VegasGrace

oh, others say it's nice of you not to cast blame on the doc as it could have been a defect in the band...... you trusted your surgeon to inspect the band. They are simple appliances and the doc should have done a visual inspection and felt the appliance.

OUCH! Don't suppose you'd share who your surgeon was..... give us on here a warning. That sounds like a sloppy job.

If you had a nose job and it was big time botched....please tell me you wouldn't go back to that surgeon. Same thing here. Any internal medicine doc/surgeon who has been trained by Inamed can do the band...or fix anything wrong with yours. It is not necessary to keep seeing the same doc for LIFE. We live in a mobile society. Having the band doesn't mean you can't relocate or go on vacation.

Straight from the manual: The manual Inamed says is to be given to the patient: INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE: BAND ADJUSTMENT Postoperatively, the surgeon may adjust the stoma size percutaneously by injecting or aspirating saline with the access port needle via the self-sealing access port. The following are general guidelines for LAP-BAND System adjustments: 1. The initial postoperative adjustment should occur 4-6 weeks after the operation. In most cases, you will add 1-2 cc of saline to the 9.75 and 10 cm LAP-BAND, 2-3 cc to the VG LAP-BAND, and 4 cc to the 11 cm LAP-BAND. 2. The patient should be reviewed regularly (every 4-6 weeks) and weight and clinical status measured. If the weight loss has averaged less than 1 lb per week over the period and the patient indicates there is not excessive restriction to eating, a further increment of Fluid should be added (usually 0.3 - 0.5 ml) 3. Where the average weight loss between visits has been greater than 2 lbs per week, normally no additional fluid would be added. 4. If the weight loss has averaged between 1 and 2 lbs per week, additional fluid would be indicated if the patient feels he/she can eat too freely or finds difficulty in complying with the dietary rules. 5. Fluid would be removed from the system if there were symptoms of excessive restriction or obstruction, including excessive sense of fullness, heartburn, regurgitation and vomiting. If symptoms are not relieved by removal of the fluid, barium meal should be used to evaluate the anatomy. Prior to doing an adjustment to decrease the stoma, review the patient's chart for total band volume and recent adjustments. If recent adjustments have not been compliant with nutritional guidelines, the patient my have a leaking band system, or may have a pouch enlargement or esophageal dilation due to stomal obstruction, band slippage or over-restriction. Band system patency can be conformed by injecting saline into the band system, then immediately withdrawing it. An absence or decrease in fluid volume indicates a leak in the system may exist. The band may be evaluated for a leak using a radiopaque solution, such as Hypaque or Conray-43, flushing it from the band system after the evaluation. If pouch enlargement or band/stomach slippage is suspected, a limited upper GI with a samll amount of barium or gastrograffin can be used to evaluate the size of the pouch, the gastric stoma and the position of the band. CAUTION: Insufficient weight loss may be a symptom of inadequate restriction (band too loose). Or, it may be a symptom of pouch or esohpageal enlargement, and may be accompanied by other symptoms, such as heartburn, regurgitation or vomiting. If this is the case, inflation of the band would not be appropriate. The band internal diameter may be decreased approximately 0.5mm by adding an additional 0.4 cc of sterile saline. Excessive restriction may result in a closed stoma. Because of the possible complications that can occur with excessive restriction, a doctor familiar with the adjustment procedure must be available for several days post-adjustment to adjust the stoma in case of emergency. Deflation (an increase in stoma size) is considered if the patient experiences frequent episodes of vomiting, is unable to swallow liquids or appropriate foods, or if there are medical indications for increasing nutrient intake. the internal diameter of the band can be increased approximatley 0.5mm by withdrawing 0.4 cc of the fluid. Elective deflation of the band is advisable in the following situations: Pregnancy Significant concurrent illness General anesthesia Remote Travel Travel to areas where food or Water contamination is endemic.

Just as soon as you REACH goal, call your doc for an adjustment. Don't worry if your appointment is 2-4 weeks out...it's okay. Eat normal. Like, your new normal...how you plan on eating for the rest of your life...normal. IF, and that's an IF...if you gain weight...go back to dieting. IF you still lose weight get a slight unfill. Your doc has been trained by Inamend on how much an unfill should be. Then, eat normally. IF you gain...diet/and get the fill back. If you still lose weight, get another adjustment. If nothing is happening and you gain a pound or two but then lose it...you are so DONE. That's where I am. I am 143...can get up to 145 but then the next week I'm back to 143. Congrats!

At your next party make sure you don't blow up any balloons. Just tape them to the walls w/o air. How does it look? Balloons were made to be filled....so was the band. Oh, if you've lose even an ounce w/o restriction- you are doing something that the band wasn't made to do....good job!

