:think Hi

I've had 2 fills.4cc in 9cc band.First fill didnt feel much...second fill lasted for 2 weeks and just like that all restriction gone again.....

We are going on a yacht cruise in 3 weeks time and I am scared to go for a fill before then.But I can eat a lot again and when it is physically possible I seem to struggle with my head a lot............gained 4 pounds this week......

How long does restriction last after 3rd fill?

Thanks

Desertmom, there's no answer to that question. Some people never need a third fill, and others skip right past it to a fourth. Your situation is different enough, too, that I don't think you can make any comparisons to other people's fills that would be helpful.

How are you feeling, by the way?

Hi

I have the 10 ml band and have had 7 fills. Up until the last one my restriction was lasting about 1 to 2 weeks before going. I prayed it would last but never did till this time. It has lasted a month this time...I have had a binging session the last few days but thats nothing to do with restriction because when I eat good food I have restriction, I only dont have it as Im eating every little it of junk I can get my hands on.

In most cases it does take longer to get restriction in the bigger band. But it will come.

hi

I am doing better.The very bad heartburn seems to be gone.I still have lot of Fluid in my throat and real difficulty swallowing at times.Sometimes starts in morning even before I have eaten anything and some days only starts at 16:00.

It seems that one can learn to live with everything though and seeing as there is no answers for me, that is what I am doing.It is not comfortable and I dont by any stretch of the immagination feel normal or even like before but I have run out of options about this.It is still very disapointing to me that I have to live like this now but again,options?I drink Pariet,Librax,Rennies and anything else the dr feel I should to try and relieve this.

My frustration is that I dont have restriction and I need to make this band work and lose weight so I can have it removed again.Yes,that seems to be the dr's answer for my problems but I am not going to let him do that until I got some value for my money from this band.

I have lost a huge amount of centimeters already and 43 pounds so all was not in vain.

I still hope that whatever is causing this will just dissapear one day and I will be like all the other bandsters.

Thought the band helped one lose weight.Never thought it would be heartburn and reflux and not being able to swallow that would make me lose weight.Oh,by the way,how do you skip a fill?

I just meant that some people never need a third fill; the restriction they got from their second fill does them fine for a long time.

I'm so sorry you are in a situation that means chronic pain and discomfort for you. It boggles my mind that your doctor doesn't think his placement of the band has anything to do with this. If you have no pouch to speak of, then it seems obvious that food staying in your esophagus is what's causing the problem.

Please do seek a second opinion if/when you have the opportunity. In the meantime, I think if I were in your shoes I'd probably be living on liquids. And that is obviously no way to live with the band.

I just cannot understand that more of his patients are not experiencing the same symptoms that I have.Some are on Pariet and Nexium but I couldnt find one that had this "bubbling liquid" in the throat like I have.I dont really think that the problem is only food related.Sometimes when I havent eaten anything it is as bad as just after a meal.

Anyway,I will definately do something about this after my holiday.Summer here is just difficult.I dont think he even does operations here in summer.I have made contact with more of the local patients and will start a support group later this year.Then I suppose one might see if anyone else have the same issues.

It is just no different with liquids.Even when my stomach is empty I sometimes "gurgle,gargle,dont know the right word....fluid..

Not having a pouch doesnt make any sense to me.I just wish it was different.I didnt have the other ops to not have complications.who knew that I would have these problems.

I will go to another local dr that does the band and see what he says about it.Point is unless I am willing to pay another 12000 dollars what is my options?And having experienced this,who would pay that much to take another risk of not knowing if it would be different (my dr says even if he moved the band my body would most likely react the same to it again.....)

Anyhow,no use crying over spilled milk as they say.....Life goes on.But this has really changed my outlook on things a little.A stupid thing like swallowing or not being able to can really ruin one's day quite easily.