Is an Unfilled Band the same as no band?

[SoCalAvsFan 0]

Title says it all. If I have a band that is completely deflated, is it the same as having no band at all when it comes to eating/swallowing pills/ etc?

[sandy1 1]

Title says it all. If I have a band that is completely deflated, is it the same as having no band at all when it comes to eating/swallowing pills/ etc?

My first thought is no it isn't. But I'd say you should ask a DR to know for sure.

[reverie 49]

No. You do get some restriction from the band; I have no fill and I have plenty; things get suck, I PB, etc.

[JJLaw08 4]

Yes (in my experience at least). I have 3.8 cc, and I can eat any and everything and plenty of it.

[ShrinkyDinkyDoo 2]

Hi, my band is empty. I havent hit the month point yet, so no fills for me until then. But it is definetly NOT like NOT having the band. I consider myself pretty lucky, because I have been introducing foods for a few days now, and have had no stuck problems. I also have taken pills with no stuck issues, and my multi Vitamin is kinda a horse pill. I still find that I get hungry, and want to snack, but I get full really fast too. And when Im full, im FULL! You also cant eat very much before that fullness hits, even though my not very much is more than they said I would want. They said between 1/4 of a cup to 1/2 a cup, and I can eat about a whole cup, but I am satisfied for 5 or so hours afterwords, depending on what it is I eat. Like high Protein things like scrambled eggs with cheese....full for hours. Crap foods like pop tarts, hungry again in two hours. I can see why they say its a "tool" because no one is making me choose the eggs over the pop tarts, it just has to be my choice. In fact today i chose the poptarts, and I have had a miserable day, because it set me up to make poor choices all day. Tomorrow is a new day!

But, I have seen posts on here where people cant tollerate pills, or breads, or a whole list of other stuff, so I think its really up to your body. I know that doesnt help much, but you will know what is right for you!!! Good luck!~!

[Amanda Mae 22]

The band definitely has provided some restriction for me with no Fluid in it ... I know that from talking to others who have the band that everyone reacts differently though. Some people need very little if any Fluid in the band for it to be effective others need a lot of fluid. Since I have been banded I have noticed I can't eat as much and today was the first time I didn't chew enough before I swallowed and had tightness in my chest as the food worked its way through - it lasted about 15 minutes.

I know that I had by band 2 weeks ago today and I have lost 10 pounds in the last two weeks - the doctor said if the weight loss continues at that pace he won't do my first fill until it is needed.

[spoiltmom 44]

There are people who lose all there weight with no fill in their band. They have restriction just from the band itself.

[fefebutterfly 7]

Title says it all. If I have a band that is completely deflated, is it the same as having no band at all when it comes to eating/swallowing pills/ etc?

I am so glad that you asked this question because I was wondering the same thing. This is week three for me and I am doing purees and soft foods. I have no fill in my band. I still feel full and drinking liquids is hard for me. I drink the Protein drinks and it seems to make me full fast, so I have to sip all day. So there is restriction, but I wonder how it is when I get the real thing in about a month. I would be scard to swallow big Vitamins so crush them to be sure. and still have smaller portions.

[SoCalAvsFan 0]

I am so glad that you asked this question because I was wondering the same thing. This is week three for me and I am doing purees and soft foods. I have no fill in my band. I still feel full and drinking liquids is hard for me. I drink the Protein drinks and it seems to make me full fast, so I have to sip all day. So there is restriction, but I wonder how it is when I get the real thing in about a month. I would be scard to swallow big Vitamins so crush them to be sure. and still have smaller portions.

Ya I have sort of tried to test my bounderies by swallowing (not crushing) pills, not taking time between bites, etc and have yet to run into any sort of a problem.. I know im pushing my luck, but I kind of want to know how far my bounderies are lol

[roxsl38 0]

for me with no restriction i could eat at will....i wanted a "food vacaton" and gained about 22 pounds in a month probably due to lower metabolism and suddenly getting food in

anyway, i went to dr. vitello in chicago for lapband by ortiz in jiuqana, surgery was great, first fill 3 months later, fair but not enough reatriction, so i went home and sulked feeling like many of you seem to feel

then i hooked up with dr. vitello in chicago

he's patient, flexible...if you ask for an aggressive fill he's ok with it w/ warnings, i heeded his warnings and i'm glad---very good doc but he has stop doing bandsters

so i'm looking for a doc now to release some of my restriction cuz im at goal and cant starting the eating training

its late and that is all

good luck one and all

and goood night

[54Shirley 105]

There is a big difference. The first fill that you get locks the band in place. If it's empty ! You will be surprised how much food will get hung up on this band that needs to be tightened. You can't drive far on a deflated tire right? It needs to be filled.

Mine was deflated for 3 years, until about 2 months ago. (LONG STORY) You can't imagine how it feels , knowing that at every meal "almost" something would get stuck..... Now,,, as long as I chew my food, cut it small, eat small amounts also. I'm good to go. Believe me, it's like torture vs pleasure.

I know there are people out there that are saying. It works for me !

Just so you know, it can be very dangerous to be unfilled. It's better to have a small fill, and have it locked in place.

There was a Council Woman that had the band done, News reported that she choked to Death eating Fried chicken.. Well Henry Ford Hospital did the

Autopsy, and my surgeon was the surgeon that did her band. The report was false. She had not been filled yet, and she was eating pizza.

She swallowed a whole sausage slice, and it went over the wind pipe, and blocked it like a Drain Cover. She chocked to Death.

So if your waiting for your first fill. Follow your Doctors orders. If you had it deflated,,, please be careful.

Shirley.

[stateofzen 46]

I have never seen a piece of science that says an unfilled band is dangerous.

There are several people on here who have never had a fill and lost a bunch of weight (there was a thread not too long ago- you could try a search).

For some people, the band itself provides hunger control. For others, it takes a very small fill amount. Still others need much more. It's hard to predict where any individual will fall.

So far, I'm getting by with very little in my band, but I do have somewhere around 2cc's in a 10cc band.

[54Shirley 105]

I can only speak from experience, and from what "WE" as a group at Henry Ford Bariatric Clinic, Center of Excellence. This info came from The Chief Surgeon. "My Surgeon" I seen the Councilwoman on the News, this was before I was banded.

Wen we all went to our Seminar. We were given that information from the surgeon himself.

He made it very clear that a empty band can be very dangerous. Maybe that depends on the surgeon's work.

Mine was empty like I said, and I was very miserable having a meal, and knowing that it might get hung up. ((9 out of 10 times it usually did)

I can't speak about undocumented information, because,,,, it's not there. But we were educated by our surgeon, and I have to admit, since I was so uncomfortable... My guess is he must have been wright.

[amberakamom 13]

For the 1st month or so I felt restriction from just the empty band, because of swelling, etc... Now I am 3 months out and have 6.1 cc's in an 11 cc band and can pretty much eat like before. The band does keep my hunger at bay though, so it is definitely still helping me!

[CheckYes 46]

How would a fill hold a band in place unless it was so tight that it couldn't move? Sorry but that doesn't make any sense to me.

I have no fill and my surgeon thinks that is fine. She is also a Center of Excellence surgeon.