Tuesday, March 23, 2010

To Fill or Not to Fill

I have my 4 week post-op appointment with the surgeon on Friday and I need to figure out if I am going to get a fill or not.

On one hand, I want to get this weight loss show on the road, and I know it will take 4-5 fills before I hit my "sweet spot" and am optimally restricted. Even though I am technically still on a soft diet and don't know what my "real" restriction level is, I can eat a few ounces of fish, beans, or ground turkey and I'm hungry again after a couple of hours. I even had some Triscuits with my tuna for lunch today and I had no sensation of tightness. Also, I'm not losing as much as I'd like. I'm bouncing around and losing about a pound and a half per week. I know that fits the average guidelines of 1-2 pounds per week, but like I told the nurse last night, "I don't want to be average...I want to be exceptional." I was kidding, and I know that's supposed to be the average eventually, but for now I wouldn't mind a little more since I'm eating SO much less than I used to.

On the other hand, I am a little nervous that if I start getting fills too soon, when I start eating more solid foods like chicken breast or steak I will be too tight. I don't feel like that would be the case at this point, but I am almost afraid to test it. I do have a Lean Cuisine picked out for lunch tomorrow that has turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy (still very moist, but more solid than tuna salad or turkey chili), so maybe that will help me figure it out.

At this point, I am leaning towards getting the fill, but I still have a few days to think about it and get input. I guess this is why they call it "Bandster Hell" huh?

1 comment:

Steph said...

If I can make a suggestion, GET THE FILL!! I had my surgery on 2/23, had 2cc's put in on surgery day and have had two more fills and am at 4.7 now. While I don't know if this will be my sweet spot, I definitely notice a difference, but am not too full. I just had a small chili from Wendy's for lunch and feel perfectly 100% bonifide satisfied. Normally I was a large chili and a side salad eater. The fills help. Remember, this is why we got the band. Trust your doctor and it may take a few times, but I suggest you go for it!