Frustrated as Hell

[x96oun 0]

Thanks for the support!! I am happy to know I am not alone in these struggles. I was down 30lbs overall after my surgery and am now only 22lbs :-( I am getting back down to see my doc in a couple of weeks. This is not very convenient as you can imagine for fills, but this is the only choice I have!!

[x96oun 0]

Kellie2 - Noticed you and I were banded on the same day!!!

[x96oun 0]

Even my wife is giving me grief that the band is not working faster, and this was a big waste of money, so I have guilt all around me!!

[emjay 8]

After reading this, I just can't wait for the post that you feel it and are on your way.

Be very cautious the first couple of weeks after your fill if your doc puts alot in...some people don't get tighter until 3-4 weeks out.

Good luck and your frustration is certainly understandable. Patience with the band is very difficult after liquid diets, then surgery, then liquids, mushies, soft foods, bandster hell, etc. But it IS worth it.

[GonnaRide 0]

I completely cringed when I saw you were having beer. I'm not going to lecture though, ice cream is my beer equivalent, lol. Seriously though, the band isn't here to force us into good behavior, it only helps. The band is one of the SLOWEST ways to lose after a weight loss surgery. Gastric bypass-type surgeries create dramatic weight loss very quickly, but then slow down and I've seen too many who then start gaining it back. The lap-band is slower, but it's more successful typically and has a longer "lose" time as well as a higher keeping-it-off rate.

Good things come to those who wait, and all that.

This is a journey. It's not an instant cure. Each person is as unique and individual as the next. Just because x-number of people have y-result doesn't mean you will. It took me about 4 months to get into the "green zone" where I felt "like I should" with the band. And that has changed umpteen times since then.

When I talked to my doc about it a few months after my surgery because I wasn't feeling any restriction either, he said something that made total sense. Your body is still recouping from MAJOR surgery. There's a foreign object around your throat! Taking it slow is the VERY best thing you can do for yourself long-term. Your body needs time to adjust, and you need to work slowly up to the proper restriction. Doing it too quickly can cause stretching of your pouch, swelling of the area where the band is, and that's so not worth it.

You will find that "sweet spot" and when you do, the frustration will be forgotten. At least until the sweet spot moves on you.

As someone who is insanely sensitive to a fill, it's so much better to err on the side of caution than get an overfill and have to have an emergency visit. I know this first hand, times about 10. Most ER's wont even touch a band, and you'd have to fly back out to your Dr. in an emergency situation.

Do talk to your Doc, though, and try to hang in there. Tell your wife to shut it. (I say this as a wife, myself. Sometimes we forget you big strong men get your feelings hurt, too, and need a reminder.) Take a deep breath, put the beer down, go for a walk with your wife and tell her it's hard enough as it is, and you need her support.

[x96oun 0]

Thanks for the supprt everyone!!!

My doctor told me beer in moderation was okay and to try and stay away from the really carbonated beers. He advised to drink Ales and Guinness etc...

Also many people on here that have been successful have told me they drink beer now and then, just a lot less than what they used to!!

[BetsyB 9]

The hardest part is not feeling any different (from hunger etc...) than I did before the surgery. I hope it will come.

It will come---it's so frustrating while you wait, but it really will come.

It sounds as though you are going to the closest doctor--that's quite a trek! I think it's a great idea to discuss your concerns with him. Maybe he would be willing to be more aggressive with fills if you were to spend a night in a hotel near his office (in case you needed an unfill the following morning). Since you already are traveling, the cost of an overnight---if you wind up needing to make fewer trips because the doctor is willing to give you more each time--might be worth it.

Chances are, you won't need the unfill---but if concern about overfilling is holding your doctor back, this kind of arrangement might ease his mind and get you where you want to be sooner.

Once you're there, the eating truly, truly becomes so much easier. I know it's hard to believe right now, but you'll wind up in a place where you will be able to say the frustration was worth it. For your sanity's sake, I hope you get there soon!