Kyrie15

You will do great! Don't stress about stretching your pouch, it's pretty normal to get hungry after a month or so. If your Dr. is like mine, they will probably give you a fill, but will go low and slow. It really is a test of patience! Good luck and keep us posted!

It seems as if my nurse decides how much to put into the band at a time. Is it appropriate to ask for a certain amount? The first time she added 3 ccs, the second time she added 1.5 ccs (total of 4.5 ccs) and said that I would probably hit the green zone at about 5.5-6 ccs. Thoughts?

I got my second fill last week, (Wednesday the 23rd). They added an additional 1.5 cc's so I am now up to 4.5 in the 10 band. I did feel more restriction, but I can still pretty much get anything down. The biggest thing I notice is if I drink too much at once. My nurse said that at I should hopefully hit the green zone around 5.5-6 ccs. I go in next week for a check up and fill. I did stress my concerns at sitting at a 12 lbs loss since surgery. My nurse took measurements, and even though I am not down weight wise, I am down inches! Yay! She was telling me that since I am eating so much Protein, my body is converting fat to muscle. So even though I don't see a change in the lbs, I am still changing in my body shape! I am hoping everything is going well for everyone!

My first fill went well. I have to admit, I was scared and my nurse offered to give me litacain before the fill so I wouldn't feel the needle. Litacain stings really bad so I opted to pull up my big girl pants and just go for the fill. It was not bad at all. I barely felt it. I am so glad I didn't numb myself first, I am sure that would have been worse. As far as my fill working, I was on all liquids the day of the fill, mushies yesterday, and today I am eating soft foods. I have noticed some restriction, but not a ton.This morning when eating a scrambled egg, I took too big of a bite and felt it sit there for a few. My band was completely empty and they put in 3 cc which seems like the norm for a first fill. I actually go in another week to follow up and they will add more if needed. I hope this helps! Kyrie

I had my first fill today. I have a standard band and they put in 3cc's. I am back to a liquid diet today and then mushies tomorrow. With only being on liquids, I can't feel restriction (still) so I am worried that it wasn't enough. I am sure I am just jumping the gun on it, but I just thought I would feel something.

Oh my goodness, sorry Vida, I totally mixed up you and Debbie! So Ditto for Debbie too!

Hi Vida! Congrats on the new pant size!! It sounds like you are doing the right things! I received my first fill today and when the nurse was looking at my incisions, she noticed that I had a few stitches that hadn't dissolved. She quickly removed them and the areas were a lot less tender. I also noticed, that if the incision site is not exposed to a lot of air (I am guessing inside the belly button isn't) then healing takes a bit longer since it is still so moist. I would recommend lounging flat for a bit each day just to expose that skin to as much air as possible. Congrats again on all of your milestones! You make me smile with your stories, especially since I can relate to almost all of them!

I have to ask...did anyone else gets hiccups and want to cry?

I think days 4-5 were the worst for me pain wise. Be careful with pressure on your major port incision. Also, I found rotating my arm in big circles helped with the gas pain. It will get worse before it gets better, but it will all be worth it in the end. Also, really take it easy with everything: everyday chores, lifting things, chasing children, etc. I just pulled a couple of my stitches on my port yesterday and I am almost 5 weeks post surgery. It hurts like just after surgery....so PLEASE be careful! Congrats on your banding! Time for a whole new roller coaster ride (the best one you'll ever be on)!

Hi! It's good to see all the progress the September bandsters are making! I have my first fill on Monday and for the last week I feel like I am constantly hungry. I'm excited to get back to the feeling of not thinking about food constantly! I have lost and maintained 12 lbs since surgery, which I feel is low but my nurse assured me is normal because we are going for healing right now not weight loss. Do you feel that is correct? Yesterday, I decided to push myself a little more than normal and mowed our lawn before the storm hit. After I was done, I had the most horrible pain under my main incision (hurt like 3rd day post op), so I called my nurse thinking I had screwed something up with my port. She was awesome and listened to my teary-eyed story. Then she assured me that I didn't mess my port up, but rather probably popped a few stitches. She said its a good and bad thing, good because my scare tissue will form quicker to keep my port in place and bad because now I'm going to be hurting for a few days. Moral of this long tale: even though you feel almost normal at 5 weeks...still take it easy!!! Have a good one!

I'm brand new to this group. I have finished all of my insurance requirements and just got put on the high protein, low cal diet. Band date in the 16th. I'm so scared, I keep thinking maybe I didn't try hard enough with reg diet and exercise.