PennyLane

Hi everyone--I thought I'd listen to some advice from one of the other monthly groups and start one master thread in which we have an ongoing discussion/updates. I don't know about you all but I certainly spend most of my time on these boards on the pre-op forum and the general forum, not here. It would be nice to have just one thread to go to once in this forum. We can maybe start out with introductions? As for me, I'm going the "online privacy" route for now (paranoid that people I haven't told about this will somehow stumble across me on this site I guess, which is crazy, I know) but I can give you the big picture: You can call me Penny, I'm 27, single and live in the Washington, DC area. I have a background in politics (which is why I live in DC) but now I'm a librarian which is much cooler and way more fun (trust me on that). Oh, and there's no "Marion the Librarian" thing with me either. One of the things I hear most frequently (besides the cliche "you have such a pretty face") is "but you don't LOOK like a librarian", which is another one of those bizarre backhanded compliments that you never really know how to take. Personality wise, I'm kind of dorky, big into public radio and books and popular science. Oh, I'm also a little on the paranoid side (as you may be able to tell from earlier in this post). Beyond that I'm just kind of silly and friendly, VERY much so into traveling and I'm an aspiring "green" domestic diva (but that's not going so well).

quick update from me: we seem to have finally (last month) gotten the fill to a level that is not too tight and where it is effective--there was a little difficulty with that and i wound up having most of the fill taken out in early december because it was so tight and my stomach was swelling making it tighter. anyway, through all of that my weight held steady at -15lbs (very frustrating, but at least it wasn't a gain) and now a month later, i'm -25lbs! i'm very pleased, and while i still feel bad that i wasn't able to be this successful much earlier, i know that this is a process, not a race and that as long as i keep working at it it will work out! so i just got below 250 (a nice landmark), and am 2lbs away from being under a 40 bmi. i've lost 4 inches off my waist and my face looks much thinner. so hooray for me!

Well I'm just frustrated with myself because I'm only 20lbs down from pre-banding but I have to remind myself that just because I haven't done it yet doesn't mean I won't. Just need to get the right fill and work harder at it. I guess I'm just embarrassed, really, but it's such a counter-productive feeling that I need to move past it, you know?

Well the scale hasn't budged since that second fill which is frustrating but also really weird because I'm wearing a smaller size. I'm trying to not let it get to me. I know what I've been doing right, and what I've been doing wrong and am actively, daily working to correct it. I had a third fill that brought me up to 5.5cc and I felt fine in the office and that night but the next morning was a big no-go. Just a sip (admittedly a too large sip) of Water caused me to PB and I stuck with liquids and soft foods all day and attempted to eat a soft-ish dinner (ground turkey taco type filling) but my body was having none of it. It was quite uncomfortable. Friday morning was even worse so I went in for an unfill because they were concerned that all the PBing would irritate my stomach, making the band tighter and I'd need to go to the ER over the weekend. So I'm down to 4.9 and feeling pretty much exactly as I did at 4.5 which was a noticeable difference from pre-banding but only a slight noticeable difference. So who knows what's going on? I really need to refocus toward exercise (has gone out the window the past few weeks) and try and figure out where to improve my eating. It's difficult sometimes to remember that just because I CAN eat the whole meal doesn't mean that I SHOULD. I'm generally good at stopping at the "satisfied" feeling but more often than I should I keep eating until "full", which at this point with my loose feeling band is really not much less food than pre-banding. So...sweet spot? Who knows? I suppose it's somewhere between 4.9 and 5.5. But maybe that too-large sip of water on the day after a fill really did me in. I can't totally control the band fills but I CAN control my diet and exercise and I just need to figure out how to take more ownership of it I guess. Sigh, I really thought this would be a little smoother than it has been so far, but I need to remember it's not a race, the band isn't even "working" really for me yet and that with work I'll get there. (It doesn't make it any less frustrating though).

