Very Concerned- Please Read!

[Justin B. 1]

I am extremely concerned about my band. I was just banded on Nov 2, 2011. and today is Nov 11, 2011. Whats concerning me is this... My band has no fill in it at all because I was just banded a short time ago but I tried some soft food this morning (eggs, fried potatoes half of a biscuit and some gravy on it and a piece of bacon). I know breaded food can hurt you and eating food too early can hurt you and thats just it.... I ate a HEFTY sized meal this morning and I ate every bit of it (I made sure to chew it very very very well) and it all went down no problem. The issue is the fact that I'm able to eat so much. I know my band has no fill in it but I thought that I would still be pretty full off a very little bit. I'm just so concerned that maybe something is wrong inside.... Like my band slipped? I don't feel any different or anything and I just had my first followup with the doc yesterday and he didnt do anything except look at my wounds so he never did an x-ray or sonogram to see if everything was okay. I've lost 16 lbs and everything but I am so concerned.

So.... Please everyone chime in and tell me... Is it NORMAL to be able to consume such a large amount of food with my band? I know that it is really early to be trying some of these foods but I have already tried other things too and they just go down SO easily and it just seems like I expected to have some issues? I don't know maybe I am just paranoid. Please give me some input here. Thanks alot.

[JerseyGirl80 12]

Bacon, fried potatoes and biscuits, I wouldn't consider those soft foods and I wouldn't recommend eating that at all if you are trying to follow your doctors diet plan. So I'd be careful and concerned about your food choices especially in this stage. I was banded last year a week and a half before Christmas, I moved to soft foods on Christmas, I was able to eat much more than I thought I would, I was surprised actually. Most doctors do not put a fill into the band at placement. Most of the restriction you will have until your first fill or until you are fully healed is just your stomach swelling from the surgery. It's normal for people to not have any restriction right after surgery. My doctor and many other doctors, advise their patients to be patient and to not depend on the band to be "working" right away. It is us that are responsible for what we are eating and how much we are eating until we meet restriction or our "green zone" Even then we are still responsible for our food choices but you will find it will be easier and that the band will finally start to work in your favor over time. The band sometimes takes months before it starts to work or months before you start to feel any restriction after 1 or several fills. If you really are concerned about how much you are able to eat you need to discuss that with your doctor. Good luck!

[byrd 28]

Are you suppose to be eating that already?I'm really surprised that you were actually hungry enough to eat a biscuit..... it's sort of early for that. But I was able to eat bread up until my 2nd fill. but that was toast, i would be too scared to eat a biscuit. try and stick to no more than a cup of food. Good Luck!

[Jenn1214 120]

You haven't had a fill yet, so the band isn't doing what it is supposed to do. That being said:

1. Did your surgeon give you an eating plan that you were supposed to follow? I was on full liquids for two weeks, then mushies for two, then solids. It sounds like you're progressing into solids too soon (unless your surgeon says that's ok.) If not, don't progress too fast or you could cause damage to your new pouch.

2. Just because you CAN eat a certain amount doesn't mean you SHOULD, especially so soon after your surgery. The band doesn't stop you from eating, it dulls your hunger so you don't eat as much and can go longer in between meals. Having the band still requires a certain amount of willpower and making good food choices is important.

Please take it slow and easy and give your stomach a chance to heal. I have heard horror stories about people ending up in the ER because they started eating solids too soon, and we don't want that to happen to you!

[Justin B. 1]

This is the first time that I have tried to eat anything like that. Right now I am supposed to be doing soft foods but I purposely ate that in this meal today because I wanted to see how much of It I was able to eat. Not trying to force myself to eat... Just trying to see if by eating that food which I know I am not supposed to eat if I had any type of stuck episode or ANYTHING that would show the band was still in place and working correctly. It was a stupid idea but I was so concerned that my band had slipped or that something was wrong that is the entire reason I ate that meal anyway. I'm not eating it anymore and didn't have the intention of going off of my diet plan considering that I have actually followed it pretty well except for one or two occasions where I took a bite of cottage cheese and apple sauce. Other than that I have stuck very closely to my plan. I was going to switch prematurely to soft foods but waited to consult my doctor and he brought me in for a checkup and gave me the go-a-head.

