4th fill despondent :(

[queenofbelfastcity]

Had 4th fill today taking me to 5.5 in 10 ml band ... Am 3 months post op and only lost 22lbs... Am gutted I don't feel any restriction and dietician said I should go to 6 ml but nurse today would only put 1 ml in to take me to 5.5.... I know it's not instant but most of my weight loss was Pre op feeling so low seems like I am failing help? Anyone with similar experience??

 

[Crazy Lady]

I know how you are feeling. I had my band fitted a week before you on July 20th and to date have lost 21lbs and only had 1 fill. I was late having my first fill as my employer refused to give me the hour off it would take to go and get the fill, so had to wait until I had a day off when the nurse was there. Then I have been to Florida so couldn't get another fill until at least a week after I flew home due the flight causing tightness, so now have fill 2 booked for November 9th as had to wait for another day off. I was told the surgeon had put 3mls in my 10 ml band at the time of surgery and the nurse put 1.5mls in my first fill and said that I now had 5mls in it, but I made it 4.5mls
I'm sure things will get better if we keep at it. It's nice to know I'm not alone feeling that the weight loss is slow when others on the here are losing bigger amounts.

 

[top_kat]

I've only had 2 fills and have 6mls in a 14ml band but still do not feel any restriction at all from my band, instead the weight I have lost has come from closely watching and monitoring what I eat, I use myfitnesspal to count my calories and also watch the protein to carb intake per day with a limit to 1000cals as advised by my provider.

What sort of things are you eating in terms of your food and meals? Are you keeping a food diary as this can really help too.

 

[poshlady]

Keep positive - it is coming off just slower than you would like.
I have lost just about 3 stone since having band in May (rest came off on the pre-opp diet) - my weight comes of in like 1/2 or 1 pound a week. It is so frustrating when you read on here about how much everyone is losing but remember everyone's journey is different!!
I have a 9ml band and have had 5 fills taking me to 5.25 mls and only just starting to feel restriction.

 

[queenofbelfastcity]

Thank you for replies... With the greatest respect if I could do this by closely watching what I eat I wouldn't have needed the band :-/
I don't keep strict food diary however I do count calories... Couldn't get on with my fitness pal.... Am more concerned that I am not feeling restriction... In any way whatsoever... Appreciate your responses hope I don't sound rude am just feeling low I know the band alone won't work and I need to work with it... At moment it's not working with me!! ** sighs****

 

[caroline4013]

Hi you ......I've now got 6.5 ml after my 3rd fill and I am struggling to eat a thing!!! I too have lost around 21lbs and am absolutely starving because I can't eat anything...can't believe I've not lost more weight .....what the hells going on??? x

 

[queenofbelfastcity]

Oh Caroline ... Hi there!! Lovely to hear from you frankly am really fed up may as well have stuck 5k on a bar b que... Am glad u are in similar position re weightloss but not being able to eat sounds awful poor thing - how's it going with personal trainer? X

 

[queenofbelfastcity]

Ps when I say glad I mean I don't feel alone ... Not being mean!!! Xxxx

 

[caroline4013]

I've not been able to go down the personal trainer route as I have had some really bad personal stuff going on just recently. I reckon I'd of lost loads of weight if it wasn't for the fact that I am drinking too much alcohol (please can no one get on my back about this....I am well aware that I'm not helping myself but I don't need any of you 'high achievers' preaching at me at the moment thank you very much) If ever you fancy meeting up would love to see you x

 

[queenofbelfastcity]

Caroline I have pm'd you ( I think!?!) with my mobile num... Would love to meet up x

 

[mummykcb]

I have only had 1 fill and gone from 3ml straight up to 6ml. I still feel no restriction and am feeling like i wasted 5k too. maybe eating harder crunchier foods may make you feel fuller for longer. its the only idea i have. Hope it gets better as your restriction improves.

 

[flutterby1966]

@ Caroline ... Sounds to me like you may be getting too tight with the stress, so if the situation is not likely to change for a while, it may be worthwhile you calling your provider to get a teeny defill. Not being able to eat properly, probably means you are not getting enough calories from the right types of foods, so no wonder you are starving ... Vicious circle making you feel even worse you don't need both stresses Hun x

@ Queen and Ladies ... Not that is likely to make you feel any better, but i think i can honestly say that even for us who have lost weight ... I am sure none of us would say its been easy, and we can only imagine the despair you must be feeling at the moment. Remember how long it took for those pounds to creep on ... So if you are losing at even a half a pound a week, think positive, it's better off than on and this is a lifetime journey, not a quick fix. Rushing to get the fills in and possibly ending up being over-restricted and causing your stomachs damage is not a good thing.

