Wendell Edwards

I waited a long time, but if you are on solids and it's OK with your doctor, go for it!

You may have post-fill stomal swelling, or you could just be closer to effective restriction. Either way, you need to chew like crazy and take it slow and easy now, as you learn the new limitations that this fill will give you. I like it here, and spend far less time to read this board because I don't have to sort through all the non-band-related topics over there.

I think you should get a Lap-Band.

Hi Teresa!

I told everyone under the sun. In your case, it's up to you. In an ideal world, everyone would love you and support your decision to have life-saving surgery. But this is the REAL WORLD, where some people just can't keep themselves from making nasty, hurtful, ignorant and insensitive comments to people. If you don't want those comments, or are not strong enough to NOT CARE what other people think, DON'T TELL THEM!

Well, I went back there for a moment yesterday. I read the posts, and bookmarked where the posts stopped that day. I went back there this morning and read the posts that were made after the last post that I read yesterday. Of those dozens of posts, only three posts were actually questions relating to the Lap-Band. The rest were off-topic, personal issues, social situations or some other non-band-related stuff. That's why I prefer this board, the threads here are sorted into different topics, which allows me to focus on posts that actually relate to the Lap-Band, as opposed to having to trudge through endless dreck that has nothing at all to do with the Lap-Band.

And they have children.... and they vote.... and they run for elected office, too! :paranoid

Weight loss is just math. You have a Basal Metabolic Rate that will fluctuate from day to day, based on your body weight and lean muscle mass. Any exercise that you do in addition to your BMR will increase the amount of calories your body will use during the day. food is measured in calories, and any food in excess of your BMR plus exercise will accumulate as fat. Conversely, if you eat fewer calories than you need, you will burn stored fat and lose weight. So, if, as an example, you have a BMR of 2,000 calories per day and do 500 calories worth of exercise per day, your total caloric expenditure will be 2,500 calories per day. If you eat more than 2,500 calories that day you will add fat, and gain weight. If you eat fewer than 2,500 calories that day, you will burn fat and lose weight. Continuing the example, if you were burning 2,500 calories per day, but only ate 2,000 calories, you would have a 500 calorie deficit. At that rate you would lose 1 pound per week. (500 X 7 days = 3,500 calories. Fat is 3,500 calories per pound) Continuing the example, if you ate only 1,500 calories that day, you would burn 1,000 calories of stored fat, which would result in losing 2 pounds per week. ( 1,000 X 7 days = 7,000 calories. Fat is 3,500 calories per pound) If you are losing 3 pounds per week, it means you are eating 1,500 fewer calories per day than your body needs. Bigger people will lose weight faster, because their basal metabolic rate is influenced by their body size. That also explains why the rate of weight loss will inevitably slow as a person loses weight.

<p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Did you do a sleep study YES</p> <p>Do you have sleep apnea YES</p> <p>Has weight loss helped with the sleep apnea YES</p> <p>Did your surgeon require this I had the sleep study done years before surgery.</p> <p>Do you like the cpap machine, if you have one Yes I do. I have a Respironics auto-titrating CPAP.</p> <p>Are they expensive Yes they are.</p> <p>Did you feel more rested after using a cpap Yes I do, and I feel HORRIBLE without one!</p> Here's a link to my CPAP: REMstar® Auto, Respironics

Hi Shannon, I suspect that you haven't had effective restriction with the Lap-Band, or you wouldn't be asking this question. The only thing I would add is that the aspect of behavior modification is almost identical with both types of surgery. The behaviors required for success with a Lap-Band are nearly identical to the behaviors required for success with RNY or any other type of weight loss surgery.

Whatever works for you, is what you should do. This is working for him. Is it good choices? Nope. Would he lose faster without such poor choices? Yes. But it works for him.

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, I strongly recommend listening to your doctor's recommendation to use a CPAP. Sleep apnea can kill.

Take a cardboard tube from a paper towel roll. (Your stomach) Wrap it in a pound of fatty bacon. (The residual fat-pad around your stomach) Tie a balloon around the bacon and inflate it. (The lap-band) "Melt" a little of the bacon away underneath that balloon. (Lose weight) That is exactly what happens when the residual fat-pad melts and loosens up the band. If a person loses even a few ounces underneath the band, it's going to get loose and need a fill. Graphic, but REAL EASY to visualize, isn't it?

Thanks Tracy! I agree with everything you said. The only thing I would add is that the original poster is OBVIOUSLY TOO TIGHT AND NEEDS A SLIGHT UNFILL.

Sounds like first bite syndrome. Try drinking a warm or hot beverage to relax the band before eating.

You're very welcome!

Every person who has a Lap-Band. This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band. The INAMED protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band. Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band. Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week. The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows: 1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to two weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to two weeks after the fill. That is why the INAMED protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill. 2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band. 3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food. 4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient. 5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again. 6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food. 7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again. Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater. It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

None of the things you mentuioned have been my experience, and today is my 3-year anniversary of being banded.

You're very welcome!

You're very welcome!

You may, or may not obtain effective restriction on the first fill. The fill is nothing but an injection, just like any other "Shot at the doctor's" you have had. This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band. The INAMED protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band. Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band. Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week. The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows: 1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to two weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to two weeks after the fill. That is why the INAMED protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill. 2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band. 3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food. 4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient. 5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again. 6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food. 7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again. Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater. It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

Those hiccups may be your new full signal. Try to eat as slowly as possible, chewing very well and see when the hiccups start.

Take a cardboard tube from a paper towel roll. (Your stomach) Wrap it in a pound of fatty bacon. (The residual fat-pad around your stomach) Tie a balloon around the bacon and inflate it. (The Lap-band) "Melt" a little of the bacon away underneath that balloon. (Lose weight) That is exactly what happens when the residual fat-pad melts and loosens up the band. If a person loses even a few ounces underneath the band, it's going to get loose and need a fill. Graphic, but REAL EASY to visualize, isn't it?

This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band. The INAMED protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band. Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band. Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week. The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows: 1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to two weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to two weeks after the fill. That is why the INAMED protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill. 2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band. 3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food. 4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient. 5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again. 6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food. 7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again. Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater. It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

Hi, the APS (Small) band holds 10.0CCs, as does the VG (Vanguard or Vangard) The APL (Large) band holds 14.0CCs. The 9.75CM and 10.0CM bands hold 4.0CCs each. How much the band holds, and how much is in the band does not matter. What matters is if the amount in the band gives you EFFECTIVE RESTRICTION.