As far as the meal goes I was eating slowly and chewing the food up thoroughly and it all went down perfectly fine and passed through just fine as if I had no band at all and thats what was scaring me half to death. It had me thinking that something was completely wrong and that the band wasn't working. I dont have any plans to eat that stuff again, lol.

Also, thanks alot for the concern, I really appreciate that. I wasn't attempting to move on to solids because I know its entirely too early and it was probably a really big dumb mistake to purposely eat the food to trya nd get some sort of reaction from the band to signify that it was still there and working but I was horrified at the thought that something had gone wrong already so I was using that as sort of a "test" if you can call it that... But, these potst definitely help me to understand and now I know for a fact that it works...

I am definitely going longer between meals and am not as hungry as often as I used to be and now I know that I will still most likely be able to chow down and eat almost the same amount of food as I used to if I actually tried but obviously that's not what I am going to do. Now that I know everything is in place and not slipped and working properly I will get back to working on finding my green zone and learning what being "full" actually is now that I have this new tool to assist me in weight loss.

Thanks so much!

Edited November 11, 2011 by Justin B.

[NYdad 21]

hey Justin, I'm a hungry man just like you and I can tell you from experience that you are 99% most likely fine. I felt the same way and had the exact same fears. I was horrified at how much I could eat so soon after surgery. I did the best I could on eating right but had plenty of slip ups. Make sure you are doing the absolute best you can at eating correctly. Its going to take some time before you feel restriction. with my doc it took me 4 months or so and 6-7 fills. I have a 14cc band and it felt the same until I got to 8cc then I could feel it. My doc would only give me .5cc-1cc at a time. its very frustrating but normal.(bandster hell) welcome to it. YOUR FINE BUD- TRUST ME! feel free to contact me anytime. via this site

[Corrigan 75]

To begin with, Justin, why would you eat like that so soon after surgery? Were you given any post op

diet instructions? You should still be on full liquids. Foods that you mentioned shouldn't be in your diet

for a few weeks yet.Your stomach is still healing, give it a chance. You won't feel much restriction

until a few fills, probably. Some people get by with no fills, and still lose weight, genes I guess.

And, no it's not normal for someone just banded to eat so much. Most programs teach patients

to eat to lose weight, this is just a diet with help from the band. You need to eat like you would in

any diet program, until you get fills, but even then, you'll have to eat correctly. If you bought the

band with the idea that it would automatically take off weight, that was a mistake, it won't. Ask

anyone that has been successful with the band. Most will tell you that it was a lot of work.

Right now you can eat almost as much as ever. Because you can, doesn't mean you should.

You want this to be a success, Justin. Slow down, wait for things to heal, and then you'll begin

to lose weight and make a success of this.

[JerseyGirl80 12]

You probably don't have any restriction yet, I wouldn't worry too much. I seriously was able to eat like a pig last Christmas, soft foods and too many Cookies, whatever I tried to eat if it was chewed enough it went down no problem. At that time I was out of surgery about the same amount of time as you are now. But after a while, when I started on solids I did have some restriction. Now after several fills, I don't think I'm exactly at my "green zone" but I'm close, it takes time for some of us to get there, but you will. Talk to your doctor to ease your mind, I'm sure you are fine.

[Corrigan 75]

To begin with, Justin, why would you eat like that so soon after surgery? Were you given any post op

diet instructions? You should still be on full liquids. Foods that you mentioned shouldn't be in your diet

for a few weeks yet.Your stomach is still healing, give it a chance. You won't feel much restriction

until a few fills, probably. Some people get by with no fills, and still lose weight, genes I guess.

