There is also a phenomenon we see fairly often, but really can’t explain well. Some people will have a delay in the “tightness” of a fill by as much as two weeks. This is why we won’t fill one day and then fill again three days later. Because there is sometimes a lag in the perception of hunger after a fill (and remember: it’s hunger control we’re aiming for, not bulimia!), we don’t want to end up over-filling patients, especially if they live out of town. Spitting into a cup is just not fun. You’re meant to have gradual weight loss with the Lap Band from eating less. You’re not meant to be on a liquid diet or pureed food diet. We want to eat more or less a regular diet, just eat a smaller amount of food so that you can lose weight.
While filling the band is certainly important, it is not the only reason we want to see you in the office and it is not the object of every visit. Based on what we hear you telling us about hunger, eating habits, frequency of productive burps (PB’s) and what foods you are-and aren’t-able to take in, we’ll decide whether to fill or not. Remember, sometimes it’s the mind that has to be adjusted, not just the lap band.
29. June 2008 at 8:34 pm
Thanks for the post Dr. Keilin. It is nice to see you post here. I do hope you get a support started in Hope so we won’t have to drive so far with the price of gasolins becoming an issue for some. Let me know if I can be of any help. Sandie 7-05-06
6. March 2009 at 6:56 pm
Well, I am only four and half months along with my lapband. But I really thought that if I tightened my band to get only liquids and mushy foods down then I wouldn’t be so tempted to eat the “out of the box” foods. I am still learning, though. So far the right foods go down okay (fish, beans, dairy, etc.) This is really the hardest thing I have ever done.
8. March 2009 at 6:53 pm
It is hard, but it is a tremendous tool to help you achieve your weight loss goals. You will see this as you develop new habits.
16. March 2009 at 3:48 pm
Thank you for the post. It is encouraging to read a word from our surgeon. We do need to put forth plenty of effort to allow the lap-band to work. It is something we are learning to do as we speak. The whole process is different than what I imagined. I am glad to read about your knowledge about the process. It is keeping me strong!
23. March 2009 at 3:07 pm
I had my lap band surgery over two years ago and I have lost 160+ pounds. It has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I was a professional at bounce dieting for years, I could lose weight quickly, but it always came back with a vengance and more weight.
My weight has stabalized for about four or five months now, and I am finding that I am cheating on myself because I can. I still have another 20 to 30 pounds that I want to lose, but when I travel I don’t always eat properly. Recently, I was involved in an accident, and I find that I eat for comfort, and I don’t always eat properly when I eat for comfort. I guess that one could say that I eat for different tastes more than I do for comfort. But eating more without exercising just causes me to fail in losing the weight that I want to lose. Luckily my weight has remained about the same since the accident even though I have exercised less since the accident. I attribute the generally stable weight to the lap band.
I find that I can eat almost anything that I want to, but I do have problems when I eat beef, it just doesn’t digest like it used to and I find that beef will cause me to block up a little, and sometime that blockage causes me to return the food. Crunchy and or stringy vegetables such as celery, broccolli, corn and a few other vegetables also cause problems. I can eat broccolli if it is steamed well and relatively soft. I do find myself eating a lot more salads, and I am enjoying them more as time goes along. I do eat a lot of protein now, but it is mainly chicken, turkey and fish. I can eat ham if I have it sliced thinly and then cut up and put into a salad. I can not drink really cold drinks now, for some reason my stomach seems to reject them. If I do drink drinks with ice, I have to sip them and drink them very slowly, the drink just can’t hit the stomach all at once.
I find that I am far more comfortable with life, I am no longer afraid of falling on my face when I am walking or trying to negotiate stairs, even though the fear from the days when the weight was there remains. I do more now than I did when I was at my heaviest, and my self image has improved greatly.
Again, I say that the lap band surgery is the best thing that I have done for myself in years. I am sure that it will add years to my life, if I don’t kill myself having fun as the new me.
Dave 03-23-09
23. March 2009 at 8:25 pm
I am reminded daily of the awe I feel for the accomplishments of our patients!
