How much over 4cc's can I go?

[Vex 0]

I have a 4cc band, and since 12/1/2007 I have had 4 ccs in it. I have lost exactly 1.4 lbs since then, and have basically just yo-yoed up and down two or three pounds each week.

I have what I'd call "moderate" fill. After each of my fills (three total) I've had really good restriction, with hopes it would continue, and each time my restriction faded to moderate. By moderate, I can only eat in the morning after a cup of coffee to open me up. I can eat lunch about 2/3 of the size of what I'd normally eat. I can eat 3/4 or more of a normal-sized dinner. I have to be very cautious of bread and rice as both can cause BPs. But that is not enough restriction to keep me losing, only maintaining.

At my third fill, the fill nurse removed all saline to check to make sure I wasn't leaking-- and I wasn't. It was all there. A couple days ago, I double-checked with my surgery clinic to be sure that I do have a 4cc band. They advised that I come in for a check-up. I can't afford the time OR money to do that until after my wedding (March 22nd) and honeymoon (March 23rd to April 5th) but I also don't want to just "forget about it" for another 2 to 3 months.

Can I/should I go back to my fill nurse and try to get her to put more than 4 ccs in my band? How much more can I safely get?

[want2beme 2]

Wow. I'm sorry you are going through this. I was banded in Aug of 2007 as well. And I didn't realize how frustrating the fills would be. I had two fills and one unfill... I'm at 2.6 in a 4cc band. I feel like I don't have much restriction.

One thing that I have learned is that you must follow the lap band diet in order for the band to work. When I went to a superbowl party yesterday, the chips and cheese dip, guacamole, and creamcheese filled goodies went down really easy. And, I was drinking wine along with those appetizers so I didn't feel any restriction. Being back on track today, I have to remember that I have to eat solid foods...

In the morning I have my coffee, an hour later I eat solid food. 2-3 turkey sausages.

From there I alternate liquid and solid throughout the day until I've eaten 3 meals. When i am eating solid Protein, the restriction IS there. I think if your 4 cc band feels like it's not working, you may have to adjust your diet.

(now I am just assuming that diet is an issue, because it was for me)

If you are following your diet to a 'T', then you may want to go back to your doctor's office. Have them check one more time, withdrawl the saline to see if there's really 4 ccs in there. If so, you can go up to 5ccs in a 4 cc band.

Please keep me updated! I would love to see your progress, and learn more about this topic as well.

[Vex 0]

Thanks for the advice and help.

I'm not going to say I'm totally virtuous, but I am sure, two months out, that my lack of restriction is not TOTALLY diet-related.

Most days, I am very good about not drinking with meals, with preferencing Protein and veggies over "junk" foods, and otherwise following the band rules. I am definitely not cheating the band on a daily basis. I don't always make the best food choices, and I am still working on that. But I feel like if I were mostly making good food choices, AND had decent restriction, I'd be doing great.

I also started running again at the end of December (after a post-surgery hiatus that I just let go on too long) and really had high hopes that a month of running, plus making more efforts at choosing the right foods, would make the difference and I'd start losing again. I have, of course, been disappointed.

Typical Breakfast for me is a cup of coffee with sugar-free Creamer (about 30 cals' worth). Then 30 minutes later, a low-sugar Quaker Cereal bar (like a Nutrigrain bar but with less sugar and 10 fewer calories). Then lunch is typically a Lean Cuisine and a couple clementines or small bag of grapes. snack is either a Weight Watchers yogurt with canned fruit or maybe a banana and a pre-measured 1/4-cup bag of trail mix. dinner is usually "real" food like pot roast, chicken and veggies, stir-fry, etc. but I usually avoid, for the most part, any carby things like bread, mashed potatoes, etc. The thing that sucks the most about dinner is that by the time it rolls around, I am generally (a) pretty close to famished and ( pretty "open"-- I can usually put away nearly as much as I could pre-band, even without a glass or Water or *sob* wine. I can't lie and say that a cookie here and there, a brownie after dinner haven't crept in to my mouth... but I know my slipups are not my only issue.

I think I will go back to my fill nurse and try for a few more CCs. I am almost ashamed to go back to her and tell her. She was kinda amazed I made it up to 4 ccs in the first place.

[want2beme 2]

You're doing better than me that's for sure. It's so hard for me to diet in my house. right now I am looking at chinese food, jelly bellies, rice crispy treats, wine, beet, Cookies, chocolate, banana cream pie,,, shall I go on?????

I would not be afraid to tell you doctor. You should! Absolutely!

Who cares what they think. Too bad! This is your life.... not theirs!

[Frustrated 1]

Hi Vex,

It sounds like you're eating an awful lot of food to me. Yes, I know it's healthy food, but your Snacks seem just as big as a meal should be. It makes me wonder if your pouch has stretched, or perhaps it was too big to begin with. Those are question that should be answered by your surgeon, and if you can't get there for a consultation, you should at the very least be able to speak with someone from his office on the phone regarding your concerns. That should be your first step.

Are you getting in your daily Water requirement? 68oz a day? Sometimes our bodies confuse hunger with thirst. The Water not only keeps you hydrated, but it will make you feel fuller. At certain times of the month I don't drink all my water because I feel bloated. That's hormones for you. But by and large your water intake should be as important to you as getting your Protein, meal choices and exercise requirements.

As far as exercise goes, it's not about working harder, it's about working smarter. Running is great exercise, and if you enjoy it, you'll be more inclined to do it more often. But it's not just about working as hard as you can for 20-30 minutes. You have to enjoy what you're doing and see some results from that work. Try another form of exercise for a little bit; swimming, cycling, kick boxing classes.....Do more walking than you do driving in a day. If, for example, you have a 20 minute drive to and from work, clock up the same amount of time in walking. Or get a pedometer (they're relatively inexpensive) and make sure you're walking 10,000 steps per day.

As for the time and expense involved in getting a band adjustment, sometimes that's the price we need to pay. And if you can't afford it now, do what you can to stay on track until you can. Don't just give up and make the wrong choices with the intent of setting things right when you have the time and finances. Our bands were never meant to be a magical cure for obesity, no matter how much we want for them to be. It's just a tool. And right now your tool isn't working as well as it should, so until you can get it fixed, do what you can to minimise the damage.

Best of luck. Keep us updated on your progress, or lack thereof.

[Vex 0]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Frustrated. I want to not be eating so much food. But I am HUNGRY, and even when I am trying, it seems like the band is no help at all. If I were good at eating small amounts of food infrequently, I wouldn't have needed a band to help me enforce that.

I drink tons of Water. I keep a 32-oz bottle on my desk and fill it up twice a day, and that doesn't count what I drink when I run, which is typically half to all of a 20-oz bottle. I also DO walk my dog every day for about 20 - 30 minutes, AFTER my run (if its a run day). I'm trying to work in 30 minute non-running workouts on my "off" days, mostly boot camp-style exercises (I did a boot camp for two months last year and it was really fun): situps, pushups, squats, etc.

I'm really not trying to just shoot down everyone's suggestions. Its just that I feel like I am managing everything well, except the eating, and the band is being NO HELP in that department, and my frustation level about that is just through the roof.

I mean, seriously.

Today I had coffee for Breakfast (Splenda, a wee pour of no-sugar creamer) and then a salad for lunch. I am trying for a little bit of South Beach action this week since bread is really the only thing left that disagrees with my band, and its not any good for me anyway. So I packed 4 cups of lettuce, cukes, Tomato, 1.5 oz of lean turkey and ham lunch meat, 1.5 oz of lowfat provolone, and 2 Tbsp of Ken's Steakhouse light balsamic vinaigrette (50 cals for 2 Tbsp).

I ate the whole f#%$ing thing.

WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY THIS IS SO UNFAIR.

I didn't break any band rules. I hadn't had a sip of Water or coffee since about at hour prior to lunch, and surely didn't have any at lunch. I ate slowly and chewed well, sure, but I didn't go to any special efforts. I feel comfortable now, but at no point did I feel full. I finished inside of about 30 minutes, with time in between bites spent talking to my two girlfriends at work that I lunch with every day.

