What could have happened

joho · October 30, 2007

I had my first fill last wednesday, upto that point I had only lost about 2kg since the band was fitted. I had 2cc put in and already had 2cc in the band making 4 ccs. Anyway for the first day or 2 it was a little bit more restricted but now I am feeling hungry a lot and my meal sizes have not decreased at all. What could have gone wrong?????????

Example of my day today

No breaky just small glass of milk as I am taking some tablets that require food. Mid morning I had 2 very small biscuits mainly because I had forgotten my packed lunch and they were availble and I was bloody hungry, i had an egg sandwich for lunch and an apple (although I couldnt eat the apple) and for dinner I had a bit of mince beef, pumpkin and a small potato. I know its not a lot but I still feel hungry.

Any guesses. I wonder if when he did the fill he punctured the tube and the fill is seeping away. I hope not.

Jo

kacee · October 30, 2007

Naaaahhhh...you're not feeling ANYTHING out of the ordinary. It is VERY common to have zero response to the first fill. I would give it about 2 weeks and call your doctor and find out how quickly he will let you come back for another, and explain that there is no restriction and let him know you are able to eat things like bread easily (my doctor's office considers that a red flag for a fill). You have to be patient. This is an art as well as a science. They would rather under-do than over-do and err on the side of conservatism. I did not get any quality restriction until my THIRD fill. My fourth was just a "top off" and I am now perfect, but it didn't get that was overnight. You've got the rest of your life to work with the band and I know it is tempting to want action really fast, but you've got to flow with the process. This will pass.

Syrah · October 30, 2007

<p>You just aren't properly filled yet, Joho. My first fill did nothing for me. Neither did my 2nd. I am 7 months out and I just had my 4th fill yesterday. We'll see what it does. So far, no hunger. But before yesterday I was dealing with a lot of hunger issues and my weight loss has been slow. My advice is to be aggressive about getting your fills. If you are still hungry and your weight is not going down, don't beat yourself up and think that it's strictly YOU. Get to the doc and request more fills. The band is there to help you. I'm at 7.5 CCs (out of 11). My doctor will do new fills every 3 weeks. Good luck!</p>

juliegeraci · October 30, 2007

Joho, what size band do you have? It sounds like you may need a small tweak. Good luck.

joho · October 30, 2007

Thanks all. I see him again at the end of Nov, he likes 4 week appointments, I can ring him if I want and he will fill me quicker, I might just do that. But the weird thing is that since the fill I have lost weight, about 1kg in a week, happy with that.

Jo

joho · November 3, 2007

I decided the next day that things were worrying me so I contacted my dietician who got me in to see a partner doctor. He struggled to fing my port but when he hit the button he coud only withdraw 3cc when there should have been 4cc, he put back 4cc and said that it seems that I may have a leak. Anyway since that fill, I have had good restirction, probably to much, but I thought oh well a little will leak out, but it doesnt seem to have, also I feel much tighter than I did when I was ment to have the original 4cc in. My conclusion is that the original fill must have missed. I am not angry or dissappointed. I am very pleased they saw me immediately and I have nother appointment with him at the end of NOvember which i will go to and see what things are like then. I am relieved that it may not be a leak, but we will see.

Jo

Dave01 · November 3, 2007

I have heard from our local group that its a little hard to be exact on how much of a fill you really get. They fill the needle with a specific amount, inject it and thats what went into the system, but some stays in the port, the tube etc. Just sounds like you needed a little more....Dave

Kayemarie · November 3, 2007

I many be getting my first fill Tuesday and am a little nervous about it. I am losing weight but a little slower than I thought I would after the surgery, I lost faster on the liquid diet. I can't eat very much already get full fast so I don't kbow what the Dr. wll do.

GayleTX · November 3, 2007

Are you tracking your food intake? If you do, I think you'll see that in day that you listed that you are very short on Protein and too high in carbs. The starchy carbs (biscuits, potatoes, bread in the sandwich....all starches) always make our blood sugar bounce and make us feel hungry even when our pouch is full. If you'll eliminate the white carbs (rice, Pasta, potatoes, corn, white flour products) you'll be more able to get control of your cravings. Carbs such as the ones in green veggies are okay, but need to be kept under 40-50 grams/day if you are going to lose at a good rate. The egg and beef are only a tiny bit of protein.....and we need a lot (60-100 grams) every day for the rest of our lives! With a small pouch, it's hard to get in enough, so Protein supplements are a tremendous help.

Try tracking your food on a site such as FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal and work at controling the balance of foods. I know that many doctors say that with a lapband you can eat what you want, just eat less of it, but for most of us it just is not so. By changing our food intake we lose weight more easily and don't feel deprived....and we also get healthier.

Best wishes to you.