Samantha C

H Hello there I have had my band for 8 years. Weight loss was not remarkable and at the max of 5-7 kg over all the years. Instead, the band has only caused issues and daily vomiting. Have finally decided to have it removed, as I now suspect it has slipped. I haven’t been able to keep food down for 7 days, despite not having had any fills for years. However, I have once concern: I am 41 y.o and have no children and planning to become pregnant this year. How soon after band removal am I allowed to become pregnant? Thank you

I was banded in May 2016: for the first 5 months I lost nearly nothing. Could eat large quantities easily. Then I had to go back for fills, and suddenly weight started dropping. I am in 7.1 cc now as well. I do suffer a lot I must admit. I can not consume any foods or drinks before 3-4 pm. I can not drink more than 0.5 liter a day. I also wake up at night choking on nothing. I vomit daily. AND THIS IS NOT HEALTHY AT ALL, but if i remove the 0.1 I'm gonna start gaining weight instead of losing. So I told myself I'm gonna suffer another 6 months and then loosen it again control my intake strictly.

Hey ! Yes of course they can remove or add 0.1. For me, the difference between green and red is exactly 0.1. That makes a huge difference. So hi back and have a little fill x

I have been banded for nearly 3 months now, and I still haven't lost any weight apart from the 2 kg that I lost postop on liquid diet (!!) Have had some fills; currently 7,1 of 10cc band. I don't know what the green should feel like ! Is "feeling full" different than being stuck ? I tend to confuse the two terms ! I do get stuck occasionally, but I still feel hunger and cravings much ! Sent from my iPhone

Hi, I had my surgery in May in the UK, and I have not lost a single kilogram. Have had few fills, we reached 6.4 out of a 10 band, and at 6.4 I couldn't have Water down. He emptied some, right now I am at exactly 6.15 like yourself, and I feel minimal restriction. So I'm going back to fill 0.1 next week, hoping to reach the sweet spot! I have been extremely frustrated and still am, as I've been through this big surgical procedure without losing any weight. I know we should not be comparing fill sizes etc as we are all different, but sometimes it helps to talk with people in a similar situation. Im hoping my "green zone" will be somewhere around 6.25. Sent from my iPhone

I'll appreciate if any successful bandster could answer this specifically. What does restriction feel like , and how do you know when you are in the green zone ? 1) is it feeling of fullness after a cup of food ? 2) tightness around esophagus? 3) is it the feeling of being "stuck"? I've had couple fills now. I can eat a lot, but slowly, and then food will get stuck , and after 5 mins it clears and I start eating again. I know some users already wrote useful replies here, but I'd really like to hear from more of You, about The band feels. I'm now 6 weeks out and have lost ZERO. Thank you so much. Sent from my iPhone

All your replies are very helpful and much appreciated ! Thank you so much Sent from my iPhone

Hi Jeanette ! Did you ever go back for an un-fill? If yes, how long after ? If no, how long did the symptoms take to disappear after the fill Hope you feeling better now x Sent from my iPhone

I'm 28 days out, and feeling like a big failure and started thinking whether the lap band was complete waste of money. I have had two fills so far, so I'm at 5,5cc in a 10 band. I have only lost 2 kg in nearly 1 month. I don't know how the band restriction is meant to be felt on your body, and maybe I'm over eating without realising. I haven't been sick at all, and only vomited few times. After reading all the forums and hearing about people losing 10 pounds on their liquid diet alone, I become worried about this band not working for me. I know it works differently for everyone, but I'd like to know how You feel the actual restriction on Your body ? Is it lack of hunger ? Or is it a feeling of being full quickly ? Or You just feel food getting stuck ? Because the only difference from before surgery is that I have food getting stuck if I eat too fast or too dry foods. Then I wait a little , and start eating again, in large amounts. So basically, I can eat like before, just slower. But I can still consume same amount of food without feeling sick or vomiting. Is this normal ? I'm desperate to hear from fellow bandsters. And yes, I I'm fully aware we are all different and I have to be patient etc, but I'd just like to know how other people are feeling the effect of the band. Thank you Sent from my iPhone

Thanks for your answer ! So maybe it's too early too go back now. Will call and ask. Sent from my iPhone

The saline injection they use to inflate / deflate band, and thereby adjust the limit of food intake .. Sent from my iPhone

Hi again ! I'm 18 days out and still have a huge appetite and I can eat anything, in large portions. Filled during surgery 2cc and 2 weeks later another 2,5 cc. Total now 4,5 cc. I can still feel no restriction at all, and have only lost 2 kg son 18 days I want go back to doc for my second fill, but does anyone know if you have to wait a certain amount of time before second fill? Can you have two fills in one months for example, if you absolutely feel no restriction whatsoever ? I hope someone will reply , thank you Sent from my iPhone

Thank you both for your reassuring words ! I've only lost 2 kg in 11 days ;((( Sent from my iPhone

Hello fellow lap-banders! I'm sitting here 10 days post op and can't control my hunger! Is this normal? My surgery went all fine. No pain/no sickness / no vomiting whatsoever. My doctor said he filled my band under the surgery, and next fill should be no earlier than 8 weeks. However, I feel absolutely zero restriction ! I can eat almost everything in the usual amounts I'm used to. I wake up at night and eat because I'm hungry. I don't feel discomfort no matter how much I eat .. I feel exactly like before the band, apart from my healing wounds ! I'm very frustrated !! Was this waste of money and surgery risks ? Anyone else with similar problem ?! Sent from my iPhone

I had my surgery 8 days ago, and my doc said he filled it when operating. My operation went extraordinarily good. No pains at all. No vomiting and no sickness at all. First few days I could only eat very small amount (liquids), but now I'm starving and can consume very large amounts of almost everything (liquid/ very soft mashed). The hunger hits me and I starve, and I feel I desperately have to put something in my mouth, just like before the surgery ! Is that normal !? I can eat 500 mg of Soup without feeling pain or restriction... This is making me very confused now ! Sent from my iPhone