Hi, all! Long time no post. I have had QUITE a hectic few months. I think the last time I posted I'd just found out that my landlords weren't going to renew my lease on my apartment (where I'd lived for 3 years)--this happened just about one week post-op. I eventually found a new (and arguably better) place to live and just had to wait for my move in date which very inconveniently fell right at the beginning of midterms in early October (I'm in grad school). The move was basically a nightmare and long story short, I was without an operational kitchen for the first three weeks I lived here (no fridge, no stove), which left me at the mercy of local takeout places. I actually did fairly well with this--I generally stuck with a local Greek place and had their omelette of the day and stuffed grape leaves (the kind stuffed with ground lamb not rice). I've only had two fills so far (Sept and Nov--missed Oct because time just slipped away from me) and as of mid-November have only really held steady at my pre/post op diet loss which isn't ideal but it's not a gain (and I was sort of expecting a gain based on the kitchen situation). Oddly, though, while the scale didn't move I started fitting into older, smaller clothes so who knows what that's about. I'm just following the rules as best as I can and I try make smart decisions generally. I have NO idea how I'm doing weight-wise since the Nov fill, I've decided to not weigh at home. I'll find out next week when I go in for fill #3, but my guess is that this one has been good. I've noticed changes in my body and clothing fit so it's probably good news :rolleyes2: What else happened? Thanksgiving was a big crazy gathering which necessitated 4 tables to accommodate all the family members (there were other family events happening that week) and then I immediately went into finals. In the middle of finals, I got called in for a job interview and was offered the job the very same day. I started the job about 10 hours after finishing my last exam and have worked there for a week now. Grades started coming in today and I have As in 2 out of my 3 classes and expect an A- at the least from the third. This job (paid internship really) is only funded for 2 months, but funding may be extended by the incoming Congress (it's a Congressional position) so I may be looking at next semester of full time employment and full time academic study, which will be insane but (hopefully) manageable. My plan all along for the band was to approach it "slow and steady" and make it just another part of my life rather than a focal point of it which may not be the best approach for a fast success but it's really just the way that makes the most sense for me and my life. Exercise has been happening but without a plan and focus, which I had been planning on spending Christmas Break fixing, but this job came kind of out of nowhere. This weekend I'm going to sit down with a schedule etc and really Iron out a plan of action because what I'm doing now isn't really cutting it. I DO hope that my efforts start to see a payoff (and that I can really apply myself more consistently in the exercise department) soon. So that's my life! Sorry for the novel-length post--I've been really busy. I feel like I can finally come up for air and revisit you all!

Thanks, all for the responses I feel better now, and have modified what I've been eating to the softest of the soft foods for now just to be safe. Sorry for taking so long to respond!

A friend of mine who lives in Vietnam has had serious trouble getting a job because she has acne and doesn't look "Vietnamese enough" (she's from the far northern part of the country where peasants of Chinese ancestry live) according to some interviewers. Standards may be different for foreigners there, I don't know. Things are just really very frustratingly different in that part of the world, not that it makes it alright or anything. I was only living there for a few months and I knew I wouldn't be able to take it much longer than that.

One thing to keep in mind about the band is that part of the reason the estimated weight loss for the band is lower than the bypass is that you do still absorb everything you eat, whereas with the bypass you don't. You can still eat a small volume of food that is calorie and fat laden and/or drink high calorie liquids (that aren't stopped by the band) and you will still "get" all those calories. Basically, the band (to a greater extent than the bypass in my opinion) is really just a tool to help a new lifestyle of diet and exercise work, not to do the work of dieting and exercising for you. Bypass, because of the malabsorption issue is less like this, however I have heard that over time, the stomach stretches and the body gets used to malabsorption and that's why the weight regain happens. With the band, if you're going to be successful you have to make a total lifestyle change, which I think will be the key in keeping the weight off permanently. If you are unable to make that change, though, the band might not work for you. Also, something to read about bypass is "dumping syndrome". I never considered bypass at all (for various reasons of safety, pregnancy, permanence etc) but if I had, I think that this would have been the deal breaker for me. Hope that helps

At first I was going to try to suggest that maybe it's the parents' way of controlling what kind of toys/clothes are given to their child (I know a lot of people who don't want certain things in the house like battery operated toys, or plastic stuff, or things affiliated with a particular "brand" like Disney Princesses and things etc) but I think if that's the case they should do the "your presence is present enough" thing (getting pretty popular at children's parties I hear). You're totally right, that is really tacky, especially if everything is so expensive. You can report them here (or just read the site, it's hysterical at some points) Etiquette Hell -Penny

