Starting To Panic...

[changemynametoskinny 5]

I got my second fill 1 week ago. My fist was 2cc's and this second they put in 4cc's. At first they added 2ccs but when I swallowed the barium(sp) liquid it went right through so they added 2 more but didn't have me swallow more barium. They said that way a huge amount to add. I still have no restriction....and I really suck at will power last week I started going to the gym for 2 hours, 5 days a week.... I gained weight I am starting to freak put that this isn't going to work for me. I'm at 6ccs in a 10cc band and I still feel nothing.... Please, please, please tell me there is still some hope here and that I can pull this off.

P.s. there wouldn't be a problem with the band right?? I'm freaking myself out....

[changemynametoskinny 5]

Posting from my phone please excuse the typos...

[motivatedlap 8]

My first fill was 10ccs in an 11cc band. I felt NOTHING. It was tight for a couple of hours after the fill, but once that feeling went away, I felt the same as I did before the fill. I was also able to eat anything I wanted- Pasta, bread, rice, steak- all with no hint of sticking. I was freaked out because I was thinking- 'he can only get one more cc in this thing- what if I'm one of those people that the band just doesn't work for?'. Well, yesterday I went for fill #2. He put in 0.5ccs. I had to wait for 10 minutes in the office to make sure I wasn't uncomfortable. I felt a little like I had heartburn and felt burpy- there was a definite difference with that tiny amount. But I didn't really feel totally uncomfortable, so, I left and hoped on the subway. I got about 3 stops away and decided something was wrong. I had a sharp pain in the middle of my back and in my chest. I called the office and they said it was the sign of too much fill. They gave me the option of coming back and getting a little out or letting it settle for a couple of days. I decided to get some out, so I headed back and as soon as they took a little out, the pain went away.

The moral of the story is don't give up! It just may take your band being almost full to get you the restriction you want. My doctor is pretty agreesive with the first fill and has me coming in every 2 weeks to check my progress. You're gonna get there, it just takes a little patience and a little more saline!

(oh! the weight gain might just be muscle building from the exercise- use body measurements and how your clothes fit to help gauge your progress when the scale discourages you!)

[B-52 7,113]

I got my second fill 1 week ago. My fist was 2cc's and this second they put in 4cc's. At first they added 2ccs but when I swallowed the barium(sp) liquid it went right through so they added 2 more but didn't have me swallow more barium. They said that way a huge amount to add. I still have no restriction....and I really suck at will power last week I started going to the gym for 2 hours, 5 days a week.... I gained weight I am starting to freak put that this isn't going to work for me. I'm at 6ccs in a 10cc band and I still feel nothing.... Please, please, please tell me there is still some hope here and that I can pull this off.

P.s. there wouldn't be a problem with the band right?? I'm freaking myself out....

When you day you feel nothing, does that mean you could eat anything? And as much as you want?

[changemynametoskinny 5]

Yes I can eat anything! And I know it is awful but I have been. I will be so good and use every ounce of will power I have for 3-4 days then I break down and eat crap. This is so hard. I don't feel like the band is doing anything.

Nothing gets stuck, no pain, no PBing, nothing.... every once in a while I will eat something to fast and I can feel it going down but it just goes right down. I am not feeling full at all. :/

[motivatedlap 8]

Yes I can eat anything! And I know it is awful but I have been. I will be so good and use every ounce of will power I have for 3-4 days then I break down and eat crap. This is so hard. I don't feel like the band is doing anything.

Nothing gets stuck, no pain, no PBing, nothing.... every once in a while I will eat something to fast and I can feel it going down but it just goes right down. I am not feeling full at all. :/

This was me- yesterday!!! And over the weekend with NYE festivities!! Not so much today... Seriously, I think once you've got a little more in your band, you're going to get that restriction you're looking for. Just keep on working out and trying to use as much willpower as you can until you get to your sweet spot! I too thought maybe my band had a leak or something since it was almost full and I could eat as much of anything I wanted without it getting stuck. This was not the case, I just needed a smidge more fill.

