Pls- feed back! What if your band gets maxed?

[bobbiezhere 0]

Please help - im just not sure what to think any more. I had my surgery on 7/7. Pre op and post op i was on target and losing well....I got to a high weight loss of 39#'s....sooo wanting to hit that 40 lb. mark.

When i had my last fill I was at 7 in an 11 cc band. I could only take 1cc that visit, because i struggled to get Water down. I had been stuck in limbo for weeks in a 227/228 lb. weight - after my last fill I finally dropped from where i was stuck..about 227/228 to 223.4. I was thrilled beyond belief!

Now, here i am a couple weeks have passed..and guess what? Im back up to like 227.5 again.

Im frustrated beyond belief.

Sometimes i wonder if my band has a slow leak...i mean, i felt the restriction..but about 2 weeks into it...i seem to have less and less restriction ...and slowly the weight creeps back up. Tho I'm still watching what i eat. But anything solid means i gain!

Once again I feel like I can eat more than I should be - and that restriction i HAD - seems to be gone again. Is this normal??? I just dont get it.

I see the doctor 6 weeks after my last appt....so i go in i believe 1st week of dec. I'm tempted to call and schedule earlier....maybe at least a week..but...if i'm already at 7 in an 11 cc band...i dont really have much more room - right??? What happens if your band is "full"???

I thought that 'sweet spot' that eveyone has talked about was maybe gonna be there after my last fill...but now, i dont think so.

Has anyone had their band totally filled????

Please - any feedback would be welcomed. I truly feel like a failure and i've worked so hard! My once 39 lb loss is now at 35 and i'm discouraged.

Thank you..for reading...and helping...

Edited November 17, 2009 by bobbiezhere

[gatorgal 0]

I have a small band (4 cc), and I was worried about being overfilled, too. (I'm currently at 3.1 cc.) My doctor said that my band could actually take up to 5 cc. I don't know if this helps you at all, but I wouldn't worry just yet. You still have 4 cc of band "left" which is as much as my band holds all together. Work with your doctor to find the right spot for you and your band.

[sahney 0]

I can sympathies with - the similar thing happens to me too! I get a fill - Loose weight for 2 months, start stagnating and the amount of food I can consume increases.

As per the other posts I have read in this Forum- I understand this is normal - just have to stick with it to get over the plateau!

Sorry could not be of more help!

(4CC in a 10CC band)

[kiz 1]

From my personal experience, some of us need more fill for good restriction than others. Although my doctor assured me that my band was fine, I was almost convinced that it had sprung a slow leak. I would get a fill, feel fairly good restriction for two weeks to a month, then it would fade away. Looking back on it, I'm sure the two week long restriction was more based on some residual swelling than actual band restriction. The four week restrictions probably went away as I was losing the fat around my stomach, which naturally causes the band to loosen. But, as I got closer to good, long-lasting restriction, the better the fills reduced my between meal hunger, and the less saline I needed at each fill. My last fill, over three months ago, was 0.5 cc and it brought me to what is perfect restriction for me, and so far, it hasn't faded, even a little. I have approximately 11 cc of fill in a 9 cc band. My doctor did my last small fill under fluoro while measuring the pressure, and everything looked great.

Edited November 17, 2009 by kiz

[bobbiezhere 0]

Although my doctor assured me that my band was fine, I was almost convinced that it had sprung a slow leak. I would get a fill, feel fairly good restriction for two weeks to a month, then it would fade away. Looking back on it, I'm sure the two week long restriction was more based on some residual swelling than actual band restriction. The four week restrictions probably went away as I was losing the fat around my stomach, which naturally causes the band to loosen.

My last fill, over three months ago, was 0.5 cc and it brought me to what is perfect restriction for me, and so far, it hasn't faded, even a little. I have approximately 11 cc of fill in a 9 cc band.

Omg thank you for saying this (about the leak)..i swear i wondered if i had a "slow leak" in my band lol. I thought i was the only one who thought that!

The thing is, i do feel a restriction at first..and it DOES last two weeks..and in that two weeks time i might lost 2-3 lbs...which i'm good with....its after that restriction goes away (right now, its gone) that those 2-3 lbs i lost, come back...and THAT is what frustrates me most...i finally lose, and then...just kidding cuz they're back!

Your post makes PERFECT sense to me - the fact the band would loosen with a little loss, etc. I get that...

I'm encouraged that you've reached perfect restriction! I was afraid of what would happen when i eventually got 11ccs in my band and what if i still had issues...but now i re alize they can put a little more in the band, if need be..and maybe..just maybe, i wont need that. I'll keep hoping that the next fill is it.

THANK YOU...this really made me feel better!

[kiz 1]

You're very welcome, and I completely understand your concern. I was self-pay, so on top of worrying that my band was damaged, I was imagining having to pay out of pocket for a fix. Now, that I finally have restriction, I feel thankful that I have a lot of room in my band if I ever have a medical issue that would require me to have a complete unfill. One of the reasons I opted for and was so in favor of a band, was the flexibility of having a near normal stomach opening in case of an illness down the road that required I be able to take in more nutrition. Now I know, with an open band, that wouldn't be a problem. However, I'm sure not trying to borrow trouble, so I'll say a little prayer that never becomes an issue.

Good luck with finding your personal "sweet spot". It sounds like you're zeroing in on good restriction. Just a little tweak, and hopefully you'll have restriction that lasts for awhile. The important thing is to not get discouraged and to get your fills as you need them. It seems healthier to sneak up on a good fill level once you're getting close, than to overshoot.

As far as you going in earlier, my doctor encouraged it, if you didn't have good restriction. Once (maybe twice, but I think only once), I went back after two weeks. They did that fill under fluoro, just to check for problems. When I was just under 9 cc fill level, I didn't go back for a couple of months, and I had a big fat plateau and then gained back five pounds. I was so worried that I wasn't going to get good restriction that lasted more than a month, that I tried to work with what I had. I only had one year of fills included in my self-pay contract and my year was coming up, so I went back and got another fill, and then the last one under fluoro with the pressure measured. I should have done it a couple of months sooner, but live and learn. So, if you feel like you need a fill, and your doctor is okay with seeing you sooner, I wouldn't hesitate to go in.

Edited November 17, 2009 by kiz

[TSB 1]

I went for a second fill last week that brought me from 4cc to 5cc in a 10 cc lap band. 5 was too much because I was having issues getting liquids down....it would go down, but very, very slow. So went back the next day and had a 1/2 cc taken out so am now at 4.5 cc and think I am at sweet spot for now. The PA who does my fills tells me that as you lose, the band can become looser and you will require additional fills to acheive your sweet spot. Good luck!

[ltupou 0]

Hi! I'm new to the site! I had the same problem. I would get a fill and be great for about a week and a half. Then, suddenly, I can eat more. My doctor told me this is normal. He said that when I get a fill, the tissue where the band is swells up and once the swelling goes down, then we can take in more. The problem with this is that for a week and a half, I'm practically eating nothing and drinking a lot! And when I finally do get food down, I gain a few pounds back because my body is starved for food. Anyway, once your body adjusts to the amount you are able to consume, then you will start to lose again because it is a lot less than what I used to consume. I hope that was helpful. Let me know how it goes. You are doing great!:w00t: