Dr. refuses to fill me!!!

[dhawkins 0]

I had my band now for 8 weeks. I had my first fill a month ago. 3 cc's in a 10 cc band. i have lost a total post op of 30 pounds. I feel great and i must admit I even look greaLOL!! My only problem is that I have not had anymore fills. I have been to my doctor twice and he will not give me a fill because he said that I am loosing 2 plus pounds a week so i must have restriction. He said that he will only fill me if I go a week and not loose a pound. I must admit that I do think I have restriction but I just feel like I could lookse allot quicker with another fill. I have never gotten stuck on anything so I feel that I could be a little tighter. Am i correct does great restriction mean that you get stuck on certain foods? My doctor also said that it is possible that some people reach their sweet spot only after maybe 1 or 2 fills. is that possible? He says I am loosing @ a great pace and if it aint broke then dont fix it. BUT I WANT A FILL!!!! So has anyone reached their sweet spot only after a few fills?

[BetsyB 9]

This is a frustrating situation! Yes, you are losing very nicely. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Ideally, a doctor considers not only rate of loss, but the patient's subjective experience. If you're white-knuckling it to lose, then a fill is perfectly appropriate.

Both your hunger level AND your rate of loss should be considered when making a fill decision. I would try to gently point this out. "Doctor, I agree; I am losing weight at a rate I'd love to continue. It's not the rate of loss I want to affect; it's my hunger level. I was able to lose two pounds a week before my band, too---and I was very hungry. I still am. Can you please adjust my band so that I can enjoy the benefit it offers? I understand the aim is not to increase my rate of loss. But I would very much like to have the benefit of the tool you installed, and have not yet reached the point where I am experiencing it."

[Kalipso2 25]

you need to trust your doctor. believe me, he wants you to succeed.

being restricted does NOT mean getting stuck. you should be thankful that you haven't experienced that.

do not judge your band or the restriction by how many cc's of Fluid you have in your band. i made that mistake and it set my weight loss back and hurt me in the long run.

i also have a 10 cc band. i lied to my doctor about how i was feeling and got up to almost 6 cc's of Fluid but i was throwing up all the time and had horrible acid reflux BUT i was losing weight.

it turned out that my band was severely close to slipping because it was so tight. my doctor looked at my band under xray and he immediately took most of my fluid out.

it was a long road back to where i am now and i just can't tolerate more than 4.4 cc's of fluid in my 10 cc band.

you're losing weight... that's a GREAT thing! you're not losing too fast... losing slow is better in the long run. TRUST YOUR DOCTOR!

[nate 1]

how can u say 'trust your doctor'??? What he is saying is pretty clear, until you stumble, I wont help you...which isnt the right attitude...the right attitude is to keep momentum going!

[Kalipso2 25]

i can say "trust your doctor" because this is what he's specialized in. she's losing weight and seems to be at a decent restriction. being over-filled is not the answer. she's not stumbling. losing 15 pounds a month (which is 3.75 pounds a week) is great and healthy.

WANTING a fill and NEEDING a fill are two totally different things!

[dhawkins 0]

Thanks for responding. I do agree with you both. I do think that he is trying to make me stumble by saying wait until you don't loose a pound. I am scared to get to that point, I have come to far to stop loosing now! I feel that if I get there i will continue to not loose. But on the other hand I don't want to be so tight that I am sick all the time. This is all just so confusing to me. I really want to trust my doctor but I also want tobe successful which means I have come to far to turn back. Maybe I will not loose after the holidays so then I can get a fill. That sounds really crazy right? I will keep you all posted on how my hoildays go.

