Hana

I wish you all the best in your journey.

Hi, i wanted to share my fill experience with you. i got banded in mexico on 8-6, and went in for my first fill on 9-17 at fill centers usa.for anyone who dosent know, that is a chain of nationwine providers who offer fills to people who get the band in other countries, or have moved, their doc moved, etc.they are not band specialists. they are providers who took a "how to do fills" class. so i go,and i show him my info card that says my band size is 10 cm and i asked, how much cc dose that hold. he says 10 cm holds 10 cc. hmmm. at the time, i trusted that to be true. i mean, after all- he did take a class... he said since this was my first fill, we will start small, not to aggressively, so he will put in only 2 cc. i said ok, he stuck in the needle, and put in 2 cc. or so i thought...(for the record, this was done with fluroscopy. some fillcenters locations offer that at additional cost) in the meantime, before this, i was having alot of pain. i asked him about it, he didnt know what to tell me, and said to go see a specialist. i just found out also that fill centers has the option to consult with the surgeons that co-founded this service, about any issues. that was never offered to me then. so the first doc i went to see was a surgeon who dose different operations, some bands, not a band specialist. the only reason i bring him up here, is because he also said i had a 10cc band, based on the 10 cm... we discussed the pain, and i did not get a fill that day. this friday, i went to see a band surgeon specialist.we discissed the pain, wich is alot better, by the way, and i said, can i have a fill- since i was here. it was a long drive, and other than the restriction from the band just beeing there, i don't feel restriction from the 2 cc first fill. i can eat way to much, and i really feel i need it. he said- ok, but you dont feel anything at all from that fill? your band is half full, i said no, its not. i only have 2 out of 10 in there... he said no, your band is a 4 cc band. a 10 cm band holds 4 cc. i said what? but i was told... he said he would see with the fluroscopy... but he was already sure. so i paid for the fluro, he dosent do fills without, and sure enough, it was a 4 cc band. and also-get this, he said, there was nothing in there yet. it was EMPTY!!ZERO!! he said the fill centers must have put it in wrong. so he put in 2.4 cc for me , and i went home. i double checked and researched online, and yes, the inamed 10cm band holds 4 cc. not 10. so i called fill centers today, monday, and said-first of all, i never really got a fill there! whats up with that? and second, the size issue. that is acually potentially dangerous! i mean, for example, if i didnt have the pain and would not have gone to the band specialist, i would have probably gone back again and again to fill centers. what if some of the fills WOULD have gone in?? he thinks i have a 10 cc band, how much would he have stuffed in there? and what happens? i mean some 10 cc bandsters have as much as 7 point some cc in their band!!i dont know, would it pop? it cant be good, thats for sure. and its not like there are soooo many different sizes! inamed has 3-4 kinds, and i would think they would teach that in a basic "band filling" class. so the doc didnt know what he is doing!! i got wrong info, an empty fill, plus he could have punctured the tubing- the needle was in there.but the liqued went somewhere else. he is not qulified and that is hazardous. he could have really done some damage. so fill centers response was- about the size issue-maybe the doc was thinking 4 cc but telling me 10. hu???? first of all, thats not true. he said 10 wich is why he is starting with a small 2 cc fill, since this was my first. and second of all, if that weird theory was true, also saying wrong info is a bad and dangerous medical practice. i need to know the right info, and I NEED HIM TO TELL ME IT WITH HIS MOUTH, SINCE I DONT READ DOCTOR'S MINDS!! about the empty fill, she said- well, what do you want? a free fill next time you come here? thats like getting a gift certificate to stay at a hotel that has bugs, as compinsation for all the bug bites you got at your last stay there. so i said no, i want a refund. i dont feel safe going back there, i dont feel he is qualified to do fills! and this was under fluro! i'm scared to think what if it was done without, what else could have happened... so she said, get a letter from the specialist to prove the band had nothing in it, and fax it over. they will process it, and MAYBE i will get a refund. but they dont usualy aprove that. well, thats my fill horror story. thanks for reading. i felt i needed to share this, if anything, just to say, make sure you get fills from a specialist band surgeon, or at least a doc who you know REALLY knows what he/she is doing. not just any provider who took a "how to fill" class. even if they are certified. the fill centers provider took the class and got the certificate, and even with that paper-look what happened... so be aware, otherwise, it could be dangerous for your safety, your health, and the band.

wow.that emplyee is insane.they should have a first aid kit in the store and should let you use it to clean and wrap the wound. and they shold let you use the bathroom.i hope your toe is ok. places like that could be sued.

ericsmom if you find a support group or open one in philly let me know. i live right ouside of philly and i could sure use a support group.:car:

wow its interesting we have somthings in common... i hear its normal. you dont always have enough restriction (or any?) before fills. I live right outside of philly, got banded 8-6 in Mexico and got my first fill this monday the 17th. i was hungrey alot during liqueds and mushies, and could eat alot more than i thought i would be able to, when i started solids. the most i'v ever weighed is 253lbs... i lost 15 lbs in the first two weeks and then hit a platue and yoyoed in a 4 lb range.hopeully things will pick up now that i got a fill. its graet that you cut out cake and ice cream-more than i can say for myself. i cheat sometimes, well, once or twice not to much though, i'm always hard on myself.i was wondering if you knew of any suport groups in this area, i could really use one. hope the wonds are better, keep up the good job

