Confused about fills??

Hello everyone. I had my surgery 11/11/11 and have lost alittle over 10 lbs since my surgery. I have has 3 fills and am at 5cc right now. My question is, why do I feel like my appetite hasnt changed since bfore the surgery? I have not had any stuck incidents nor have ANY restrictions on what foods I can eat. Could this possibly be because im not that filled? Im very depressed about this because I have went into bad habits again, just asking for some help with this issue, thanks :)

It can take anywhere from 3-5, on average, on fills, or even more, until you feel restriction. It is hard the first months and that is why it's called band hell. What size is your band? I have a 10cc and just under 6cc was "MY" fill spot, but yours may be different. I know it's hard to stick with the rules, just stick in there and it'll get better with more saline. My WLS office lets us go in every 2 weeks if we are not at our optimal fill level, the band is in you and only you will know how much is enough. Give your WLS office a call on Monday and see if you can get in for a little more, and sometimes all it takes is a little. Good luck.

you probably need a fill. it can take a while to get to the right spot for restriction. As far as slipping into bad habits that is something the band will not control, it is up to you. Its tough and everyone does it so dont beat yourself up over it and once you slip up just get back on track.

Well that old story about you will feel full is alot of baloney for many of us. I had 8cc in my 10 cc and felt tight but never had any kind of a full sensation, so you may be one of us "lucky" ones that never do feel full. It could be that you need another fill but when at a good restriction you shouldn't get stuck incidents very often and then only from not chewing well enough. If you get so tight that you get stuck on a daily or even weekly basis then you would be too tight. The only way to see if you need a fill is to get one.

Thanks everyone, all of your input is greatly appreciated. I guess I will just continue getting fills until I hit my "sweet spot" I just hope its soon!! I just thought it was kind of strange that I wasnt having any problems like most banded people do though. I guess I was hoping to get things stuck (wierd I know) so that I would be more cautious of what I was eating.

You really don't want things to get stuck while you're eating in order to be more cautious, trust me. It helps to form maladaptive eating disorders, not to mention the havoc it wreaks on your esophagus.  It is MUCH better to have the band on the looser side, if you're going to have a band at all, because having it tight enough that you're getting stuck means that you will have to go through band removal in a year or two.

Good luck to you.

I don't think most do  have restriction at 3 fills. Many never get restriction. I have had 19 fills and just now have a tiny bit of restriction after about 2 1/2 years!

Just try to follow your band rules and hope that you will be one of the lucky ones that gets restriction eventually  with your fills. It's kind of a crap shoot. :-(

I was 8cc in my 14cc band before I felt ANY restriction. but since, the weight is falling off....DO NOT be discouraged!!

Fills: Fills are very different for everyone. The first thing to remember is how the fills are done. Some doctors do it under fluoroscope (x-ray and barium drink), while most do it “blindly". If under x-ray the Doctor can “see" exactly how ‘tight’ the band is, compared of a Doctor who puts in .5 cc in at a time. Sometimes it takes fewer visits to get to the “sweet" spot with fluoroscope then with blind.

 

Band: come in different sizes. Hence it could take more saline in one band to get to the “sweet spot" (ex. It will take 4.5 cc for a 9cc band to be half-fill, compared to 5.5cc for a 11cc band to be half-filled). Now before you freak about the “size" of the band, remember this: all bands (no matter what brand or size) all “close" to the same diameter. It may take a longer time (more saline) for the “larger" band to get that diameter then a smaller band.

 

Sweet spot duration: It is common for someone to lose their “sweet spot" – sometimes quickly. Remember, the stomach is a muscle. As we lose weight, the stomach will shrink. Since the stomach is a ‘smaller’, we lose the restriction around it. Thing of the band as a belt around your waist. If you lose enough weight, the “notch" that once was perfect for the belt is no longer doing the job, so you need to move to a lower notch. Also, when a fill is done, sometimes the stomach get’s irritated, which causes swelling, and gives a “tighter" restriction. After a day or so, the irritation will go away, the swelling will subside, and that “sweet spot" feeling will be lost. You may need to go back to the Doctor for a real tiny fill.