michelle37

Ok so I have a question for all the long time banders out there. I had a fill 2 weeks prior to a vacation to visit my family in Indiana from Massachusettes. Was losing well and felt great. Two days after arriving I was feeling alot more restriction. Up until this point I have never been sick. Love my band. I am 9 months post op and it took me about 5 months and 6 fills to get great restriction. Ok so anyway the first day I was there I was very careful about eating. Second day we went out and I got a salad bar and stuck with the basics which are things I have always eaten. That night out again and only have vegetable Soup because I wasn't feeling so well. About an hour after eating it I got violently ill. I could not stop dry heaving. I did that for 14 hours. My sister got me into a bariatric center close to their home and the NP explained that the change in pressure from flying tightened my band. She removed 1cc and immediately I was better. My surgeon has never mentioned this to me. Now I am going on another vacation. cruise will my husband for 12 year anniversary and eventhough we are not flying I am nervous about having another fill 2 weeks before going. Had this happened on the ship I am not sure what I would have done. Anyone ever have this with travel? Look forward to your help

This is a tough question and one that we have all asked at one point in this journey. Just trust in one thing if you continue to have fills and eat the right things you will get in the green zone. It took me 9 months and 6 fills but when you are there it is great. I think i am at 9cc in an 11cc band. Just try your best not to get discouraged and remember this is a life long journey not a sprint. We are all here to support you on this.

It is so frustrating to hear people talk about only having 6 cc in a band and having great restriction. I have an 11cc band with 9cc and I can still eat bread. I don't but i could. I am struggling everyday with portion size. I have lost 28 lb in 11 months. It is better then gaining but my tool is not giving me restriction. Am i looking for something that is never going to happen? I got really close to the green zone and was losing well and then I went on a flight and got sick. My band tightened up and I had to see a center of excellence and have 1cc taken out. After i went back to my surgeon for a fill after that they put me back where I was and now i don't feel the restriction anymore. I am feeling helpless.

Oh I remember this feeling..Let me see I am going to be the only person ever to have the band fail me..Is this a joke? did they really place the band? Let me tell you it will happen. It took me 8 fills and 8.5 cc in 10 months to get it right. I am finally at the point I know it is there and it is working for me. I am sure that you will be able to ask anyone on this board and they will say the same thing. Then be sure not to listen to others and how much they have or do not have in their band. We are all individuals. My friend had hers put in 4 months before me and gets stuck on everything at 5cc, me at 8 I was still eating bread. Just have confidence and stay positive. It will work. I went sometimes every 2 weeks until they got it right. Congrats on the exercise, that is a huge part of this journey. Good Luck, Michelle

I can definetely feel your pain. I did not think food was such an issue for me....well boy was I wrong. Sometimes I get very frustrated with my husband because he still wants to eat out and it is not all about food for me anymore. It is not enjoyable to go out especially so I can watch him eat desert. Then I realized he is not the one with food issues so I can and just try to engage in conversation and not let it bother me. I am not sure we will ever overcome those issues. I am 10 months post band and lost 30 pounds. I only had 70 to lose to start. I have tried to use my energy more towards exercise. Now if I am home on my day off where I use to snack all day long I go to the gym and do a spinning class which helps with the hunger issues. Join a club of some kind, get hobbies and shift your focus from food. If you dont find a way steer away from those thoughts there is nothing the band will be able to do for you. Hang in there, losing the weight is the best feeling in the world and the rest we will overcome in time. Good Luck

Kristi, Good luck with your long flight, let me know how it goes Michelle

What a horrible story. I can't imagine being as sick as I was for weeks. I have to say how lucky I have been. I love my band and after 9 months this is the first time anything has been stuck. I appreciate hearing everyone's stories. I think this is one thing they shouldn't have left out of the instructions. I saw the Np and she only put back .5 cc because she wanted me to enjoy my cruise without worrying about it. I had very little restriction after I healed from my unfit, but I have plans for alot of exercise on the cruise and we are not flying to get there. Once again thanks for sharing your story. Michelle

Trust me I was there. I was fortunate that my np was giving me descent fills because I was having no restriction and going back every 2 weeks. It took me 7 visits to have it right. Now at -30 I feel great restriction and am focused on changing my life. Do they not evaluate and ask about restriction when you go in.?

Don't get discouraged. I had 6 fils before I had great restriction, now at 8cc I am losing consistently 1-3 lbs a week. When I feel it loosening up I go back for .5cc and it helps a lot. I remember having the same thoughts you were a few months ago. Thing with the band is patience. N

I just want to let those bandsters that are fighting with restriction there will be a time you will have it. I had my surgery January 10, 2011 and have struggled with restriction from the beginning. Still doing all the things I was taught in the time leading up to surgery. I was able to lose 20 pounds. All the time wondering if this was some kind of a joke. After seeing my NP 6 times in 5 months I am at 7.5 cc and am not hungry. I have lost 3# this week. I am finally able to feel that this surgery is going to be worth it. Good luck to all that are searching for this sweet spot. Now I just have to be very careful to get in all the protein because I am sure not eating much.

