Eclipse

Wow, I cant believe I can

get full on a few bites of food! I have

never gotten to that point yet.

I can start solids tomorrow I

cant wait to see if I hit my sweet spot.

thanks Sabrina for the advice!

Well it has been 9 months since I've been banded.

Very slow progress but I finally think I have gotten a

fill that will work! I have a 4cc band and I am very close to being filled

to 4cc. Have not had the great restriction everyone

talks about so I am hoping this will be it!

With that said, can you please share a normal days

food choices and amounts.

I am a bit scared of abusing this fill, in June was my

last one it was way to tight, had to go for a slight unfil

I was able to lose weight that week that I was tight

and then nothing more! So I know my weight

loss will depend on a good fill, I have lost 25 lbs

since surgery,not a whole lot in 9 months.

I hope to see a nice steady drop I have 40 lbs

to go.

I see a lapband surgeon and he looked kind of puzzled yesterday. He told me that I should be getting tons of restriction. We'll see. He even questioned that maybe I have a different size band and don't know it. I think if this time I don't the restriction then I will fly back down to TJ and do it under fluro. I'm glad to hear that you guys have heard of some people going higher than the 4cc point. I guess I'm just so worried because if I don't finally get some good restriction there is not a whole lot more I can do. I'll let you know in a couple of days when I try solids how it goes. Thanks so much for the responses. Makes me feel better.

Hi, I had my surgery 12/08 and also have a 4cc band. I am very close to 4cc

still have 40lbs to lose so I to am a bit worried.

Let me know how you do with your fill. GOOD LUCK!

I am also guilty, had great restriction for about 1 month after a fill, now i am

feeling hungry again, yesterday I was snacking all day

and at night I had frozen yogurt with some banana and peanuts, and topped it with some

chocolate syrup! I felt so bad when I went to bed, could not face

the scale this morning. I think I should schedule a fill. I have heard

that you tighten during your time of the month but

it was the complete opposite for me. Today is a new day....

we can do this!!!!!

I want to see!!!!! I also want some things done once

I reach my goal ....... stetsongirl200x@usamontana.com

Thank you all. I am so thrilled with Dr. Campos, he has done an awsome job. I am a totally a different person. He said that the body fat and from the lipo he got over 20lbs. I havent gotten on a scale yet. I go back to see him on monday but from what I see in the mirror I like it alot. I was so impressed with when he was marking me up on monday as to what was going to be taking off. It was alot. And my boobies are so nice and percky now. Feeling alittle woozy now so im going back upstairs. Again thank you all for having me in youre thoughts. Love you always.

Denise

So glad to hear everything went well. did u have it done at Cos-med?

I know Dr Ortiz recommends them, and

I would love to hear your experience with the clinic you had yours at,

maybe once you are rested and better you can let me know.

Cant wait for u to post some pictures, and 20 lbs less WOW

that is great, Congratulations.....

I was banded at the end of February. Within a short amount of time I noticed my hair started falling out. I asked Dr. Acosta about it and he said that shouldn't be happening. Has this happened to anyone else? If so, what are you taking to help?

YES!!!!I am losing all my hair too, I was banded in December, I have been using NIOXIN, shampoo but the truth is it

is not helping that much. I would love some advice from bandsters that have had this problem...

Hello everyone!!

So I need to take a poll of sorts! First let me give a bit of background, hopefully won't be too lengthy!

I was banded on January 9th. First and second fills got me virtually no restriction so on the 3rd fill I went for a flouroscopy fill and saw my band and that everything looked great. However, I still had very little restriction at 3.0 ccs, so I went in for my 4th and finally at 3.2 I got restriction, not much but I could definitely not eat certain things and I had to chew most things to liquids before they could go down. About a month later I decided to go in for a 5th fill because I was still feeling hungry and was not tight in the morning and was still able to eat more than I thought I should be able too.

During my 5th fill I got totally freaked out. Basically I was told that most people do not need to have this many fills and that at this point I have probably stretched my pouch and need to have a flouro if this fill doesn't take and that if I have stretched my pouch they will completely unfill me and that 90% of the people this happens to have to have the band removed.

