I'm feeling really depressed.

I got my band on May 12th. It hasnt been as easy as everyone told me. My recovery was decent but my fills.... an absolute nightmare.

The first fill took NINE stabs with that huge needle. Let me say that I did agree to the 9 stabs because I am pretty tough and I didnt want to come back another day to go under the ultrasound. I have a 1 and 2 yr old and no babysitter. My hubby stayed home that day to keep them.

This past Thursday I went for my 2nd fill. I had lost 4 lbs in 4 weeks but he still yelled at me. Apparently I cant do anything right. He got a little saline happy and gave me 5ccs in my 9 cc band. It once again took 9 stabs and we both wanted me to get good restriction. I threw up a few times but honestly thought that I was ok. I left and went home.

I realized about 6 that evening that I couldnt "tough it out" and something was VERY wrong. I called and was told by the on call to go to the ER. I got there at 11pm. I waited until 6am for a bed. I literally threw up 60 times. My saliva was pooling in my pouch and when it filled up I would throw up. I got an IV and zofran. My surgeon showed up around 7. He was pretty nice. He took all 5 cc out and put 4 back in. I stayed for 2 hours and drank an entire cup of Water (slowly) and kept it down.

I could barely drink today and I did manage to nibble a little. I finally feel better.

I was so upset Thurs night that I was swearing I would rather have just died fat. This has been a nightmare. I've lost 15 lbs since May 12th.

I feel like I'm destined to fail at this because I cant even get the fills right.

Thanks for listening.

Carol

I am very sorry you are having such a rough time. Hopefully, this new fill will give you the right amount of restriction and help you lose more easily.

Why did you doctor yell at you? Is there another doctor in that practice? I don't think I'd stand for being yelled at.

I'm sorry to hear you are having a rough time of it but now is not the time to give up. I was told by our support group nurse that it takes about five fills before the restriction is right. That's the most frustrating part of the process is getting the restriction to work for you. It will happen! Don't give up! And celebrate your loss! You've lost 15 lbs! That's wonderful! Be proud of yourself for accomplishing that! Hang in there, it'll get better and easier!

YOU didn't get it wrong, your DR. did. Please do not blame yourself for this.

For now, try to let it go and move forward. If you dwell on this it will make you feel worse. Follow your eating plan and enjoy the restriction while you have it. Hopefully next time will be much easier. Good Luck!

Thank you all very much. I do like my doctor. If he honestly didnt care about his patients then he wouldnt get on to his when we screw up. I feel lots better today. I was able to eat a few bites of chili last night. It was so good. I hope its an "allowed" food haha. I figured it was ok since it had beans and meat in and I really needed the protein.

Getting your fill right is a tweaking process for everyone, so don't sweat it.

I don't think your doc should have gotten upset with you for losing weight, even if it wasn't as fast as he would have liked. Has he been doing bands for very long? It just seems odd, as that sort of loss would have been greeted with "great job!" at the clinic I go to.

15 lbs in 10 weeks is excellent. You are doing fantastic and will succeed at this! And it now sounds like you are pretty tight. Watch out for reflux and for pbing too often -- better to lose more slowly with the band not quite so tight than to be too tight and end up with a slipped band or damage from the reflux. (imho anyway )

I don't know about everyone else, but doesn't putting 5 CCs or even 4 CCs a little too much for ANY ONE fill?

I don't know about everyone else, but doesn't putting 5 CCs or even 4 CCs a little too much for ANY ONE fill?

Seems like it to me -- almost like the doc was retaliating because he was upset. But then, I wasn't there, so who knows. Maybe that's normal for him -- if you have a big band and are super loose, maybe he has found with experience that people need a certain amount before they have restriction?

I was already at 3 cc with absolutely no restriction. He added 2 cc. I am now at 4 cc because he took 1 cc out at the ER.

I think he yelled at me more because I said I had eaten a cheeseburger. I wasnt sure what the big deal was because I honestly didnt realize that meat and cheese were that bad. I mean I could have said I'd eaten a pint of ice cream ya know... I have repeatedly told him that I am stay at home mom to a 1 and 2 yr old and my husband is out of town 4 days a week and the 3 days he is home he works 12 hour shifts at their sister hospital. Sometimes I have to eat whatever I can get my hands on.

