AustinRaver

I actually agree with Petunia 100%. Life is tough and those that want to be babied along the way usually are left behind in the sidelines and wind up feeling like the OP.
Many of you are saying that Petunia doesn't have a say because she is not yet banded... but a lap band is not the cosmic end-all of life experience and hardship.
Some say that having a weight loss surgery is one of the greatest physical changed you've gone through... but for me.... it ranks near the bottom of the heap.
No matter what we look like, no matter how we got here or there.... there are several ground rules that all must abide by in order to be "successful". You say these ground rules are objective but then again, if you thought so, you wouldn't have had the surgery in the first place.
Even before the surgery, EVERYONE involved in the process informs you that this is merely a tool, a device that only catalyzes the results of the lifestyle and behavioral changes that WE dictate and execute. EVERYONE tells you this.
From day 1, we've all been told the SAME THINGS:

this is just a tool you need to make behavioral changes don't drink before or after meals don't snack eat nutritious foods MOVE YOUR ASS Just the fact that the OP has neglected even ONE of these ground rules sets a basis for our so-called 'tough love'.
Your self-esteem cannot be increased by what frosting others put on top of their words. Your self-esteem is not created by the decreasing numbers on your digital scale or the lack of fabric required to make your undergarments. If you depended on your lap-band to boost your self-esteem...then I believe you failed before you started.
That's the harsh truth.
The doctors, the Allergan PR, the bariatric coordinator at your hospital have all said the same thing. The LAGB may help increase your weight loss so that you become healthier and you eliminate or reduce the existence or at least the symptoms of your ailing co-morbidities. Nothing in the PR says that the lap band will increase your self-esteem. Please wake up.
I'm deliberately trying to be ruthless because that's how we all learn. The hard way. That's how I learned. But in the end, the point is that we follow the rules, we get our priorities in order, we become healthy, and we become happy. Electing to the do the surgery was a big step for you, no doubt. It took courage and determination. You've already made your decision... now you just have to follow along with the consequences of that decision. God-speed and good luck to you.

I'm not sure about the details of your situation, but it did occur to me that if you're physically uncomfortable after eating, a small unfill might help. For me, I have found that I need to strike a balance between good restriction and still being able to eat. If I can hardly eat anything, I get so frustrated that I want to binge on ice cream (which WILL go down!).
Other than that, my get-back-on-track, back-to-basics regimen includes:
* Drinking a Protein shake for Breakfast (I have trouble with solid food in the morning)
* Having a small, healthy mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack
* Bringing a healthy lunch with me to work so I'm not tempted to go out to fast food (which is my kryptonite)
* Focusing on "superfoods" (From "SuperFoods Rx" by Steven G. Pratt). I couldn't possibly eat as much of this healthy stuff as he suggests each day, so I figure there's less room for junk.
* Eating at least 70 grams of Protein per day
* Drinking plenty of Water
* Taking a daily chewable adult multi Vitamin and Calcium supplement
* Exercise, especially strength training (this is a miracle worker for my mood and motivation, as well as weight loss). If you can't get to a gym, walk around the block, do sit-ups and wall push-ups at home.
* Journaling -- write about your feelings, maybe consider a support group or therapy. It could help.
Best of luck to you.

I don't understand the "food sitting on top of the band" statement. food isn't supposed to stay in the upper stomach all that long. What eating is supposed to do is to stretch the upper portion just enough to stimulate a nerve that conveys to the brain that we're no longer hungry.
This might be helpful to you:
http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html
I wonder if maybe your band is a tad too tight? Best of luck to you.

i have a 14 cc band and did not feel anything at all til 7.5 ccs and got no real restriction until 8.5ccs. Took 4.5 months of fills. You are likely going to have the same - the bigger the band the more saline needed for restriction. Best of luck to you - you will get there!

I think what you might have read was to avoid fibrous foods. But that doesn't necessarily mean things with fiber. What it means is foods that are very dense, like celery or brocolli stems. Things that are hard to chew well. At least that is how it was explained to me. I take the chewable fibercon from time to time.

I can't comment on the size of your band versus how much it is filled etc. That aside, you are not describing anything uncommon. Having a fill during surgery will usually subside because the surgey inflammation.
Also people who get restriction initially, usually loose it. It can take some tweaking before it is right.
Even when one is in the green zone, as I am, the band can be tighter on some days, and other days I feel as though I could eat anything.
I have learned to live with these fluctuations, and can even control them by the types of food I eat.
So you either need an additional fill(s) or you should lay off solid foods for a few days.

All normal! As you lose weight you lose a pad of fat between your stomach and band so your band can feel loser and you need another fill. It's different for all of us but I haven't had a fill on my last three visits and definitely feel restriction. I am still losing weight well but the band is only one part. I also manage my food choices and exercise well. The band helps me to manage my portion size.

My MD did not ask for any special type of prep diet prior to my first fill which was 2/1/12 other than the norm lap band eating . I was supposed to go back to liquids for one day and mashed food the 2nd day after the fill.

I don't think my band stops my hunger, it does however, limit the volume of food that I can eat so I feel physically unable to eat more even though I know that I've only eaten a small amount.

I've had two unpleasant incidents and both occurred because I had not eaten enough that day and was overly hungry when I finally ate in the evening.