I was FREAKED OUT! 2 months ago my band was fine, I saw it myself! so how come all of a sudden they are saying because I need another fill that I have probably done detrimental damage and am going to loose this band???

Ok so they filled me up to 3.8 and sent me on my way practically in tears. My husband wanted Starbucks so I had him get me a big ice water and started sucking it down but I felt a huge lump in my throat so I went right back and they took out .4 which has me now sitting at 3.4 cc's in my 4 cc band. But she said she still wants me to come back for a flouro to check my band.

It has been about a week and I am feeling pretty good restriction, slightly more than before, even lost about 4 lbs but mostly I have been stressed for a week in tears every night thinking, "oh god, another weight loss thing that I have screwed up on and I have waisted $9,000 on!"

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Ok so here is where I need your help. Each of my fills have been $150, $250 for the 1 flouro I had. So far that is almost $800. I need to know if I should really agree to go back and spend another $250 (that I don't have!) to get this X-ray done. I kind of feel like they are telling me this just to get more money out of me.

Also - I know everyone is going to ask me the usual questions so here is the answer - are you using this band as a tool and not a miracle worker? YES! I am eating healthy foods, 3 small meals a day and 1 snack, over 64 oz of water a day, etc etc etc. I am a good bandster, trust me.

However, I am not perfect, I had to get this band for a reason and there have been a few times I have overeaten (not to the point of throwing up but just very stuffed) but I have only PB'd one time and I just don't feel like I have done anything in my eating that would have stretched my pouch.

Is this something you have gone through too? Am I the only one? Have any of you actually stretched your pouches? What happened? Do you think I should have a flouro to put my nerves at ease or let it go and just work with what I have right now?

If I could afford it I would get on a plane to San Diego tomorrow to go down and see OCC but the fact is I cannot, I just can't.

Well I am at 3.7 and 1/2, my last fill i had up to 4cc, but was way to tight could not drink anything so they took

out .2and1/2. i did feel so much better, had great restriction for a week and today i feel a bit hungrier than before.

they say our 4cc band can hold up to 5cc, so there is still a bit more room, I was banded 12-11-08. i to have had 5

fills, but i probably will do my next one at the OCC, just to make sure everything is ok, and not to be over filled that is the worst feeling.

I think if you are feeling restriction and are not Pbing, you should be fine, you can email the occ and tell them what

your fill center said, i am sure you will feel better hearing something from them, they answer back real quick.

Good Luck!!

You had an aggressive fill, which for a newbie can be a bit out of your normal 'zone', I think many of us have been down this road. The last aggressive fill I had it took me two weeks to work through and learning to STOP forcing myself to eat (panic mode) in my brain. Listen to yourself first and foremost; if it freaks you out to be this tight, BUT you are not choking on your spit and still able to get solids down later in the day, then only you can decide what to do.

Here is some advice from two wonderful Fill Nurses that I love to share (and is worth repeating): =)

EMERGENT/URGENT BAND PROBLEMS

What is the difference between Emergent, Urgent and Normal band problems?

EMERGENT: Harsh vomiting (different than pb’ing), unable to swallow saliva or any fluid. You need to go to the Emergency Room and have them give you an IV to hydrate you. You need to tell them you have a lap band and need to have a fluoroscopy to see if it has slipped or you are closed off due to swelling. You need to take your surgeons phone number with you so they can call and talk to him.

Dehydration: symptoms include dizziness, low blood pressure, disorientation, not able to make decisions appropriately. If someone else thinks you are in need help, you probably are because you are too ill to make that decision. It takes more than 24 hours to become dehydrated.

URGENT: When you have frequent throwing up 3-4 or more times per week, you need to be seen by your fill clinic to get a bit of saline removed. If you have heartburn or reflux, you need to be on over the counter Prilosec twice a day, possibly remove a bit of saline from your band. If you let it go on, you risk slippage of the band. After you have a bit taken out, stay on liquids for 1 week, mushy for 1 week, introduce solids slowly.