[highland 168]

I finally got restriction at 6.5cc's and hit the green zone at 7cc's in a 10 cc band. I can still eat everything just a bit slower and I get full pretty fast. By full I mean I burp and feel like my pouch won't hold one more bite. It's nothing like the preband full where your tummy feels full. Be patient because it WILL happen.

Also - I generally only eat chicken and fish because that's what I like. I did have pork tenderloin on New Year's and beef tenderloin on Christmas with no problem. I eat lots of salad, including raw carrots and celery much to my surgeons dismay! lol. You don't want to be so tight that you turn to high calorie carb slider foods! That's a recipe for disaster as many posters have mentioned!

Good Luck!

[highland 168]

And - I don't get stuck, vomit, have heartburn, or PB! Knock on wood!!!!!!!lol

[B-52 7,113]

Don't worry, you will get there.

This is a pet peeve of mine, when people start comparing how much they have in their band, as though if you have more or less, you are better off or worse than the next person.

I know it is not intended by most people. but there have been people here who have BRAGGED about not even having a fill and doing ok. It makes the next person feel as though they are doing something wrong.

The band is designed to be adjustable, to get the right amount of Fluid for YOU to get to that "Green Zone", where the band operates optimally.

Anything less than that, then you are selling yourself short.

[abphilippi 0]

Ok, so everyone's green zone is acheived differently. If surgeons did the first adjustment correctly this would be a non issue. Unfortunately, mine included, surgeons play this "let's just put some in and see what happens" trial and error game. As previously pointed out, it does not matter how much is in your band. What matters is that if it is working for you or not. I am in a support group where people are losing tens of lbs before their first fill, some are even under 200lbs already. Me, I have only lost 10lbs. I have turned some fat into muscle, but not enough to justify surgery at this point. I am stuck with a surgeon that adjusts by a schedule, whether you have a 10cc band or 15cc band. Insert band empty, six weeks later 3 ccs, then 2 ccs every 4 wks until you hit the green zone. I have a 15 cc large band. So that relates to 20% then 33% then 46% then 60% then 73%. Normally, not scientific researchable information, around 70% or so is where the band is most effective. In my case, surgery was in early November and I may hit my green zone around the middle of April or July. Very frustrating indeed! Had I known what to research and what questions to ask I would have found another doctor. Unfortunately the band is like a bad tattoo, not many people will touch you after someone else has. Some doctors charge an additional $1,000.00 for the first visit if they did not do the surgery. Any way that being said, keep in touch with your doctor's office and keep letting them know your concerns. This isn't a race. Only compare yourself to yourself. One last point, you are not alone a very good percent of banders don't feel the band at first. Keep your chin up!

[Army's girl 4]

Hi abphiipi, I totally understand your frustration but I must tell you that fills are definitely the way the majorityt of physicians do them & it is a trial & error type. The reason they do fills every 4 weeks is to give your pouch time to heal. Everyone is also different in the sense that I may require 2cc's to get to the green zone "where it may take you 5cc's. I guess my point is that everything takes time, have faith, and patience. Don't forget to be positive.

[changemynametoskinny 5]

Thanks guys! I'm trying so hard at the gym, I just wish I could get some help in the eating department! I'm keeping the faith that this is going to work! I called my dr's office nd tgey assured me that everything is okay and I would probably be restricted between fill 3-5.... Oh how I am hoping that fill 3 does it for me! I also asked about coming back earlier....they said absolutely must be 4 weeks between fills

[FIL 0]

I remember having some of the same feelings after fill number two. I was concerned, but trusted what I was being told by my doc's office that it can take several fills to sneak up on the right amount. Be patient. You'll get to the "green" soon.

Having been overfilled once, I can tell you not enough is WAYYYY better than too much in your band.

[xavier 153]

6cc in my 10cc band was also nothing...I got good restriction around 7 I think and then lost it twice as I lost weight. The last fill was 0.3cc only but it kicked off the last 15 pounds!