And, no it's not normal for someone just banded to eat so much. Most programs teach patients

to eat to lose weight, this is just a diet with help from the band. You need to eat like you would in

any diet program, until you get fills, but even then, you'll have to eat correctly. If you bought the

band with the idea that it would automatically take off weight, that was a mistake, it won't. Ask

anyone that has been successful with the band. Most will tell you that it was a lot of work.

Right now you can eat almost as much as ever. Because you can, doesn't mean you should.

You want this to be a success, Justin. Slow down, wait for things to heal, and then you'll begin

to lose weight and make a success of this.

[pugsx3 39]

Well, I was banded on 9/15, and got my first fill on 10/29, and I can still eat as much as I want and whatever I want. It's been hard, but I've made good choices in what and how much I eat since I got mushies on 9/29. Even then, I only lost 4lbs from 9/29 until my fill on 10/29 and I was really disappointed. My surgeon told me that is perfectly normal. I told him I could eat anything I wanted including Bagels and rice, in vitually unlimited quantities. He told me that too was perfectly normal, and that it would be a while before I got any help from the band. I have the 14cc band, and got 2cc put in on my first fill. He told me it take 3 or 4 fills before I would start to get help from the band. So, I got my head out of my behind, and really started exercising hard. I'm now on the treadmill for an hour a day, and generally walk 5 miles or more most days. Not only has that stepped up my weight loss, but I am feeling a little hint that the band is there. The band has yet to stop me - I've had to do that myself.

If your surgeon is not worried, I would recommend that you put your energy into creating new "habits" and routines that will help you use the band to your advantage when you do hit the green zone. I'll be the first one to tell you it's probably among the hardest things I've ever had to do, but after fighting with myself for over a month, I'm now very happy that I'm put forth the effort now. I'm just that far ahead of where I'd be if I waited.

[Phranp 46]

I am extremely concerned about my band. I was just banded on Nov 2, 2011. and today is Nov 11, 2011. Whats concerning me is this... My band has no fill in it at all because I was just banded a short time ago but I tried some soft food this morning (eggs, fried potatoes half of a biscuit and some gravy on it and a piece of bacon). I know breaded food can hurt you and eating food too early can hurt you and thats just it.... I ate a HEFTY sized meal this morning and I ate every bit of it (I made sure to chew it very very very well) and it all went down no problem. The issue is the fact that I'm able to eat so much. I know my band has no fill in it but I thought that I would still be pretty full off a very little bit. I'm just so concerned that maybe something is wrong inside.... Like my band slipped? I don't feel any different or anything and I just had my first followup with the doc yesterday and he didnt do anything except look at my wounds so he never did an x-ray or sonogram to see if everything was okay. I've lost 16 lbs and everything but I am so concerned.

So.... Please everyone chime in and tell me... Is it NORMAL to be able to consume such a large amount of food with my band? I know that it is really early to be trying some of these foods but I have already tried other things too and they just go down SO easily and it just seems like I expected to have some issues? I don't know maybe I am just paranoid. Please give me some input here. Thanks alot.

Congratulations on getting your lapband, Justin!

Question: Why did you eat a "HEFTY" sized meal? Didn't you get the lapband because you want to lose weight? Justin, you have conquered some pretty big obstacles in the past and in order to lose the weight you will need to use that same inner strength. You can do this! Generally (with a few lucky exceptions) without a few fills it is as if you do not have the band. This means that until you get to your "sweet spot" you will have to "act as if" Also, you are less than 2 weeks out -- your body needs to heal! Please don't sabotage yourself by doing things that don't make sense (i.e., eating a hefty meal in the midst of trying to lose weight, less than 2 weeks after surgery). You are too smart for that. Give yourself a fair chance, ok?

This journey may not always be easy, but it is well worth the effort.

All the best to you.