Oh well. Live and learn.

With all due respect, it sounds like you are rationalizing. I think eating cheeseburgers is part of what got us all in this mess. If I were you, I'd at least stock up on some protein drinks, chicken breast, some frozen South Beach TV dinners, and frozen veggies. That way, when you are chasing after the kids, you can fix yourself up something really quick. How did get out to get the cheeseburger? I don't remember my daughter eating cheeseburgers at one or two. Now, you've had several pep talks. Now, get out there and serve yourself proud. You will end up being a good example for your two young children. Better now than when they are older and acquire those cheeseburger habits.

I'm feeling really depressed.

I got my band on May 12th. It hasnt been as easy as everyone told me. My recovery was decent but my fills.... an absolute nightmare.

The first fill took NINE stabs with that huge needle. Let me say that I did agree to the 9 stabs because I am pretty tough and I didnt want to come back another day to go under the ultrasound. I have a 1 and 2 yr old and no babysitter. My hubby stayed home that day to keep them.

This past Thursday I went for my 2nd fill. I had lost 4 lbs in 4 weeks but he still yelled at me. Apparently I cant do anything right. He got a little saline happy and gave me 5ccs in my 9 cc band. It once again took 9 stabs and we both wanted me to get good restriction. I threw up a few times but honestly thought that I was ok. I left and went home.

I realized about 6 that evening that I couldnt "tough it out" and something was VERY wrong. I called and was told by the on call to go to the ER. I got there at 11pm. I waited until 6am for a bed. I literally threw up 60 times. My saliva was pooling in my pouch and when it filled up I would throw up. I got an IV and zofran. My surgeon showed up around 7. He was pretty nice. He took all 5 cc out and put 4 back in. I stayed for 2 hours and drank an entire cup of Water (slowly) and kept it down.

I could barely drink today and I did manage to nibble a little. I finally feel better.

I was so upset Thurs night that I was swearing I would rather have just died fat. This has been a nightmare. I've lost 15 lbs since May 12th.

I feel like I'm destined to fail at this because I cant even get the fills right.

Thanks for listening.

Carol

Your Dr needs a good smack for the 9 stabs, and and a second for the yelling. Ask your ins if another dr is available.

Why in the world doesn't your doctor use an x-ray machine if he has so much trouble finding the port? And why did he pump so many cc's of saline in (especially without an x-ray machine??). He's asking for trouble doing that. It's not OK for him to just keep poking over and over like that. He could puncture silicone band and that would require surgery. Such aggressive fills (4cc) without the use of video x-ray to monitor the fill could result in band slippage -- which means removal of the band. Makes me wonder what kind of job he did putting it in. Consider finding someone else.

"It hasnt been as easy as everyone told me."

And it ISN'T easy for a LOT of people. If it was as easy as the weight loss industry makes it out to be in their commercials, then this forum might not not even exist.

For many people, it's an easy ride. For some, there are some problems. For others, the whole process is an exercise in terror and pain.

The Doctor that yelled at you should be shot. He's there to serve, assist, and encourage you. Not belittle and humiliate you.

You need to change Doctors. You need to find one that will help you identify and isolate exactly where/what the problem is, and help you correct it.

Many of the problems associated with the LB can be resolved, but you need an MD that is willing to work with and FOR you.

Hang in there....you'll be fine! :thumbup:

Dont beat yourself up hon, I was overfilled a couple of months ago, the same senario as you, up all night just puking slime - niiiice!! It was my own fault really as I believe the phrase that I used when he was doing the fill was 'pack me tighter than Donald Duck's arse', well I wont be making that request again!

We all lose at different rates, but I would say that if you can get a hamburger down then you cant have restriction, lord knows I have tried many times and every time I just puke it back. They arent really a good idea anyway.......sighs....

I have 6 kids so I empathise with your struggle to grab something for yourself, one of my standby specials is to mix a tin of salmon with some very light mayo , then slather it on a rye crispbread, its yummy and it really fills you up, and it has all of the essential oil type thingies that my dietician keeps going on about!

I wouldnt stand for my fill doctor speaking to me like that, and I have found in the past that the phrase ' Excuse me, WHO do you think you are talking to?' works wonders. When all's said and done he works for you hon not the other way round!

Keep your chin up hon, you will get the right fill!

Nina x