Fill or no fill? Opinions needed!! (LONG)

AngieM · January 30, 2007

Okay I have a decision to make here and I need a little help from my friends! I have a gain of 2 pounds this month. This is the first gain in about 1 year! The nurse says I need to consider a fill. MY problem is I have 3.25cc in a band that can hold 10cc. I was over filled at 4cc where I couldn't even swallow my own saliva without throwing up. And at 3.5 I was verrrry uncomfortable. To the point of only eating mushie food. Everything went into the processor first. At 3.25 I was able to eat comfortable anything I want and get full fast and stay satisfied for about 3 hours I was losing 2-6 pounds a month.

Now 6 months later I find my portions growing and wanting to eat every 2 hours. In the morning I can only have Water. Not even a Protein shake b/c I am so tight. Then I eat around 11am. About 1 cup of food. I make myself wait till 2pm (want to eat earlier) then have about 1 1/2 cup of food. Then at 5pm I eat with the family about 1 or 1 1/2 cup of food. Then I try to not eat the rest of the night, however at 8pm I am so hungry!(my biggest meal) I just ate tonight...1/3c cottage cheese and 12 wheat crackers...still hungry so I had a leftover 1/2 double cheeseburger bun and all. I usually can not do bread well but now I have no problems with it. And it is taking a lot of will power (not band power) to stay out of the kitchen! (how long will that last LOL)

What do I do? I am at 3.25 and at 3.5 I was very uncomfortable. I don't want to go there again! I sometimes think about a dialated pouch but I am so tight in the mornings!

I also haven't been working out. Do I wait a month and see if that will help. It may help with the weight loss. Not sure how that will help with the hunger? Just don't want to spend the money and effort just to end up with the same fill level I am at now!:help: Thanks!

~Jules~ · January 30, 2007

Hi Angie,

I think you might try a little bit of a fill. 3.5 was too much before, but that was 6 months ago. Your stomach could have lost some weight around it by the band in that length of time. It happens.

If you are that hungry just a couple of hours after eating, and aren't drinking anything for at least an hour, a fill may be the key.

Good luck to you!!

ousooner · January 30, 2007

I agree that a small fill might be in order. You have done so well from the looks of your ticker! Congrats. I find I have problems keeping restriction. I think as I loose, my stomach continues to shrink and thus less restriction. You might find that to be the case for you too. You might have shrunk from 6 months ago and 3.5 may not be too tight now. Just a thought. Good luck and keep us posted.

babycakes · January 30, 2007

If it were me I would try exercise before getting a fill. The fact that you can't even eat anything in the morning is probably contributing to your hunger later in the day.

AngieM · January 30, 2007

So you think that maybe the band loosens like a belt around the stomach? That is something I have been thinking about. Also after this long maybe some of the saline is gone? I remember my last fill there was a little less in there than what he put in last time.

ousooner · January 30, 2007

So you think that maybe the band loosens like a belt around the stomach? That is something I have been thinking about. Also after this long maybe some of the saline is gone? I remember my last fill there was a little less in there than what he put in last time.

Just a theory of mine. I haven't yet inquired about it to my doctor. I need to though

AngieM · January 30, 2007

Make sense to me!

juliegeraci · January 31, 2007

You definitely need a fill. You are consuming way too much food in my opinion. You should never be able to eat 1/2 of a double cheesburger. That would kill me. Keep in mind while our stomach changes fill levels do to. You may be okay at 3.5 this time. Good luck.

Angelator · April 21, 2007

As you lose weight, you lose fat from EVERYWHERE, including your stomach tissues inside your abdoman.

Therefore, even though a 3.5 fill may have been too tight before, when you weighed more, it wouldn't feel that tight now, since you've probably lost fat in the stomach tissues.

This is my theory.

Sounds like you need a fill.

Good luck!

beachgirl · April 21, 2007

I have a couple of takes on this. First of all after 6 months you probably do need some fill and even as little as .1 not 1 cc but .1 can make a huge difference. I would just inch my way back up very slowly and that way you wouldn't get to tight.