It is exciting to see when a fill actually gives restriction. I had my surgery 1/10/11 and am down 24 pounds. It has taken me 6 fills to really get the restriction everyone talks about. I am now at 7.5 cc in an 11cc band and it is great. I am due to go back next week but do not feel I need a fill. Be patient and just listen to your band, follow the rules and it will work. Good Luck

Congrats on your weight loss. We had our surgery about the same time and our weight loss is similar. I started at 218 and got to onederland last month. I am now at 196 and am feeling great. Cannot wait to get into those size 9-12 again. Everyday I feel smaller, almost like I am shrinking.I am so thankful I had this surgery to save my life.

Fill number 5 in 6 months and finally at the sweet spot. Keep going to your appointments. You will know when you are there. Good luck at your appointment

Ok I really need to hear if anyone else has painful fills. My first fill there was alot of tenderness around my port site. My nurse practicioner asked the covering DR to come in and help. It wasn't too bad. I went back 6 weeks later for another fill and once again my nurse practicioner says there is alot of scar tissue around my port and she asked my surgeon to come over between surgeries to look at it. He just went right into a fill with no questions. He moved that needle around so much I almost passed out. It was so painful. I am not talking just a pinch and it was over. I am talking about like diving for a vein when an IV is being started. Now I am afraid to go back. They do not put anything on my stomach to numb it because they say it takes too long. My surgeon is brutal and after all of that he only put in .5cc. My NP was going to put in 2cc. Does anyone else have this painful scar tissue. He says it hurts so much because he has to go in laterally. My surgery date was 1/10/11 and I have lost 20 pounds. Just makes me sick to think about the pain of another fill. Any suggestions will be appreciated

WIsh I could give feedback one way or another but I have only had 3 fills since January Surgery. I definetly know what you mean by trying to find the sweet spot. Never expected the band to work miracles but if I could have done this without a tool by just not eating I would not have needed the band. It is interesting to see that your doctor says you will be tighter when you are ovulating.

I was banded 1/10/11 and have lost 21 pounds. My first fill was 6 weeks later and they put in 4cc, I felt some restriction for a couple of weeks. My second fill was 6 weeks later and supposedly they put in .5cc. I went back yesterday after 3 weeks because I was starving. Dr said I had 4ccs so they did not give anything at my last fill. Yesterday they put in 1 cc for a total of 5. I havent really been able to eat much to see yet. Hope things get easier for you. Just hang in there and be sure to exercise. Keep me posted on your progress. Michelle

Congrats on your weight loss. We are very similar in where we started.

OMG I am having flashbacks!! I remember the day after I came home from the hospital I was wondering not only what I had done to myself but to my family. How could I not sit with them or want to cook? Once I was healed I eat with them everynight. Most of the time what they eat I just modify my meal. Eating out I always ask for 1/2 to go in a take out container before it comes to the table. Then there is no temptation to take one more bite. Next days lunch is done. It will get better. I remember all of the psychology appointments, nutrition appt and workshops and when I came home I was lost. I had no idea how to eat or feel. I believe it is a normal grieving process. We gave up something we all loved. ..Food..It is so much better with time and I was only banded January 10th. Fairly new to the game but already feel this is lifelong. It is not a marathon or a race it is forever.

my doctor told me after my 6 week check up I can take my pills without crushing them and I am fine.

Ok so most of us have felt the same exact way!! When it happened to me I thought I was possibly the only person that would fail the band. Just stay focused. it will take a couple of fills to help with the hunger. Your body is healing and most doctors do not put anything in the band when it is placed. I felt some restriction after 1st fill and an having my next one on the 26th. I have never had any problems eating anything I just can only eat 1/2 of what I use to. Be sure you are getting your exercise in. Just give your body time to heal. Eat your protein through the day. Do not let yourself get to the starvation point. It is hard when you are working but find time for a cheese stick, or I take cottage cheese and tuna with me everywhere. It is easy and very filling. Good luck and stay positive. The port soreness is normal. I had it for about 7-8 weeks. When I had my first fill it was so sore my nurse practicioner was asking all kinds of questions to make sure I did not have a clot somewhere. It just felt much better at about 7 weeks.

Please don't get discouraged with this site...There are many people here like myself that just want to help one another. This is a life long struggle for everyone. And yes it is frustrating when we feel the band is not working. I have only had one fill and 2-3 days after was great. now I am hungry again. Hoping my next fill will get me into the sweet spot so I can maximize the band. We all realize it is only a tool, but we have to hope at least we will have some restriction and it will prevent some hunger. Hang in there, keep in contact with your doctor and you will get the right fill that will help. Until then we are all here to support you. Sometimes we fall down, just get up dust yourself off and continue this journey. Good Luck getting back on track

I had my first fill of 4ccs yesterday and I feel like it is a miracle. I am not at all hungry today. This was a pleasant surprise because last week I felt like I did pre surgery, hungry all the time. I am praying this restriction lasts. I do not go back for 6 weeks, but they did tell me to call in 4 if I needed one. Keep up the willpower and try not to think about the short term. They say it takes sometimes 3-6 fills before you hit the sweet spot. We did not gain the weight overnight but we would all love to lose it overnight. Everyday is a day closer to our goals. Just be strong. Always happy to listen. We are all feeling the same things. That is what makes these boards so great.