[Cangel76 1]

First of all CONGRATULATIONS:

Second of all, the doctors that I know do not want to over fill. My doctor said that the average weight loss should be around 1.5 and 3.5 lbs a week. Loosing faster then that prevents the skin from bouncing back, can cause gallstones, hair loss, etc. The doctor is not just looking out for your weight loss but for your overall health and well being. You are doing great, now if you are getting hungry quickly and nothing is leaving you feeling full, then talk with the doctor about getting a small fill. Remember, if your body is loosing weight on the amount of food you are able to eat, then you are most likely meeting your nutrition requirements and at a point that your body is happy at. Eventually, as you loose more weight, you will probably need another fill.

I have the opposite problem, my doctor wants to do a fill. I have lost 18ish lbs in the last 3.5 weeks and feel great. I don't want to loose any faster then this. I am good.

I had my band now for 8 weeks. I had my first fill a month ago. 3 cc's in a 10 cc band. i have lost a total post op of 30 pounds. I feel great and i must admit I even look greaLOL!! My only problem is that I have not had anymore fills. I have been to my doctor twice and he will not give me a fill because he said that I am loosing 2 plus pounds a week so i must have restriction. He said that he will only fill me if I go a week and not loose a pound. I must admit that I do think I have restriction but I just feel like I could lookse allot quicker with another fill. I have never gotten stuck on anything so I feel that I could be a little tighter. Am i correct does great restriction mean that you get stuck on certain foods? My doctor also said that it is possible that some people reach their sweet spot only after maybe 1 or 2 fills. is that possible? He says I am loosing @ a great pace and if it aint broke then dont fix it. BUT I WANT A FILL!!!! So has anyone reached their sweet spot only after a few fills?

[PhilC 5]

Thanks for responding. I do agree with you both. I do think that he is trying to make me stumble by saying wait until you don't loose a pound. I am scared to get to that point, I have come to far to stop loosing now! I feel that if I get there i will continue to not loose. But on the other hand I don't want to be so tight that I am sick all the time. This is all just so confusing to me. I really want to trust my doctor but I also want tobe successful which means I have come to far to turn back. Maybe I will not loose after the holidays so then I can get a fill. That sounds really crazy right? I will keep you all posted on how my hoildays go.

Sorry but your Dr is NOT trying to make you stumble, he said you were doing great and he wouldnt make a change unless you did, now you can go ahead and sabotage yourself for a "fill" you clearly DO NOT NEED, or you can continue your SUCCESSFUL PATH and enjoy the ride. Your choice!! Also I do not understand the "confusion part" did you research lapBand before you did it? How can you be confused of the process and how can you distrust your DR who other than not caving to your "want" has done everything according to the plan!! YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK!!!

Have a great Holiday

[MellieW 0]

I don't see where you say you are struggling with hunger. In fact, you admit that you have decent restriction. I can tell you, as many others can, that being too tight isn't much fun. I'd recommend hanging out with what you have for a while since you are consistently losing at a really good rate and not struggling with hunger.

I wouldn't judge your restriction by what others have in their band because the "sweet spot" is different for everyone. I only have 3.75cc's (in a 10cc lapband) and I'm at what I would consider my sweet spot, but for someone else that may be 8cc's.

I would agree with the other posters who say keep doing what you're doing for now and trust your doc. When you start struggling with hunger then go back and have the conversation BetsyB recommended if he still refuses to give you a fill.

BTW, congrats on the great weight loss, you're doing a fantastic job! :thumbup:

[rcain03@hotmail.com 1]

I have got stuck a few times and trust me...it is not a feeling you want to have! I have had only two fills and the last two months I have went to my check ups...my doctor did not give me a fill either. My doctor said I was averaging 1.75 lbs. loss per week and he said that is great! I have lost a total of 51 lbs. in a little over 5 months and that is something I would have never done without my band. I totally trust my doctor and I think you should too! He isn't in this to have you fail...and I am with him when he says "if ain't broke, then don't fix it". Sometimes getting a fill can do more bad than good. Think of it like this...if you are too tight...it can actually make your weight loss stop or make even make you gain weight! If you are able to go 3-4 hours without starving and you are satisfied with your controlled portions...you are losing weight...then leave it ALONE!!! And "BE HAPPY"!!! that you are one of the blessed ones that is progressing as successfully as you are. I see alot of people on here with alot of problems and I am thankful to not have had any problems thus far. You are doing a great job! We all can be so hard on ourselves and I think we are our own harshest critic. Congratulations on your successes so far and continue the good work! Give yourself some credit! Have a very Merry Christmas and a Healthier New Year! =)

