Ding Ding Ding "Restriction"

[chopper]

Hello all. First let me say that I am not posting this especially for those that have been through this although your comments are welcome, but for the ones that are about to or will soon be going through this.

My wife and I went to the OCC last Friday for our first fills. I wasn't having an especially good stomach day as we had a few sugar free mints (for ear popping she said) on the flight down from Washington and since we hadn't eaten they really never seemed to help that much but they got my stomach rolling and gurgling. Anyways we finally got to see Dr. So and as soon as he had me swallow the barium so I could watch the fluid flow down through my band it was like the light came on for me. I thought, ahaw! so that's why sometimes when I swallow a big gulp of water it seems to take forever for it to go down. Well Duh, guess I should have known but this doesn't always happen. I mean sometimes I could chug 12 ounces and never feel it back up at all but like I said I was having some restriction that day and it just kind of clicked. Could have been the stress of trying to make it there on time which we never and it wasn't a problem (thanks Mellissa) or the extra trip around the block for our taxi driver to find the place or whatever.

I ended up getting 3cc in my 10cc band and I watched as he tried to put 4cc in and it was too much. Well on Monday we got to start back on solids and first thing I did was get a sausage bar on the way to work that morning. I know not the best choice for breakfast but they didn't have the chicken strips out yet. I took a normal bite out of it and swallowed and all of a sudden it wouldn't go down all the way. Well I ended up waiting awhile and all was fine but it was uncomfortable for a bit. Then for lunch I had a bowl of Southwest chicken campbells something. It's kind of chunky and I took a big spoonful of that to start lunch and it too got stuck. I thought to myself so this is what restriction is like. I ended being able to only eat half of the soup for lunch teensy tiny bites at a time so I was sure there wouldn't be a problem and got full before I expected it.

I continue to be able to eat only about a quarter of what I could before I got banded and be full. Wow this is great!! Anyways just wanted to share with those that are about to embark on there first fill or soon will be. I understand not everyone feels restriction with their first fill and I must admit I feel lucky to have achieved it but it is a good feeling.

Dr. So says that we should not need to have another fill until we experience a lot of hunger between meals or when we just don't feel satisfied with the smaller portions any longer. I think if you take the time to eat slowly and chew, chew, chew that could be some time to come. I also believe that anyone that takes 20 minutes to eat their meal will feel full when when they are finished with it. Sorry if some of this sounds off base to you more experienced fellow bandsters but in my semi newbie state that is how I feel now. I may come to learn differently.

I never felt I had restriction before being filled the first time, but after watching the barium swallow prior to any saline being added I am now sure I did have some. As had been said here many times before the band is fickle and you MUST learn to pay attention to it so yah dont mess it up. It's not like a sledgehammer to the head which would be obvious. It is more subtle and if we pay attention we can tell when enough is enough.

What a great thing. I love my band!!!

Chris

[ckiki]

Thank you so much for posting this. I am getting my first fill in a week and a half at the OCC, and I cannot wait. This week has been tough, because I feel like I can eat alot, compared to that first week on solids and it makes me discouraged. Also, since I am now used to eating, I seem to forget and not chew enough and eat too fast, and I can feel a slight feeling in my chest, like my band is telling me something..lol. So I need to learn to eat slow again and chew like I did those first few days of solids. I really hope to have some kind of restriction from my first fill.

[FLGIRL]

Great post for us newbies. Thanks

[SheRee]

Thank you so much for posting this. I really needed to hear it. I am getting my first fill this Saturday. At this point I have ZERO willpower nor do I feel like I ever even had surgery. I can eat ALOT and I DO. I know this is "wrong" but I feel as if there is NO restriction. I sincerely hope I have done any damage by overeating but I have never felt any restriction or tightness or pain or like anything is stuck. I just eat. It sucks so bad becaus eI am a single mom on a teacher's salary and it seems to me like I wasted so big wad of money at this point. I pray that after my fill I will feel restriction and lose weight....after all that's the point of the surgery. I just really thought that there would be SOME kind of difference with just the band. Anyway, I can't wait until Saturday. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ME!

Again, thanks for the post.

SheRee

[crazycoolbutterfly]

:lb17: Chopper, I am glad that you feel some restriction, isn't it great and awful at the same time? Funny, I know-- great because you know that the band is working but awful because sometimes in the moment or on the go, forgetting to chew properly or eating too quickly will give you a pain right away. Good for you, thanks for sharing.

[JenniferJS]

Great post, thanks for sharing, Chopper. Just because you are new (like I am) doesn't mean you can't share your experiences. Your input is just as valuable to me as the long term bandsters. Keep us posted!

Jennifer

[nicolek]

Hey Chopper

Great post! even us longer banded people. I have to get a first fill again after an emergency unfill and start from scratch.

[SamanthaW]

Thanks Chopper!! I am getting a fill a week from today at NW Fill Management and I am SOO ready for it! I do eat less but not enough less and i can eat whatever I want right now which is not good for me because I make bad choices. I hope that things like breads and tortillas don't work for me anymore because they are the primary reason that I am fat.

Right now I am just trying to make sure I don't gain any weight back. I am sitting right at 20 lbs lost so keeping my fingers crossed that i never see the 230's again.

Good luck with your progress and new restriction!!

[JazzyJude]

:lb17: Chopper, I am glad that you feel some restriction, isn't it great and awful at the same time? Funny, I know-- great because you know that the band is working but awful because sometimes in the moment or on the go, forgetting to chew properly or eating too quickly will give you a pain right away. Good for you, thanks for sharing.

OH! I am so with you on this! It's so great that I eat so little but sad that I can't eat some of the foods I use to but that is the price I paid for a healthier me!

YAY! Glad to see you have good restriction! Thanks so much for sharing your experience and hope the restriction last for a long while.

[MrsParris]

Thanks for the post. I have the 4 cc band and have fairly decent restriction. My husband is being banded in April and we fully expect him to get the larger band. We also thought it would take quite a few fills for him to get restriction. I can't wait to let him know that he could possibly get it with only one fill. Thanks again!

Kimberly

[chopper]

Thank you all for posting in my thread. Please don't take it personally that I don't take time to answer each one individually but I would like to. I just don't have time right now. Good luck to all of you first fillers and 2nd and 3rd fillers for that matter. I really appreciate this board and am more than happy to share from time to time.