24. April 2009 at 2:15 pm
i really enjoyed that post Dave ( i giggled at the end) also liked the one that was posted about the hour glass, very well put. its nice to see Dr. H and Dr. K post
i find that when i sneak that sip in at meals, it is because I haven’t chewed my food enough yet to swallow, so it kind of scrapes going down and i do it to make it more comfortable. but i am learning to chew slower to get it to the content it needs to be before i swallow it.
i was banded in August of last year and was beginning to feel it wasn’t going to work for me. it took many fills before i got restriction. (6 or 7 fills with a 10cc band i think) i was so happy since it did start to work. thank you all for the support!
14. May 2009 at 6:04 pm
Hi, I went today to see Dr. Hekier and you gave me a fill around 3:40 and it is now 7:00 and I tried some chicken broth and I threw it up, I only took about 4 spoons full, does that mean I need to have some taken out or maybe it was just to soon to eat something. When I drank the water at the office, it seem fine. Thanks
18. May 2009 at 8:34 am
I’m thinking unfill
Broth since it’s warm and liquid should go right down even that soon after a fill.
25. May 2009 at 8:14 pm
I don’t understand what you mean by productive burps. I have not had a fill yet, and I burp all the time. When I get my fill will I not be able to burp?
26. May 2009 at 3:06 pm
a “productive burp” or “PB” is not a burp of air, it’s actually bringing food back up when you’ve eaten too much and your pouch can’t hold the extra bites. It’s not really throwing up because there is rarely any nausea or retching or pain, just a feeling of tightness in your chest, then the food “pops” back out. You should be able to burp after you are filled.
25. June 2009 at 2:52 pm
@Rachael Keilin: That is not how I experience a PB. For me it is retching and not being able to swallow saliva, finishing with the “blockage” coming back up. It is not as intense or unpleasant as a full-on vomit (e.g. no stomach acid), but it is much more than a “burp”.
25. June 2009 at 6:22 pm
Interesting. I think everybody’s experience with PB’s are different, but to make lemonade out of lemons, I hope that your unpleasant experience with PB’s means that you don’t overeat or underchew very often
25. June 2009 at 6:44 pm
Well, since your answer, and since my first fill, I have had about 3 of those PBs. When I take one bite too many, or when I take a sip while I eat (which I know is a no-no!). Now I understand! Thanks for the continued support and help with questions.
25. July 2009 at 6:26 pm
Hello I am now 3 months into lap band and have lost 40 lbs I feel like lots of others here that the band has been the best thing I have done not only for my self but also my family. I am a dibetic and now since the band I have been able to get off all pills. I always fell very welcome when I come into the office to see Dr. Hekier. If you could please post the fill chart that shows the need or the take out of fluid its the one posted in each of the exam rooms. Thanks again for life. Rick
25. July 2009 at 9:16 pm
Rick,
See my post that I just put up :
http://blog.noscales.com/2009/07/lap-band-green-zone.html
Thank you for your hard work! The best is yet to come.
27. July 2009 at 10:46 am
I am a little over two years out from surgery. I have heard several complain about thinning hair. I am experiencing that problem. Took Biotin for quite a while and really didn’t see any change. I do not count proteins anymore but realize that they are important. I eat one or more of these every day… Yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, and meat (usually chicken). Any other suggestions?
28. July 2009 at 9:37 am
You must be psychic! I just wrote a post which will come up on this site Thursday about thinning hair and the Lap Band
You are right that protein is super important and while all the things you mentioned have good amounts of protein, just one of them per day would not be adequate. You need 40-60g of protein per day, even more if you’re an active exerciser. Consider adding protein powder (AnyWhey, meal replacement powder whatever suits your fancy) to one cup of milk (skim please!) each day. That will give you over 20g of protein in one shot making it easier to get the rest from your regular diet over the course of the rest of the day.
28. July 2009 at 1:57 pm
Ok, I lied
I posted the information today.
9. August 2009 at 8:02 pm
Three days after I had a fill, I had a really terrible headache that made me sick causing a severe bout of vomiting. Now I don’t seem to be able to keep many liquids down and it is easier to eat than to drink. I don’t think the band is too tight because often I can eat things that would be difficult if the band was too tight like grilled chicken. Milk is the easiest to drink and water seems to hurt my stomach the worst. When I try to dink or eat when my stomach is empty it is terribly painful. I have no appitite and I feel like I have an ulcer. I often run a low grade fever in the evenings. What should I do?