I'm getting my lease not renewed (effectively "kicked out" but not evicted). So, I used to smoke. This was a smoking building. I used to smoke indoors, as I was allowed to do according to my lease agreement. There is an office on the ground floor, and the receptionist used to smoke behind the desk there--this becomes important later. I quit in April of 2007. Around that time a very not nice neighbor who complained about EVERYTHING moved in on the ground floor (it's a 200 year old townhouse converted to one apartment per floor--I'm on the 4th). He wouldn't let the mailman leave our mail where he used to because he didn't like how it looked, he even called the City to cut people's bikes off of trees and signs and stuff when they would dare to park them not only in front of our building but on our ENTIRE BLOCK. He also started complaining non-stop about the smoking from the office on the ground floor (right next to his apartment). WHY he ever signed a lease in a smoking building right next to a woman who openly smokes in her office (obvious from the moment you step in the door) I will NEVER KNOW. I fell off the non-smoking wagon in about January of 2008. Apparently he figured that out because he started complaining about me too. In about March, a note went out the the whole building that this was now a non-smoking building and we can't smoke in our apartments (against the law for them to do in this tobacco-loving state at the time but I digress). Even though they technically can't do that by law and by my lease agreement, I do my best to be a model tenant and a good neighbor. I never smoked another single cigarette (and I don't smoke anything else at all) in this building ever. I quit smoking entirely in May, in part because smoking is stupid and because of this surgery. Apparently Mr. Jackass on the ground floor continued to complain about what must have been phantom smoke. I WAS NOT SMOKING indoors, and the woman in the office claimed to not be either (and I actually believe her because I'd see her outside on breaks during the day). He used this as an excuse to break his very long term (3 year) extremely expensive lease (about $3000/month US....mine isn't even half that the ground floor apartment is extensive--at least twice the size as mine and includes the back garden etc). So now, my lease is up and I was fully expecting it to be renewed just as it always has been every year for three years. I have never once received any complaints for smoke, noise, ANYTHING...the only indication I had that there was any trouble at all was the new non-smoking policy which I was in FULL compliance with. But nope--no lease renewal. Reason? Too many complaints about my smoking. (A) When I was smoking in here, someone should have told me it was bothering them and I'd have stopped instantly. I'm a nice, sympathetic person and I don't want to be a bother to anyone. (:thumbup: I NEVER smoked once they banned it in the building (which, again, they weren't even allowed to do in the first place!) Because this is not an eviction, just a non-renewal of a lease they don't actually have to have a reason at all (renewal is at the whim of the landlords here--they could not renew because they want to live there themselves, they need storage, want to save on utilities, whatever). The only good thing is that I will still have a positive reference from them because I wasn't evicted and apparently they aren't allowed to mention the reason for a non-renewal. But STILL. This was my HOME for 3 years and I take great pride in it, I love it and I love the neighborhood. It almost feels like they've forcibly euthanized my pets (seriously, I'm that sad about the loss of the apartment) but mostly I am SO MAD about being punished for something I didn't even DO! And besides, just because I "cost them a high cost long term tenant" (which I fucking didn't, I bet it was the receptionist sneaking cigs when she thought no one would notice), what use is punishing me now? He's gone and that apartment has been re-rented. She won't believe me I didn't break the rules, and won't believe me that I quit, and she said even if she did, a decision's been made and what's done is done. I feel like I'm losing a limb here, this house and this town are such a part of me. Finding another place that's similar to mine, anywhere close to my current neighbor for anywhere close to the price (and by anywhere close I mean like within $200-$400/month "close") is extremely difficult. This town is mainly privately owned townhouses--only a few have been converted to apartments like mine and they all run at quite a pretty penny. Oh, and about half of them are owned my my soon-to-be-former landlord. I am beyond devastated:crying:. Thanks for reading this much if you have. -Penny

Oh, I'm definitely going to figure out what happens here next. And wish bad tenants, too, or those who don't stay long. I honestly was planning on staying here until I left the DC area altogether, or until I got married (and maybe not even then, this is a perfect sized apartment for a couple--I'd just have to marry a short man or one who is good about ducking to get around the apartment!). There probably won't be any problems because the complainer in chief has moved out, but oh well. This was all for the best. I didn't hear from the new landlady today to sign my part of the lease and give her the deposit, which worries me slightly but she could have been busy. My dad signed his part and faxed it in (need a co-signer because I'm a grad student now and the income level isn't exactly what it used to be), but she wouldn't have offered the lease if she wasn't planning on following through....right?