Don't know anything about RedBull. But you believed it gave you energy and diet won't work. You can try what I did.... Half and Half. Half regular mixed with Half diet. I started at 25%/75% and worked my way to half and half. Now, I can't tell the difference and think they accidentally gave me a regular when it's diet. Yep, got to work on those addictions...don't just transfer them.

Oh, BTW. Please tell us who this doc is so we can AVOID him. He is not following Inamed's guideliness. He's been trained, right? So why is he only giving .5cc fills? MONEY MAKING SCAM I'd be contacting the Better Business Bureau, the Attorney General's office, AND the AMA....that is, of course, if they don't honor their agreement. Seems like free fills are in order for you my dear.

Don't let it get you. Dispute any bills IN WRITING. If you paid w/ a CC then contact the bank and do a dispute with them. Healthcare is a business...don't treat them as anything other than that. If your gas station over charged you on a fill up...you'd be disputing the heck out of that, right?

Well, not sure. If they are going on the Atkins Induction phase of the Atkins Diet.... sure, it will eliminate sugars from the body AND cause weightloss. But be mindful of the fact that it's only temporary. Just as soon as you put some sugar in your body you'd be back where you are now. The body processes the sugar...doesn't hang on to it like what was suggested. It's expelled, burned, or converted in the body...but doesn't remain as sugar.

Oh, I was going to get some leads for you but I don't know what 'upstate' NY is. Can you give a city name?

Hate that for you. I'm sure there are dozens if not hundreds of docs in the state of NY that do these fills along w/ Botox parties. Look in your local paper for those 'free seminars' on weight loss surgeries. Then look in the yellow pages, ask your primary care, the closest medical hospital or college medical center. Don't let people fool you into "oh, we don't take patients banded by other docs" We live in a mobile society!

I've even tried Alli...you know...it's supposed to cause you to have accidents, right? Didn't even work for me. I took it for over a week and gave up. If alli won't work...I'm a lost cause. I actually eat chocolate or a doughnut every week to be able to go.

Wow. Thanks for sharing. You are not loosing anymore weight so the band is maintaining you. You have shown that you will gain the weight back...but get a grip really quick and lose the weight. If I were you, I wouldn't get an unfill...even a slight one. I'd be concerned that unfilling would cause more food...thus more weight. Get treated for the acid reflux...so many treatments out there today that work. You didn't say if you've had this since being banded or if this is something you've recently developed. Of course, you could get an unfill but when you start gaining weight just go back for a fill. Good luck.

When I learned of LapBand, I wasn't scared a bit...I was excited and said FINALLY. Now, having to go under for the procedure was scary...not going to lie to you. But never did I second guess myself or ever regret it. My thoughts are ...all the time I wasted NOT having it done... Good luck.

Congrats on the weight loss. Well, my first instinct was to 'get an adjustment'. Seems like it's time. You haven't mentioned weight gain...that's good news! I gained a few pounds over the past few weeks.... Valentines Day I had 5 pieces of Russel Stovers chocolate and a Coke. Yep, I lost 3 pounds! Crazy as it sounds, time to time I will eat a Krispey Kreme donught and sodapop or some chocolate...just a tad. That seems to get the weight off me. You can try it...if it works...you'll know to do this a few times a year. If you gain....don't do it ever again! :wub:

Wow. Thanks for sharing. The band is just a tool...use it correctly you will lose weight. Don't use it correctly and it's a waste of money. You didn't mention gaining weight.... so I don't think an unfill, even slight, is in order. Wait until you reach goal to do that. If you start to gain weight, get another fill. good luck

I'm always so worried the bread will get stuck. Especially now in my new ward...the bread is huge! Tip: keep the bread in the mouth til the Water comes....the bread breaks down into a plasma/ liquid. That's how to avoid gaging.

Good question. No, it didn't for me. I remember days and weeks of crying and going to bed at like 4-6pm...in the day because of being lethargic...hungry but couldn't eat. Of course, at the same time I was battling my addiction to food. The band helped me overcome that addiction. Without the addiction, I wouldn't have been overweight.

Hi. I just don't know. If it were me, I'd go to another doc for a second opinion. Your doc may be right but you don't want to sell yourself short just in case it's simply your doctor's preference and you could have done just fine with the band. Good luck.

Had the same procedures done at the same time... was a few weeks. The lapband was a breeze compared to the tummy tuck and implants! I felt like I had died for the first few days.

