2 months out -- 2 weeks after 2nd fill and all of a sudden restriction

[suf1987 0]

I dont know if this is normal but after my lapband april 28 i lost 26 lbs within 3 weeks. THEN NOTHING.

I had my second fill and told the dr i want that restriction feeling i had post op.

He filled to a total of 5 or 6 i think.

I was still getting hungry and really did not feel the restriction unless I ate something gooey (crab cakes) and it clogged my tube.

Then a few days ago it started. All of a sudden i realized i was full. I would eat a few bites and get that feeling not like i was clogged and couldn't breath but like i was full up and then a little sound would emanate from tummy almost like a funnel was filled with pudding and a little is seeping thru and an air hole opens up?

so i stopped eating and now its like that every time.

i hope this is to be expected. i was really worrying that the lap band wasnt going to work on me. I didnt feel any different really between the 1st and 2nd fill.

my dr is very conservative and wants me to let the band be a tool and i change behavior.

i still want my money's worth!

i paid 13K out of pocket.

PLEASE if anyone knows if this sounds normal or familiar let me know. thanks

[vlp1968 83]

I haven't experienced it but I've read others saying a fill kicked in a week or 2 later. Sounds like you are doing well.

[BetsyB 9]

I've had restriction creep up on me a while post-fill, too. It's weird!

And yes, your funnel-full-of-pudding sound is normal. My band does lots of gurgling sometimes.

There are lots of strange new things to learn--but it sounds like you're doing well.

(And yes, the band is a tool, and we do need to change behaviors. But if your doctor is reluctant to allow you to fill to an appropriate level of restriction, then I'd have a frank conversation with him. The purpose of the band is to provide the restriction so that you are not relying solely on willpower; that is what makes the lasting behavioral changes possible.)

[E'sMommy 0]

I too had my 2nd fill seek up on me. I'm ten weeks post-op and down 30 lbs. I'm really not hungry and always busy - so I have to remind myself to eat (stomach noises or a headache usually does that for me). I think I'm eating a norml amount of food but the scale did not move at all this week. In fact, I'm up 2.5 lbs:scared2:. I don't understand what happend and to be truthful I'm actually have Water coming to my eyes as I type that---so very very dissappointed. My meals are pretty much the same...breakfast = greek yogurt or akins bar; lunch = sandwich (with low carb bread, meat, 1.5 t of mayo, lettuce); dinner = meat (chicken, fish, shrimp, lean pork), salad (with chesse and dressing); snack = usually 1=2oz. of nuts.

My family - who is extrememly proud and supportive - actually said that I might not be eating enough to lose. Is that possible? You would think with this much weight on me(i'm currently 222) that I would be dropping a good bit every week. I'm so so very upset.

Sorry for the vent; I was orginally replying to let you know that you weren't alone with the fill feeling. Wow- guess I need to let that out...thanks

Kristina

[suf1987 0]

Kristina -- thank you so much for your reply. And everyone else. Seems like we are on the same schedule. I was april 28. ugh i am abt to go weigh but i am afraid it will not have moved again! i need to run but i am so tired. i had my bloodwork done thursday and they said i was anemic, low blood sugar, low Calcium and my thyroid had plummeted again. So they upped my thyroid med and i am sure that will help with my metabolism and exhaustion.

When i did push the dr to fill tighter he said he goes by the recommendations of the lapband company. I am sure he's correct as i really feel it now. It's great. but i am afraid it will subside again.

anyways, Kristina you have done great. I am only at 26 lbs since april 28. my husband is not supportive. he wont talk to me about it or comment on weight loss bec he did not agree that i should have this done but i knew this was the right move for me.

i was always hungry and if there is a drug free way of turning me into having the appetite of a thin person, then i think it's a good thing. i just dreaded the thought of the rest of my life being on a diet or pills or wanting to get skinny...

[suf1987 0]

i am very upset too!!!! and i feel like it's all my fault bec i am not exercising enough.

[LeighaMason 19]

suf1987-- This is exactly what happened to me on my last fill. I went for a fill and I was actually concerned that they had somehow poked a hole in my band because my restriction was gone! Then 10 days later it was back in full force. I have been at perfect restriction for 2 months. I also wanted to add that I can eat everything but bread, Pasta and bananas so my band is fairly loose. It doesn't have to be super tight to get your moneys worth, as a matter of fact I believe that having it too tight is the cause of most of the problems that people have.

E'sMommy-- Remember that with the band you should lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. At 10 weeks you should be down 10-20 pounds. I think you are doing well but maybe if you were journaling on a web site like loseit.com you could see how many calories you are actually eating, I always think, knowledge is power. Plus on that site you can track your weight loss and there is a chart that shows your trend. When your trend starts getting a flat line you can adjust what you are doing for better results. And sometimes you can just look at it and feel better because you feel like your not doing well but one look at the chart shows that you are.

Good luck to both of you.

[suf1987 0]

Thank you LeighaMason! How do you get the ticker on your sig line? i am going to go to the website you suggested. Thanks again!

[E'sMommy 0]

Thanks!! Up to three weeks ago I was using sparkpeople.com. I'm going to back to it instead of hand writing journaling. Great tip:thumbup:

[Nean4488 1]

I too had my 2nd fill seek up on me. I'm ten weeks post-op and down 30 lbs. I'm really not hungry and always busy - so I have to remind myself to eat (stomach noises or a headache usually does that for me). I think I'm eating a norml amount of food but the scale did not move at all this week. In fact, I'm up 2.5 lbs:scared2:. I don't understand what happend and to be truthful I'm actually have Water coming to my eyes as I type that---so very very dissappointed. My meals are pretty much the same...breakfast = greek yogurt or akins bar; lunch = sandwich (with low carb bread, meat, 1.5 t of mayo, lettuce); dinner = meat (chicken, fish, shrimp, lean pork), salad (with chesse and dressing); snack = usually 1=2oz. of nuts.

My family - who is extrememly proud and supportive - actually said that I might not be eating enough to lose. Is that possible? You would think with this much weight on me(i'm currently 222) that I would be dropping a good bit every week. I'm so so very upset.

Sorry for the vent; I was orginally replying to let you know that you weren't alone with the fill feeling. Wow- guess I need to let that out...thanks

Kristina

It doesnt sound like your eating enough. My personal trainer told me that I need to be eating more, the way I am eating is for a 130 pound person and my body is using my muscle instead of the food. Try eating more, i eat every 3 hours even though I am not hungry I still make myself eat something little. I lost five pounds this week so it must be working!