Question:
Does this happen to anyone else after a fill?????

after a fill I feel tight and restricted and like i've found the "sweet spot". Then a few weeks pass and I am able to eat more again. Do I need more saline or am I stretching my stomach somehow? I have already had like six fills and I feel like maybe its just me....anyone????    — lisalpn (posted on January 18, 2008)

January 18, 2008
well, i haven't had my surgery yet, but from what i've been reading, this usually happens when you are choosing the wrong food. also your doctor is evaluating your needs. as you go along, you and your doctor will know what is best. just give it time and keep track of how you are feeling so you can tell your doctor. you may want to discuss this with your dietician as well as your surgeon.
   — soliisoul

January 18, 2008
What do you consider to be able to be eating alot. You should be able to eat no more than 1/4 cup of food with a good fill. Once you hit your sweet spot, if it is only lasting for a couple of weeks, I would have them check the band as a whole. It sounds to me like you may have a pin hole in the line and you are leaking saline. You should not be able to stretch your stomach if your fill is correct because you can not eat enough food to stretch your stomach. I know someone who didn't go to an experienced Dr for her fills and because he didn't know what he was doing, he ended up putting holes in the line and after a whole year of fills that never took,, she went back to a experienced Dr and he ended up having to remove the old band and put in a new one. Im not saying that this is the problem, but make sure that that band is not leaking some how. It does happen. If they had a "difficult" time finding your port this is a good probability. Best of luck.
   — mccabesmom

January 18, 2008
I've had 4 fills and with the last 2, I've experienced fairly good restricition for part of the month and then part of the month and increase in food intake. In the reading I've done, I've learned that while the band is static (stays the same), my body is not. With weight loss, you are going to experience a decrease in body fat and this includes around your band. If you retain fluid at all, this also affects how the band "fits". Your time of the month will also affect how the band fits. Food choices is a biggy. Eat the protein first, then the veggies, then fruit and lastly the carbs. If eating mostly soft foods, this will go through easier. I can eat more than 1/4 cup, but am still losing weight. I think that's the key. the goal is losing 1-2 pounds per week on what you are eating. Good luck! This band thing is definitely a learning process! Sue
   — herghost

January 18, 2008
I experience the same thing. I think it's normal. It is my understanding that there is a layer of fat between the band and the stomach so naturally as you lose fat, this layer gets thinner, thereby making the band looser. So when you lose all your weight, that fat layer is virtually gone and the band will stay tight much longer. Granted, I've only had my band since the end of September so I'm by no means an expert and am still learning how and what to eat also. Hope this helps!
   — Carla_B

January 20, 2008
I Lisa, Yes I had that full feeling for the first day after a fill, I have had two fill so far, it's six months, since I had surgery. I though i was streching my band also, but i noticed that if i ate slowly, or drank slowly my stomach fill up quickly and made me feel full, so i did not binge eat. My diet consit of yogurts, cottage cheese and a lot of stream crab..Chicken, fish, some vegetable, I cook everything for myself. Good luck
   — Start306_65Goal180