Mystalia

Good Afternoon to all - I have a question regarding the pouch. I had my surgery in June of 2013. some days I feel like I fill up quickly and other days I could eat until the cows come home. Other people have explained that it seems to be based on if the food is cut up very small or chewed very well that you can intake more food that if you DON'T cut it up small or chew it less. I am being very careful to stay within my food guidelines, but wanted to know if the stomach can be stretched if you are not careful. Has anyone found the accurate amount of food that really works for them? My PA told me that it could be any where from 5 oz to 8 oz per meal depending on how the food was cut up. Any help would be appreciated. I have lost 65 lbs since June and would like to keep it going. Also I am not longer a lap-band patient but have switched over to bypass. Thanks, Mystalia

Hello to everyone - I hope you are all doing well. I am four years out of being banded and feel like this has been my worst year yet. I had lost 80 pounds but have gained 30 back. My thyroid numbers were off so the doctor put me on some meds to regulate it and it seems that nothing I do is bringing the weight back down. I was so close to my goal and now I feel like I have stepped back in time to struggling again. The band seems to be great with fill. I know that I do have to increase my exercise, but I am juggling my schedule to work it in. Any thoughts, advice or words of wisdom. Mystalia

Hello to all - Okay here is my babble for the day. I was banded in February and to date have lost 46 lbs. However, from July to now, it has been a real struggle finding the right fill. I have gone from some how losing all my fill to being too tight and just about vomiting a lung. I am very pleased with the way that I am beginning to look and the way my clothes are fitting. However, I know that I am still far from my goal. Of course the upcoming holidays raise the only ugly fears - should I loosen the fill, should I maintain the fill and just have to be very very careful????? Oh, the debate with my mind!!!! I am currently at a 1.8 cc and unless I stay on Soups and very soft food, nothing stays down and I really don't lose weight. If I try solids (meat, chicken not pureed), up it comes!!! So I am thinking I am a little tight. But I want to keep the weight loss going. Today I was so stressed, that I ate an entire bag of chips (not the small kind either) and a bag of M&M's (the small bag). I guess my question comes down to, I'm sure that there are many people who have gone through this and struggled with these same questions. Any advice, kind words, kicks in my butt to get my over this? Best, Debbie banded 2/20/07 218-172-115

I hear you. I call mine "Gabby" because it talks and talks!!!!! Debbie

Okay, here is a question. Why is it some people can get filled to a certain restriction and do fine, and another person gets filled to that same restriction and can throw their boots up?? Is it the type of band, their current weight, etc. I have read where some people are not alot different than I am (not comparing but looking at others success) but are really banded tight and some others are barely banded. Just my brain fart for the day. Looking foward to hearing everyone's thoughts. Mystalia:confused:

Hello to all and thanks for the replies. I am going to my dr on Friday and they are going to take some Fluid out. We then are going to track how slow or fast moving this leak is. I asked him about the thicker saline and he told me that they do not use it. Didn't go into why and he went to another patient before I could ask. I will check on Friday what their reasons are. Did the liquids last night with the Pepcid and brought everything up. I think the 1.6 cc fill has been my best restriction so far until I lose more weight. Thanks again to all for your help and thoughts! Debbie

Hello to all - Just a little background. I am 7 months post-surgery. I have lost 42 pounds to do. However, since August I have not lost any weight even though I have continued to have fills. I had them do a fill that brought me to 1.8 cc's and all I did was vomit. We backed off to 1.6 and things were much better. However, I noticed that my appetite was increasing rapidly. Yesterday, I went to the doctor and it turned out I had absolutely nothing in there. They talked about the different options that could be done, they opted to do a 2 cc fill and see if the fill would hold. They filled and after 3 minutes withdrew all the of 2 cc Fluid. The doctor told the PA to put it back in and for me to let them know by the end of the week how it was going. My concern is if I was vomitting at 1.8 cc and I don't want to even imagine what 2 cc is going to do to me. Last night I went home and tried 2 ozs of very soggy mashed potatoes. Don't even ask how that went, not good. But it might have been too heavy to start with. For two hours, I had hiccup after hiccup. I tried I Gas-X and brought that and the mashed potatoes up. So I need thoughts here. I would love to start the weight loss going again, but is it at the cost of vomiting every day. Or do I need to return to a stage 1 and wait to see if the port needs to be replaced because of a leak. Any advice is appreciated.:help: Best, Debbie

Hi Donna - Thanks for the welcome! From checking out other boards, it seems to be common to have fills "disappear". There are methods to use a thicker saline, so I will see what the doctor recommends on Monday. Best, Debbie

Hello To All!!! I am new to this group, but I read some of the posts and decided to join. I was banded in February of this year and as of July of this year, lost 42 pounds. I have been having problems with my fills and we are checking on Monday to see if there is a leak in the band. It started very slowly and the really hit after the last fill. I have a 4 cc band and have a total of 1.6 cc in fill. Hopefully this is just some crazy with me and I am losing Fluid as I hear can happen. The great part is that I have maintained the weight loss. Looking forward to any advice that anyone has and chatting with you. Best, Debbie banded 2/20/07 218/176/115 pre-op/right now/goal