wheetsin, hi, i was wondering if you know how long is normal for that port pain to last. i had surgery aug 6th, 2007 and at first i had lots of pain that went away but now i am at a point that it hurts when i walk. its like- if i'm still for a very long time its fine, but if i walk for more than a few minits the port area gets so sore and the soreness stays untill i rest and stay still for a long time. it feels like its rubbing against my organs, muscles, nervs maybe and creates soreness and sometimes i have a weird sensation that its like a hook beeig cought in my body... its getting to be very disturbing, i cant exercise... I got this done in mexico, the fillcententers doc used fluro with my first fill this monday the 17th and said everything looks in place- i geuss he could tell he only looked for a few seconds and turned it off he said its to much radiation.he said you cant see everything with the fluro, and didnt know what to tell me about the pain. i dont know what to do about this, i dont have health ins. if anyone has any info or similer experience to share please let me know, i'm going crazy i'm hoping i'm not going to be in pain for the rest of my life with doc not knowing what to do, what to test for, and saying that everything is in place. i'm prety sure this is not normal for almost 2 months post-op. so far i'm getting -maybe the stiches are to tight, maybe the port is pushing on muscle/nerve, port conected to wrong muscle that moves rather than a still one, or maybe i have a hernia exactly under the port, wich is why its not buldging... dose any of that make sence? what to do... Also if anyone lives in eastern PA area, or MD DE NJ NY, and have this operation done here, i was wondering if your doc will see someone who got this done in mexico and has this problem, and is self pay. i'm looking for a local specialist. any info is helpfull please let me know, thanks

I'm pretty sure you can cheat with the bypass, why would you not be able to?

ok, maybe slower? it dose take longer for solid food to go down right? (thats why you feel full for some time i geuss) thats why meds are so important to discuss with doc.

Hi savery, liquied form is a good option, some pills dont come in liquid form so ask the doc if you can cut them small or crush them and maybe mix with water, or crystal-light water for taste. i take thyroid medicin every day,(that dosent come in liquid) its a small pill- i only need to cut it and i was able to take it even on the first day after surgery. now i'm on solids, i can just take it whole, since its small. since medicin is very important- this is something you still must discuss with your doc, depending on what meds you take, some people i heard need to stop taking certain kinds sometime before surgery, or after (or maybe sub them for other kinds? only by doc instructions of course!). i think they can start taking them again eventually, i'm not sure. ask your doc about your specific meds. also one other thing i can think of-some meds need to be taken with food, and some acualy on an empty stomech so maybe you can work with the nutrionist and doc to plan a food schedule to accomidate the weight loss as well as medicine requierments.( for example my med i must take with no food, so i need to wait some before and after i take it, to eat) with the band, your body should still absorb everything you put in, i think. just slower ,maybe, at times since it takes it time to go down-maybe i'm wrong about this. also i think people with gastric bypass dont absorb everything they put in? not sure dont know much about the bypass

If I could feel full after 4 oz of food without the band- than maybe i would not need it. but i dont... will power is needed for any diet- lap band or not, i mean i am able without the band to limit my intake- i can fast even, but i will be hungrey, and for so many reasons even when not hungrey, i will choose to eat... i'm board, and i can and the cake and the pizza are right there. but the lap band is a tool to limit that and although yes, you can cheat with it, the opertunity to do so is less than without the band, and even if you do cheat- like drink a high calorie liquid sometimes wich is not a good idea- compair that to consuming a whole pizza plus. (well, big amounts, I was able to really eat that much pre band). also the desire to cheat could mentaly be reduced, you know, after you spend so much time and effort and in some cases money, and have an operation for weight loss... in most cases if you go that far and put so much into it, its more likely to choose to stick to the commetment rather than cheat. and you do feel full- the upper part of the stomech is what gives you the feeling of fullness. and if you keep going you will feel sick (i have) and you might throw up. plus you are full for quiet awhile- because it takes time for the food to flow down to the lower stomech and diagest. i mean-if someone is able to diet on their own sucsesfully and keep the weight off- thats awsomefor them, and some really can, and so no, i dont think these people would need the band. it is an operation and a commetment, and if you can sucseed without-why operate? unfurtionatly thats not reality for so many people, including myself. maybe that is why they send you to so many tests and psych to see if its right for you. i dont know- ( i didnt need to but most places requier it). once you loose weight with the band, its less likely to gain back than with regular dieting, since you have the limited intake, that can allways be adjusted as needed. allthough it is considered experamental still, and as with any procedure there are possable risks, and sometimes it wont work, so many people have sucseeded. to many for it to be a gimic and a con. its not magic, but it is a wonderfull tool. oh, and we are not offended, its good that you ask questions and do reaserch. very important! feel free to ask anytime. hope this was helpfull, Hana

hi, i'm looking to get a fill soon i am almost in week 6 post-op, and i am able to eat more than i thought i would be able to... its good to know that this is normal... (i stopped loosing after2 weeks and even gained:mad:, is that normal? ) well i still cant eat as much as i did b-4 surgery, i get chest congestion, but i'v never thrown up.so dose that mean i have some restricion? i mean the band should be empty now...? i'm also concerned about beeing able to eat more than i thought because i dont know if i will strech the pouch. i heard of the pouch streaching-am i risking that by eating to much? if i'm not throwing up, Am i really eating to much? what happens if the pouch streches? what dose cause it to strech? is it overeating? something else? please let me know if you know anything any info is helpfull thanks so much, Hana.