Does this band work!??

[demarie87 13]

I'm beginning to lose hope. I have 11cc in my 12cc band and I can still eat solids like chicken with very little restriction. I had a low bmi of 30 and I have lost 12 lbs from April when I was on liquids only and kept that off. Since then, no weight loss just some gain that I recently lost with extensive exercise. I'm going to call tomorrow and see about another fill or other options. My surgeon told me my stomach is super tiny and my band needs to be super tight but I only have 1 more cc before its filled! I spent alot of money and I'm beginning to wonder if I made the right choice. With healthy food choices, I'm still over eating because I'm hungry... Anyone else having similar issues or have advice!? My dr takes the Fluid out each time and shows me to assure its all there and there is no leak!

[BillieG 81]

I wonder why the surgeon approved you as a candidate with a BMI of only 30? When I did research on the band, it stated that they prefer patients with a BMI of at lease 40, or if you have a BMI of 35-40 with morbid obesity conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, etc. I do not have the band yet, but am in the 6 month waiting period right now. Are you already at a healthy weight?

[demarie87 13]

The legal requirement is bmi of 30 ( obese) the other numbers are insurance requirements. Now I am out of these obese category but still overweight with a bmi of 28. I'd like to get to a healthy weight where I'm comfortable in my skin and not overweight.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

in my opinion, having a band super tight is dangerous and if your dr advises that, id be off to find me another one..if you are hungry, eating more Protein can help as does drinking...

[SueBee01 630]

I agree with Carolinagirl. You may need to have your doctor check and see if you don't have a leak he may be putting it in, but it isn't staying. I find it hard to believe you can eat anything with 11cc. Request that he check it. He can do an unfill and measure how much comes out.

[BillieG 81]

Congrats SueBee on losing 122 lbs!!!!! How long did that take you?

[demarie87 13]

I have an unfill each time and all the Fluid is there with to the exact amount.

[SueBee01 630]

Congrats SueBee on losing 122 lbs!!!!! How long did that take you?

Thanks. Actually, I am down 164 pounds now. It took me 14 months. Still exercise everyday and track everything I put in my mouth!

[lellow 1,713]

You should be able to eat chicken with your band. You should be able to eat hard Protein as this is what will keep you fuller for longer. It's more about how much you can eat and how long it keeps you full, and by the sounds of it, you're saying you're getting hungry quickly despite eating hard Protein. In a small group of people the lapband never gets tight enough to achieve good restriction. But having said that, you can go from not feeling the band to feeling it in a matter of 0.1cc.

I am one of those people who needs a lot of fill to even feel the band. Until you get to 12cc don't lose hope. But if it's true that you can't feel the band even at 12cc, then this is a conversation you need to have with your doctor.

[Sharpie 3,306]

Sounds like there is something wrong ... I think you need to either get another Dr or demand a better understanding of what the band should do... you also are not that heavy which means you will lose slowly.. make sure you are eating Protein ...

[lellow 1,713]

Just to throw another consideration into it all (sorry!), with my old band it took 8.5cc to get to the green zone (10cc band), and since having my band replaced, I'm topping out at under 7cc. My surgeon believes it is because it's a different band and different placement, and it was placed when my BMI was low - BMI of 26 - that it's working differently now.

I agree that if you feel like you're not getting the 'help' that the band should be giving you, you should be getting your doctor to at least explain why this might be.

[demarie87 13]

Thank you! I'm going to try to get in this week and not lose hope yet ???

[GoingforGoal 1,734]

Has your doctor ever checked w/ an xray to confirm placement. Sometimes if there is a slip the only symptom people experience is increased appetite and gaining weight. Not to imply this is the problem, but it seems that your band is otherwise intact as there is no apparent leak. Like lulu mentioned, some of us require no fills and others require max fills for that green zone. Unfortunately there are some that the band does not work for at all. For us with effective bands, it's hard to relate, but this is a hard truth. Also, just so everyone knows that the band is an option for lower than 40 BMI or self pay and for other countries. I converse w/ a quite a few foreign bandsters who are in BMI of 30s. I know it's hard for us to wrap our heads around getting the band for a mere <50 lb loss but the band does not only allow us to lose but also to maintain and long term 50lb overweight people struggle with that aspect just as much. Back to topic, I have no idea what your daily menu looks like..maybe you can type one up super quick and it'll give us an idea as to what and how much you are eating.

[lellow 1,713]

I had my band done at a BMI of 35. In Australia with many insurances, you qualify for the band at that BMI or more, and for it at a BMI of 30 and above if you have co-morbidities. This is because it has been recognised that most long-term overweight people do not go on to lose weight and keep it off so lapbands are used as preventative medicine to stop people from becoming even more overweight than they already are. The band is also very effective for lower BMI patients, as opposed to, say, bypass.

I had steadily gained weight all my adult life, and I was heading for major health problems if I continued the way I was. I'm grateful to have arrested my weight gain with the lapband when I did. I have no doubts that if I hadn't I would have had it done anyway at a higher BMI and had to work a lot longer and harder to get the weight off.

[catfish87 3,471]

I'd add that just because your surgeon/doctor removes the saline and checks to make sure it's "all there", doesn't necessarily mean you are going to feel correct/any restriction. If you haven't had a fluoroscopy, I'd recommend having it done. Although you did say your doctor told you your " stomach is super tiny "....did he see this, or was he guessing?

Just my experience...