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Hi Dawn, I just thought I would share my first fill experience since it was a bit different than what Sue described... and as we know, just about every doctor is different. My doctor asked me to eat soft foods for the first 48 hours. I was back on solid foods with no problems after this period. My doctor only uses floro for fills if she is having a problem accessing the patients port. She also does not numb the area first. I had to have 2 sticks before she got my port, but it really wasn't that bad, kind of like getting lab work done. When she missed that was more painful because the needle was hitting tissue and not the port. Once she got the port, I didn't feel anything. I think this is subjective. My doc was only going to start me with 1/2 cc, but the folks from Inamed had just been out for a visit and told them to start first fills with 1cc. So, I got 1cc and felt a little restriction for the first 1 to 11/2 weeks. Now, I can eat almost the same as preband... my portions are not exactly the same size... but way too much to lose weight. I have actually gained 2lbs and I had only lost 15 in my healing phase. I was told to wait 6 weeks for my second fill and tried to call about going in early, but my doc wants us to work in a consistent plan and told me to try eating about 5 small meals vs. 3 large ones and keep up my exercise. I have 3 more weeks before I can get another fill and it will be a challenge not to gain more weight back. I hope you are successful and feel great restriction after your first fill, but if you are anything like me... PLEASE don't be discouraged if it disappears after a couple of weeks. Hopefully, if you do have my same experience, your doctor won't make you wait 6 weeks for fill number 2. Good luck and let us know how it goes. Take Care,

Hi Becky, I sure hope everything turns out ok and you don't need more surgery. Please keep us up to date on the doctor's findings. I hope you start to feel better very soon. Take Care, Anne

Hi Sultana, It sounds like you have gotten some good feedback, but I thought I would add what my doctor told me at my first (and last) fill. She had originally planned on giving me only .5 cc (I have a 4cc band) for my first fill, but a rep from Inamed had just been out for a visit and told her to start first fills off with at least 1cc. So, I left my first fill appointment with 1cc. I definitely eat less than pre-band, but not enough to lose and keep the weight off. I keep jumping up and down. I can chug Water, eat anything I like as well as eat it fast and take big bites. The only thing that feels weird going down is bread and it doesn't hurt or stop me from eating, I am just aware that it is going down. I am supposed to weight until the end of this month for another fill, but I am getting a bit impatient. I eat only when I am hungry and I try to track my food on fitday.com. Right now, I am eating somewhere around 1400 calories a day. I would much rather get to around 1200, but I am too hungry when I restrict my calories to this degree. I too do not wish to get to a point where eating is difficult, things get stuck and I PB, but I would also like to feel more restriction than I currently have... No sweet spot yet, but I'm not giving up because I am better off now than I was 2 months ago. Take Care, Anne

Welcome and congratulations to both you and your wife! Get plenty of rest and if you want to share your journey along the way, I know that I will enjoy anything you have to share. Thanks and take care,

Babs, thank you for your post. I am still learning and with only 1 fill of 1cc, I am still trying to. understand the "feelings" my body is sending me. I must agree with what you are saying about the types of foods you eat and how they affect fullness and how much one can eat. I have already learned that even with only 1cc, if I stick to Proteins & veggies I feel full quickly and it stays longer than if I eat foods with high carb counts that seem to "slide" down easily. Jennye, I hope you figure this all out. I think that Alexandra, Vera and Leo also make some good points. My personal option would be to handle it as Alexandra describes. I haven't had PB episode yet and quite honestly I think I would like to avoid it at all costs. I know right now with only 1cc, I can still gulp Water and eat big bites of food and as long as I chew well, I have no pain as it goes down... and although extremely slow, I am still losing. Therefore, I am learning to accept that rather than feel cheated, I am trying to look at it as being a success. For the first time in my life, I am not dieting and I am actually losing weight. I think you are doing great... and maybe your body needs some additional time to settle into this fill. Good luck.

Congratulations Leo! Your website was one of the first I found while researching the band. I am glad to see you doing so well. Great Job!

