By: Sandi Henderson

Sixteen months after having lap band surgery I suddenly realize that I am getting hungry between meals.  Not just a little hungry an hour before a meal, but the kind of hunger that is consuming I tried water, flavored teas, both hot and cold, taking a walk, gardening, talking on the telephone, but nothing is working any more.  I thought I had had this hunger thing licked.  I had hoped to never have to face it again.  All of a sudden I remember, yes I have a lap band, but NO I have not yet had a fill.  For the past 16 months, as I lost 175 pounds and learned my new lifestyle I have had a lap band, but have never had to have it tightened.  I have had restriction.  I have been satisfied with small meals, sometimes wanting more just because it tastes good, but not needing more to keep my hunger at bay.  I have learned to put only what I intend to eat on my plate, to chew small bites thoroughly and not to drink with my meals.  I have managed to keep my calories to about 1200 per day, my protein to 75-90 grams per day and still get in 64 ounces of water or other fluids.  I am exercising daily.  If I eat too much or take too large a bite, or do not chew my food, my lap band rears its wonderful head.  It "tells" me slow down, take smaller bites, chew your food, don't talk while eating, eat mindfully.  That is the MAJOR lesson I have learned in the past 16 months:  EAT MINDFULLY.

I am the exception to the rule.  The majority of us with lap bands have fills within the first 2 months, and several more along the way, until that "sweet spot" is reached.  I, however, seemed to have come out of surgery with my "sweet spot" in place.  My doctor is perplexed.  I am an enigma.  Somehow I enjoy being different, but now I realize that my "sweet spot" is no longer and I think I need a fill.  After all, that's why they call it the ADJUSTABLE gastric band.  It is the beauty of the ability to adjust it that makes this tool such a savior to so many of us.

I take off my jacket, strip down to my tank top and VERY lightweight pants, kick off my flip flops and get on the scale.  Even with this hunger I still lost 10 pounds in the last month.  Should I get a fill or should I see what happens?  My doctor thinks I should get a fill.  I didn't have surgery to go around with a growling stomach all day which is what it has been like for me the last few weeks.  I don't need to white knuckle it any more.  Okay, so let's reassess before I get a fill.  I had surgery 16 months ago.  Have I been hungry between meals before?  Yes, but not stomach growling, gnawing hunger as I have had in the past few weeks.  It was what I would consider "normal" hunger.  Sometimes it was just a desire to "chew" something.  About an hour before my next meal my body would begin to let me know it was ready for food.  If I had a cup of tea, or a cup of water it usually dealt with the "signals" long enough for me to do what I needed to do, get where I needed to get and then have my next meal.  So what's different now?  I can drink all the tea in China and all of the water in the ocean and I would still have gnawing hunger pangs.  That is significant.  My doctor and I talk about this and decide together that it is time to "use the tool" by getting a fill.  Fortunately, he does the fill in the office and does not require fluoroscopy so I hop up on the table, expose my port, he sanitizes the area and asks me to do a half sit up and I get my first fill.  No drum roll, no fanfare, got my fill, drank my water, went home and had liquids for the rest of the day.

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