should i be considering a fill?

[happygirl02]

well, i'm not going to give you my exercise or eating habits because i've seen way too many folks verbally beaten up or chastised if they don't meet someone else's personal criteria. fact is, we all deal with weight problems stemming from poor eating habits and exercise habits. this is WHY we have the lapband in the first place

- that's not to have you all assume that i eat horribly or lay around all day... i just don't want it to be a factor in your answers at this point.

over one year with band. have lost very little. have had 3 fills. very rarely feel true restriction but OFTEN have things get stuck. i chew the heck out of all my food and don't drink with my meals. my question is this... if i am not losing even with proper diet and exercise, am NOT feeling restriction but AM having things get stuck, should i consider another fill? the fact that i am getting stuck fairly often but not feeling restriction concerns me - does this mean my band may have slipped upwards? in no way do i want to become one of the bandsters that is thrilled to eat 4 bites of food and call it a meal. it's not because i am unwilling to give up my food, it is because i am a firm believer in nutrition and not pushing my body into self-preservation mode (ie - storing up calories/fat because it's not sure when the next fuel-up will come).

thanks for your thoughts!

[losinglucy]

Who are they to judge you. It does sound like you need a bit more in your band. 1 cc could make a world of difference. Everyone loses at their own pace. Please don't let what others are saying bother you. Who did you have the band put in for anyway? I'm sure the answer is yourself, right?

[Holly]

I agree with Lucy

[karingwiz]

Hi fellow Canadian

Well, let me tell you I have had the band since mid June. Its a larger band, so it means you need more to get good restriction. I sent an email to the OCC and asked to have my surgery report and on it, it says what type and size of band you have.

I had my first fill in Aug, that was 4ccs in a 10cc band. So doing the math, thats about 40% full.

This is not the only thing to consider, how full the band is, because everyone has a different amount of fat around their organs. For me, I have most of my weight around the middle (definate apple shape) so that means more fat in that area. Thats what I think given all the Dr. Oz books and prevention magazines I have read.

I had the same kind of thing you are describing after the first fill. I didnt get much warning (no restriction) until it was too late, what I mean is that something would get stuck and then it would be really really uncomfortable for 30 mins with spitting and I did throw up about 4 times in 2 months. Thats scary and something you want to avoid. But, mostly this happened because I ate too fast and did not chew properly and had I had more restriction, I think I would not have done this.

Some of the info you get on the lap band talks about eating only about 1/2 a cup of food at a time. How ridiculous! I called and talked to the OCC about this and fill centres usa. They told me this is what a pouch can hold, if its a real pouch (properly restricted). So, now it makes sense to me.

I have also been reading up on alot of people here who have had great success, take Holly for example, WOW, 180 pounds lost!

It seems that the successful bansters have eventually gotton to about 70-75% full on their bands. Definately atleast 50%. Sounds like it should be done gradually but that costs more money. Since I have only lost 5 pounds in 2 months, and the nearest fill place is 3.5 hours drive, I decided to go with an agressive fill.

So, as of yesterday, I am now 72% full (I have 7.2ccs in my 10cc band) and I am really full. I can drink clear liquids no problem, but I have to sip smaller amounts, no more gulping. So, now my pouch is getting filled, even with liquid, and slowly emptying vs before it would just pass through unless it was blocked by some bread or something.

Today I have had some soup again, but in wanting to have some protein, I cut up some pieces of lean ham and I was able to only eat 1/2 cup and chewed each very well, before I got the danger signals. No spitting, yes, a couple of burps, but mostly the really tight feeling in the chest. So I think that means the pouch is full and it will take ??? 1 hour??? to empty which is why you cant have anything more during that time or you will vomit. This is good, in my view, because now I can't over eat at any one time.

Anyway, I hope my limited experience helps give you some insight.

I have yet to see if this allows me to lose atleast a pound a week if not more.

Check in on me if you like to see. Feel free to add me to your friends list.

Karin G

[Holly]

I also have the larger band...and now have 7.2cc's in it. It takes awhile to get to the right point. There was a long time when I didn't think I would ever get there! Thanks for bragging on me Karin!

[Littleroo27]

well, i'm not going to give you my exercise or eating habits because i've seen way too many folks verbally beaten up or chastised if they don't meet someone else's personal criteria. fact is, we all deal with weight problems stemming from poor eating habits and exercise habits. this is WHY we have the lapband in the first place

- that's not to have you all assume that i eat horribly or lay around all day... i just don't want it to be a factor in your answers at this point.

over one year with band. have lost very little. have had 3 fills. very rarely feel true restriction but OFTEN have things get stuck. i chew the heck out of all my food and don't drink with my meals. my question is this... if i am not losing even with proper diet and exercise, am NOT feeling restriction but AM having things get stuck, should i consider another fill? the fact that i am getting stuck fairly often but not feeling restriction concerns me - does this mean my band may have slipped upwards? in no way do i want to become one of the bandsters that is thrilled to eat 4 bites of food and call it a meal. it's not because i am unwilling to give up my food, it is because i am a firm believer in nutrition and not pushing my body into self-preservation mode (ie - storing up calories/fat because it's not sure when the next fuel-up will come).

thanks for your thoughts!

I know you don't want to say what you eat, and I get that, so I'll just say, consider what you are eating. What gets stuck the most? Personally, I almost never eat grilled chicken because it is almost ALWAYS bone dry. Hand me a grilled chicken sandwich from Wendy's and I might as well put it straight in the toilet, because it's going to end up there anyway, bread or no bread.

Like you, I currently feel very little restriction (my fill today was just NOT enough), but still PB on occasion. Almost always, it's because either I ate something that just refuses to be reduced to tiny bits (or likes to change into cement after being swallowed), or I ate too much too fast / didn't chew enough.

I've HAD perfect restriction before. It was awesome, and I miss it (wow, a down side to losing weight!). Hopefully given another couple of months and another fill or two, I will get it back and get this show back on the road, but until then, I'm slowly retraining myself to eat slower, eat solid foods, and be concious of the "soft stop."

I would suggest calling your doctor (either Dr. Ortiz or your fill doctor) and being very honest about what you eat. Maybe even keep a food diary and note when you had problems. Then you should be able to figure out if you need a fill or maybe a modified diet.

Good luck!

[magkai1]

I'm really enjoying this thread. Very informative.