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Thanks for the update, slenderella. I'm glad you were able to get an accurate accounting of your fill, and it sounds like you may have found your optimal level for now. It's amazing how head hunger can "disappear" when you're not physically hungry.

No numbing and no pain. They've also never had any problem finding my port on the first try.

Slinderella2b, has the doctor checked your fluid level at your fill appointments? Also, when I had a fill under x-ray, the doctor had me take a barium swallow prior to my fill to see if I had restriction. The barium ran through pretty quickly, so it was apparent that I could use another fill. On the other hand, I will say that a friend of mine has the AP Band which is a larger band. She has an over-fill in it, and has very little, if any, restriction. So, it does seem that this happens occasionally to people, sadly. Good luck, and please keep us updated. I hope you're able to solve this problem at your next appointment.

I agree with RestlessMonkey. I attended a seminar given by a Realize Band rep prior to my surgery, and the he said there was room in the band for some over-fill.

I kept watching the scale creep upward, the clothes I was wearing were the tight, and I had made a personal commitment to myself to not go up one more size. I've always had phenomenally low blood pressure, and it was starting to go above normal, I couldn't do any of the outdoor activities that I loved, and I was terrified of a heart attack or diabetes in my future. The thought of killing myself by obesity was almost to much to bear. I know life is a gamble, but I was putting the odds in the grim reaper's favor. Not only do I feel like I'm adding healthy years to my life, I'm getting so much more living out of my life.

Terrilynn, you're looking GREAT! It's such a motivator to be able to see such a noticeable difference. The scales don't always tell the whole story. Keep up the good work, and I bet you'll see the scale move soon.

I had one as well, and I'll admit I was kind of freaked out at the thought of pulling the line out. I thought it was going to be a NEEDLE. lol I was so squeamish, and I can't believe I didn't totally creep out my husband over the prospect of him pulling it out. I kept imagining the needle breaking inside of me. He was a real trooper and did the deed for me. I had to laugh when he showed me it was just a little plastic tube (there was no needle). It turned out to be nothing at all to pull it out. I didn't even really feel it. It did keep the area completely numb, and I suspect it helped me not rely on oral narcotic pain meds so much. I got the little fanny pack from the hospital to carry the ball in, and it was handy to have.

Hi Staci and welcome to LBT. You've come to a great place for band info. I just have to comment on this sentence from your post: "I plan to weight until after the holidays." That made me smile, and was a great Freudian slip for a lapband forum. You need to check your insurance to make sure they cover weight loss surgery. Not every policy covers it. Some insurance companies that do cover wls require a 6-month documented diet, and others require proof of being overweight for five years. Just be prepared that you may need to submit a lot of paperwork, but hopefully you'll be one who has insurance coverage without all the hoops. I got my band 3 1/2 months ago, and I am thrilled with the results. I'm not quite half way to my goal weight, but I feel fabulous. I really didn't appreciate how crappy I felt until just last week. I was doing some Christmas shopping, and after hours of shopping, I felt like I was gliding on my feet. The band can get you to your goal weight, as long as you work with it. You've said you've been able to lose the weight in the past, so chances are good, in my opinion, that you'll be successful with the band. After you reach your goal weight, you can have the restriction of the band adjusted to suit your needs. I imagine I'll leave some restriction, but that's a ways off for me. It's not a quick fix, but it sure beats dieting the old-fashioned way. There are people who have much more restriction than I have right now, but I'm still far better off than I was when I dieted without the band. I'm not miserable, in other words. Continue to read up on the band, ask questions, etc, and it will help you a lot if you decide to go forward with the surgery. Also, remember that all surgeries have risks, so it's very important to follow your doctor's orders. Good luck!!

Different doctors have different meal plans. Mine is three 1/2 cup meals/day and one healthy snack. I eat breakfast sometime after 9 am. lunch around 1 pm and dinner after 6 pm. Snack around 9 pm. I do better if I can delay my meals because, like you, I tend to get hungrier in the evening.