~Fran

[NYdad 21]

Well, I was banded on 9/15, and got my first fill on 10/29, and I can still eat as much as I want and whatever I want. It's been hard, but I've made good choices in what and how much I eat since I got mushies on 9/29. Even then, I only lost 4lbs from 9/29 until my fill on 10/29 and I was really disappointed. My surgeon told me that is perfectly normal. I told him I could eat anything I wanted including Bagels and rice, in vitually unlimited quantities. He told me that too was perfectly normal, and that it would be a while before I got any help from the band. I have the 14cc band, and got 2cc put in on my first fill. He told me it take 3 or 4 fills before I would start to get help from the band. So, I got my head out of my behind, and really started exercising hard. I'm now on the treadmill for an hour a day, and generally walk 5 miles or more most days. Not only has that stepped up my weight loss, but I am feeling a little hint that the band is there. The band has yet to stop me - I've had to do that myself.

If your surgeon is not worried, I would recommend that you put your energy into creating new "habits" and routines that will help you use the band to your advantage when you do hit the green zone. I'll be the first one to tell you it's probably among the hardest things I've ever had to do, but after fighting with myself for over a month, I'm now very happy that I'm put forth the effort now. I'm just that far ahead of where I'd be if I waited.

EXCELLENT POST. YOU GOT IT EXACTLY RIGHT. I HAVE LIVED WHAT YOU WROTE. I TOO HAVE A 14CC BAND. IT TAKES A WHILE.

[Phranp 46]

This is the first time that I have tried to eat anything like that. Right now I am supposed to be doing soft foods but I purposely ate that in this meal today because I wanted to see how much of It I was able to eat. Not trying to force myself to eat... Just trying to see if by eating that food which I know I am not supposed to eat if I had any type of stuck episode or ANYTHING that would show the band was still in place and working correctly. It was a stupid idea but I was so concerned that my band had slipped or that something was wrong that is the entire reason I ate that meal anyway. I'm not eating it anymore and didn't have the intention of going off of my diet plan considering that I have actually followed it pretty well except for one or two occasions where I took a bite of cottage cheese and apple sauce. Other than that I have stuck very closely to my plan. I was going to switch prematurely to soft foods but waited to consult my doctor and he brought me in for a checkup and gave me the go-a-head.

As far as the meal goes I was eating slowly and chewing the food up thoroughly and it all went down perfectly fine and passed through just fine as if I had no band at all and thats what was scaring me half to death. It had me thinking that something was completely wrong and that the band wasn't working. I dont have any plans to eat that stuff again, lol.

Also, thanks alot for the concern, I really appreciate that. I wasn't attempting to move on to solids because I know its entirely too early and it was probably a really big dumb mistake to purposely eat the food to trya nd get some sort of reaction from the band to signify that it was still there and working but I was horrified at the thought that something had gone wrong already so I was using that as sort of a "test" if you can call it that... But, these potst definitely help me to understand and now I know for a fact that it works...

I am definitely going longer between meals and am not as hungry as often as I used to be and now I know that I will still most likely be able to chow down and eat almost the same amount of food as I used to if I actually tried but obviously that's not what I am going to do. Now that I know everything is in place and not slipped and working properly I will get back to working on finding my green zone and learning what being "full" actually is now that I have this new tool to assist me in weight loss.

Thanks so much!

oooooh okay ... good to know it was just a test.

[Rachel412 116]

Yes it's normal that you can eat whatever you want. I'm 7 months out from surgery and at 8.25ccs and I can still eat anything, and plenty of it.

Just because you can, just because I can, doesn't mean either of us should.

[kaydin81 8]

I think the first 3 weeks are the hardest. I slipped my third day because I was SO hungry. This isn't easy, by any means. Just know that the band is in there, its doing what its suppose to be doing for now. Make sure you do the best you can to stick with the orders from your doc. I know it feels like nothing is in there, trust me, I felt the same exact way!! Wait til you get closer to fill time(s). You'll see what the band is truly about. Hang in there, try your best to stick to the plan! We've all been there.