Have i been filled?

[kelley77]

Hi everyone, hope ur all good. Looking for some of ur expertise advice! I had my first fill on Friday. It took quite a while for the dr to find the port. He didn't seem convinced that he had! Normally u can pull fluid back but he couldn't. Anyway, he said he had put 3 ml in & sent me on my way to return in a month.
Should I feel different? I don't feel any less hungry & can eat a lot. For example, I had 1 piece of wholemeal toast with a small tin of weight watchers baked beans for breakfast. No less than 2 hours later, I was starving. I had a banana. Had 4 x wholegrain crackerbread for lunch with light philadelphia. Had 2 ryvita dipped in humous at about 5pm & have just had a cod fillet with broccoli, cauli & carrots (all on a small side plate). I don't feel full in anyway, but am trying to address the whole head hunger thing. I am wondering if he didn't fill me? Should I ring or is it normal not to feel different till later fills? Thank u for reading. Still a very happy customer! 30lbs down in 2 months! xx

 

[The Chopster]

Hi there,

I didn't feel any real restriction until I was up to 7ml in a 10ml band so you could have some in.

Sharon

 

[kelley77]

Thanks, I'm unsure what to feel! Hopefully it is in there then! Thanks for replying x

 

[Mazza]

Hi Kelley

Im not sure what you are expecting from a fill? they wont necessarily make you feel less hungry. As it was your first fill unless you had fluid in the band when it was placed the doctor wouldn't be able to take fluid out. During the op any air is supposed to have been removed too.

Also were you not advised to have liquids, then sloppy before normal food after a fill?

Its early days still but most banders are advised to avoid bread, rice and pasta. What sort of things have you been advised to eat? Protein, veg / fruit based meals that are textured will make you feel fuller for longer.

Keep posting and dont worry x

 

[MrsSmith]

Hi Kelley,
I had my band 9 weeks ago and 1st fill 2 weeks ago (just 1.5ml) and feel exactly the same as you.
I understand that the band is not a miracle cure, but I still feel absolutely no difference from before having it fitted.
I'm eating textured food as recommended, chewing lots, not drinking with meals etc etc but the 2 stone that I've lost since the start of my journey has been through dieting, no different to dieting pre-band.
I know I will always have to chose my food carefully and control my portions, but would like even a little help from the band (surely that's the point of it, if not we would all just keep dieting and not put ourselves through the op...especially at a cost of nearly £7k!)
Good luck, hope things work for us both soon xx

 

[BlueDiamond]

I agree with Maz, one thing I would like to point out, Did you have a fill during surgery???? If not then there wouldn't be any fluids to extract but if you did then when ur doctor couldn't extract any fluid from the band and as u sed he had trouble finding the port, how could he be sure it was in the right place???? Just speaking out loud here. Wishing you all the best xxx

 

[basketcase]

I've had exactly the same experience. I had a band fitted in 2007 and lost 61/2 stone through sheer willpower and absolutely no help from the band. I've never felt that its curbed my appetite or prevented me from eating. The aftercare from my provider was hopeless so I had to pay £100 every time I had a fill. Consequently I've only had 3 fills because I never thought they made any difference. I lost the weight simply because I didn't want to waste the thousands of pounds that it had cost.
I've recently put some weight back on but have also had problems with my band resulting in another op a month ago. I'm back on the straight and narrow now and with the help and advice from this site, am determined to make this band work for me.

 

[kelley77]

Thanks for all your replies, I wasn't sure what to expect so appreciate all ur views. I did ask about fluids & sloppies after fill because that is what I have read about on here. My provider however (gravitas at spire) insisted I carry on with a normal diet after fill. I am thinking I will rejoin weight watchers to keep me on the straight & narrow. I never expected it to be a miracle cure & always expected to have to work hard, was just curious if I should have felt different? Well done everyone on ur fab weight losses, we can do it together! xxx

 

[The Chopster]

Hmmm, I wouldnt consider a banders diet as normal as such as we have to go for textures. The more textured the food the better as certain foods will just slide on through. There are some great meal ideas on here for you to have a look at.

 

[MrsPill]

One of the best pieces of advice I had pre-op was " Just keep getting your fills!" My provider (Spire in Edinburgh) says that increasing the volume in your band is best done slowly because there are fewer side effects that way ie avoiding getting too tight and causing problems. Their protocol is 2ml for the first, 2ml for the 2nd then only 0.5ml each time thereafter. But they will see me every 2 weeks if I wish until I'm satisfied that its tight enough. They also say after a fill I'm to eat something mushy that night only and just take it easy for a day or so then normal food but chew properly. I think you can tell though. I had my 3rd fill on Monday (4.5ml in a 14ml band) and its a HUGE difference from 4ml. I'd never have believed it but its really really different. Just had a chicken thigh for tea with some veg and couldn't finish it. In fact it took ages to go down. So....moral of the story- get your fills until its right!!

 

[kelley77]

Hi chopster, sorry slip of the Tongue! Meant normal as in the bandster diet (not liquid/sloppy). Meant what u mean tho! x

 

[kelley77]

Thanks mrs P! Very wise words. Isn't it weird how all providers are different? Even the spires differ! No wonder we get confused lol xxx