That's onederful news, simone!! That's what this band is all about!!!

"And the scale finally moved this morning." Debbie, I meant to add that sometimes the scale seems stuck, but then suddenly I get movement. I'm very happy for you!! I'm trying not to focus too much on that darn number, but it sure is great to see it get smaller. I know I'm losing inches even when the scale doesn't budge. Pants that just started to fit a couple of weeks ago are now saggy, and I bought a smaller size of jeans yesterday, and they fit (well, they were snug, but not as tight as the biggest size I was wearing pre-banding).

Occasionally, I have a little tenderness at the port site, but I can usually attribute it to something I've done (ie sitting upright several hours with tight waisted pants, although the port is about a couple of inches above my waistline). It doesn't sound like the pain you're having though. My fills have been very uneventful, thankfully; easy in and out, but I did notice a bit of tenderness for a day after my last fill. I hope you're able to resolve this problem quickly. I know the nagging port pain can be very irritating.

Hi Debbie. 1. The Realize Band only comes in one size - 9 cc. Maybe they meant you could only get the one size, l I hope. 2. No, not at all, thankfully. It's been very quick and painless. I don't want to jinx myself, but there's never been an issue with the needle. I'm amazed at how quickly and easily they hit the port. 3. The upside to having to pay out of pocket is not dealing with the insurance for my care. My doctor allows one year of free fills, and after that, I think they run around $200, so he's very serious about getting the self-pays to goal weight in a year's time. Since I don't have to get insurance approval, I got an in-office fill without a fill appointment last week. The doctor's office makes the hospital appointment for the fill clinic, which is done under x-ray. They always do the first fill that way. The second fill, I had in-office with a fill appointment. A week after the second fill, I could tell I wasn't at the restriction level I hoped to have, so they made the clinic fill appointment for me. They checked the restriction before the fill, and I was still open. After the third fill, I could really tell a big difference, but after a couple of weeks, I felt I could use a little more Fluid in my band. I had my regular four week appointment already scheduled, and when I was in the office, I said I didn't quite feel like I had enough restriction. She pulled the fluid out of the band, and it checked okay, so no leaks, and she gave me a 1 cc boost. So far, I feel like this is the perfect amount for me. I'm not restricted so much that I can't eat pretty normally, but a little slower and a chewed well, but I'm not pb'ing on bread, rice or chicken (three things I've tried since my last fill). As an aside, you're doing FANTASTIC with your weight loss. I'm sure you're feeling like you're not getting all the benefit from the band that you know is possible. After that third fill, I finally knew what the band could do for me, and I that's where I want to stay. I couldn't believe how long I could feel completely satisfied with such a small amount of food. Good luck to you, and hope your doctor gets you to that sweet spot before too long!!! :tongue_smilie:

I think I love my vanity more than a meal discount. I wouldn't use the card, but I do take home some nice leftovers for one or two additional meals. I also share with my husband, so he now normally orders a smaller meal, and eats part of mine. I truly don't see anything wrong in using the card, it's just a personal feeling I have about using one myself.

That's fantastic, Blessed1! I think it must be harder to get back into it, after the initial enthusiasm wears off. You proven it's possible. Best of luck to your continued success!!!

I was out of balance in my fiber intake. Too much soluble fiber and not enough insoluble fiber. Benefiber and many of the foods I was eating is high in soluble, but you need a good balance of both. I made sure to add dark greens (spinach, green beans) and whole grain brain (Natures Own Double Fiber), and I'm pretty much back to normal.

I agree with Heather's advice. This an issue you're going to have to hit head on. I measure my food out ahead of eating, and that's what I serve myself. I could continue eating much more, if I didn't do that. I find that I'm full, and had I not measured, I would have eaten much more than necessary. I also don't really want to be so tight that the band stops me completely. I'd love to find a good middle ground.

I'm very lucky that my family is super supportive of me. My husband has always been health conscience, and my kids aren't that much into Cookies and sweets. If didn't remember distinctly that I gave birth to them, I'd swear they weren't mine. Although, I've had this weight issue, we've never made food a focal point of Christmas. My biggest weakness is homemade fudge, so that's definitely off the menu this year. Everyone else likes it, but they wouldn't get obsessed over it, so I'd be the one picking at it all week. My husband and kids' favorite is sugar cookies, so we'll make a small batch Christmas eve, and that'll be plenty for us. I'll also bake a pumpkin pie. I don't feel like I'm sacrificing at all. I'll have a couple sugar cookies, and a slice of pie, and that'll satisfy my sweet tooth. As a reward to myself, I bought a very sexy New Year's Eve dress, and just looking at it, and knowing how much my husband will enjoy seeing me in it, is a huge motivator, and much yummier than my typical chocolate fudge overboard.

I lost 25 lbs before I went down a size. I had made a pact with myself that I was not going over the size I had been wearing, and I was really struggling to stay there. I've lost ten more pounds and my clothes are staring to feel a little loose. I would think once I go down ten more pounds, for a total of twenty, I'll be needing to buy some new clothes. I bought a really gorgeous dress for New Year's Eve, and I told my husband that I hope I'll only wear it once. :-)

I've had my band for 3 1/2 months, and I've not experienced any of those problems. If someone is experiencing nausea, vomiting, severe heartburn, it could be that their band is too tight, they're eating too fast, not chewing thoroughly, or I suppose it could mean that, for some reason, their body is reacting negatively to the band. It's something that would warrant a trip back to the doctor though. From what I've read, dumping generally refers to what happens to some people who have had gastric by-pass surgery, not lap band, when they eat sweets.

As you get more fills, you'll start to feel satisfied longer. I just had a fill this week, so I can't really comment on this one yet, but after my third fill, I totally understood how the band works. I felt full and satisfied for an easy four hours. Up to that fill, I had anticipated my evening snack, but without feeling hunger sometimes I skipped it or just had a small amount of veggies, fruit, or whole grains (whatever healthy food I thought I had shorted myself on that day). That's the feeling of hitting the sweet spot with the band. I hope with the 1 cc they added this week, I'll keep that feeling for more than a few weeks.

Michelle, I really don't know how I'd control my eating if I was a baker and cake decorator!! :shades_smile: I'm not doing the Christmas baking this year. No sugar cookies, no fudge, etc, although, I'll do a small batch of sugar cookies and a pumpkin pie for Christmas day, but that's it. Fudge is my Achilles heel, so we'll not have any of that. I'm the only one in my family that those types of foods call to, so they don't mind. When my husband and I have been to holiday parties, I'm satisfied with just having a little nibble of whatever decadent treat he's having. As long as I can have a little taste, I'm fine. I just can't have a whole plate of sugary treats setting in my house. I'd have a hard time not getting fixated on them, I'm afraid.

Alyssa, I have a very good friend who got the Vanguard Band which is a bigger band. She most definitely weighed under 300 lbs - probably closer to 240 lbs, and she has never had restriction, and her band is over filled by 1 cc. She's had her band for over a year, and has only loss the 25 lbs she lost at the very beginning. She's looking at some sort of revision surgery, but I don't know if she'll consider a smaller band. Best of luck to you!

First, I think you should ask your doctor. A few beers? Think of your poor little pouch and all the gas from those beers coming up to torture it. (:shades_smile:) I don't know if my doctor gave a firm recommendation as to when alcohol was allowed, but especially at this early stage, I don't want to drink a significant number of non-nutritional calories. If he gives you the okay, I wouldn't think of drinking more than a glass of wine or something with no fizz. Then, carry around a water with a swizzle stick, to keep your hands full.

It wasn't until my third fill that I felt significant restriction. Each fill helped, but I could really tell the difference after fill number three.