Making my way....

andigump · September 3, 2007

I was banded 15 August 07, I have been hungry since the first week was over. Today I ate wayyyy too much, but, I couldn't get full. I feel like crap. Have there been any failures where the lap-band is concerned......I tried so hard to lose weight all these years, and decided to get the lap-band...now I feel as if I am right back where I was.....not getting full, and beating myself up over it. I'm an educated person, how can I be so dumb when it comes to eating right? Is this a *norm*, so to speak....I told my Doctor I was hungry, but, no fills til after the 6th week. I don't know.....I'm discouraged right now, I want so badly to KNOW this is going to work and that I didn't make a bad decision. ~food addict in Alabama~

lizster2007 · September 3, 2007

I can relate to you. I was banded Aug 17/07 and am hungry and trying my best to not over eat (which would mean eating great quantities of blended Soup, however, because I'm just starting on the mushie phase today). I'm definitely no expert but have read a number of posts on this site and it seems that until you get your fill (or multiple fills to find this 'sweet spot'), the band is not providing all the support it eventually will. Until then, eating smaller portions of healthy foods is based on 'will power' which I would venture to say is a problem for many of us here and could be one of the reasons we pursued the band in the first place. Hopefully this catch 22 will disappear once when we get to our sweet spot fill level.

One other thing that I've read on this site that seems to make sense is in the first 4-6 weeks, your body is apparently healing from the surgery (even though we may think we're perfectly ready and able to eat anything in sight earlier than that!). If we eat too much or eat solids earlier than we're supposed to there is some chance of complications (e.g., slippage). That thought helps me, at least some of the time, to not over eat.

Best of luck to us both! :eek:

sjrgilman · September 3, 2007

hi andigump, I was banded on May 29th and i'm still trying to find my sweet spot. I've had 3 fills and i'm still hungry between meals. Its a slow process but we'll all get there Exercise helps a lot. just try walking 1/2 hr a day. you'll start to loose the weight. waiting for the first fill is a challenge i know but be assured you made the right decision. I keep telling myself I didn't gain this weight in a few weeks but over years. So thats how I'll loose it over a few years.

take care and good luck Sheila

andigump · September 3, 2007

Thank you soooo much for your input, it really means a lot to me.... :eek:

juliegeraci · September 10, 2007

Just wait the 6 weeks and get your fill. I had to wait 6 weeks.

mbanja · September 11, 2007

I am in the same boat, beating myself up. I was so ashamed that I stopped logging on here. I fell like such a failure. But then I called and scheduled my fist fill, which will be Sept. 22, and I got my but in gear and got back on this site. I have found that we are not alone and it is normal to go through what we are going through. Let me tell you, I have been biting my nails and looking at the date every few hours trying to will the 22nd here. I have stopped jumping on the scale checking my weight because it gets me down. I am so looking forward for that first fill. I'll be thinking about you. If you would like PM me and we can be each others cheerleaders. One thing I have found in this site is that there is so much support here it is hard to fail, and if you feel yourself falling off the wagon log on! Don't stop comming here!

juliegeraci · September 11, 2007

Don't beat yourself up. I gained weight before my first fill too. YOu will be okay.

Susan Charmain · September 11, 2007

Despite my not wanting to know what I lost before my first fill, the doctor blurted it out before I could stop him. Turns out I only lost FIVE pounds! Boy, were my feelings hurt. I guess that was low even to him so he gave me 5 cc's of saline. I asked if that was the norm; he said "sometimes." A minute later I thought saline was going to spurt from my ears---I was so filled. He had to go back and remove 1 cc. I go back on October 1, in three weeks, for another fill.

mbanja · September 11, 2007

LOL. That was funny Susan!!!

Susan Charmain · September 12, 2007

I do know I won't be buying a scale for my home; I've decided to just find out my weight when I see the doctor.

Wendell Edwards · September 12, 2007

I was banded 15 August 07, I have been hungry since the first week was over. Today I ate wayyyy too much, but, I couldn't get full. I feel like crap. Have there been any failures where the lap-band is concerned......I tried so hard to lose weight all these years, and decided to get the lap-band...now I feel as if I am right back where I was.....not getting full, and beating myself up over it. I'm an educated person, how can I be so dumb when it comes to eating right? Is this a *norm*, so to speak....I told my Doctor I was hungry, but, no fills til after the 6th week. I don't know.....I'm discouraged right now, I want so badly to KNOW this is going to work and that I didn't make a bad decision. ~food addict in Alabama~

This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band. The INAMED protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band. Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band. Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week.

The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows:

1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to two weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to two weeks after the fill. That is why the INAMED protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill.

2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band.

3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food.

4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient.

5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again.

6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food.

7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again.

Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater. It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.