If your band slams shut after you have had a fill, you should return to your clinic for a bit of unfill. Don’t let it go on too long, you risk slipping your band and dehydration. This prevents and ER visit.

Normal Problems: You can’t eat solids in the morning. Try drinking something hot. This may open your band up and allow you to eat. If you can’t eat in the mornings, try going on liquids for 3 days, then start eating breakfast, larger lunch, smaller dinner. Sometimes this will reset your eating habits. If you just can’t eat in the morning, but can eat later in the day, go ahead and drink a protein drink in the morning to get your protein in. We normally say no liquid proteins, but once in awhile is ok. The whole process behind the band is to eat our protein in solid form, not liquids.

Pb’ing, yakking, tossing your cookies: Are you eating too fast? Not chewing enough? Taking too big a bite? Swallowing hot things too soon? Maybe you need to coat your meat with BBQ sauce or something to help it go down. Try eating with a baby spoon to make sure you are taking smaller bites.

IF you have the flu: You should be fine, but if you are throwing up too much, some fluid out of you band would help. You can drink flat 7-up, gatoraid, apple juice, whatever, forget the calories, just stay hydrated.

WHEN TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR:

Get an unfill if you can’t swallow your spit.

Get an unfill if you can’t eat regular food.

Gen an unfill if you are having heartburn or reflux.

Call your doctor emergently if you are throwing up blood. You might have a tear or rupture in your esophagus. Be sure to tell them you have a band. They may think you have an abdominal problem. Not all problems are related to the band. Just make sure they have the information anyway.

Go to the ER if you haven’t been able to drink any liquids for 24 hours.

Call your surgeon with any concerns.

DO NOT LIVE WITH THROWING UP FOR MORE THAN A FEW DAYS. THE WEIGHT YOU ARE LOSING IS WATER, NOT FAT!

This is not the way to lose weight. You are depleting yourself of needed vitamins and nutrients your body needs to survive.

Great info thanks I will save this for future reference .

I had a similar thing the past 2-3 weeks. I am soooo happy that I went in yesterday for a partial unfill. Even though I wasn't PB'ing alot, i honestly wasn't eating well either (soups, cottage cheese, mushies). It has been so great to be able to eath solid protiens again and drink water and protien drinks without pain or the 45mintues for 1 cup of liquids...

I finally went in because I was getting Acid Reflux.. Not good..

Shy

I was the same way, even swallowing hurt, I was so thirsty,

that after the unfill, I was so happy to drink water!!!!

When liquids are a problem, that is definitely when you need to get an unfill, even if it is just a small one. Dehydration isn't anything to mess with. I'm off to an unfill this afternoon for the same reason. I've been fighting it because I am loosing weight quite fast, but it shouldn't hurt to drink (or eat for that matter). I'm going to see if just a small unfill helps.

Good luck

Louise

Thanks for the advice, I did go in for an unfill, by that time i was

pretty dehydrated.

I was filled last friday, and I am really tight, I have not been throwing up,

but it hurts a bit to drink liquids. I am not very hungry which I love, but I

am thirsty. I have read that you are usually tight the first week after a good fill,

should I wait or get a small unfill?

My surgery was 11 months ago, I would have liked to have been at my goal weight of 155 by now but I am close.... I couldn't get a fill durning the winter months because of the weather and long drive over a pass. So I am finally happy but alittle worried that I might be too tight. The thing I love is that I am not hungry, even when I eat very very little. It is such a great feeling to not have food control my life.

Shy

I hope to get to the point of not being hungry, like you said just being in control eating

is such a great feeling.Wish me luck!!!

I'm at the same spot. But I am thinking that I might get a small unfill because I have PB'ed 1 time each day since my fill. Not sure if I should stick it out or if that is an exceptable amount of PB's per day... I just don't want to have a slippage... Let me know what the OCC says...

Shy

OCC wrote back but really did not say much other than they recommend going to see them if i can

get food and water down ok thenh it is not so urgent. I dont know yet im on liquids today

but they did not comment on how much the band could hold.

