DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

Welcome to the forums!

Congratulations on your weight loss!! I'm glad you're going in for an unfill. Hopefully you're taking care of it soon enough and you haven't slipped.

I say this with all due respect, but why would you cancel a fill appointment for not losing weight? That's when you need to see your doctor most. You say you "can still eat anything". The band isn't supposed to stop you from eating anything. In fact, most of us can still eat anything and should be able to. If you're expecting it to stop you from eating you're in for a big disappointment. The band is supposed to make you feel satisfied with less food for longer periods of time. It's not supposed to restrict what you eat, it's not supposed to make you feel stuffed full, and it's not supposed to force you to stop eating. You are sabotaging yourself right now. I encourage you to get back into your doctor and discuss all this with him. Possibly even go back to a seminar or support group so you can understand the true purpose of the band and what it's supposed to do. Best wishes.

Yesterday it was in high 80's and now today it's dropped down to the high 60's. I was actually cold so I went into my closet to pull out my once favorite black cardigan. The cardigan I wore the day I had surgery and I haven't worn in many months. Holy cow, I couldn't believe how huge it was on me! I mean, I guess I should've known because I've dropped 5-6 sizes since then, but putting that sweater on was a "wow" moment. It really put into perspective how far I've come. Especially considering the day of surgery, I couldn't button it because it was too tight across the tummy if I did. So, I thought I'd share the difference. Here is me in the now massive sweater

I picked my goal weight based how I looked and felt in the past. However, that's not set in stone. It could be raised or lowered depending on how I feel once I get down closer to that number.

Have you seen your family doctor? And a gynecologist? I would suggest seeing both.

Just like with all medical implants, they sometimes will update their models as they find issues or ways to improve them. One example is the 4cc band that was once used. Now, they have switched to newer 10cc or 14cc bands. Patients originally banded years ago with the 4cc bands are still treated by their doctors, but patients who now go to Mexico and get the outdated 4cc bands become a medical liability if something goes wrong. Using older generation bands is one of the way the Medical Tourism doctors in Mexico keep their prices so much lower than the American doctors. Older generation bands that are no longer used in the US are very cheap for them to buy by comparison.

Actually, you hit on the exact reason so many refuse to treat a patient banded in Mexico. Very often they use older band models rather than the most recent updates. Some even still use the old 4cc bands. The American doctors then won't touch their bands because it creates an insurance risk for them to treat a patient with an outdated band.

Just like the different diet phases and rules, you'll find every surgeon has their own ideas about this. My surgeon has me on full liquids for the first 24 hours after a fill. His reason is that filling the band can irritate the stomach and cause some swelling. Being on liquids after gives it time to calm and any swelling to go away. When I had my band unfilled this past Sunday and then 3cc put back in on Monday, the surgeon told me I had to do 24 hours of liquids then 24 hours of soft foods. It's only today I'm allowed regular foods again. So even with my experience, two different surgeons, two different sets of rules for eating after a fill.

Don't be down or too hard on yourself. You're fairly newly banded and still very much on the learning curve with all this. Heck, I have found there's something new to learn with every single fill I get. A small piece of advice that might help? Before I had adequate Fluid in my band, I knew only eating a cup of food every 4 hours was totally unrealistic. I was freak'n starving! So, until I had good restriction, I concentrated on calories. I would have a set amount of calories I allowed myself a day and planned it so I could eat something every 2 hours. For me, this did two things- it allowed me to stay within the one cup limit and I wasn't absolutely starving all the time. Plus, I did lose weight consistently, even without restriction. Hang in there, I promise it gets easier

Doctors can guess when we'll start to have restriction but at the end of the day, it's just that, a guess. There's no magic amount of Fluid that will guarantee restriction in our bands. Don't be discouraged. For one thing, 15cc is a large band, so it stands to reason it will take a bit more to get restriction in it too. (btw, are you sure that's the size? I've heard of a 14cc band but not a 15cc one before) Most people it does take multiple fills to have restriction. It will come, it just may take a little more time and fills. Best wishes.

Most people are banded with little or nothing in their band. Because of this, most recover from surgery and realize they can still eat exactly like they did before surgery. It usually takes multiple fills for most people to have restriction in their band. What your going through is totally normal. However, please keep in mind that just because you can eat more than a cup of food per meal it doesn't mean that you should. Stick to band sized portions and healthy food choices despite your lack of restriction. You'll be very glad you did in the long run.

Insurance definitely won't pay for it to be done in Mexico, and if you go to Mexico you run the very real risk of coming home and not being able to find an American doctor to fill or treat you. More often than not, most American doctors refuse to touch a patient who was banded in Mexico. So, if you did decide to do self pay in Mexico, be sure you have a doctor at home to treat you before you have surgery. I would look into having it done at home via your insurance first. It would be a lot simpler and safer in the long run if you can.

You need to find a new doctor immediately. The fact he's repeatedly over-filled you, even when you told him you felt over-filled, is horrible. His obvious negligence has put you at very real risk repeatedly. Now, he's essentially leaving you out to dry because he beliefs changes due to his own ignorance. You deserve so much better than this. Please, find a doc with a clue and a heart. Your current one obviously lacks both.

I was banded January 2012 and so far have lost 129 pounds in 7 months. I am still losing, even after having my band emptied for an unrelated emergency surgery this past Sunday. The band is a tool and like any tool, it's only useful if you use it correctly. If people misuse it or expect it to do the work for them, they will fail. If you people use it correctly and are prepared to do the work, they will succeed. The power to fail or to succeed is totally our own. Don't let those who chose to fail by their actions (or lack thereof) scare you. You can totally do this.

Thanks for posting this, and I'm so glad you got some relief! I hope others read this and realize how detrimental a too tight band can be.

Congratulations!! You're doing awesome, you should be very proud!!

Congratulations!!

Good luck to all you getting banded today!

That's a good thing. Trust me, you don't want to deal with a hernia gone bad. I just had emergency surgery on Sunday for a strangulated hernia. It's not fun.

Just curious, who said you shouldn't eat Pasta, bread, and rice? Who said you couldn't eat those things and still lose weight? The one and only thing we can't have after being banded is carbonation. I still eat bread, pasta, and rice daily. Potatoes, too. I just am just careful to eat them in moderation and within the guidelines my nutritionist gave me.

I get asked this a lot, but the honest to God truth is I don't eat or do anything special. In fact, I still eat the same meals with my kids I did before surgery just healthier versions and smaller portions. For instance, I still eat Hamburger Helper, but I eat the whole grain versions and make it with lean turkey instead of ground beef, of course I eat a much smaller portion too. The best advice I can give anyone is to see a nutritionist and get clear food guidelines set. Not a diet, but guidelines you can make your new lifestyle. For instance, I can't do low carb for a lifetime realistically. So, I don't do low carbs. However, I do monitor my Protein, carb, and fat intake daily to stay within reasonable guidelines. I also log my food and calories daily and have since the day I got home from the hospital. Really, that's all I do. Nothing special.

Actually it's purpose isn't to restrict at all, it's to make you feel satisfied on smaller amounts of food for longer periods of time. Satisfied meaning not hungry. It is not supposed to restrict what you eat nor is it supposed to make you feel stuffed full. If you're striving for these things you're going to end up over-filled and risk a slip. If you are struggling with liquids and food in general, you may be too full.

It's definitely possible. However, it's also very possible you never found your Green Zone. It also could be you're confusing head hunger with physical hunger. There could be many reasons for what you're feeling. Something else important to point out: The band is not supposed to make you feel stuffed full. It's only supposed to help you feel satisfied, aka not physically hungry, on smaller amounts of food for longer periods of time.