[Jennifer Hathaway 12]

I agree with if it ain't broke don't fix it. I have lost 88 pounds in 7 months. But after this last fill I have only lost 2 pounds. I think I screwed up getting this last one and mad that I didn't leave it alone. I was staying full for 4-5 hours but I thought I needed to make my meals less than a cup. Well they are less than a cup now but I am just not losing. I am really close to goal and that could be part of the slow down too, but I think I got too tight. I don't get stuck or pb though so I am going to ride it out. Don't get a fill right now, trust your doctor.

[CheckYes 46]

I agree with those who say trust your doc. Why would a surgeon who performs banding want you to fail? He'd want you to succeed. If you a white-knuckling it and are

constantly hungry then tell him so. If not, stay where you are. I personally and hoping I never need an fill.

[123crod 170]

I wanted a fill so bad that I even told a little white lie that I was getting hungry too soon when I was not. So he gave me ½cc and it made me so tight after about 3 days. I waited it out to see if it was just swelling. But it was not. I spent the next 6 months always getting stuck and some vomiting. My weight loss had slowed to nothing. Another LapBand friend forced me to go in and get a small unfill. They only took out .02cc, But it made all the differencet in the world. I could eat again and not get stuck and not vomit. This is how it is suppose to be. I only have 3.8 cc in a 10cc AP Band. I could not take another drop even 4 months later. Sometimes it is good to experience what it feels like to be too filled but it is not worth the trouble and putting your band at risk and stopping you weightloss. Moral of this story do not lie to your Doctor.

Cheri

[trishfish 1]

Dont fret! I have a 10 cc bad. I have had two fills bith being .50cc's and lost three lbs a week and felt great! I.could eat all my healthy foods without any episodes. Well then one day I decided I wanted to be tighter...so I went in and the doc reluctantly gave me another .75 cc and felt AWEFUL!!!! I PB'd slmost daily and had a hard time getting asl the nutrients I needed and just had an overall feeling of ickiness!so I went in two weeks later and got .50 taken out. So you do not eant to be too tight...it is miserable! So here I am surgery may 20th and I have gone from 255 to 185....and I love that my band us not horribly tight

[kstartaylor 0]

A little story here. Last week I went in to my Dr and got a fill. I had been at 4.5cc since May and had been losing at about 1.5 lbs a week. Since the end of October I had not lost anything. I thought that maybe with the holidays I was eating too much. So I made an appt to get a fill, thinking that would help with the holidays and get me losing again. I had 1cc added on Friday. Well I spent the next 3 days throwing up. I couldn't keep Water or anything down. I was up all night, having to get out of bed every hour or 2 to vomit. It was the most miserable hell ever . Fortunately my Dr had given me his Cell phone and i was able to call him on Sunday and get in to see him. He took the fill out and I had almost immediate relief. I still had to be careful for a day or two with food since I had a lot of swelling for all the throwing up. Morale of the story is be happy you are losing, being too tight is horrible.

I think our bodies go thru periods of plateau's, it's natural. I had gone a week or two in the past with out losing and then would drop 3-4 lbs. With the holiday's, I know I am drinking more so that may be why I didn't lost for a while or maybe it really was just a plateau. I have lost 5 lbs since the episode but it definately was not worth it.

My Dr does think I may be at the max for fills, which is strange to me since I only have 4.5 cc in a 10 cc band. We may try another .5cc fill in January or February, but to be honest after what I went thru last weekend, I'm not sure I want to.