I guess i need to plan a trip to TJ just to be on the safe side

I'm at the same spot. But I am thinking that I might get a small unfill because I have PB'ed 1 time each day since my fill. Not sure if I should stick it out or if that is an exceptable amount of PB's per day... I just don't want to have a slippage... Let me know what the OCC says...

Shy

I sure will, when was your surgery? We started off pretty close in weight, I was 203 on surgery day,

now I am at 188, you have done so good, I am hoping this fill will do it..... I have a ways to go

till 1st goal.

Hi everyone hoping for some feedback, I had my 5th fill today, they told me i was at 4cc, that is the size of my band!

my weight loss has been real slow so i know i have needed the fills, but now I am afraid is it going to burst, does anyone have

the max in there band or has more in it? I emailed the OCC today to see what the say but i am a bit worried.

Will i be able to lose weight if I need another fill. I think i am pretty close to my sweet spot, because i did feel a big difference

from the 4th fill, but I guess I am scared......

Wow, you look great. I think alot of us can relate to not going out

because of our weight. Keep up the great work!!!!!

Okay - so to work for me today. I havent worn a smock in over a year because of changing jobs. Well back to smocks today. The XL used to be really uncomfortable - tight on upper legs and shoulders. So I bought a medium and Im swimming in them WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO OMG I NEVER thought I would have to buy a SMALL in something! Off to the store after work! I cant wait until all my swelling is gone so I can see what happens with jeans wooooooooooooooooot wooooooooooooooooot

Congratulations on everything !!!! Your weight loss is so great, I also was banded in December, unfortunately

my loss has very, very slow. Do you mind sharing the price of your surgery. I am really considering going to cosmed

once I reach my goal.

Hi all

I have read lots of posts about people who are frustrated about the slow pace of their weight loss and I thought I would share a bit of my "battle" so far. I was banded on Dec 15 '08 and everything went amazingly well. I had no complications, very little discomfort and an easy trip back and forth from Mexico. It helped that as a student I had 3 full weeks to recuperate before I had anything major planned.

The day my 3 weeks of fluids was up I came down with what we thought was an eye infection. After several weeks I received a diagnosis of iritis which is an inflammatory disease that can really only be treated with steroids and anti-inflammatories. The condition effected my ability to read, and as a student finishing my 4 year of a BA in preparation for applying to grad school I was very stressed. It also had the potential to cause permanent damage or blindness (thankfully it didn't).

I had my first at the end of January and my second the beginning of March with very little movement on the scales. I had lost a total of 14lbs since my surgery, most of that on the post-op liquid diet. Thankfully my fill doctor pointed out that I had been going through a very stressful time with little restriction and I HADN'T GAINED any weight, which in the past I would have easily gained 10 lbs.

I was still frustrated with the amount of weight I had lost on my last visit with my Dr. when he pointed out that not only had I not gained weight while stressed, but I was on steroid eye drops at a high dosage during that period and I really should have gained weight but was able to maintain. I can't believe I hadn't thought of that myself.

What I realized after all of this is I had reverted to my previous way of thinking, that I can't loose this weight, and that I started thinking that maybe this wouldn't work for me. I was focusing only on the numbers on the scale and not the big picture.

Now it's May, and at the end of April I was finally completely healthy again, I finished my term with a 4.0GPA (woohoo), and had my 3rd fill and finally got real restriction. I also bought a bodybugg, something I was putting off due to the cost, as an extra tool and a reward for surviving my semester. In the past 2 weeks I have finally seen movement on the scales and lost 4 lbs.

So the moral of the story is......things don't always work out the way you want. Sometimes things occur that are beyond your control and you need to re-evaluate what success looks like based on your actual circumstances. It's been almost 5 months and I've lost 20 lbs in total. I wish it were more but it's 4 lbs a month (1 lb a week) which is a healthy weight loss, something the lapband is intended to provide, not the rapid and (IMO) dangerous weight loss after bypass surgery. Logically I know this is true but part of my still needs convincing so I guess this email is to help convince myself as well as share with others.

