Well with great joy I got my initial fill today , painless and straight forward.

The thing that has always been back of my mind is what will restriction feel like , what signs were I too look out for , ie when to stop eating etc etc , so following my discussion with my doctor he said ok Nick let me show you.

So prior to the fill , he played about with the saline , put too much in , too little and in between adjustments let me drink Water to achieve the feeling , the feeling of too much and of course the wonderous noises my stomach seemed to make. Although perhaps will be different with solids it at least gave me some insight as to what to expect.

So Im on liquids today and mushies tomorrow and he says after that Ive to try solids.

He advised me not to take the easy path of easy food as he called it , but good solids and to make sure I give a good chew.

I appreciaste also from what I read , I might not achieve too much restriction at first fill as often it takes another couple but at least Im on my merry way , especially after having such a rocky start with initial band.

So all is not lost and Im certainly not giving up, the faith in the band remains and Im sure it still was the correct solution to the problem in relation to my weight.

So if you have first fill due .. dont worry piece of cake , other than a little pressure and a minicule amout of pain when needle inserted .. easy peezy ...

LOL , my young son of 7 was with me , and when the doc was putting me thro my paces with the over fill etc , I was lying down wheneve he adjust the amounts of saline , and then when I was to drink I was to stand up , all this with the syringe sticking out of my chest .... my son looked up at me and said Daddy , You are so Brave .... it melted my little heart ....:thumbup:

I also had my first fill today and it went smooth. Good luck!!!!

Lisa

I am struggling. I was banded on 04/16/2009 then had surgery again on 04/22/2009 for a hernia. I just need to know what your diet is and did you have any issues before your first fill. I have not been filled and I kinda eat whatever just less of it and try to get in all my protein. I hope I am not messing up. My fill appt is June 1st. HELP ME PLEASE!

Hi , you sound basically very similar to me at the moment , Im not losing much weight only a pound or two since that first fill , just basically eating less perhaps around 1 - 1.5 cups food at any sitting , fish , rice chicken ( although chicken and also bread I kind of feel tight if not gave a very good chew ). I do at times eat whatever the rest of the house is also eating , just limit myself to 3 ox of meat , 1 or 2 small potatoes and keep veg to last and eat until basically I feel satisfied.

I have yet to feel what I consider a full feeling , but I do feel satisfied enough to stop eating and when I stop eating I dont feel hungry for a few hours. It is easier certainly throughout the day but Im having difficulty with hunger late in the evening , but I am a bit of a Night person and often work at home until the early hours.

I try to satisfy myself then with perhaps a cup of Soup or some fresh fruit.

From what I have heard and basically confirmed by by Doctor , it is usual for this to be normal , true restriction is not normally achieved until after a few fills. He tells me ( and no offence to anyone on the board ) not to get too hung up on other peoples experiences , keep the food types sensible , small bits and chew well. This is more of a training excersise for when further restriction is achieved. As for complications he advises stick to rule of thumb at this moment in time , never put more than a teaspoon of food / half a fork full in your mouth at one time , sit the piece of cutlery down and chew well , trying to achieve 15 - 20 chews , when swallowed the piece of cutlery can be picked up again and another mouthful can be taken. Try and use side plates rather than a full size plate ... it helps conciously not to have the .. look at the plate and food still on it and what youve eaten having tasted good ... dont when satisfied feel as its their it has to be eaten.

I think the fact your eaten whatever you want just less of it is fine.. my doctor is more I want you to eat as much of what you want until you achieve that satisfied feeling , as long as its healthy and you manage to eat ok , as said only thing I seem to have a little issue with is dry chicken , bread if its very soft doughy type , if coarse or wholemeal or toast its fine , tuna Ive found also at times if I havent chewed too well.

Prior to the fill , which was the question you asked , sorry if Im off on a tangent , was pretty much same , low fat , high Protein and trying to stick to what basically made me feel satisfied at the time.

You notice from my post op to my first fill I had put on 3 lbs , today Im 251 lbs , so lost 3 lbs since first fill , the 3 I had gained prior to the fill.

Look at the history as I had a very successfuly initial loss of weight pre op , when seen doctor and he checked my loss and pattern , he said was very good and was bang on target and normal and what he would have expected.

Try not worry so much , I appreciate its hard it all being new and obviously you want to do the right thing. My advice would be do as you have been , try keep portions small of health foods , and practice chewing well and some discipline at the table , this I think when you get your first fill will help ...

all in , though it remains new and when its done , ie your fill you start to get used to a little restriction , and the need for chewing well etc etc

The weight loss part of it , I think we will both find will come after a few fills , if we both keep the whats going in healthy and limited , and of course us not climbing the wall with hunger .. our doctors and the band and further fills will help us on the weight loss side of things .

From what Ive read from others experiences , any major weight loss is not established normally until after a few months a a few fills anyway .. at this point in time its when the band does its little thing and we get onto the .... wooohooo is going .....

I must say , although not lost much since pre op , I do seem to have lost a few inches around the waist .. I noticed this morning I up up another hole on my belt :thumbup:

Anyway wish you well , Im sure you have nothing to worry about , when you get your first fill , have a little discussion with your doctor and he will put your mind at ease

Nick