Okay so I had my surgery on 11/12 was super easy..Honestly could not tell i really had surgery. Then on 12/10 I had my first fill. I have no clue how much i actually got in my band, or how big my band is.

For the last month I feel like I never even had surgery. I go tomorrow for a new fill, but worried I will be one of the few that is abnormal or that this will not help me.

I certainly am eating less and lost nearly 20lbs, but I have been hovering at that for nearly a month now. ( Mind you I did eat some bad things for the holidays , but not many)

I just worry that i am not normal for band paitient. Any advise or words of wisdom you all might have is greatly appreciated.

My docs office said they fill so slowly so you learn to eat, but the day of the fill they also said my pouch was the size of an egg, and I can assure you it is not LOL ..

I know it sounds silly but i want those golf balls, can't eat too much.. i mean afterall isn't that how the band helps.

Did you all feel the same way? Is it why i see most people really start loosing 3-4 months post surgery???

:help:

It took me three fills before i felt any real restriction. I would however ask what size band you have and how many ccs are in it. That is info you really should have. You sound like you are doing just fine. Just give it a little time and don`t forget lots of water and exercise. It really helps. Donna

It takes some people as many as 3 or 4 fills to get good restriction, so don't worry, you are doing fine. When I had my band, I didn't get actual restriction until after my second fill, which was four months after I got banded. As for golf balls, personally, I don't want to experience them. It usually means I am not working well with my band, or am overfilled, and that is not good.

Okay, so i went in today. I now have had 2 fills and at 5cc's in a 10 cc band. They did say if I felt nothing that i could call my doctor and get approval to get another one in 2 weeks.

I just wonder when I will be able to be full on very little like i hear many others... perhaps not golf balls, but right now I just feel like i have never had anything done.

Does it take the larger bands more to fill up??

I did however loose 5pds this last month and that was even with the holdiay treats!

Yes, it takes larger bands more to fill up.

And on top of that, everyone's band fits them differently. I have the smallest band, and it holds 4cc. 1.5cc is too much for me, but some people have all 4cc in it. I would likely die if I had that much har har.

You're normal, don't fret. And it can take a week or two for your fill to settle into the band and you can feel it.

So if you don't feel anything, you might still feel it soon.. and if not, just get another fill and keep going until you feel it!

It sometimes (often) takes a fill a week or so to 'kick in'.....nobody seems to know why, it just does. So hang tough for another week or so and maybe you'll get up one morning and have that restriction you need.

I am a 10CC, have 4.5 fill and can eat about 2/3 c of dense Protein. My band is tighter in the mornings, so I have to drink a couple of warm Protein drinks to loosen it up and wait a while before eating anything.

And no.....golf balls are not how the band works....the band works with restriction that forces us to choose our food wisely, to eat the protein first and chew it like heck, to eliminate the garbage from our diet, to get healthy, not just thinner.

Living with a band requires patience and good choices.....good life lessons that most of us didn't have in our younger, MO life.

Oh my gosh I thought it was just me. I'm so glad to hear its not me. I thought I was screwed up whew. Anyone suffer from heart burn? I've been having it lately. I will be going for my 2nd fill the 17th. When I had my first had 2ccs' and I got out in to the car and took a BIG drink of water not even thinking and was I sick. I guess I was just so used to eating and drinking what ever I wanted I didnt think about it. This time I wont do that , for sure.

Does it take the larger bands more to fill up??

It takes more saline but not necessarily more fills. For example, 2 ccs is 50 percent of 4 ccs while 5 ccs is 50 percent of 10 ccs.

I had 1 cc in my 10-cc band at surgery and 3 ccs added with my first fill. Obviously, that's not what would happen with a 4-cc band! The fills for a 4-cc band will be in smaller increments but not necessarily smaller as a percentage of the capacity of the band.

My doctor told me that all the bands are "low-pressure" bands. However, perhaps it's easier to tweak a 10-cc band. For example, 1 cc is 10 percent of a 10-cc band but 10 percent of a 4-cc band is .4 cc. I don't know how easy that is to measure!

You guys are so helpful! So even though I dont feel it now I may later? That's just odd, isn't it?

Of course My doc has put me on mushies for now but I am so curious to see if I "feel" it like you all do.

The interesting thing that I have always encountered is that I can loose the weight, I just slowly gain it back... so I am hoping the band is the right tool for me.

One thing I thought to ask too was does the amount of fat tissue on your tummy make a difference? I assume it would as they tell you to go on your liquid diet to help with fat tissue on your liver.

I assume as you loose more you need more.. but I hear so many different things.

You experienced banders are very helpful and I am on here all day long trying to learn and help others. Thank you again!