again. Is your insurance going to cover all of this?

It's really great that this was caught so you didn't just think you were eating less for nothing, like I do.

[lizrbit 0]

Denise i feel the same way. I am incredibly lucky in that my insurance covered every bit of it. The only thing ive had to coverin all of it has been my deductable for the nutritionalist, and that was way small.

I feel VERY VERY VERY lucky in all this, but especially in getting my surgeon. If i had just a regular fill dr i dont know if it wouldl have gotten caught. Would have been SO easy to just inject a cc and send me on my way because all along i was an easy stick and had no other symptoms other than i stopped losing and was really fighting with those same eight lbs for two months.

its the second day out and last night i watered down a soy based Protein drink and got it down. Hallilujah God Almightilly i saw the light. I feel significantly better since drinking it. Going to do it again today and staying on that and chicken broth and special k Protein waters for today and tomorrow, then on Monday i can have some squash soup! woo!

amazing how good chicken broth tastes now.

Im looking forward to seeing the scale go down now. woo!

sister bandsters, call your drs and get your band tested for a leak!

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Lizrbit, I just noticed your picture and "round woman peddling" That is so cute. I am so glad you have insurance to pay for your re-banding. Yay!!

Now you can start going down again. You'll be losing as you sleep, since you're on the liquid diet for the time being. I loved when I was on liquids and the scale moved every day. I should do it again!!

[emilymor 0]

My sugery was in March and I have had three fills. 1cc each time. I can still eat to much food. I feel no different. My doc says I just had not found that sweet spot yet but I will. I ask him about a leak maybe and he said no I didn't have a leak because of something he did to check it when he did my last fill. I just wish I knew my band was OK lol I have lost weight without help of my new band. I lost most of my weight right after sugery . thanks for any input to calm me lol

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Don't feel bad, Emily. Just join us in the slow losers thread. I lost the majority of the weight that I have lost during the first 4 weeks on the liquid diet too. In the last 4 months, I have only lost 10 lbs.

One good way to test out your band to see if you need a fill is to eat things that you aren't supposed to be able to eat. Can you eat bread without any problem? Do you know how much your band holds? You may have the larger band. I have a band that holds 4ccs and I am supposed to have 2ccs in there now. (Unless I have a leak or it evaportated.) When I first got it, I was very full very fast. Now I am getting another fill 6-7.

Do you have insurance to pay for your fills? Do you get free fills with the price of your surgery? I was hesitant to get another fill because I get 3 free with the $10,000 I paid out of pocket. I am going to get my third one because I am tired of not losing. If you have insurance to pay for them, or get them free with the cost of your surgery, just stay on your doctor until you feel full with 1/2 to 1 cup of food. It's supposed to be solid Protein too, that won't just fall through your band. (Something like chicken, not cottage cheese) Hope this helps some.