Re-educating your brain/body about what you are eating is as important as the weight loss. No point eating less if its the wrong food. How many of us see skinny Minnie's drinking sugary drinks, eating their fatty foods and maybe munching on bars of chocolate or bags of crisps, thinking, "I wish I could eat that and not put on weight either" ... How healthy might their diet be in comparison to yours now? Focus on eating and drinking the right things the majority of the time (balanced diet, with band friendly, crunchy and protein filled foods first) and the weight losses will follow. Stressing will not help! Beating yourself up will not help! Dont compare to others...just to your old self. Setting yourself little non-scale victories along the way, is a key thing to keep motivated along the winding journey to your final destination. Good luck girls xxx

 

[Bella'sBand]

Had 4th fill today taking me to 5.5 in 10 ml band ... Am 3 months post op and only lost 22lbs... Am gutted I don't feel any restriction and dietician said I should go to 6 ml but nurse today would only put 1 ml in to take me to 5.5.... I know it's not instant but most of my weight loss was Pre op feeling so low seems like I am failing help? Anyone with similar experience??

You are not alone and you are not failing. Personally I feel the band is not all it is cracked up to be. We have certain expectations and when they are not met we feel like the failures but in reality I feel its the surgery itself that is the failure.
Yes it will restrict you eating large amounts of certain foods but it does not restrict you eating large amounts of other foods and usually the ones that got us into this condition in the first place. But again as we always do we blame ourselves when really the diet industry including WLS has let us down again. Other surgeries may work and the band works for some that is for sure I do not take anything away from those who have had great results but for many of us and I mean MANY it has not had the effect or results we were lead to believe we would have.
Even if I had lost 1-2lbs a week I would be happy with that, but no as you can see I have remained the same for 7 weeks now and as is usually the case all my large weight loss was pre op. Call me a negative norah but I feel I am just being real, telling my real experience of my real band that has really happened to me.
THE BAND DOES NOT LOSE WEIGHT! This is what I have concluded, YOU lose the weight, all the band does is cost you money, give you scars and makes you feel full if you eat too much of a certain food. Nope not good enough for me, I was lead to believe it would make me feel fuller longer, NOPE! it would make me feel satisfied with a small amount of food, NOPE! it would aid weight loss, NOPE!
I will lose weight of that I am sure but it will all be down to me, me! The band will only be 15% of it and for that I feel it was not worth it and I totally regret getting this surgery that will forever be scared with, too large a price to pay in my book!
MY personal opinion and experience and I fully accept others opinions and experiences are different....

 

[Wobbly71]

When I went for my first consultation I was told that the band is just a tool and we have to work with that tool. You have been given false information I think Bella if you were told all those things.

I went into this with the full knowledge that I would have to do a lot of hard work and I am. I am sticking to the 20-20-20 rule, eating crunchier foods, starting to exercise and I am doing all this on willpower alone, for now. I am no expert as I haven't reached the perfect fill yet but when I read on here long term banders say that the sweet spot does eventually come. Then I think you will be staisfied longer, fuller quicker etc. I have 7ml in a 14ml band and am back for third fill on 19th November. Hoping it gets me somewhere near restriction, but if it doesn't I will keep on doing what I am doing.

I know that you said if I could do it on willpower alone I wouldn't of needed the band - but for me the band is giving me the willpower to stick with this, I am the happiest I've been in years because I know I will hit my target this time.

Good luck with this and hope you get your 'sweet spot' very soon x x x

 

[BlueDiamond]

You are not alone and you are not failing. Personally I feel the band is not all it is cracked up to be. We have certain expectations and when they are not met we feel like the failures but in reality I feel its the surgery itself that is the failure.
Yes it will restrict you eating large amounts of certain foods but it does not restrict you eating large amounts of other foods and usually the ones that got us into this condition in the first place. But again as we always do we blame ourselves when really the diet industry including WLS has let us down again. Other surgeries may work and the band works for some that is for sure I do not take anything away from those who have had great results but for many of us and I mean MANY it has not had the effect or results we were lead to believe we would have.
Even if I had lost 1-2lbs a week I would be happy with that, but no as you can see I have remained the same for 7 weeks now and as is usually the case all my large weight loss was pre op. Call me a negative norah but I feel I am just being real, telling my real experience of my real band that has really happened to me.
THE BAND DOES NOT LOSE WEIGHT! This is what I have concluded, YOU lose the weight, all the band does is cost you money, give you scars and makes you feel full if you eat too much of a certain food. Nope not good enough for me, I was lead to believe it would make me feel fuller longer, NOPE! it would make me feel satisfied with a small amount of food, NOPE! it would aid weight loss, NOPE!
I will lose weight of that I am sure but it will all be down to me, me! The band will only be 15% of it and for that I feel it was not worth it and I totally regret getting this surgery that will forever be scared with, too large a price to pay in my book!
MY personal opinion and experience and I fully accept others opinions and experiences are different....

