NewMommy1

Yes. I did expect to lose weight much faster than I have. I was banded in November, and I've only lost 15 pounds. I didn't have a diet before surgery. I did 10 days of liquids and lost about 5 pounds. I ended up gaining them back as I wasn't working very hard after I had the band to watch what I ate. No one informed me that I'd have to wait to have fills before the band would begin working. My doctor is almost IMPOSSIBLE to get in to see even for a fill. It's taken me 7 months to get 3 fills. I now have one that is giving me some restriction, but still the weight isn't coming off. BEFORE YOU SAY IT..... YES. I'VE BEEN WATCHING WHAT I EAT AND EXERCISING. I've been as strict as possible since my last fill. Low fat this, no sugar that! Still, I see very little progress, and sometimes I think that I'm just destined to be overweight.

Okay, maybe it's me. Maybe I'm CRAZY, but I keep having the same reaction to fills. Here goes.... 1st fill - 3cc's - I had very little restriction. After a week, I had absolutely NO restriction. I called my doctor and had to wait a month to go see him. When I got there, he checked and I only had 1cc left in my band. I asked where the other 2 went. He told me that there was air in my band and it dissolved some of the saline. WHAT??? I had never heard of this! He added some saline which leads to my..... 2nd fill - I was up to 5cc's. I had pretty good restriction. Then about a week later, I could feel it loosening. Then, NO RESTRICTION AGAIN!!! Once again, I waited for an appointment (1 1/2 months this time). SURPRISE, some of the saline was missing AGAIN. This time it was 2cc's. He told me that I must have still had some air in the band. So he added some saline which leads to my...... 3rd fill (last one, I promise) - Now I'm up to 7cc's. Or at least I was up to 7. At 7 for the first week I had A LOT of restriction. I experienced PBing for the first time. I was limited to about 1/4c. of food and was actually afraid that I might need an unfill. Now, a week later, I have much less restriction. I can eat a decent amount. (1 small tilapia filet and veggies for dinner) I know this is a healthy amount, but I'm afraid that the saline is going to all go away and I'll have no restriction again. So what do you think? Do I have a leak in my band, or am I experiencing less restriction now because my stomach was swollen after the fill and the swelling has gone down? What explanation could there be for all of this? My doc is almost impossible to get to. I had to preschedule an appointment for July 29th just to make sure that, if there was a problem, I could get in to see him. I just keep wondering if I'm crazy or if he won't admit that there may be a leak because he doesn't want to fix it due to a lack of time and being overbooked. I was banded in November and have only lost 14 pounds because of this whole fill thing. It's so frustrating! Please offer me some advice. (Sorry this was so long!!!!)

Good luck on ur surgery 2morrow, spud.mama!

Hi! Okay. I had the same exact problem. At first I couldn't eat very much. I was soooo motivated, so that may have had something to do with it. Then, it was like I had never had the surgery at all. I went to my doctor. I told him that I think he played a trick on me and there wasn't a band in me. He gave me a 3cc fill. That helped a little bit; well, for about a week anyway. Then I could eat AGAIN!!! I went back to the doc. He checked and some of the saline was gone. He said the air dissolved it. (Don't know if this is true.) He put me up to 5. This worked for about a week. Then, AGAIN, I had very little restriction. Went back, one cc was missing. Finally he put me to 7 (last week) and I still have plenty of restriction. (Probably a little 2 much) You probably just need a fill. It should help, but don't be surprised if you get your first one and have to go bac a few more times to get the amount right. Once you do, it'll work like a charm. Just stay positive and watch what you eat until your fills are successful in helping you control your portion sizes.

Congrats! I wish I had been so fortunate to lose that much in the beginning. Good job! As far as after your first fill, just take it slow.

That just sucks!!! I got a negative reaction from people, too. They don't understand that it takes a while for you to get restriction and to start losing weight. It's not like some of the other wls. They start working immediately. We have to wait for fills and everything. Just hang in there and try to ignore the negativity. GOOD LUCK!!!

Hi! Yes. I've had this happen, but as it turned out, I needed a fill. Now, I physically can't eat unless I fill like pbing. I don't know when you were banded or how many fills you've had, but that might be the problem.

I never had any of the tightness or burping until I had a fill. For me, it's a sign that I'm full. About your lack of restriction. I had the same thing happen to me. After surgery, I took it slow, but I was sooooo hungry. I finally went for a fill, and it got a little better. About a week later, I noticed that, once again, I was having little to no restriction. I went back to the doctor and found that 2 cc's of the saline had "dissolved" due to air in the band. He put me up to 5 cc's. It happened again; some of the saline "dissolved." He said that the band holds air, but that it should be gone now. Now, I'm at 7cc's, and I'm having A LOT of restriction. Don't worry, it takes time. Once you find the "Sweet Spot" for your band, everything will fall into place.

Hi! I understand your concern about wanting to have children. I have one and am hoping to have another in the future. I talked to my surgeon about my concerns. He explained that pregnancy is not a huge issue when it comes to the band. He told me to wait at least 2 years for my body to readjust, and then, when I'm ready, I can have another child. He'll just let some of saline out of my band so that I can adjust to the needed increase in calories. (If I had would have had gastric or the sleeve, I wouldn't have this option. I'd be on my own to deal with the dietary issues!) Of course, I'll have to make sure I take my vitamins and everything. I hope this helps you! Good luck! :thumbup:

Hey! I have BCBS of LA too, and I'm going to my first appointment with my doctor on the 26th. Who's your doctor? I'd like to know in case I have the same problem. (I'm going with Bellanger out of B.R.) Did BCBS tell you why they won't certify? I'll throw a fit if they do that to me!

Hi! I'm so sorry that you're going through this, but it seems like you're doing a great job! I just have some quick advice about the low carb thing. PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!! I was on Atkins for 2 years. I lost 100 pounds on it, but toward the end I was desperate to lose more, so I cut my carbs back below 20g/day. I got so sick that I passed out at work and ended up in the hospital. I didn't know that our brains run predominantly on carbohydrates and require a minimum of 20/day. Don't go too far on cutting them back, but if you are counting them and are getting a lot, just know that you can cut back to as few as 20/day and still be okay. Good luck and keep up the good work. You'll make it! :biggrin2: