My Doc Refuses To Give Fill

[JenL37 0]

Hi all. My surgery was Feb. 5th and I have lost 43 lbs. since then without a fill. I couldn't be happier with my results so far, however I am starting to feel hungry again. At my last visit, my doc was very happy with my results and said a fill was unnecessary. The pounds are obviously coming off slower then in the beginning, however they are still coming off. He feels when I stop losing then we will discuss the fill, however with my increase in hunger I would like to put a small amount in so I keep progressing. He refuses and says "this is a marathon, not a sprint". Has anyone experienced this before? I haven't read a single story like mine where a band hasn't been adjusted and is working. Could this be a sign of a complication?

[Kandi5912 0]

Hello Jen, I was banded on April 30 and I have lost 20lbs as of Monday. Another friend of mind was telling me that her friend has the same dr that did my surgery and our dr told her at her 6 wks that she was not going to fill her because she was still losing weight on her own and restriction is not necessary at this time. Then there was another women who had her band in October and here it is May and her dr. still have not done a fill on her because she has lost 60 + lbs so far without the fill. We all are thinking that if your dr see that you are losing more without it then until you go in the office and your weight change to increase or stop at a stand still then that is when they will give you a fill. But the above ladies mentioned are eating whatever they want when they want and is still losing weight that is the part that I dont understand. I am like you EXPLAINATIONS PLEASE!! LOL

[Daisalana 33]

That is weird!!! I would be upset

I was trying to get my doc to give me my first fill today (a week early- because he is going to be out of town until June), but he felt my stomach and said the knots I have are swelling and is going to wait the full 6 weeks.. so June 6th..but I told him as of last week I'm already more hungry, I am still losing, but I'm dying to get the restriction back I had after surgery, it was so wonderful.. He gave me a diet pill to hold me over till June 6th, but if he says he won't fill me due to the weight I've lost, I'll raise hell!!

[Chickie 15]

My thoughts on this will not please you, lol!

(Ducking) I agree with the Doc!

If you are eating a small healthy meal, staying full for a few hours after, exercising, and losing weight, in my opinion, you do not need a fill.

If you restrict yourself to the point of only eating a couple of mouthfuls of food at a sitting, while you may lose weight, it will be harder to maintain. Once you get to goal weight, you will want to eat more. Right? Yes, right, no one wants to live on fresh air and sunshine for ever.

If you have been living on 5 or 6 hundred calories a day, for say 18 months, when you DO start to eat more, you will put on weight (unless you are exercising enough to burn off the extra calories)

Slow weight loss might be frustrating, but losing weight, the putting it back on would be more so. Eat as many calories as you can, and still lose weight, because it will make maintaining so much easier in the long run.

[faithmd 14]

I'm in agreement as well. Remember, this is a tool to help us lose an average of 2 lbs a week. We are not supposed to be losing 5 to 7 lbs a week continuously. Sure some do. But it has been proven time and time again that the faster you lose the weight two things happen,

1) your chances of gaining it back are astronomically higher (Chickie gives a great argument for this, she's spot on).

2) Your "skin" (your skin itself never really snaps back, but I am using "skin" as a general term to mean muscles, skin and subcutaneous tissue) doesn't have a chance to adjust. How many RNYers have we all seen that look gaunt and have skin and flab just hanging all over? We probably will too if we lose a LOT, but if I can improve the appearance but just 25 or 30% by losing slower and toning, I'd much rather do that.

I know it doesn't help to say this, but we didn't put it on overnight. True we've had (I will in 21 days) surgery to help us lose this weight, but we also consciously chose the LapBand which we knew was a tool that would not be malabsorptive, we knew it would be slower loss. The weight is not going to come off overnight (well, it shouldn't). I like Chickie's thought about eating as many calories as you can and still lose weight. It makes sense.

We also know the risks of the band (meaning erosion, slippage, esophageal dilation, etc.), every fill *can* (doesn't always, but in reality it can contribute) increase those risks. Yes, it was designed to be filled, but if I can lose 1-2lbs a week with it unfilled, I'm going to leave it unfilled for as long as I can. My surgeon, the nutritionist and the nurse all told me at the pre-op consultation that if I am losing weight at a rate of about 1-2 lbs a week and am not feeling like I am starving (real hunger, not head hunger that is soooo hard for us to battle), they will not fill me. I'd like to try this with few fills/no fills if I can. The other part of it is the more fills I get, the faster I get to filling my band. I have a looooong road and MANY pounds ahead of me, what will I do if I get fill after fill and end up with a full band with 75 lbs still to lose? Then I'm back on my own again.

Give me slow and steady. Would I love to lose 20-30lbs a month, sure! But I know for me that isn't the best thing to do.