Louise

I had surgery in August of last year and I've had about maybe five sodas since February. For me, they're sometimes uncomfortable to drink now because of the carbonation. It makes me feel super bloated. If I sip one, I'm usually okay. It's weird, I generally don't order anything to drink anymore when I'm out and about so, it's really easy to not drink soda or my calories in general. I do like a nice glass of orange juice once in awhile--it's a nice change up from water/coffe/crystal light for me.

They say carbonated drinks may stretch your pouch. Would it be safe after 6 months ?

Hi everyone, hoping I could get some feed back on this, OCC said we could

drink carbonated beverages 6 months after surgery. I will be in June and would love

to hear about everyones thoughts or experiences. For alot of us I know it is a huge

accomplishment to have gone this far without a soda ect..

But I have been craving a glass of champagne, and want to get

some advice before.

Hi, The fill doctor at the OCC told me I could eat for both my second and third fills and that I didn't have to do liquids--I have 3cc's in my band and my restriction comes and goes.

Thanks, I will take it slow then, I have had a few things get stuck before and will

do anything to avoid it. I hope this is the start of my weight loss, I am very excited

I thank everyone who shares there journey, I learn every time I log on.

Hi everyone, can you tell me how soon I can eat solids, I had my 3rd fill yesterday.

I am up to 3cc, from 2.5cc, I hope I have some restriction with this fill, I was not

able to go back to the OCC, so I had it done local, it was a blind fill. I have not had great results so far, I have lost

only 10 lbs. since surgery 3 months ago.

I hope I can start losing now.

I'm feeling super frustrated today. I know I have lost quite a bit of weight since starting my pre-op diet on November 1 and I'm not complaining about that. However, I feel like I'm dieting. I don't mind this because I'm making life changes, but it feels like everything is based on willpower and that the band is doing nothing for me. If I eat to fast or don't chew enough then things get stuck and I know that I have a band. But, if I slow down and chew... I'm fine, but I never feel full, never. I'm talking comfortable, not stuffed. For example, today I ate a bean burrito from Taco Bell for lunch. Normally, that would be more that 1/3 of what I used to eat, but I could easily eat a taco or something else to feel satisfied. When I get to my "sweet spot" will things be different? I have been out-of-town for several days for legislative sessions at the state capitol and one night we went out to dinner... I was bad --- and, gained a couple of pounds back. I had chips and salsa, I ate two chicken fajitas (with the works) and then I ate the rest of the meat off of the skillet plate. Okay, I was full but no issues of PB-ing or sliming. I just hate that everything is willpower and it seems nothing is bandpower. Sorry for venting, I'm just extremely frustrated today. Not to mention I started TOM about two weeks after surgery and it has not stopped yet!

Kristy

I am feeling the exact same way, I havnt lost much weight at all, I had my first fill Jan. 22nd and I have lost 1 lb. since

I feel so terrible, I am hoping to have better results with my second fill, I am counting the days to be able to get it,

I am sick of being fat, please let us know the results of your 2nd fill, I wish you the best of luck!!!!

Yay Amanda! Ok, just remember when I mentioned about your first fill is like a 'primer'. At first you may or may not feel anything, but stay on the required full liquids and then slowly progress to softer foods and then full solids. For me, my restriction didn't 'kick in' until a week later, when I was in full solids. Yes, the whole is smaller so you need to do the 'practicing' of taking those small bites, chewing the dickens out of it before you swallow and eat slowly. Also, remember the 1/3 of what you use to eat ruling. These are major keys for losing weight right now. Remember, too, your protein and calorie intakes and make sure you get then in daily to maximize weight loss as well.

ALL OF YOU ARE DOING GREAT! Keep up the good work!.

JazzyJude I read your posts everyday, they have been a real help for me,

so i dont get my first fill untill the 22nd, and I have been pretty hungry you say we

should eat 1/3 of what we ate before, is that after your fill or before?