Hello there sorry to hear that you feel the band is not working for you, Have they looked into why you have no weight loss???(not sure what size band you have and to what capacity it is filled too or what your portions sizes are like x ) When you have reached your "sweet spot" the band does keep you fuller for longer and it does make you lose weight with smaller portions.

I know everyone is different and it doesnt work for everyone and you may think its easy for me to say the band does work coz after all I have lost all my weight and at goal, but had I not been at my "sweet spot" the band may not have worked for me either. There will be times when you stall in the weight loss department ( it happens to us all) I really wish you all the best in finding out why your not losing weight and get to the root of the problem then the band can get to work. All the best BD x

 

[girlygirl1]

I did a few hours' online research yesterday and one statistic that came up again and again was that at least 50% of all gastric banding procedures fail. The majority of 'failed' bands are subsequently removed due to a medical emergency, or because the surgeon advised it, or because the patient requested it. This figure was sourced from medical journals, etc. not from glossy promotional sites. Again and again patients complain of poor, patchy or misleading pre- and post-op information, and even poorer short and long term aftercare, both in the UK and the USA.

I have read many promotional ads for lapbanding and I agree that 'healthy', happy outcomes are at the very least emphasised. There are providers who offer honest information about what can and often does go wrong - but too many accentuate benefits and conveniently avoid detailed discussion of well-documented complications. This contributes to the guilt and shame patients experience when problems arise; they feel they must be 'doing it wrong', because if they were 'doing it right', they, too, would have that wonderful post-band life. Not surprisingly that guilt is often replaced by disappointment and even anger. Too many providers are failing their trusting patients.

 

[Wobbly71]

Hi girlygirl, have you had gastric band surgery it doesn't say on your profile what surgery you have had or having. Just nice to know.

Also where did you find statistics that say 50% of all gastric banding procedures fail??? I looked into this myself and never saw anything that high? I read on one article that about 9% require removal or adjustment post surgery.

Seems really high and I would be interested to read the details. Hoping mine doesn't start causing problems, touch wood x

 

[snack]

To be fair it isn't the the band that fails and that's not too say your not working hard as there are times when I'm disappointed with my band etc,but the band is only 20 percent of the help the other 80 percent is down too you , I have lost 6 stone down to hard work mainly and a bit my band ,if I'm honest if I had the courage and money I should of had a bypass but I didn't so I've got too work with what I've got , I have 7mls in a 10 ml band and am due for a defill in 2 weeks as I'm too limited too things I can't eat , I don't regret my band or the money for a heartbeat but I do regret not getting my mind in the right place in the first place as for me losing weight etc is more about getting your mind in the right place , I hope I never ever get soo fat again it made my life a misery BUT I could never say never , wishing you all the luck on your journey x

 

[highspirit]

I originally wanted a band but was told it wouldnt work for me based on my eating habits .My friend had just had a band fitted atb the time and i was kinda disappointed as i wanted the least invasive procedure possible.As time has gone on my friend originally lost 8 stones in a few months then discovered she could eat cream and this consistency food high fat etc .She has put all of it bk on and is now going to have a sleeve .Now im happy im gonna b a sleever .I think with the band u do have to work at it and it does restrict u but only with certain foods .You still need self control in large doses .....just an opinion .Yours may be different

 

[Mazza]

I did a few hours' online research yesterday and one statistic that came up again and again was that at least 50% of all gastric banding procedures fail. The majority of 'failed' bands are subsequently removed due to a medical emergency, or because the surgeon advised it, or because the patient requested it. This figure was sourced from medical journals, etc. not from glossy promotional sites. Again and again patients complain of poor, patchy or misleading pre- and post-op information, and even poorer short and long term aftercare, both in the UK and the USA.

I have read many promotional ads for lapbanding and I agree that 'healthy', happy outcomes are at the very least emphasised. There are providers who offer honest information about what can and often does go wrong - but too many accentuate benefits and conveniently avoid detailed discussion of well-documented complications. This contributes to the guilt and shame patients experience when problems arise; they feel they must be 'doing it wrong', because if they were 'doing it right', they, too, would have that wonderful post-band life. Not surprisingly that guilt is often replaced by disappointment and even anger. Too many providers are failing their trusting patients.

Wow, posts like this are SO helpful when people are struggling, eh???!!

Girls ignore these kind of statistics and if you are struggling get back in touch with your provider. To those who didn't realise they would have to work with their band - you either didn't listen or have indeed been miss led I'm afraid.

Bands DO work but you have to work too. Increase your exercise if you can, change your eating habbits to lower fat, higher protein meals. Cut down on carbs. If it helps use my fitness pal!

If you are a private patient you have access to a dietician as part of your aftercare package - if you need it use it.

Don't give up, keep posting. We have lots of active banders posting who can all help, give you a kick up the backside or a hug - whatevers needed

Why not start by posting what you eat on the food thread xx