Hi Julie, Welcome and congratulations on your "band" decisions. I don't really have any personal experience in the area of being banded Internationally and then trying to find a local fill doctor, but I can share with you what my surgeon told me. She is a bit apprehensive about taking on a "fill" patient that has been banded by someone else (seems most requests are from people being ba8,500nded in Mexico), but she said that since she did not perform the surgery and does not do her fills under floro... sometimes a fill is difficult because she cannot access the patient's port. I think that a lot of folks on this site have found local fill doctors that have not performed their surgery, so it is not an impossible feat. I think you just have to call around ask and interview docs until you find one you are pleased with and one that won't rip you off with every fill. I am just curious... How much cheaper is it to go to the Dominican Republic? I was at one point signed up to be banded by Dr. Kuri in TJ, MX on 2/23/04 and he was charging only $8,500.00. I haven't heard much about banding in the D.R. Thanks and good luck,

Hi there, I tend to agree with both Debra and Babs. If I recall correctly, it is your parents that have offered to charge your surgery while you make them monthly payments. I wouldn't be surprised if because of this, your mom may be feeling like she has some right to express her opinions about what your ideal weight should be. As Babs mentioned, it is very obvious that you are concerned and bothered by your mom's hurtful comments and strong opinions about what is best for you... But now that you are a grown woman, shouldn't your feelings and those of your husband be your priority? I would calmly discuss this with your mom and like Debra suggested show her the picture of you at 160. Explain to her that your husband has already expressed his concern with you being too thin... he wants a healthy curvy woman not a model thin wife. Tell her how you felt at your lowest weight and how difficult it was for you to maintain this weight. Explain that health is your primary concern and since you know she wants the best for you that your health should also be her primary concern. I would also start prepping her and others in your family for the slow rate of weight loss that is a key factor with the band. I knew that anyone I told about my band would need to understand this because the last thing I wanted was everyone critizing me if the weight wasn't "falling" off of me. I hope that you can work through these issues with your mom and come out in a better place. I know that parents only want the best for their children and sometimes they can be extremely critical without even realizing it... but as adults I think we have some responsibility to not internalize their negative comments. We have to live our own lives, not the ones our parents may have designed for us... How else can we live happy lives that we don't end up regretting in our old age? Good luck.

Hi Mary, Congratulations on your fantastic loss! You look great! Thank you so much for sharing your story and photos. It really boosts my spirits to hear about great successes like yours!!!:banana :banana :banana :banana

Hi, Donali does make some valid points and this motivated me to take my measurements. I was working out regularly prior to surgery and took most of the first 6 weeks post-op to recover with only minimal cardio on my schedule. I am now trying to get back to the gym and build up my stamina, indurance and desire again! One tip, if you use Fitday.com to track your food intake... I use the journal (marked as private) to keep track of my measurements. Then they are written down and I can get to them each month for the next measurements and compare the change. You didn't say how much you got during your first fill? I was still losing weight (though only about 1 pound per week on average) when I got my first fill of 1cc, but the doctor agreed that it was OK because I could eat more than the 1-1/2 cup of food at each meal and I was also getting hungry between meals even though I was following the band rules about Protein first and no drinking with or after meals. Good luck.

Hi Bubbles, I am at 1cc at well, my first fill thus far... I am already looking forward to fill #2 because I feel very little restriction. My doctor does not use fluro (scope) when giving fills... unless she runs into a problem or can't access the port. She had me lay on the exam table and I didn't even see the needle, but then again I wasn't looking for it either. I realize that a lot of us have emotional eating problems, myself included... but I feel that a perfect fill will help me to deal with this problem. I am not saying that it is the cure all, I still have to deal with the emotional side... but my mind is stopping me from overeating and stopping me from eating mindlessly. I have over done it a couple of times and the discomfort is memorable, enough to make me think about doing something else when I want to turn to food for comfort or stress release. I wonder if others on this site would agree or is it better to deal with emotional eating before you hit your sweet spot with some good fills?

All the best to you Al. Check back in when you are feeling up to it and let us know how you are doing. Get plenty of rest!

Hi Renata, I re-read my post and it was confusing. I have only had 3 appointments since my surgery. The first was 1 week post-op, then 2 weeks later I went for another and 3 weeks after that I went for the one which would have been exactly 6 weeks post-op. This was when I got my first fill. During the other visits, the N.P. just looked at my incisions, asked questions about how I was feeling, eating, exercising, etc. Thank you for sharing so openly and honestly. I have felt so many of the same feelings and done so many of the same things. I don't know that I feel 100% inside that this time I will truly be successful... but I did realize something a couple of days ago. My boyfriend gave me a pair of workout pants that he dried and they shrunk. He said... you might as well take these because they don't fit me anymore. Well, right now I weigh more than he does... so I chuckled and said, yeah right and walked away. Later, I realized that I had discounted his gesture because I didn't honestly believe I would ever be able to wear those pants and then it dawned on me. All those times in the past that I tried this diet or that exercise routine, I never thought I would be successful and guess what... I wasn't! And then I thought, right now I am probably in the best position I have ever been in to REALLY make this work, to REALLY be successful. All I have to do is follow the band rules and do my part... including getting fills and being persistent when I need to. I went back and told him that yes, one day I think I will be able to wear those pants and thanks for giving them to me. Anyway, sorry for the long story... but I think that both of us are in a position to be healthy happy women and we deserve to do what it takes to be successful. Come here for support whenever you need it! I know I will always be here. Take Care,

Michelle, Thanks for sharing your photo progress! You look great! I think that you have been doing great given the fact that you had so many past problems with restriction. Keep up the wonderful work!