Why should I feel so terrible about eating such a virtuous lunch? Because I should be getting full on WAY LESS THAN THAT. I have FOUR CCS in my FOUR CC band. I only really feel restriction first thing in the morning anymore, and breakfast was never a dangerous meal for me. I emailed my surgeon's clinic and they told me to come in for a follwup. I can't afford the time OR money to fly to San Diego right now. I need another fill, obviously, but I'm not sure my fill nurse will give it to me.

I am so at the bottom of the abyss when it comes to willpower right now because I have staggering amounts of anxiety about my imending wedding (26 days away). And I hate myself with a white-hot heat for not losing any weight before wedding like every other woman on the planet manages to do. I don't understand what's wrong with me. Why this isn't working for me. Or, failing that, why I was so retarded to have spent $10,000 on something that isn't working. What kind of idiot am I?

[Dr Garwood 1]

Hello, May I make a suggestion re your frustraation with restriction? Make sure with the surgeons office exactly what your fill volume is. Next have the fill person put in some renograffin under fluro to absolutly rule out a leak. Now some folks take 4.5cc to obtain restriction but this is very unusual.

[Vex 0]

Heh. Believe it or not, when I went in for my last fill I had 3.2 ccs. My fill nurse-- who I think does an excellent job-- withdrew all 3.2 ccs to check that they were there before filling me up. And I did have restriction in the beginning. Its just gone now.

[Frustrated 1]

Vex,

Is it at all possible for you to get your fills somewhere local to you? Perhaps call your surgeon's office and explain to them that you can't afford the time and money for the trip, and would they be able to recommend someone in your area.

Do you get your fills done under fluoro? I do and I can see when I swallow the barium how my pouch will fill up or empty out quickly until they adjust the fill in my port. It's pretty interesting. And kind of funny to see your spine and bra clasps in the picture as well.

[Vex 0]

I do get my fills locally, from Fill Centers USA. I've had several now, and I really like my fill nurse. I think she does a good job. But when I hit 4ccs, she said she hoped that this was it, because its the nominal maximum. In fact, I believe she said I'm the only one she's filled up to 4ccs in the smaller band.

I emailed my surgeon's office to ask how much over 4ccs I could go and they replied that I needed to come to them.

I do get my fills under fluoro with the barium swallow. I always feel good restriction for a couple days or weeks after my fills and then it erodes back to almost none.

[Frustrated 1]

I do get my fills locally, from Fill Centers USA. I've had several now, and I really like my fill nurse. I think she does a good job. But when I hit 4ccs, she said she hoped that this was it, because its the nominal maximum. In fact, I believe she said I'm the only one she's filled up to 4ccs in the smaller band.

I emailed my surgeon's office to ask how much over 4ccs I could go and they replied that I needed to come to them.

I do get my fills under fluoro with the barium swallow. I always feel good restriction for a couple days or weeks after my fills and then it erodes back to almost none.

I think you should explain to your surgeon that it's impractical for you to go back down there at this point in time. Ask if there's anything your local office can do for you in the meantime. Ask if there are tests they can do and send the results to him for his analysis. Tell him you'd rather exhaust all local options first before having to make a trip there that is expensive financially and time-wise.

If there's a fault with the band, you'll probably have to go down there to get it repaired, but I don't see the point in going down there if it's not a faulty band and waste a trip. Try other possibilities first.

[Vex 0]

I'm trying to decide if I should call and schedule another appointment with my local Fill Centers USA fill nurse (who is awesome) and try to get her to give me more fill. I'm nervous about going over 4 ccs but I'm really, really frustrated with my lack of progress.

Yes, I'm still not progressing, partially because of my extreme disappointment creating a bad attitude about things, but also because my fill is hardly restricting me at all.

[Frustrated 1]

Give her a call and get her opinion. Tell her everything that's going on. Attitude is a very important part of weight loss, but it doesn't hurt to get a helping hand if you need it. :cursing: