I am going in for my 4th fill on Thursday and am so depressed. I know that i have gained about 5 lbs since my last fill 6 weeks ago. I almost want to cancel the appointment just because i don't want to face the doctor with my utter failure. I have NEVER felt any restriction of any kind. I can eat anything that i want and because of some personal issues at home, i have been overeating. Every day i wake up and say "okay today i will follow the diet" but by noon I am absolutley starving. Do you guys think that there is something wrong with the band or will i ever get real restriction. I was banded on 9/17/07 and did great at first but that was all my willpower and now my willpower seems to be gone.

Thanks for any help!!

I'm going for my fourth fill tomorrow and the only reason I haven't gained is willpower. I am motivated to stay on track b/c my son is getting married in Sept and I'll have to buy a dress!

I'm sure your Dr's office have seen other patients that gained during the time between surgery and reaching good restriction. Why don't you mention to the Dr that perhaps the reason you're gaining is because there is so much time between the fills.

I go every two weeks for my appts at this point and we determine if I need a fill or not, based on hunger and amount of food I am able to eat.

Maybe you could talk to your Dr's office about this. Be assertive and let them know you want to work WITH your band to acheive weight loss success!

I feel your pain. I know how it feels to wait and want that restriction and so frustrating that we still haven't achieved it yet. Don't get depressed though. Depression leads to overeating. Hang in there and definitely talk to your doctor about what you're going through. You're not alone...trust me. 48 lbs is a HUGE accomplishment.....be proud of yourself! You CAN do this.

HAVE PATIENCE!! I was banded 8-16-07. I've had 5 fills and have another one scheduled Friday. The first four, I felt the same way you did. The fifth.............I felt it. Just going to tweak it this time. I have a 10cc band and now have 8.2cc in it. Sometimes it just takes a while to hit the sweet spot. You don't want the doctor to be too aggressive. It is pretty painful from what I have read here. I have lost 60 lbs so far and I can take pride in the fact that I have done it all by myself.:rolleyes2:

It does take time & sometimes several fills. My dr is being aggressive, and I'm feeling restriction. I have 8cc's in an 11cc band. I also think everyone is different. I am having some mild PB's since my second fill when I eat or drink, so there's a fine line between no restriction and too tight. Try to be patient and get filled slowly. Remember to eat slowly, especially after a new fill. Good Luck...

Tralynn,

According to your ticker you have lost over 100 pounds in less than 2 1/2 months?????

Robin

bbgray, I can relate to you about the restriction, but sometimes it takes several fills like the others have posted. I wanted to be real tight, well, I GOT it and had to go and get a unfill. Believe me, it was not a good feeling. Discuss this with your doctor and maybe he can up the amt a little more (not much, though). Please don't get discouraged, because one way or another we have all felt some disappointments on this journey. Sometimes I have to go away from here (lapband talk) and regroup. I see so much success here and it hurts when I'm not doing the same, but then when I regroup, I understand that we are all different and have different drs, thus our weight loss all won't be the same. You have lost and I think that you are doing a good job.

DON'T CANCEL YOUR FILL!!! Go in there with your head up and face the music. That's what I had to do last Monday, and I was exactly where you are today! I had gained, too. That's how you know you need a fill! If you could lose weight you wouldn't need a fill! Hopefully the person giving the fill will be compassionate - I have had a few experiences where I was made to feel like a failure for not losing and it really hurt. Then I talked to myself and reminded myself that if you aren't losing at your current level of restriction I need more restriction.

I felt pretty much no restriction after my first 3 fills. I had my fourth fill last week and FINALLY feel it! I don't think I am quite at my sweet spot but it has made a huge difference and I have lost 6 pounds since last Monday. (I gained three, though, so it is a 3 pound net loss) (I haven't updated my ticker...) So don't get discouraged! It might not even happen with this fill, you might need more, but it will come I promise. I was doubtful, too! The worst thing you can do at this point is give up and not go into the office for that fill. Do it and reap the benefits. This is a marathon not a sprint!!! I'm rooting for you!

Took me 5 fills and 7 months of frustration when i finally demanded results from my docter. I asked him to fill the band all the way and let me drink water to see if it gets stuck and then slowly release untill it goes down to find the sweet spot. He agreed to try it. Well guess what? It worked. He had to add another 2cc of fluid and at the rate of .6cc every six weeks it would not have reached restriction for another 6 months! Its like night and day! I was feeling the same utter frustration and at times anger. Now i love the band. I am easily satisfied at meals. Last night i had 1 chicken wing and 1/2 cup rice and i was done. The Doctors need to do a better job finding the right fills in a more timely manner. Your band will work.

Thank you all for your encouragement! I will go in Thursday and ask for a more agressive fill. My dr. is notoriously conservative but i will ask for more than .5 cc this time. I will have new hope, i see all the people who have had such great results and I will try not to get depressed because as was stated above that just leads to more overeating...

I think the problem is doctors doing fills. At my center the nurse does it and she has a band, so she knows what to look for. She did exactly what someone above described, filled until water stopped and then backed off. Now I think I am at a good restriction starting place...but I have a lot to adjust to. Two days in a row I have taken a pill that is just too big; ouch, getting stuck is no fun. I am back to little sips of water and tomorrow I will grind up the pill. I am in healing mode and have learned a valuable lesson.

Keep moving forward!

Lanie

I too just called my Doctor's office to schedule my 4th fill. I was banded 5 months ago and I have yet to feel any restriction. Do not cancel your appointment, you will eventually get that restriction that we all crave. My doc is very conservitive and when I hear of some people who actually had a partial fill during surgery I get soooooo jealous, but it's an individual thing so I am holding my head up high and be glad that even though I am loosing s l o w l y at least I have not gained anything since being banded.

I feel your frustration. I just had my 4th fill done this past Thursday (total of 2cc in my 4cc band), and I can finally say I have restriction. Man, do I have restriction. It's strange when you finally get it, because your head and your eyes tell you still need to eat, yet your band gives a very loud NO THANKYOU. I'm trying to adjust to the new way of eating, and have been overly fond of yogurt these past few days. Stick with it, and when you finally get the restriction....You will know immediately.

I had my first fill on Dec. 26th and I had no restriction. In order to lose weight, I jogged almost everyday and lifted weights at night. Tomorrow, I go for my second fill and I'm almost sure I will not have any restriction. I was banded on Nov. 14th and thanks to my will power, I have manage to lose 24 lbs, but sometimes I gain two and lose three. Don't give up, you can do this. Be patient, good things come to those who wait. You will get a good restriction eventually.

It took me at least 5 fills to get moving. What you are expecting is quite common. You shouldn't be starving. Go back for fills until you aren't as hungry and can only eat 1/2 cup of food.

Today my Dr. put 2cc in my band for a total of 4cc and I'm feeling restriction, but he also told me that if I feel like I don't have any restriction, I should make an appointment to get a fill, he does not care if I have to come weekly. He just wants me to have restriction and if I fail, then he fails and he does not plan on failing. Maybe you should express yourself to your doctor, because you deserve satisfaction.