Hey guys. I'm a little frustrated. I guess with the surgery, I expected to fill FULL on minimal amount of food. At 2 week checkup I told surgeon (actually partner of surgeon that did the surgery) I told him I was starving all the time and was already eating real food. I haven't had ANY issues with stomach except occasion when I ate 1/2 small bag of cooked carrots since I was so hungry.

I can eat how much and whatever I want. I lost 10 lbs during 1st 2 weeks. I actually gained couple lbs last week and then decided on Monday I'll just have to starve because I was NOT going to let the weight come back on. I had actually called surgeon to see if I could go back on phentermine so that I wasn't so hungry. They made me feel stupid because they said stomach was just healing and I had to wait 6 weeks after initial 2 week post-op visit. I then went online and found you all and was relieved to see that I wasn't the only person. And, that I needed to be a little more aggressive with doctor concerning fills and that it was normal to feel hungry in the beginning and that is why people go get fills. So, I called back and said I was really hungry, why do I have to wait 2 months after surgery to have next appointment. I was told that that is when my surgeon (his partner) thought that I needed to come back and that it varies with each individual. I have never met this guy and I literally spent maybe 10 minutes total with him. (My doctor was on vacation).

I was so depressed so I started eating but I STOPPED thank goodness. I have lost the couple lbs I gained and back to net 10 or 11 lbs. I just kept thinking I had this surgery and I'm still at the same place I was at before the surgery and nothing changed. Please, someone tell me that I will feel the difference at some point. My personality is normally pretty upbeat but the last couple weeks have been a challenge because of the unknown.

So, now that I got permission from surgeon to ride my bike, I'm back to exercising 40 minutes a day on recumbent exercise bike (and watching NETFLIX InstantWatch Online movies since exercise is so boring to me) the last 4 days so that make me feel as though I am really doing something and being healthy.

I healed very fast (incisions) so I'm thinking that same probably internally and probably no inflamation which is why food and Water just going through me as normal.

Can someone share with me how much they think I should go with at the first fill and how long I should wait between each fill? I'm looking for advice from someone who has experienced the same thing as me.

I'm sure you will hear this from people with the band, but...you aren't supposed to feel restriction before your first fill. Some people do, it's true, but the band is empty, so why would you feel restriction? This is known as "bandster hell" -- you've had the surgery, you're finished with your post-op diet and you're waiting for your first fill (usually 6-8 weeks post-op, which is so your stomach can heal). You can eat what you want and sometimes you even gain weight. The band is not working yet. Did the surgeon not tell you this? He should've. Just keep reading on here and doing your research and you should find out everything you need to know.

As for how long you should wait between fills, it really depends on you and your level of restriction.

Obviously, you need a fill. But you have to wait until your surgeon feels that you are healed. Hang in there! My surgeon gives out a card that looks like this:

I am in the same boat as you. I had the surgery on 12/27 and will have my first fill 2/1. I am also depressed and anxious to start losing weight already. I know the band is just a tool, but the way I look at it is that they gave me a tool but will not put batteries in to make it work for 6 weeks. IT SUCKS! I just hope that once I am filled it will work and I won't be able to eat so much. The hardest part is that we went through so much to get to this point and for now I have no benefit from it. If I would not have seen the results from my esophogram I would question if they actually pu the band in!!! UGGG this waiting is worse than the wait for my surgery date. I am so ready to go. It's like a tease. Sorry for the rant but misery loves company.

Triplet Mom - Sorry you having a rough go. It's safe to guess you'll get similar responses here "every Dr. is different". For me, it took 3 wks to heal properly, which covered the time of my post op liquid stage and I didn't feel hungry till the end of the 4th wk. I'm pretty thankful my Dr is somewhat on the aggressive side of fills, my first one was a month out, then it's been 4wks / 2 wks / 4 wks (next Wed will be #4). So in 3+ months I"ll have 4 fills. Is that right? I don't know, what I do know is that I've not had to deal with head hunger, or feel starved at any point in this process. I'm eating a bit more now, but I think that's because I'm working out like crazy...which I hope fill #4 can curb.

My Dr's opinion is if your working "his" program with diet & exercise...he will fill you as needed. It couldn't hurt to get a hold of your Dr and express to him the difficulty you are having. Waiting 2 months does seem long, but not unheard of. All the best,

Lulu

Yeah, the band work swith fills. For most, it does not work before. For some it does.

The amount of your first fill isn't something we can tell you. It will depend mostly on how your surgeon does things, as influenced by what you're experiencing. Some surgeons have set amounts they give unless there's significant loss/no loss, others will base it on what foods you can eat, others will base it on a visual fill, etc.

Waiting between fills - I think my quickest return was 3 weeks. I wanted to give it a week to make sure the fill had kicked in, and two weeks to make sure I wasn't going to hit a wall when my period started (I get tighter around that time, for about 2 weeks - if I'm *tight* before my period, I will have trouble during).

What you are describing is right on key to what bandsters go through so you are not alone. My doctor does fills on week #6. Typically I would go back in every 4 weeks although when I got closer to my sweet spot I think I went in 2 weeks later for a fill. Good luck. You are healing now so just take it slow.

thank you ALL for your replies as well as all the info, which REALLy helps. I can only speak for myself but it really helps when I know I'm not alone (like the first time I saw someone with stretch marks that wasn't fat! or a muscular guy wearing lycra under shorts so his thighs didn't rub and get rash! wow, not just fat people issues heh heh)

I was told in lap band class when dietician/nurse was asked about fills and timeline, the response was .. "it depends on the person, some people never have fills and some people have it at 6 weeks".

Well, know I know what my expectations should be so that is half the battle. GO BICYCLE TIME!

I think my Dr has the least restictions of any I have read about and he made me wait 6 weeks and then 4 before 2nd.