Group Think

Sometimes we can get information overload. And sometimes, the information is not correct. Just having a band implanted into our abdomen does not a medical prophet make.

I am coming up on my first fill on Thursday. I purposefully made this appointment with my surgeon as I need him to explain some things to me. (He has the band too.) Here's my list:

- What are the physiologic implications of the band - REALLY. I mean, I read the chat boards and we are all lead to believe that restriction relates to a restriction in WHAT we eat. But being the medically obsessed person that I am, isn't the restriction really in HOW MUCH we can eat? And doesn't a fill just PROLONG the amount of time that it takes the food to leave the newly created pouch (thereby creating an extended duration of time in which we feel full)?

- Are PBs a sign of something going right or something going wrong? We fat people think nothing good will come of something that doesn't have torture attached to it. And again, I read the chat boards and I see people talking about how they can't keep anything down and it comes right back up. But this is NOT the goal, correct? The sweet spot is not related in ANY WAY to the number of times per day that a person PBs... gross.

- And why is it that people tend to gain a little weight after their surgery before their first fill? I am consuming a well-regulated 1000 calories per day now. Sure, without the fill I am in effect dieting - starving between meals. In theory, the fill will get rid of this feeling of emptiness. But why, why why am I not losing weight if I am still not eating more than 1000 calories? And how how how will a fill fix this?

Got any others I should ask of a banded expert?