Had a fill last week and I gained 3 pounds???????

I dont get it??? I had a fill last week, my doctor added 1.8 cc to my band for a total of 8.8ccs. My band supposedly holds 11ccs, I feel NO RESTIRCTION AT ALL!!!! Matter of fact I feel less restriction then I did before I went in and I have gained 3 pounds??? What??? I called my doctor last week to ask why I am not feeling any restriction and he told me that it takes sometimes 2 weeks before a new fill kicks in? OK, I am giving this another week then I am going back again because it feels like some was taken out... If it was I am sure that they would have told me but this does not make any sense. Has anyone had this happen to them?

Jules,

I dont want to sound mean but you really need to learn to be patient  through all this .  Yes it can take a fill for two weeks to kick in and some girls have even said its been four weeks till they felt anything .

And IMO it would be a huge mistake running and getting another fill just two weeks after  you just had one .

1. First you are not even allowing time to see if the fill works

2.  Its not good for you or the band just to be getting fills that soon after you just had a fill .

3.  One of these times you are going to get over filled and then you will be in trouble then you will be running back to your docs begging him to take some out .



What exactly are you expecting from the band ?   What does the word restriction mean to you ?   Are you expecting to have that full feeling like you did before the band ? Because if you are its not going to happen .  Are you expecting the band to make you stop eating ?  I can eat around my band all day long if I want to anybody can it dont matter how good enough restriction you have you can and will eat around the band if you want to .

I can always eat more then a cup of food and there will be tons of people on here telling you they can to .  Just because you can dont mean you should .   

When I get done eating   I dont get no full feeling anymore.  I'm not hungry but I'm not full either that is what I feel .

I can eat my meal and go a good three hrs to four hrs and then I'm hungry again.  

In all fairness, I need to respond to your posts. I get it that in your opinions you feel that I need to be patient, let me reassure you all that in this entire situation with my surgery I have been... I am 8 months post-op and have only lost 20 lbs and that was within the first few monhts after the band was placed, so just to clarify I have been patient..... I have had 4 fills and like I have stated before, I log my food and excercise on myfittnesspal.com so I know what and how much I am eating. I have a personal trainer, a nutrtionist, a psycologist and my surgeon and regular doctor, so I literally have a team of people who are helping me to be a success with my wieght loss. To be honest I think it is judgemental of you to say be patient, correct me if I am wrong but didnt you have your surgery around the same time as I did (jan 2011) and you have lost significatly much more than I have and without any fills?  I dont think its really your place to judge me and my frustations. You can believe what you want but I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am doing everything in my power to be successful at working the tools that I have....To answer your questions

1. What I am expecting from the band is for it to work like it does for thousands of others who have lost wieght on it. To ask that questions is rude and insulting and makes me feel like you are insinuating that I am expecting magic and I am not doing my part to be successful.
2. I am not expecting the band to make me stop eating, I am expecting to feel like you do when you eat something. Like I said I feel no differece at all when i eat anything.

I dont want to start a war on here I am looking for support and other peoples story's good or bad... Lets face it, from what I have read on here the band does not work for everyone and it really grieves me that it might not be working for me. I am not looking to be judged. After all the hard work and money I have invested in my health, I think i have a right to be frustrated, if you had the same experience as I have you would feel that way too. You have no idea what I have been through so please dont sound so condescending with your comments..
Thank you!

Yes, it can take 2 weeks for a fill to kick in. No doctor has ever been able to explain why, but it's happened to me several times.

If you feel less restriction than before the fill, I suggest that you keep a food log until your next fill appointment so you can show it to your surgeon, and I also suggest that you ask the surgeon (or whoever does the fills) to remove all the saline that was in your band and measure it to confirm that the correct cc's are still in there before they add any more saline.

If the saline they remove is considerably less than it should be (in your case, let's say it's 6 cc's instead of 8.8), it's possible that there's a leak somewhere. If the amount is marginally less (let's say 8 instead of 8.8 cc's), the loss may be due to evaporation. Also, it's possible that sloppy record-keeping or miscommunication can be blamed for the discrepancy.

And, I have to agree with Steelerfan...you need to cultivate some patience. If you don't, you're going to make yourself crazy!

Hang in there,
Jean

I'm sorry you are having difficulty.

I'm glad to see you are logging your food and exercise, that's a step in the right direction.

My question is: are you measuring/weighing your food and only eating that amount.. or are you just eating till satisfied?   If you're not weighing/measuring, that might be something to try.  

I always WANT more when I'm finished with my alloted portion, but if I get up from the table and go do something else.. usually after about 20 mintues or so, I'm satisfied.  It's not easy, I grant you.  If I'm truly still hungry after the 20 minutes, I'm allowed more veggies. 

My surgeon won't give a fill any more often than 4 weeks apart.. because of the 2 weeks for a fill to kick in phenomenon.  If yours will give one earlier, I'd seriously consider Jeanne's suggestions of having them check the fluid amount.

That's fantastic that you have a whole team working with you.  How often are you working with your Trainer?   I'm thinking about hiring one again .. my fav. trainer at my gym went private.. and lives 20 miles from me.. so I'm trying to decide what to do.  The current trainers at my gym are all too young and perky.. LOL.  The gal *****tired was closer to my age, and I felt more comfy with her.  :)

I sometimes find that mild exercise (something on the level of walking) helps subdue my appetite too.

Best of luck to you.. let us know how things are going.

P.S.  I don't think Steelerfan was rude or insulting, but everyone is entitled to their opinions.  :)

Yes..it happenend to me,I also had 8cc and gained 3 lb.I hope soon I get my sweet spot,I am always hungry!

Jules,
We had our surgery's very close to the same time period. I too have only lost 25lbs since surgery and 47lbs all together. I get frustrated and think I am doing something wrong or my band is not working.( I know it is) My surgeon removes all of my saline and measures it before he does a fill. He has been at a loss of why the weight loss has been so slow for me. I have taken in my food journals for him to look at,added cals and lowered calories. My surgeon assures me if I keep up my part of the bargain that in the two year span I will catch up with these speedy losers.
This forum is what has helped me keep plugging away. Jean, Kate, Lisa O, Steeler Fan just to mention a few are always willing to give advise or support. The article today from Kate about the extreme difference in her and Jeans experience was an eye opener for me. Hang in there!!

Diane,

Have you ever had your thyroid checked ?  I heard that if its over certain numbers or below certain numbers or something like that it can play into your weight loss as to losing really slow, or not losing at all.  I have no idea what the numbers are though , I never asked about it because they said mine was okay. 

They tested mine before surgery so I didn't know if every doc does that or if just some docs do that .

Just a suggestion if you haven't had it done yet :o)  

And you are better off to lose it slow anyways , they always say the faster you take it off the easier its to put back on  .  47 pounds is really good and when you get frustrated just think back that you are 47 pounds lighter and healthier then you was this time last yr :o)   I have to keep reminding myself of that same thing , I have been struggling the last month or so on weight loss . 



PS Thank you Lisa :o)