[bigsexy 0]

I agree as well - keep doing what you are doing - however the body need 800 calories a day at a MINIMUM to stay healthy. Otherwise organ/muscle tisue breaks down, Hair loss occurs etc. In extreem cases Dr's will perscribe less than 800 calories a day but they are monitoring you at every meal. You should also try to get 60 gr of protien in for the day spread out over your 3 meals. Although you can survive on less - this seems to be the magic number to keep your hair and skin looking great. You are doing really well on your own so far - maybe the hunger you are feeling is head hunger. I know when i have been on weight watchers etc before i would be shedding lbs like crazy but then all of a sudden i would think i was hungry and pig out. I was never hungry at all.

[travelgirl 3]

I'm going to have to agree as well. YOU DON'T NEED A FILL if you're still losing weight! My doc said that if I come in for a fill, and I'm still losing around 2 lbs a week on AVERAGE, we'll have a nice visit, but no fill for me. For all the reasons stated in the 3 previous posts....

Hang in there! This thing is for LIFE, not for awhile, it's not a race!!!

[jalen123 0]

Well, it just happened to me. I went in for my six week fill this morning. I weighed in at 16 lbs down. Oops that's four pounds too much, so my Doctor declined to give me a fill. He said "check back in" in 2-4 weeks with my progress, but that if I was still losing that much (ie more than 2 lbs per week) he would not give me a fill. I protested that I have no restriction. I have just been following a low-carb diet with lots of walking... but heaven knows I've done that a dozen times before. I can always lose the first 30 pounds, its after that that I get sidetracked. A part of me wants to sabotage my diet to get a fill (milkshakes!!) but I know thats clearly not in my own self interest. So I'll just keep trudging along with my 25K stomach ornament that does me no good. I'll take small consolation in the fact that my skin will hopefully shrink at a normal rate.

Glad to hear I'm not all alone in my denial. :straight :straight :straight

[Chickie 15]

You expect to lose more than 2lbs a week?

I am with your doc, you don't need a fill. And yes, you do need to work with the band, by eating right, and exercising. You are doing the right thing on that score, but expecting that you will lose faster than 2lbs a week is a bit much. Even with proper restriction, and lifestyle change, the aim is 2lbs a week.

Congrats on being 16lbs down.

People, we do not get out of the gate with restriction. 6 weeks later, we will not have restriction, 6 months later we may not have restriction. We DO have to rely on behaviour modification as well as our bands.

Anyone who is banded expected tighter than tight restriction and more than 2lbs of weight loss straight away signed up for the wrong surgery.

[princess_n_thep 2]

Well, I am not going to agree with Doc. I think the key words you said was that your hunger was increasing, therefore you are having to diet harder. The band should be able to decrease your hunger and cravings rather than you being uncomfortable and doing a "diet" anyways. I would just really show your concern to your doctor and let him know how you feel about it. Your emotional state should count for something. Just because you are showing a lot of self control doesn't mean you should have to suffer by being hungry.

[LeeInDe. 0]

I agree with Jenna. I too had the same problem today. Had one fill in March, and with restiction, good diet and going to the gym, I was losing nicely.

However, the past week I have been super hungry, eating more than I should, and now have no restriction. Can eat anything, bread and all. I called and asked for a fill, and was turned down, and was told to use good judgement, and that I know the things to eat and not to eat!

I thought the band was to help as a tool with our self control???

[Chickie 15]

If the band is doing all the work with regards to controlling your portions, what would happen if you lost your band?

A hard thought to swallow (pardon the pun) But what if? What if you never relied on yourself to control what you eat?

Just a thought.

[LeeInDe. 0]

But the band does not do all of the work, it is a tool to assist with self control. Even with the band, there is still self control involved.

And without self control, well heck, that is how I became overweight to begin with!

[Chickie 15]

But if you were to get the fill you wanted, are you using your self control? Or would you be relying on the band?

If you are losing, while eating small meals and exercising, no you should NOT have a fill.

And remember, as women, our restriction will fluctuate with our monthly cycle... Just because you can eat more this week, does not mean you won't be back to normal next. If you get what I mean.

People are far, far to quick to jump on the "need a fill" band wagon. If you are losing, even slowly, you do not need a fill. You NEED to rely on yourself to eat well and exercise.

And just an aside... The band is only designed to restrict, not to retard hunger completely. It is human to be hungry. Banded or not.

If you are hungry... EAT.

[daizee 0]

<p>I agree with you now here is my problem. I was banded the first of Nov had my first fill in Jan (had lost 10 lbs because of scheduling 2nd fill in Mar and the dr said I had 4cc and should be very restricted. Now I have had that burping up food thing but only with bread type things and once a very dry hamburger w.o anything on it. I have only lost a couple of pounds since and feel like I am really struggling. Am I doing something wrong or do I just need to kick it up a bit. My exercise regimin is mostly walking in Water. I'm hoping after I lose more (if I do) I can do more strenous exercise. Everyone I know is losing so much weight and I am just standing still.</p>