The first incident was my first day back at work (pre-fill). I immediatly reverted to my old habit of not eating most of the day so I was STARVING when I got home. I ate a small bowl of lentil Soup that pre-band would have been nothing for the old stomach but was too much and too fast for the banded stomach. OH MY GOD, I thought I was having a heart attack. My left shoulder, my side and my chest hurt for about 10 minutes! Thank god I had already discovered this forum and had read about this reaction to eating too much too fast.

The second incident was yesterday when I ate a boiled egg-I thought I had chewed it enough but apparently, my stomach did not. For about 5 seconds, I felt like I couldn't breathe, then I felt like I was going to vomit. I then felt the food becoming unstuck and finally, sweet relief!!

My theory is this surgery works because of fear (at least for me). Fear about experiencing those 2 incidents again so I'm going to do my best to watch my volume, my chewing and how fast I eat. I also need to try to eat more regularly to avoid getting so hungry.
My advise is just the basic that most of us were told before our surgeries: (eat quality Protein first, eat slowly and regularly to avoid that starved feeling, etc). If I'm not starving, I have more control. I hope this helps.
Good luck to all this week and Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

As much as I love my band, I have to say that it's a fickle mistress. It can take several fills to achieve optimal restriction, and then as you lose weight and the fat surrounding your inner organs (including your stomach) shrinks, your band will feel looser so you'll need more fill. Also, restriction can be affected by the time of day, the climate, medications, allergies, hormones, and the position of Mars in the sky. You'll feel more restriction when you're making healthy food choices of SOLID foods, less restriction when you're choosing to eat soft and slider foods (some of which are healthy, like yogurt, but a lot of them are high-calorie and nutrient-poor, like ice cream and potato chips).
We're all sick of dieting by the time we have WLS, but in a sense success with the band does involve dieting. Your band can't make good food choices for you, it can't make you exercise, it can't make you say no to trigger foods. That's all up to you. I'm over 4 years post op, 2 lbs. below my goal weight, with excellent restriction, and I still have to work on all of that in order to maintain my weight loss. It's a lifetime project.
Finally I have to say: just because you can eat anything or overeat doesn't mean you should. Overeating can indeed stretch your pouch and/or esophagus and it can indeed cause your band to slip. Nowadays self-control seems to be a no-no word, but Portion Control is up to you, at least until you learn your soft stops. Your band won't ring a bell or flash some lights when it's time for you to stop eating. You have to eat slowly and pay close attention to how you feel as you eat. Soft stops are usually subtle - a hiccup, a sneeze, a sigh, a burp, an urge to clear your throat. If you eat through that kind of signal, looking for your pre-op sense of satiety (what I call "Thanksgiving dinner Full"), you'll go on struggling indefinitely. Success with the band is a lot of work.
Although it's possible that you've stretched your pouch, only an upper GI study can prove that. If you go on overeating, it'll just make the situation worse. So I suggest that you make yourself do the evil D word (diet) for a week, pay very close attention to your satiety signals, keep a food log including the times of your meals or Snacks so you can get a handle on how long your satiety lasts, and only then go back to your bariatric surgeon to discuss another fill.
Jean

first slow down. I understand how you feel but I see you racing. Scared to death and racing. Try to go one day at a time, sometimes it's one minute at a time. Do not give in to every thought about food that pops into your mind. have a drink of Water. do something to distract yourself. go for a short walk, anything but eat crap.
if you have "junk" in the house, THROW IT OUT.
you did not go through this surgery to give up. you'll make it, trust yourself and breathe....

I don't think I've ever seen it recommended that you fast on Water for two days before a fill! I do know my clinic suggests eating lightly the day of the fill, and then liquids for two days afterwards. But I understand how you feel...and it's normal that you lose restriction as you get thinner in some cases. But I don't think you're anywhere near to being overfilled, and you would definitely know if you were; you wouldn't be able to get/keep anything down. Just take a breath and go back eating the bandster way, and then see if you need another fill ( I think I should take my own advice here! lol).

I agree with getting the junk out of the house. Both my husband and I had band surgery. He had his in April 2010 and lost 100 lbs in a year. I had realize band in May 2010 and still haven't reached 100 lbs. I did have a slip up this year around the holidays and showed a 3 lb gain at my doctors office, which I go to every two months. It is the only time I went without losing weight. I went for close to a year before I really felt resistance but I was determined that I was not going through that surgery for nothing and kept to the diet. I did sometimes feel that I made a mistake having the surgery when I could have "done it on my own". That of course was before I felt resistance. Now it is really working. I am having a problem with my esophagus but hopefully that will work out ok without having to have all the Fluid removed. Please hold on, keep to the diet, get the junk food out . . . if it is there you will eat it. I know that is true. Drink lots of Water all the time. My doctor does not tell us to prepare for the fill in any way. He just said to eat soft foods for the first two days afterward. Usually we have it done in the morning one day and by the end of the next day we can eat our regular foods. Please don't give up. I wish there were support groups that people could go to. I think that would help me a lot. I did try and come here at the beginning and just did stay with it. I'm trying again. It's been two years almost for me, so I have experienced some of the issues of having a lap band.
GOOD LUCK TO EVERY ONE.