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1. How long did it take you to reach restriction/sweet spot?
I am not sure there is a magic sweet spot

2. Did you have to have any unfills after that?
I have had a lot of fills and unfill

3. If you have restriction/sweet spot, is it the way it was advertised to be?
yes I believe the band works like I was told it would , its a lot more maitenance and work  then I was told

4. How long can you stay full after a meal?
4-6 hours

5. If you never reached restriction, how long have you had your band? do to sinus problems it had fluctuated I have had my band 3 1/4 years

6. Does the band prevent you from eating "healthy dense protein"?
No

7. Would you say that your band has worked in the way the manufacturers advertise it to work?
I would say so

8. If you knew then what you know now, would you have chosen the band?
if it was my only option "Yes "if I had a choice it might have went with another surgery but I will never know I made my choice and i will live with it. It has not been an easy journy but I would do it again. I am definitly healthier than I was 3 years ago

1. How long did it take you to reach restriction/sweet spot? I got it after each fill, but then it would go away again. I think I hit what is considered the "Green Zone" at about 18 months.
2. Did you have to have any unfills after that? No, I have only had 1 unfill, and it was after the first fill. I, apparently, need to be filled slow and steady. The first fill of 3ccs was miserable, but I've been fine ever since with 1/2 - 1/4 ccs at each fill.
3. If you have restriction/sweet spot, is it the way it was advertised to be? Sort of. I din't know it would fluxuate so much based on PMS, morning vs. night, having a cold, etc. But basically, yes.
4. How long can you stay full after a meal? Again, it all depends on the time of day, time of the month, etc. But generally 4 hours.
5. If you never reached restriction, how long have you had your band? N/A
6. Does the band prevent you from eating "healthy dense protein"? I don't eat read meat, so I can't comment on that, but chicken is only okay for me if I slow cook it. And even at that, I can only have it the first night--leftovers are almost never an option.
7. Would you say that your band has worked in the way the manufacturers advertise it to work? Not sure about what the manufactuers have to say (I listened more to my doctors) and I do not feel "duped". The doctors and surgeons were very upfront about the risks and possible complications, but felt that with my size and situation, this might be the best surgery for me.
8. If you knew then what you know now, would you have chosen the band? There was a time that I would have said no-- I watched a family member lose all of her weight from RNY in 6 months, as I struggled through slowly, but apart from that frustration and jealousy, I am satisfied and, so far, I'll say that I would choose it again.

1. How long did it take you to reach restriction/sweet spot?  5 Months to get a little restriction.  About 9 months to hit the sweet spot...

2. Did you have to have any unfills after that?  No, not until this past Dec. after an overfill.

3. If you have restriction/sweet spot, is it the way it was advertised to be?  For me,  yes.

4. How long can you stay full after a meal?  5-6 hours sometimes more...

6. Does the band prevent you from eating "healthy dense protein"? nope, just eat slow and chew good.  Only if it is really dry.  Ground Beef, eggs, and chicken sometimes are no go's.

7. Would you say that your band has worked in the way the manufacturers advertise it to work? Yes.

8. If you knew then what you know now, would you have chosen the band?  Most definitely, I originally wanted the Sleeve, but my then surgeon wasn't doing them.  If I had to do it all over again, I might choose the sleeve route as fills are slow going...not sure about the long term success rate of sleevers though...

1. How long did it take you to reach restriction/sweet spot?
More than a year
2. Did you have to have any unfills after that?
Yes for GERD and reflux
3. If you have restriction/sweet spot, is it the way it was advertised to be?
It was initially, but no longer
4. How long can you stay full after a meal?
3-4 hours
5. If you never reached restriction, how long have you had your band?

6. Does the band prevent you from eating "healthy dense protein"?
No but it does prevent me from eating many fruits and veggies
7. Would you say that your band has worked in the way the manufacturers advertise it to work?
Initially yes, but not since I had my unfill.  Have been unable to reach sweet spot without discomfort
8. If you knew then what you know now, would you have chosen the band?
I would have had a RNY five years ago had my primary physician approved it, but he would only give me clearance for a band, so I really had no choice in the matter.  I took what I could get.

1. How long did it take you to reach restriction/sweet spot?
My first fill, but then I have the small band and the fill was under flouroscopy.

2. Did you have to have any unfills after that?
Yes,  a few times here and there, usually when we filled it more after I lost weight. I tend to have a bit of a delayed reaction to fills, so occasionally I could tell 2-3 days later that I was too tight.  I was also unfilled when I was diagnosed with a slip. I had a little unfill with my first pregnancy, during the morning sickness phase, then had it put back in once I wasn't nauseated anymore. I had an unfill (like 2/10 of a cc) about 6 months ago due to a slight dilation of my esophagus, but I have come to admit to myself that I was maintaining my band too tight (in an effort to make it limit my food intake for me rather than making better choices), and ignoring warning signs, like reflux.

3. If you have restriction/sweet spot, is it the way it was advertised to be?
I would say so, but only when I make the right choices and avoid "slider" foods. I have a massive sweet tooth, so it's a challenge for me at times.

4. How long can you stay full after a meal?
Depends what I ate. Some things, like protwin last a couple hours. I ate about 3-4 oz of steak at lunch today and 2.5 hours later I am considering a snack soon. Other things, like pasta dishes, don't last as long. if I eat solid protein and veggies, it does stik around, but then we don't always do what we should, do we?

5. If you never reached restriction, how long have you had your band?
n/a

6. Does the band prevent you from eating "healthy dense protein"?
Only if it's too tight. It took a while to learn this lesson. If I'm getting full or feeling stuck on 2 bites of chicken, I know I'm too tight.

7. Would you say that your band has worked in the way the manufacturers advertise it to work?
Pretty much, but I didn't really look at advertising materials, so it's hard to say.

8. If you knew then what you know now, would you have chosen the band?
Eh, hard to say. I would possibly have considered sleeve at the time if there was as much information available (6 years ago). A big concern for me was how it might affect a pregnancy, and it appears that the sleeve patient's I've seen on the pregnancy forum do just fine, so maybe.But then, there's no way to predict how I would do with that surgery either. I know that a big chunk of my issues lie with me and my eating habits and possibly my metabolism (I'm going to have my resting metabolic rate checked soon, just to satisfy my curiosity!)