For those who have had to have a complete unfill........

[Keona1323 11]

How long did it take to get back to a point where you were losing weight again?? I have had to have a complete unfill and gained almost 20lbs. I am now close to where I was before I had the unfill (previously at 5.6 and now at 5.0) and while I feel close to 'green' I know i am not quite there. It's a catch 22. I know I need to go tighter as I am still not feeling satiety for long enough like before and it takes more food to feel full than before. But the closer I get to my old number, the more scared I get I will have problems again and have to have Fluid taken out. And despite the fact I am exercising daily, the scale still isn't moving! Anyone else have a similar experience?

[parisshel 1,892]

My experience with an unfill and re-fill is that I never found the same restriction/satiety again. Others on this forum also had the same experience. We don't know why that is, but it seemed to be universal.

I remember having better restriction/satiety at 3ccs (in a 10cc band) prior to my unfill, than I had at 6 cc after a re-fill.

Sorry I don't have a better story for you, and I hope you re-fill experience will be a successful one.

[Jack 855]

"I am still not feeling satiety for long enough like before and it takes more food to feel full than before. But the closer I get to my old number, the more scared I get I will have problems again and have to have Fluid taken out. And despite the fact I am exercising daily, the scale still isn't moving! Anyone else have a similar experience?"

yes

for me the relationship between my theoretical dedication to 'satiety' and my age-old affliction with the notion 'fullness' should determine how/what/when/what I shovel down, is a crucial balance

The focus on 'scale' isn't necessarily accurate either. How do your clothes fit? Is your shape continuing to evolve toward more normo?

And just what is it that you ARE eating now you weren't before? How much? and most importantly.....WHY????

[Jack 855]

I just noticed leaving out the most important comment on what I discovered for 'satiety' and 'fullness'.....

the word is ANXIETY....

yes, the dragon of anxiety that I somehow MIGHT become 'hungry' if I didn't "get full enough".

What you are experiencing, I believe, is that marvelous space where the actual comfort of "satiety" has not become a habit but a goal....and since the 'goal' by default, for me at least...for YEARS....remained 'fullness'.

If we eat like normos, and exercise like normos, and STOP over eating (like normos) then we won't have the issue. The dragon of anxiety "I won't get ENOUGH" makes my own elbow bend way too often even still.

Cheers,

Good luck.

[Banded5years 0]

I had to have 1 cc taken out due to stacking. I coughed for 4 months and my family doctor thought it was my lungs. She was wrong. Then I had a EGD done and they told me my esophagus was messed up. Went to my band doctor, learned about stacking and I got a 1 cc taken out and the coughing stopped and no more choking feeling. I have gained 10 pounds in 6 months. I'm scared. I want to be refilled.

[tootyoyo 8]

Hi, Hapy New Year!!

what is stacking? Does it mean eating too much for the band - i googled and nothing came up. Hopeyou're feeling better now.

[Banded5years 0]

Stacking is where food stacks up the esophagus and then irritates the esophagus and could cause it to stretches out. I have never thrown up, which I think happens to other people.

[lisacaron 5,075]

I have had to have my band unfilled and refilled several times. One time due to dilation where the top of the stomach pouch overfills to extend over the band. It was a mild dilation but I had to have the band emptied. After that I did get a fill, and I was OK again though I had not lost weight nor had I gained weight and I was grateful for that.

Other times I had the band unfilled because I was sick and then again because I had to have surgery. The flexibility of the band is a great thing and I am glad that I have it and I am able to utilize it as such when needed.

Recently due to a flu I have had 2cc taken out so I could (sorry for the gross) allow the extra mucus to pass and not create a plug in the stoma as it was. I feel so much better with the Fluid out than in. There are things about the band that I think we forget. It's different for each of us. It's not a golden standard that x amount of Fluid will equal weight loss. We have to work at it a little harder since we still have all our hormone producing glands that tell our brain we need chocolate now to feel better because when we were 5 and scraped our knee that worked. So the fight we just had with out spouse, or our child chocolate should make it better, if not one bite then 100 bites.

No matter how tight or loose we have our band it's not going to change those signals. We have to change them, and it's a struggle in behavior modification. Those with other surgeries lose parts or re-route parts of their anatomy that stop those signals.

Having had 6.5cc in the band and suffering with the flu...not good. Now having 4 cc (in a 10cc band) I am feeling good, and I am not hungry 4-5 hours between meals. That doesn't mean if someone gave me some chips I couldn't eat them...but I have to say no to them because I am not really hungry I just want them and they are not good for me..nor will they help my weight loss or health.

It's finding what works for you, and knowing what your pit falls are and how to avoid them and find ways around them that help you reach the point you want to be at. I am still working on it every day.