wendy1263

I had surgery with Dr. Eibes 10/07. He and his team were great.

I have 5.0 in a 10aps band. I can still eat some things but am still getting used to what I can eat solid and what I can't. Meats get stuck, breads too...but sometimes breads don't. It's crazy. Of course mornings things are tighter..but sometimes they aren't??? Sometimes I have to bring things back up...sometimes I don't. Do I need another fill? or is this the way it should be and I just need to work around that fill to improve? I see some people get restriction with this band at around 6.5. Does that amount smooth out the weirdness?

What is the deal with doctors who put these ports in places even THEY can't reach??? My doctor put my port at the very top of my abdomen right under the breast in the middle. It sticks out like a button. If they had put mine in the middle somewhere, I KNOW they wouldn't have found it. I told him it was a good plan to put it there when I had my first fill and he said he didn't have a lot of time to try to find it when he had a lot of fills to do each day. If I was to have surgery and you have a lot of stomach fat like me...I would have them put it at the top too. Just my opinion. :help:

Mandi..you are right almost exactly like me. I was banded 9/26 and have had the same fill dates to the December one even. I can still eat just like you too. I too am hoping for restriction enough so that the thought of food goes away.

I have 4cc's in a 10 cc aps band. I can still eat like suesue can too. Sometimes food gets stuck too depending on what it is and what time of day it is, so I do know there is something in there trying to work. I go for another 1cc this week I think...hopefully that will help me. I know that just even a half or a full cc can be the magic moment. It really is frustrating to keep wanting to eat when you just want to get restriction..you feel like you are failing yet another diet in your life. It does take a lot of patience with these bands, but we will all get there. I must admit, sometimes I get jealous when I watch shows like "Big Medicine" where people get the gastric bypass and lose like...80 lbs in just 3 months.:faint:

My first fill was one month after..he added 3cc's in a 10cc aps band. Second one was 2 weeks later...1 more cc. Third fill on will be 1 month at a time until restriction..1 cc each time. Slow process..it's hard to wait. I have another 2 weeks until the next one. :bored

I have had 2 fills totaling 4cc's in an APS 10cc band. I have another 2 weeks to go before my doctor will fill another 1cc in it. I have trouble sticking to diets so people around me don't understand why I don't seem to be losing with the band. I try to tell them it's a process. Some people don't need many fills but some people need more for restriction. I can still eat almost the same as before depending on the day and what I am eating. Some days only half a sandwich goes down before the "stacking up" thing starts to happen and I have to quit. Some days I can eat more....:cry:help: Anyway...it's too bad to feel like you can't try to lose some before TOTAL restriction because of a doctor that won't give you a fill if you're losing. I would rather not lose until the sweet spot comes around than risk not getting fills...because I fail at diets. I have a hard time explaining to my family the difference between my band process taking a few months and what a gastric bypass does. They get confused. :phanvan

I watched it too. It was really something that some of those people lost HUNDREDS of pounds with only motivation and inspiration. It does kinda make you think what do I have to complain about if my fills aren't working yet...... :cry

Good grief...I guess I was thinking the whole band didn't have any metal in it. That's too bad you had to go through that. I wonder what was in the band that set it off? :cry

I'm just wondering, jbrad..how did they get it there? :cry

I have 4cc's in my 10 cc band so far with the 2 fills. It's getting better more each time. It's kinda tight to swallow first thing in the morning as with most people. I had a few scrambled eggs for breakfast and they went down ok. (I just had 2nd fill couple days ago) As the day wore on I kept trying to think in my mind if I felt hungry...like I usually feel..always wanting to head to the kitchen for whatever. Everything I thought of in my head...didn't sound good. What a good feeling that is. I know I could still maybe use a fill or two more, but for now it's working some...there might be a chance for me yet. :whoo::clap2:

Wow Judybellyband...how lucky are you to get 7cc's at 4 weeks postop. I also have the aps band and my first fill 2 weeks ago was only 3cc's and my second fill yesterday was just 1cc. My doctor will only put 1 cc in every month after the second fill so to get to restriction for me is going to take awhile. I am better with 4cc's...I so far can eat a smaller plate of food....better anyway. The first fill did nothing. :cry :faint: So glad to hear you're restricted again and the best of luck! :clap2:

I'm amazed that banded people travel so far for banding, fills and unfills. I guess I was lucky to have a good doctor only about 5 miles from me. It just goes to show how important weight loss is to people. :clap2: :cool:

My doctor put the port up high on my abdomen so it sticks out like a button. I have the APS 10cc band and I have so far had 2 fills...1st fill he put in 3 cc's..2nd fill today 1cc. The first one...absolutely no restriction..this one helps more. I still think I need a couple fills more. I am happy to say that I haven't had any troubles with fills, it just takes him a few seconds. I think all doctors should put the port high up.....:cry

Glad to hear it's better jacbro. I was thinking too maybe .5 removed would make you just right. :clap2:

I feel your pain, Christiana(pocketbook and otherwise). I'm lucky to have had my insurance cover my banding, or I wouldn't have had it done.

I think anybody that is thinking about getting this surgery should ask their doctor before if they would put the port in an area that is high up (especially if they carry a lot of their weight in their stomach area) That's where mine is..at the top of my stomach under the breast in the middle...sticks right out like a button. The fills are fast. IMHO.

The fill guy said that it's usually between 5-6cc's to start working with the AP small band. I know this is safer than bypass but it sure would be nice not to have to keep filling and waiting...filling and waiting.lol. I want restriction and no hunger pains NOW. :faint:

She didn't give a lot of details about it, I suppose something with a hard outer coating like a mcnugget could probably get stuck...especially if you try to swallow it through and it doesn't want to go. :paranoid

lol..mbanja. The insulin needle thing is just too funny. :biggrin1: I take insulin in the stomach area and my daughter is always kidding, telling me not to inject my insulin into my port. (although I did think maybe saline solution might be ok..she should never have said that :heh:) j/k

Well...my 1st fill of 3cc's did nothing. I hadn't thought it would but I was hoping. I go back every two weeks for 1cc more..hopefully soon......:bored

Luckily my port is right at the top of my abdomen in the middle so it sticks out like a button. I wish all doctors did this because reading these forums about people with port problems makes me feel bad for them. When I had my first and only fill so far it took just a few seconds and was over. If that port would have been anywhere down lower on me...it might have been lost forever!! lol. Sorry to hear of your ordeals for some. I just wonder why more doctors don't just think ahead and put them higher on the muscle...:cry

Boy did I learn my lesson about chicken getting stuck. I became worried about the feeling after remembering the dietician at the clinic telling me about a woman who wasn't paying attention to what she was doing while on the phone and popped a half a chicken mcnugget in and it got stuck :confused: so she had to have a complete unfill and she was self pay, $150.00 bucks each time. :paranoid

I can pretty much eat anything chewed well so far...but chicken and bread..no way. Chicken especially feels like it's ok for a little bit..even chewed well..then suddenly it's like it's right caught in there, and that was even before a fill. :confused: :faint:

Lol at Nina. That's too funny. :biggrin1: