JazzyJude's 2nd fill

[JazzyJude]

Hi Everyone!

I had my 2nd fill Saturday and it was a great experience, again!

Dr. Acosta had done my fill and he gave me a .6cc fill. That is a total of 1.6 fill in my 4cc band. Dr. Acosta, like Dr. So, was very good in explaining what he was doing before he was going to do it.

Again, no numbing rub or shot before he stuck me with a needle and to be honest, I didn't really feel anything except the 'pressure' of him going in. Since I knew how it felt the first time, I wasn't nervous at all. Again, he did the same thing Dr. So did on my first fill. He placed his fingers where my port was and spread apart to make my skin taunt and then announced he was going to insert the needle and that was it. He wrapped the sanitary cloth around the needle and proceeded the process with drinking the 'strawberry margarita'. It was still cool to see on the screen, my stomach and watching the fluids go down! I know I had the option to have a free blind fill or pay for the fluoro. I like the assurance to know my band is good and it was conforting for me.

I asked a few questions and here's what he said:

> Since I had to wait between 6 to 8 weeks for my first fill and then wait at least 4 weeks for my 2nd fill, how long do I wait for the next and future fills? He said when you feel you can no longer control your portion control and/or you've lost the willpower completely. He suggests when you feel the least bit more hungry, or you continue to eat more than you normally eat, try drinking water. If you still are hungry after 30 minutes later, then it's time to schedule your next fill.

> How long should I go on full liquids? 3 days, then start solids, staring with softer foods and then progress to harder foods such as steak (this is OCC's general standard rules).

> How much food should I be eating, per meal? You should be eating NO MORE than 1/3 portion of what you use to eat. (So, for me, the general food guideline was not enough for me this time around - see below).

He asked me several questions on how I was doing, what I am eating, exercising, etc. I told him I felt like I was either gaining or plateauing. He asked how much have I've lost and I told him and he said my body hasn't caught up with my weight loss and I need time for my body to adjust and catch up, and for me to be patience. When I mentioned my portion size (2-3 oz proteins, 1/4 cup veggie/fruit, and 1/4 cups grain/starches, he was surprised. He says that I am NOT eating enough food - period. He says I am eating the right food (thank goodness) but not enough of it. So, I am upping my protein to 1/2 cup (4 oz) to see if that would make a difference. Also, of late, I've not been drinking ALL of my water either (I must be on the holiday mode?!?!). And this would make my weight plateau also. AND, I've not been holding myself accountable with the DAILY exercises as well. But I knew all of this and I told myself I was not going to go real strict during the Christmas and New Year holiday festival, etc. This was my decision.

Jan 8 is my 3 months bandiversary and it is THEN, when I can mentally go full force with my weight loss. I just can't focus on it right now and don't want the pressure of it either. Just going to go slow and be alert and stay on track as much as possible.

Today marks day 3 after my fill Saturday and I am really just full on liquids. Listening to the experienced, I am having hot chocolate in the mornings to 'loosen' my band entry for easing entering into my old stomach and not feel super, duper tight. It's working so far. I heard Kimmy did liquids for 7 days, but I am going to go for 5 days, which would put me to Wed, Christmas Eve and will join my family for our Christmas tradition of festivities and then go completely on solid on Christmas Day. So, here's to a good fill for awhile...

((HUGS!))

[BrandNewDawn]

Jazzy,

Thank you for posting the 1/3 of what you used to eat rule. I was told this when I was banded and I think Dr. Ortiz says it in one of his videos. I was told again at my first and second fill, as was my husband. I told Doctor Acosta about the 1/4 cup guideline on the forum and he told me the same thing, not enough food to keep you full. Also, I have never had anyone tell me anything about calories. Did he tell you that you should only be eating 1,200 calories a day? Is that from Dr. Ortiz's book? All I was ever told was 1/3 of what you used to eat. Same for my husband.

Anyway, I hope you get good restriction. Dr. So told me liquids for 3 days after my second fill (the one I had to have removed) but he let my husband eat after his second fill. Everyone is different I guess.

Great information. Thanks for posting.

Dawn

[JazzyJude]

Jazzy,

Thank you for posting the 1/3 of what you used to eat rule. I was told this when I was banded and I think Dr. Ortiz says it in one of his videos. I was told again at my first and second fill, as was my husband. I told Doctor Acosta about the 1/4 cup guideline on the forum and he told me the same thing, not enough food to keep you full. Also, I have never had anyone tell me anything about calories. Did he tell you that you should only be eating 1,200 calories a day? Is that from Dr. Ortiz's book? All I was ever told was 1/3 of what you used to eat. Same for my husband.

Anyway, I hope you get good restriction. Dr. So told me liquids for 3 days after my second fill (the one I had to have removed) but he let my husband eat after his second fill. Everyone is different I guess.

Great information. Thanks for posting.

Dawn

Hi Dawn! Yes, try to make sure you get between 1000 to 1200 calories a day. If you do hard core exercises, to increase to 1500.

Also, let me clarify too. I was not having enough PROTEINS...to increase from 3 oz to 4 oz, which is 1/2 cup. I was doing anywhere between 2 - 3 oz (1/4 to 1/3 cup). So, with the exercises I was doing, I didn't have enough to burn the calories nor balance out my metabolism, which put me on a plateau. The key, of course, is the protein intake and to have between 60 to 90 grams a day...and I was barely doing 60grams.

Hope this helps you!

[tnm75]

JazzyJude,

Thanks for such an informative post! I head to the OCC for my first fill on Friday, January 16. I'm so excited! I bought a treadmill and it's sitting in my garage... I've been begging my nephews and brother-in-law to get in in my house and set up. Like you, I'm kinda waiting until after the holidays to mentally go full force. Plus, I get to eat food on Wednesday. Time flew by!

Kristy

[JazzyJude]

JazzyJude,

Thanks for such an informative post! I head to the OCC for my first fill on Friday, January 16. I'm so excited! I bought a treadmill and it's sitting in my garage... I've been begging my nephews and brother-in-law to get in in my house and set up. Like you, I'm kinda waiting until after the holidays to mentally go full force. Plus, I get to eat food on Wednesday. Time flew by!

Kristy

Your welcome Kristy! I just thought it was important to know that you must have the right portion of food for you and your body BUT, don't go overboard. At the same token, it's important to have time to relax and heal the first (3) months before you go for any strengenous/hard core exercises, which I KNOW me, would want to do right off. I need to be patience about this whole new journey and do it slow and steady to make this weight loss a successful one for me.

[czechkk]

Hey Jazzy,

I went for my 2 week post off today and had the barrium swallow to make sure I didn't slip my band since I had alot of dry heaves the 1st day of surgery. All is well. I had my surgery in Texas at True Results and they told me to start on solids tomorrow and my 1st fill will be 1-9-08 which is short a month by 1 day.

Well any suggestions or comments on this? I see you guys are waiting 21 days before starting solids. I just don't want to mess something up. I didn't get to see the doctor only the nurse as the surgeon is in Dallas.

Just confused and getting hungry.

Karen "K.K."

[JazzyJude]

Hey Jazzy,

I went for my 2 week post off today and had the barrium swallow to make sure I didn't slip my band since I had alot of dry heaves the 1st day of surgery. All is well. I had my surgery in Texas at True Results and they told me to start on solids tomorrow and my 1st fill will be 1-9-08 which is short a month by 1 day.

Well any suggestions or comments on this? I see you guys are waiting 21 days before starting solids. I just don't want to mess something up. I didn't get to see the doctor only the nurse as the surgeon is in Dallas.

Just confused and getting hungry.

Karen "K.K."

Hi Karen! Glad to see you made it thus far. You have a different post op diet than the OCC patients and I am not sure if you are on mushy, soft, or solid-solid foods? Check with your paperwork to see what stage on the solid foods you are on and if you have any questions or concerns, call your dr's office to get some clarifications. Don't guess as you don't want to risk your band.

For the OCC bandsters, we do the 7 days 'clear liquids', which is mostly broth and protein water. Day 8 to 21, we are on the 'creamy soups', which is mostly creamed textured soups and then starting day 22, we go on solid foods with eating 1/3 of what we use to eat. In my case, it's 1/2 cup of proteins (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, beans), 1/4 cup of veggie/fruit, and 1/4 cup of grain/starches (rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereal) per meal, 3 meals a day and about 1200 calories a day.

For hunger pangs ~ I switch off between the chewable Fiber Choice for Weight Manangement (Strawberry) and the Metamucil capsules, daily ~ one at 10am and one between 3 - 4pm. I don't get hungry by sticking with this time frame.

Hope this helps you and Welcome to Bandland!

[Rican]

Hi JazzyJude,

It's great to see how good you're doing. Do you always go to OCC for your fills? I live in Las Vegas so I'm flying in on 01/05/09 in the morning and coming back the same day in the evening. This will be my first fill. I'm kind oif nervous because I am wondering if anything is wrong since I have no restrction at all. I Had my lapband done on 11/07/08 and I weighed 192 lbs. Now I am weighing 173 lbs.

Is there anything I should do or shouldn't do before I go for my 1st fill? I haven't spoke to anyone so I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. Pls let me know anything that you think might help. Who is the one who does the fills at OCC?

Thanks so much

[JazzyJude]

Hi JazzyJude,

It's great to see how good you're doing. Do you always go to OCC for your fills? I live in Las Vegas so I'm flying in on 01/05/09 in the morning and coming back the same day in the evening. This will be my first fill. I'm kind oif nervous because I am wondering if anything is wrong since I have no restrction at all. I Had my lapband done on 11/07/08 and I weighed 192 lbs. Now I am weighing 173 lbs.

Is there anything I should do or shouldn't do before I go for my 1st fill? I haven't spoke to anyone so I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. Pls let me know anything that you think might help. Who is the one who does the fills at OCC?

Thanks so much

Hi Ricon! Both my first and second fills were done at OCC under fluoro and yes, I will always have them done there. So far, Dr. So did my first fill and Dr. Acosta did my second fill. Both were good and had a wonderful experience receiving them. My first fill was a 'primer' fill for my future fills yet to come. Meaning, you will not get an aggressive tight fill because your body may rebel or reject such action. So, doing fills progressively is a good thing and in the mean time, you will put use to your 'practicing' of cutting your food into small dime-size pieces, chewing at 30 times before swallowing and eating slowly.

Don't be nervous, it's natural to feel nervous of the 'unknown'. You don't have any restriction at all when your band was put on you at surgery. Your first 3 months is your healing time and focusing on the good things yet to come between you and your band. As far as what you should be doing? Portion control is the key with eating 1/3 of what you use to eat ~ eat in this order: proteins, veggies/fruits, and grains/starches/carbs. PROTEINS is the key! Make sure you are taking your daily PROTEINS, between 60 to 90 grams, drinking all your water, and exercising.

Bottom line ~ if in doubt or have concerns, contact your doctor/nutritionist for assistance and peace of mind. Every person's body is different and reacts/responds differently too.

Good luck and keep us posted on your fill. Love to hear of your experience!

[JazzyJude]

Hi Everyone!

I had my 2nd fill Saturday and it was a great experience, again!

Dr. Acosta had done my fill and he gave me a .6cc fill. That is a total of 1.6 fill in my 4cc band.

Hi All ~ I thought I'd give you an update since my 2nd fill, 15 days ago. It is really a good fill and I believe this is what they call your "sweet spot". I am eating way less than my 1/3 portion I use to eat, for sure! I truly believe after you've done a few fills, there is no way you could eat 1/3 of what you use to eat ~ I know I can't! In fact, if I added all three (3) meals I eat now daily, it wouldn't even come close to 1/3 of what I use to eat.