I've been asked where I got my information on fills. Someone said their doc gives .5cc for a first fill. Did you know that's not INAMED's recommendation? How do I know? Look at your book, page 4-5. This is a medical manual that comes with EVERY lap-band system. The doctor takes out the appliance, you are supposed to get the book. Didn't get one? Call your doc and tell 'em you want it, you paid for it when you paid for the appliance. Turn to page 4: INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE: BAND ADJUSTMENTS It tells step by step on how much a 1st fill should be and when it should be done. It also tells when subsequent fills should be done and how much for a fill. Message me if you want it as I have typed it once for someone and can just send you a copy. Now you can know what the doctors know. {remember, every patient is different so your doc must be your best ally in this journey. If you need only a .5cc fill, listen to your doc. But, if your doc gives EVERYONE .5cc...there's something not right}

The response has been overwhelming so I'll copy and paste. This should be a sticky so no one ever has to ask that question again....how much for a fill. Straight from the manual: INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE: BAND ADJUSTMENT Postoperatively, the surgeon may adjust the stoma size percutaneously by injecting or aspirating saline with the access port needle via the self-sealing access port. The following are general guidelines for LAP-BAND System adjustments: 1. The initial postoperative adjustment should occur 4-6 weeks after the operation. In most cases, you will add 1-2 cc of saline to the 9.75 and 10 cm LAP-BAND, 2-3 cc to the VG LAP-BAND, and 4 cc to the 11 cm LAP-BAND. 2. The patient should be reviewed regularly (every 4-6 weeks) and weight and clinical status measured. If the weight loss has averaged less than 1 lb per week over the period and the patient indicates there is not excessive restriction to eating, a further increment of Fluid should be added (usually 0.3 - 0.5 ml) 3. Where the average weight loss between visits has been greater than 2 lbs per week, normally no additional fluid would be added. 4. If the weight loss has averaged between 1 and 2 lbs per week, additional fluid would be indicated if the patient feels he/she can eat too freely or finds difficulty in complying with the dietary rules. 5. Fluid would be removed from the system if there were symptoms of excessive restriction or obstruction, including excessive sense of fullness, heartburn, regurgitation and vomiting. If symptoms are not relieved by removal of the fluid, barium meal should be used to evaluate the anatomy. Prior to doing an adjustment to decrease the stoma, review the patient's chart for total band volume and recent adjustments. If recent adjustments have not been compliant with nutritional guidelines, the patient my have a leaking band system, or may have a pouch enlargement or esophageal dilation due to stomal obstruction, band slippage or over-restriction. Band system patency can be conformed by injecting saline into the band system, then immediately withdrawing it. An absence or decrease in fluid volume indicates a leak in the system may exist. The band may be evaluated for a leak using a radiopaque solution, such as Hypaque or Conray-43, flushing it from the band system after the evaluation. If pouch enlargement or band/stomach slippage is suspected, a limited upper GI with a samll amount of barium or gastrograffin can be used to evaluate the size of the pouch, the gastric stoma and the position of the band. CAUTION: Insufficient weight loss may be a symptom of inadequate restriction (band too loose). Or, it may be a symptom of pouch or esohpageal enlargement, and may be accompanied by other symptoms, such as heartburn, regurgitation or vomiting. If this is the case, inflation of the band would not be appropriate. The band internal diameter may be decreased approximately 0.5mm by adding an additional 0.4 cc of sterile saline. Excessive restriction may result in a closed stoma. Because of the possible complications that can occur with excessive restriction, a doctor familiar with the adjustment procedure must be available for several days post-adjustment to adjust the stoma in case of emergency. Deflation (an increase in stoma size) is considered if the patient experiences frequent episodes of vomiting, is unable to swallow liquids or appropriate foods, or if there are medical indications for increasing nutrient intake. the internal diameter of the band can be increased approximatley 0.5mm by withdrawing 0.4 cc of the fluid. Elective deflation of the band is advisable in the following situations: Pregnancy Significant concurrent illness General anesthesia Remote Travel Travel to areas where food or Water contamination is endemic.

Don't give up! If someone would have told me that if I would let them pay for it all I had to do was wait six months...I'd have to really consider that offer. I was self pay so don't know what you are going thru...but I do know bummed. Start today....mark your calendar and know in 6 months... August will be here before you know it. Enjoy all the fruits of the summer season and eat! And you will be enjoying your weightloss come summer's end....just in time for the holidays. This Thanksgiving will be a new you! (a different sized you, anyways) Good luck!

I hate when what I think I said comes across wrong. For those who are dancing around restriction....your doc can help. When you go for an adjustment, he can give you a good fill. stop. Then have you sit up and drink Water. If it goes right on thru he can give more. If it doesn't go thru..he can take it down a notch and have you drink more water. There's nothing wrong with that as I think many on here have experienced the water test. And we all know the real test comes the next day or even a week or so later. But your doctor should welcome you to come back for an unfill if your restriction kicks in harder after you leave the office. If someone is so tight they are choking on their own saliva, get an unfill and quick. I don't recommend excess restriction...not good. Hope this clears things up.