Good for you! 90 pounds gone FOREVER! You must feel wonderful.

Welcome and congratulations on your weight loss!

Alexandra, Thank you for sharing. Congratulations on getting to know yourself and your band so well. I hope to gain such knowledge as I go through this journey. I am anxious to hear what you think about your new support group. There are no bandsters in my doctor's group even though they seem to be doing more and more LapBand placements... maybe more will join and we can eventually have our own group like you and your local bandsters. Thanks again,

Welcome Bubbles! Since you have been banded for a year, can you share more about your experience? For example, how many fills have you had and at what level are you at with your band? Being a new bandster and only having 1 fill at 1cc, I enjoy reading about others experiences. Take Care,

Hi Renata, I think you have plenty of reasons to vent. You poor thing. I am so sorry that you are going through all of this. Don't give up hope and remember what Alexandra said... "You can still be a bandster even without a fill, and you might even lose some weight!" I just had my week 6th check-up and my doctor wasn't sure I needed my first fill. I am still losing weight, yes it is slow... but right now it still averages more than a pound a week. That could be 50lbs in a year and a heck of a lot better than I was able to do without my band. Stay strong and come here to vent as much and as often as you like... we will be here to offer any support we can. Take Care,

Hi P, Welcome to the forum. It does seem like you have a lot to consider when taking this step. I hope that you find the support and answers to any questions on this site. It has been a wonderful experience for me. I enjoy everyone who visits this site and I love hearing about their progress... sometimes it is good and sometimes bad... but it seems that everyone is so supportive, this is the place I know I can turn to when I am feeling down. I wish you the best and hope that everything goes well for you. Please keep us posted on your progress. Take Care,

Hi Alexandra, Thanks for sharing... I think we should all take the time to think more about these types of successes. I am one of those that tends to obsess over the scale. It can really control my day, even when I limit myself to weighing only 1x per week. Thanks to you, I think I will take some time today to think about my other successes and focus on those for a bit. Congratulations,

Hi Debra, Congratulations on your approval and surgery date. Believe me, June will be here before you know it. I think that visiting this site daily was the best thing I did to prepare for LapBand surgery. The other smart move was to make sure I had all my groceries ahead of time. My protein (a selection is nice because you do get tired of the same thing day in and day out), herbal teas, sugar free Tang, broths, etc. By the time I got to full liquids and purees I was feeling better and was able to go shopping. Try to remember that everyone's experience is their own and each of us is different. I was so prepared to bounce back quickly, but I had more pain than I thought I would and actually had to make myself slow down and rest because I really wasn't feeling as good as I thought I would. I look back now and realize that rest was the best thing and I felt better with each passing day. Keep us posted on your progress. Good Luck!

Great progress Babs!!! :eek: I am so happy for you. I can't wait to feel some of the differences you are experiencing. It is just wonderful that you were able to lose 100 lbs in less than a year. You are truly an inspiration. Thank you for sharing your progress.

Welcom Holly. It sounds like your LapBand has been working great for you. Congratulations on your weight loss. I love this forum and feel that I get so much from everyone on this site. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Good Luck!

Hi Mandy, I just got my first fill on Friday. I was a little scared as my doctor does not do the fills under floro and I had heard too many horror stories on the boards... But, it really wasn't that bad. The N.P. was doing the fill under the Dr's supervision and at first she could not hit the port. They did not numb me first and the prick did not hurt, but when she could not find my port I did have some discomfort because the needle was just hitting tissue. The doctor then placed her fingers on the port and had the N.P. go between her fingers, this was just right and I was filled with 1 cc. I have a little restriction now, but I can already tell it will not be my sweet spot. I go back in another 6 weeks. So far my weight loss has been very slow, but I am fine with this as I could never have lost this weight without my band. I was in and out of my appointment in less than 30 mins. I am sure that you will be fine. Take care and let us know how it goes.