Currently, I am trying to follow the following ratio of foods: 4 oz (1/2 cup) protein (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese), 2 oz (1/4 cup) veggie/fruit, and 2 oz (1/4 cup) grain/starch/carbs. But in reality, I am only able to actually EAT 2 oz of meat, 1 oz of veggie or fruit, and can't get to the grains/starches/carbs yet. My 'snacks' are the 6 oz protein shakes I use (AmazeRX) that has 17grams if I am low on my protein intake. If I still need more proteins, then I will have a whey liquid protein bullet (42 grams)and mixed it in my Crystal Lite drinks or Gatoraid. I find I don't snack in the evenings as much, so my apple and cheese are not happening. So, I will eat a cheddar cheese stick during the day either for my lunch or mid afternoon break at work. I am constantly drinking my water, protein water, etc, and I DO notice my skin and hair are really healthy....THIS is a good thing!

So far, so good...

[determination]

Hi Jazzy Jude,

I remember you saying right after you second fill that you didn't feel much restriction. Did it take a while for your body to respond to it? I think today would be 14 days since you had your second fill. I am so hoping that that will be the way it is for me, except what am I thinking I haven't even had my first fill yet. I am trying to schedule everything for Feb. 11. Do you feel any restriction at all after the first one?

[michelleintj]

Hi All ~ I thought I'd give you an update since my 2nd fill, 15 days ago. It is really a good fill and I believe this is what they call your "sweet spot". I am eating way less than my 1/3 portion I use to eat, for sure! I truly believe after you've done a few fills, there is no way you could eat 1/3 of what you use to eat ~ I know I can't! In fact, if I added all three (3) meals I eat now daily, it wouldn't even come close to 1/3 of what I use to eat.

Currently, I am trying to follow the following ratio of foods: 4 oz (1/2 cup) protein (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese), 2 oz (1/4 cup) veggie/fruit, and 2 oz (1/4 cup) grain/starch/carbs. But in reality, I am only able to actually EAT 2 oz of meat, 1 oz of veggie or fruit, and can't get to the grains/starches/carbs yet. My 'snacks' are the 6 oz protein shakes I use (AmazeRX) that has 17grams if I am low on my protein intake. If I still need more proteins, then I will have a whey liquid protein bullet (42 grams)and mixed it in my Crystal Lite drinks or Gatoraid. I find I don't snack in the evenings as much, so my apple and cheese are not happening. So, I will eat a cheddar cheese stick during the day either for my lunch or mid afternoon break at work. I am constantly drinking my water, protein water, etc, and I DO notice my skin and hair are really healthy....THIS is a good thing!

So far, so good...

Hi Jazzy, Wow that's great...I was starting to get worried because I was reading other people's post that they weren't feeling much restriction or loosing anything after their first couple of weeks of starting on solids... Where do you find the protein bullet, what brand are they?

[JazzyJude]

Hi Jazzy Jude,

I remember you saying right after you second fill that you didn't feel much restriction. Did it take a while for your body to respond to it? I think today would be 14 days since you had your second fill. I am so hoping that that will be the way it is for me, except what am I thinking I haven't even had my first fill yet. I am trying to schedule everything for Feb. 11. Do you feel any restriction at all after the first one?

Anne ~ so sorry I didn't see your post, somehow missed yours and Sabrina's. On my 1st fill, I only had restriction for a short time and had to wait for a couple of weeks later to get my 2nd fill. Since then, Dec 20 (23 days later) I am still feeling my 'sweet spor;. I didn't feel the 2nd restriction right off until a week later when it 'kicked in'. I am tight with this 2nd fill so I am hoping this will last for a while...

[JazzyJude]

Hi Jazzy, Wow that's great...I was starting to get worried because I was reading other people's post that they weren't feeling much restriction or loosing anything after their first couple of weeks of starting on solids... Where do you find the protein bullet, what brand are they?

Hi Sabrina ~ sorry I didn't catch your message sooner! Each person is going to their own experience with each fill. It just so happen with me, this 2nd fill is a GOOD one for me right now. As for the "whey liquid protein bullets", I got them at GNC when they were on sale for $2.09 per tube. They are about 6"long, in a tube-like vial and comes in (4) flavors, fruit punch, orange, blue raspberry and grape. WONDERFUL stuff! I sure get my enery up with those, for sure! LOL