Has anyone had a fill yet?

[luchay 0]

Hi, i am four days out from the band surgery and find i can eat soft foods in small amounts with no problem. i am a little disapointed. i am sure there is no or very little restriction. i cant wait till my first fill so i can start the weight loss process, that is in 5 weeks. so, is it normal to be able to eat soft foods with no problem and not really lose weight untill i start the fills? just want some confirmation i am ok and this is normal.

thanks-liz

[Nikkisix 0]

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!! I got my 1st fill today! I went last week but they couldnt get to the port due to my hematoma. They pulled over 30cc's of blood out of it last week and 42cc's out this week. ITS ALL GONE NOW!!! Wooo Hoooo. Anyways, I got 1cc in my 10cc band. There was 2 cc's in from surgery. It wasnt bad at all. Hope everyone is doing great!!!!

[voiceomt2002 4]

I had no trouble with soft foods, Liz, but I lost weight just fine.

[voiceomt2002 4]

Congrats, Nikkisix! I think I'm envious.

[Nikkisix 0]

Congrats, Nikkisix! I think I'm envious.

Dont be !! You have lost a lot more than I have and without a fill. Today I dont seem to be as hungry and I have noticed a diff in the amount I eat. I will go back in 2 or 3 weeks for another if I feel I need one. Hope you are well and have a awesome weekend!

[Kmartin121 0]

I had my first fill on Thursday. I didn't think to ask how much they were putting in. I did the liquids and mushies for the past couple of days, but don't feel any restriction. I am going to call on Monday to find out how much they put in and see if I can schedule another fill. Dr. said I could schedule another one in two weeks.

[Donnainva 0]

Second fill coming up Monday or Tuesday---I think I have 5cc's in there now, I'm hoping for at least 2 more.

[voiceomt2002 4]

Dont be !! You have lost a lot more than I have and without a fill. Today I dont seem to be as hungry and I have noticed a diff in the amount I eat. I will go back in 2 or 3 weeks for another if I feel I need one. Hope you are well and have a awesome weekend!

It's possible I do need one, but only a couple of cc's. I've noticed a slight tendency to eat more in the past week, and my weight loss has once again plateau'd.

[DaMomb 1]

The hardest thing is waiting for the band to "kick in". It is very frustrating and then there is that little fear in the back of your mind that this isn't going to work for you... and then what???

But anyway, I got my second fill this week, and I finally have restriction. It is awesome. Everyday feels like Thanksgiving to me now... (stuffed) but without having to eat much. And there is no desire to graze at all. That was the thing I was struggling the most with. I am loving my band, and I am so excited because now I know I am going to be losing weight. Waiting for restriction though is the pits! If you can get your fill under fleuroscopy, do it, cuz it does get you to the green zone much faster....

[AmyWE 1]

I got my first fill on 3/2.

1.5cc in a 4cc band.

Of course the first several days I hardly noticed it due to having only liquids, but today...oh boy...it seems like everything is getting stuck at first before I realize I'm eating too fast and not chewing enough.

Once the pain goes away, I eat a bit more again, making sure I'm chewing better and taking smaller bites. That seems to be working.

Now if I can just remember not to get caught in that first bite syndrome I'll be okay!

[voiceomt2002 4]

I knew it was coming. I knew I hadn’t lost any weight, or not nearly enough to be pleasing to myself. Sure enough, I’d lost a mere 5 pounds in the past six weeks. Despite the reassurances of the nurse taking my weight that almost everyone had the same difficulties due to the weather being so cold, I knew I could do better. My appetite had been on the increase, and consequently, my caloric intake on my FitDay.com report showed a gradual increase.

So, I went in today for my visit, determined to have maybe a couple of cc’s just to nip that trend toward weight gain in the bud. Nope! Once these pounds come off, they are not going back on by golly! See ya! Buh-bye!

I’d only lost 5 pounds, but about 4.9 of those pounds was pure fat! Now, that’s a reason to Celebrate. I might have lost more, but Dr. Baptista’s nifty machine said I had Water weight issues. Yes, I did, mostly in a swollen left ankle from doing too much this past weekend. Told ya it was a nifty machine.

