Before first fill vs. after first fill...

[newVAbandster 0]

Tomorrow marks three weeks since my banding. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

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First week passed with little appetite...which was a great feeling......but was related only to swelling, etc. and not necessarily the band. This is where my meager weight loss probably occurred. <o:p></o:p>

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The second week my appetite came back.......and surprise....little restriction....the feeling of being full just isn't there.....so I'm starting to panic!<o:p></o:p>

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The third week confirms that I feel very little restriction.....I burp a lot...and sometimes if I don't chew extremely well I get the "hot potato stuck in my esophagus" feeling.....so I know the band is there....<o:p></o:p>

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I was told I'd have a 2 ounce stomach after the surgery......so how is it that I can eat muuuuch more than 2 ounces? What the hell? <o:p></o:p>

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Has this happened to any of you? Did it get fixed with a fill? Is it continuing for anyone? Please share! I really want to know why my band is not doing much...<o:p></o:p>

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Thanks!<o:p></o:p>

[Anwyn 0]

Don't panic, this happens to everyone. The band isn't designed to work without a fill. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 fills before you get proper restriction. The first 6 weeks after surgery are for healing. Any weight loss is a bonus, but it should not be your primary focus.

Sounds so rational, but I know how hard it is. Hang in there, once you get a fill you'll see the weight start to come off!

[Firecallie 2]

I'm right there with you, almost 4 weeks out of surgery full apetite no weightloss *sigh* waiting for fill.

[lovecats85 2]

my 1st fill did NOTHING,,, now wit my 2nd fill I am probably going to have to get some taken out b/c I cannot eat until lunchtime and I can literally hardly eat a thing. I know bandsters aren't supposed to eat much but I think eating 1/2 cup food per day is not good for you, and now I'm getting a cold and I think my immune system is down b/c my body has no fuel. Anyways, 1st fill did NADA, seems like that's normal for alot of people!

[Road Queen 0]

This is your healing time. Let the body heal and use this time to start using your new life skills. You said that you know the band is there ....the burps, hot potato feeling, etc. Use these indicators to help you follow bandster rules.

Someone said to consider your band on vacation until you get the proper fill. The first one usually doesn't do alot. But it can help you follow the rules better.

Good luck. Celeste

[crazykelibee 0]

I am so glad I found this post. I have really been starting to beat myself up because I've only lost 7 pounds in 2 1/2 weeks. It seems when I read others postings here that have been banded around the same time, they're down like 20-30 pounds. I've been wondering if I did the right thing, but now I'm glad I'm not alone. I've felt little if any restriction, although I'm very conscious about getting my Protein in each day. I've also been exercising every day since last week. I'm hoping this helps. I have a followup appt tomorrow, so we'll see what the doc says.

[the best me 6]

Okay, I'm not an old fart bandster yet, but I suppose I'm no longer a newbie bandster either, so listen up people.

Road Queen is right...use the healing time for good bandster eating practice. Slow down, chew to goo, watch your portions, journal your food intake for future reference.

This is what I have learned about my band along the way. My stomach is divided into 2 parts now. The top part is still stomach, and it churns and squeezes just like the bottom part. It's got food there and it knows darn well what to do with it. Get it down!!! SO, when you swallow goo (which is what every bite should be when you swallow) it goes into the pouch and your upper stomach starts wriggling around trying to get it down through the band. When you have no fill and no restriction, it's pretty easy to make it go through...like shoving a dishrag into a glass. Get a fill or two later on, and it's like shoving the dishrag into a Water bottle...lots harder, get it?

So, envision your goo food going into your pouch and hitting that funnel of your band. You will know very quickly if you didn't chew well or you took in too much. If you fill up that funnel with goo food and it sits up there comfortably churning along, you feel full so much faster. It's a funny little dance you learn to do. Different foods do different things. The band is fickle and one day it's fine, another it bites back.

And so, newVAbandster, you do, indeed, have restriction if you are burping and get stuck (hot potato feeling) occasionally. The reason you can eat more than 2 ounces at a time is because your upper stomach is busy doing it's job and pushing the food through an unfilled band. If you are burping, slow down. For lots of folks, me included, burping is a "soft-stop". Listen carefully to this band talk your body is giving you. And, be sure that you are following your surgeon's post-op diet, since, as stated above, you are healing and it's not about feeling full. It's about making sure your stomach doesn't need to churn while you are healing up.

Take this opportunity to learn the difference between head hunger and real hunger. Eat what your good sense tells you is appropriate, don't let your tummy tell you, or your emotions. It's a whole new world. Slow down and experience it. Be patient. Go with the flow, no need to rush, if you are journaling your food you will be able to keep your intake in check enough that many pounds will fall off during this time.

Don't panic yet...you are doing great!!!!

[Dody 0]

I'm glad I will be so informed before I get the band. Everything on here is so educational and informative, especially the encouragement the people who have been banded longer have to give. I'm taking notes on all of it and hopefully it will help when I have my surgery. First though is clearing up a big ulcer and then hopefully I will be ready.

Thanks again for all the info. You guys are great.

[mousecrazy 2]

Kathy, that's a very nice explanation! Atta girl! It is hard to explain that the weight loss isn't going to be instantaneous...and if you check the signatures you might see that those who had much more to lose will lose a little faster than those who didn't. It's not a race anyway; it is hard to cure ourselves of the old Comparison Test!

Anyway, Kathy, nice job.

Cindy

[tztmama 0]

I initally lost 12 pounds because I was on the liquid diet after surgery. Once I went back on solids and could eat, I gained 10 back. I just had my 4th fill and am finally losing again. I am about 13 pounds down now, total. I was banded on 9/26 so I have had quite a few fills in a relatively short time.

It is soooo frustrating isn't it?

I expected everyone to be in awe when they saw me this Christmas (okay, at least for them to say "are you losing weight?") but I have not lost enough to even tell. It will come, though. Have faith.