10. August 2009 at 11:39 am
I think you need to come in ASAP and get evaluated!Could be an ulcer, but could also be a slip. Call us…. please!
5. January 2010 at 4:55 pm
I had my Lap Ban put in back in Jan 05. I have had numerous fills, and have loss about 100 lbs. But back in Sept of 08 had a stomach slippage rpblem. so they wen in and replaced the old band with a new bad. Now after that had several fills but they wouldnt take. Had hernia surgey back in Setp of 09 and the Dr repa ced the lining of the band with a heavy material. So I am hoping now that when I get my fill this m,onth it will take. I would feel the full feeling for only a few days then it would go away. I am gaining back now, and dont like it. Wish me lick now on this new fill coming up.
5. January 2010 at 11:26 pm
Hi, I’m not sure what you mean by your doctor replaced the lining of the band with new material. That doesn’t sound right. The Lap Band does not have a lining that can be replaced. Regarding the fill “taking” or “not taking” be sure to read our multiple posts on what to expect from a fill. The fill helps slow down the food to help your hunger, but YOU have to stop yourself from eating. Make sure you get together with your doctor’s office to get a propery food plan and exercise plan. Good luck and thanks for checking out our blog. Hope you’ll keep coming back
6. January 2010 at 9:13 pm
OK what do I do now. I was too tight so I had an unfill don’t know how much was taken out now I’m too loose ( I can eat anything which I don’t because I am gaining weight, I am hungry all the time even after I eat this has not happened before ) I do not drink with meals nor for an hour afterwards I want to feel full. Do I need a fill or do I just forget it? I am 174lbs my goal is 130lbs. I follow the guidelines and I just don’t understand why I can’t loose the 40lbs I need to. Help!!!
11. January 2010 at 10:35 am
It’s possible that you may need a small fill back in, but I will say that that those last few pesky pounds often need something more to be lost. Exercise! What we see fairly commonly is that people can lose about 50% of their excess weight with calorie restriction alone, but after that it takes stepping it up a notch with exercise to help put on lean muscle which helps rev up your metabolism and burn fat. So with the new year, a new resolution: 5 hours of exercise per week!
11. January 2010 at 6:22 pm
This is my first visit to the blog. It has been very informative.
11. January 2010 at 7:01 pm
Make sure to read our past articles. There are over 100 articles written by various authors. Thanks for your nice comment
11. January 2010 at 7:04 pm
This is what I love about my lapband Drs. they are always informative and prompt in responding to their patients. A big thank you.
20. January 2010 at 6:56 pm
I had my lap band March 8, 2009. I only needed to loose about 60 lbs. The first 30 came off within 4 months. I had a fill in Oct. or Nov. that was way too tight and could not eat or swallow anything…not even water or my own slavia. After the loss of ll lbs in 5 days, your office staff was able to remove some of the fill. I quickly gained back 4 lbs. Since then I have gained another 3 lbs. I exercise at least 5 hrs. per week and watch what I eat. No weight has came off and I am getting very discouraged. I am within 15 to 20 lbs. of my goal. Do I need another fill, or am I just rushing it.
20. January 2010 at 7:15 pm
Congrats on your progress so far.
1) You are less than 1 year out from your surgery. We tell most people to expect to reach their goal on average in 18 – 24 months.
2) Keep a food journal. Write down everything you eat and record the calories and protein amount. We can review that at your next visit or you can review it with Amy Carmelli, the nutritionist.
3) Make sure your exercise includes vigorous aerobic activity as well as resistance training to gain muscle and burn fat.
4) Remember a fill does not equal weight loss. Burning more calories than you bring in yields weight loss.
5) Go through the older blog posts to find tips that might help. Here’s one from 2008:
http://blog.noscales.com/hit-a-weight-loss-plateau-with-your-lap-band.html
See ya soon
24. January 2010 at 10:25 pm
love to read these comments. Going for 1st fill tommorrow!
17. February 2010 at 1:53 am
I am researching the surgery, found your blog, and have a question, are the fills included in the initial price of the procedure?
17. February 2010 at 4:47 pm
Thanks for checking out the blog! Please contact our office for specific questions on the procedure.