Finally, that incredibly handsome doctor with the soulful brown eyes and the talented hands (Get your minds out of the gutter! I’m talking about his surgical skills, thank you!) appeared. He seemed to agree that I needed a nudge toward the sweet spot. Thoughtful man that he is, he also remembered I’m needle phobic. He took the time to reassure me while swabbing my port area with alcohol.

It was somewhat painful, but more weird than uncomfortable. I hate needles. I am a certified needle phobic with a tendency to faint when shown a hypodermic, much less have one coming at me. Sure, it stung. I expected that. I didn’t expect the second stab of pain when he found the port. I think he used a butterfly or something. My tits were in the way, and I have the good sense not to look down in case I do see a needle. (wry grin) Whew! No matter what, I was glad that part was over. Yes, I’d do it again, if necessary. I knew that immediately. It wasn’t THAT bad.

He put some saline in. I was okay with it, and I could feel the change in pressure a bit. That was cool. Then doc had me drink some Water and tell him when I felt “full” and when I felt the water go away. I never really felt full, and never really felt it go away. He said I needed more restriction. By the time I drank close to 16 oz of liquid, I had a whopping 4 cc’s in the band. Apparently, I needed more restriction than I’d guessed and that explained why I hadn’t lost. All my loss up to now had been low carb diet and habitual dieting, not a restriction. What a shame. I really thought I’d been close to my Sweet Spot. Oh, well. If millions of others can fiddle with their band until they find bliss, so can I.

Well, I’m on liquids for the next couple of days. Fine by me. I’ll pop by Wal-Mart and get some more Meal Replacement shakes. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when I’m allowed solids again. I don't feel anything much when I drink a Meal Replacement shake, but I'm burping like an adolescent boy with a carbonated soda. :laugh:

[cjmtexas 0]

I was banded on January 9th and have had my second fill (Monday). I am up to 4.6 cc. The first one did not hurt but I got an air bubble drinking the barium which did. The second fill was a breeze. No problems at all. Both were done under x-ray. The only thing I feel is just a little pressure when they put the Fluid in. I have noticed a definate difference in being less hungry after the second fill and having to chew, chew, chew more and eat very slowly. I did lose 11 pounds between fills though which I am excited about because several friends who have had this done did not lose much until they hit their sweet spot.

[AmyWE 1]

Thanks for the informative and funny story, Lena.

So far, so good here. The only thing I haven't tolerated is bread. I even tried toasting. Oh well, small price to pay.

[DaMomb 1]

I got my second fill last week and for the first couple days back on solids, felt awesome restriction. Then....nothing. Crap! So I am back to eating normally, and this morning, I take a bite of my Breakfast, and it goes down a little way, and then stops! ACK! Very uncomfortable... so I keep swallowing trying to get it to go on down and nothing. So I think... I will just take another bite and maybe it will push the first bite down... WRONG. Now I am very uncomfortable. So I go get some milk, and try to take a drink to see if it will possibly liquify and... WRONG AGAIN! After a couple of minutes of being very uncomfortable, it all comes back up. So that was my first time for that. This will sound weird, but I was a little happy about it, cuz it means my band must have tightened up a little. A couple hours later I had some yogurt. No problem. Tonight, I try to have a toasted sandwich, and after a couple bites.... Stuck again! Sheesh! This time it went down after a bit but I decided a nice glass of milk for dinner sounded much better than anything solid. So, hopefully, I might not need another fill. The couple days after my fill, when I had restriction was awesome. That is where I wanna be. Guess I will take it easy for another couple of days and then try solids again.

I love this website because it has so much good information. Good luck to you all!

[voiceomt2002 4]

(snipped)WRONG AGAIN! After a couple of minutes of being very uncomfortable, it all comes back up. So that was my first time for that. This will sound weird, but I was a little happy about it, cuz it means my band must have tightened up a little. A couple hours later I had some yogurt. No problem. Tonight, I try to have a toasted sandwich, and after a couple bites.... Stuck again!

I haven't been able to do anything but the softest of breads and starches like grits. My one attempt to have bread of any kind (a biscuit) had the same results as yours. Massive discomfort, and that was before I got my fill.

Nuh-uh, not this lil' mammal! I'm swearing off the breads now. I'm scared down to my toes of what that biscuit would do now. No thanks.

I'm even a teensy bit uncomfortable right now 'cause of a late night snack of string cheese.

I wubs my band!