Did they give you a fill on your surgery day, Goober? What did you eat that made you PB? Mine is totally open and loose--I feel like nothing's really very different and I couldn't get anything stuck if I tried. As for my challenges, it would be paying attention to the no more than 1 cup of food in one sitting rule (still on post-op diet). That's been tough, not because of hunger but because of habit. I'll fix a plate and realize that there's too much and set aside only about a cup to eat but then when I'm done the rest of it seems to call to me to be eaten. I have to get it out of my face then. Also, exercise. I've been having a lot of port pain and some serious personal life drama (mostly resolved now) so I've had a hard time getting my motivation up this past week. But I resolve to at least walk around the neighborhood for 30 minutes a day, if for no reason other than to keep in the habit of doing something, anything "exercise" related daily. For me, the battle is mostly mental, and forming a habit. Once the habit is there, I'm good to go. I'm considering joining a Masters swim team (masters just means "over 18") because I was a competitive swimmer my whole life until college. Seriously, I was on the "tyke team" which starts at age 5 or 6 and kept going until I was 18. I loved it and was in pretty good shape, too :thumbup:

Yeah, I know. That's why I'm so worried that not doing the right things now will make me have problems later. It didn't occur to me until now, when I saw someone one here mentioning pureed foods, that I don't have a pureed food part. I knew a while ago that a lot of people go liquids-purees-soft-solid but I just forgot once I'd been through the post op plan with my clinic over and over again. So now I'm worried. Interesting...I hadn't heard that one. Do you know what those new guidelines are? It's weird that the lap band's site itself has the "old" guidelines. Or maybe that's just a "what to expect" not a "users manual". Ack, I don't know. Today I've only been doing things that would go under "pureed" so maybe I'll just stick with that for a while--better safe than sorry. I do feel guilty for second guessing "the plan" though. Man, I am a mess :tt2:

Well, I don't know about mushies--people seem to use that term for everything. I guess I'm trying to say that there is no pureed food stage for me, which gets me nervous. The lap band site says 2 weeks liquids, 2 weeks pureed food, 2 weeks soft food and then solid food (didn't know about this site before, someone pointed it out to me when I asked): Lapband.com - The First Few Weeks After Surgery Apparently this used to be what everyone did, but now docs are making the post op diet easier so that patients actually stick with it but also because some people choose their doctor based on the post op diet. Outside the US they still do it this way, and only US statistics on band slips are on the rise (I've been talking with a very knowledgeable band veteran about all this). I guess I just kind of don't get it--why everyone's instructions are so different when it seems like there is good evidence to support that the correct post op plan is a factor in preventing slips in the future. I'm just frustrated and worried. I could be a professional worrier, you know. Ack this is maddening.

Wow, guys, that sounds really bad! I do know there are bad tenants out there (I've encountered them) but it really is crazy the things people will do. A friends father is a landlord in another town in this area and they have a 13 page lease....it's actually famous among my friends because pretty much everyone has rented something from him at some point before--usually right out of college. Anyway, I saw it once and was laughing at the stipulations in there (can't remember specifics but I'll ask) thinking that he must be the most paranoid man on earth. Nope, they said. All of that comes from specific experience. He has a million crazy stories, apparently. But I'm just not one of those people (as far as I know anyway...this whole thing has started to make me worried that I'm some horrible tenant that no one would want). I always pay on time, and have never complained about a thing. Only times I've ever called them is when my toilet was broken (and I couldn't fix it) and when a window air conditioner needed replacing because it was blowing hot air--in three full years. I'm not silent but I'm not loud (I play music while I'm cooking, and am often up late and need to walk through the apartment). I used to smoke in here, but had I known anyone was complaining would have stopped immediately...I....I don't know what else you could complain about me about. Oh well. What's done is done. But good news.... I'm off to sign a lease! In a building kind of like the one I'm in now. Not nearly as old or historic--this one I live in is 220 years old and on a cobblestone street while the new place is (I'm guessing) just over 100 but age and historic factor were never the issue, I'd have moved into a brand new construction just as easily--I'm just pointing out the differences. Anyway, it's a converted townhouse, one apartment per floor. On the same street, but 6 blocks up. I have the ground floor this time instead of the old attic which is different but nice. I loved living up here even with the 4 flights of stairs because it's cute and pokey and the ceilings are slanted and it feels very cottage-cozy. But with the ground floor, I have no more grocery issues (planning shopping trips around weight and size of purchases is not fun), and "possession" of the little backyard area--mostly a patio with paving stones but some dirt areas in which to grow things (the landlady said, when I asked, "oh please do...I'd love for someone to get some good use out of this"). It also comes with a parking space in the alley behind the building which is a godsend around here. Where I live now is very close to the river, bike trails and the tourist stuff so getting home past 7pm means a loooong time circling for a space, and moving the car at all on weekends in summer usually means parking in a parking garage when you get back because there's no point in even trying. I have the parking enforcement number in my cell phone to report when things get bad (it's supposed to be 2 hour parking only for everyone but residents. That never happens). Size wise it's practically identical--one bedroom plus a den that many people choose to use as a bedroom (here that wasn't possible because of the location of the only bathroom so the den is a den). It's about $150 more per month than I figured they'd raise my rent to this year had they renewed, and $50 more than the kind of ugly one bedroom I looked at farther away and on the busiest intersection in town (all of this includes utilities too). Because it's share-able though, and I've given the option to several friends of mine who are looking to move to this part of town, my costs will actually wind up lower than they have been in 4 years.... So basically....I'm still sad to leave but this will be a great move physically and financially. I love this place and this couple of blocks (the waterfront, the cobblestone etc) and my neighbors (not the ones in the building--the ones who love up and down the street) but I can easily come down for visits. Hey, I can plan my daily walking regime to come by here :tongue:. I've been spending the afternoon researching shade-loving plants and debating climbing roses (for the fence not the house) or jasmine :tt2:

Quick question, guys (because I've gotten myself all worried that my post op diet isn't conservative enough)... What was/is your post op diet progression like? Mine was 2 weeks full liquids (anything that can go up a straw plus yogurt), then 2 weeks soft foods (anything that can be mashed with a fork, and normally wouldn't require much chewing except now chew chew chew, this includes things like tuna, eggs and ground chicken/turkey) and then a slow progression onto solid foods. No mushy stage and now I'm all worried that this could lead to complications down the road, but even more worried that this means I don't trust my doctor, which then means I don't trust my own decisions which all in all means that I could see this whole thing (the band in general) as a wrong decision/mistake. Sorry, I have warned everyone I'm neurotic as hell right?

How much do you think stuff like this is affected by advertisement of the band(s) to the general public? Like how many people see the commercial and only get the "you'll lose weight" part out of it, search for "lap band" on the internet and find an inexpensive surgeon in the Google ads? Now, of course these people should know better than to make medical decisions based on TV commercials, Google ads and price alone but.....yeah...people should know better than to do a lot of things they do, you know? Those ads don't show anything approaching the nitty-gritty of banding, and perhaps some people just think "oh, I'll eat less because I won't be so hungry" and think they understand the procedure. Not to defend this type of behavior but sadly, I see how it is totally possible.

Yeah it does seem unfair but I am trying to put myself in a landlord's shoes. Say I owned my dream apartment but then joined the Peace Corps for two years...I'd want it back when I came back and so wouldn't renew their lease. Or if I owned a rental property near a university that my child was about to attend--I'd not renew so that my kid could live there. There doesn't have to be a reason, just like I wouldn't need a reason to not renew the lease. But all that even-temperedness doesn't change the fact that there IS a reason--but the claim is completely false and they just won't listen to me. I did go in in person first thing on Monday to see what this was all about and she at first acted like I was spoiling for a fight--immediately on the offensive. But I kept my cool, didn't get emotional and said "ok, I understand if that's your decision and respect your concerns, I would like to reiterate that I have always done everything I could to be a model tenant and sympathetic neighbor but regardless we have to figure out the details of my leaving the apartment" and then we discussed painting (I painted the walls), and dates etc. I got an extra month out of them, and I think it may have been due to my being polite and understanding during a situation that most people would be shrieking. I am very lucky in that I have three good leads. Or well, one awesome lead, one a little weird but totally doable, and one which is a change of pace (much smaller, more suburban but a cute place at a good price). I hope #1 goes through but 2 or 3 would be fine by me. #1 was SERIOUS luck (heard about it, toured it and got to apply before it was advertised anywhere and she won't advertise unless I don't work out somehow). All this from remembering a detail of a conversation with a friend of a friend 6 months ago and following up, and then placing a cold-call. Amazing. In case you can't tell--the rental market is tight and competitive around these parts :w00t: One place I contacted got back to me saying that it had been rented site unseen after only one hour on Craigslist!

Hi, all sorry for the extended break. I went in for my first post-op visit today and all looks great. I have port pain (started 2 weeks to the day after surgery) probably from overdoing it on stretching or something. I started soft foods and am really enjoying it. I have to watch it on the creamy condiments (mayo, sour cream, dressing) but they make for a great mixture with ground chicken and ground turkey. Besides the obvious tuna salad or egg salad, my favorite as been a bit of an indulgence because I was craving a little spice. I got ground chicken and cooked it in a pan, bought some Buffalo sauce and some reduced fat ranch dressing, mixed them together and voila! Buffalo wing taste without the fried part and nice and soft. I was very careful to measure the dressing and keep it at or under the suggested serving size. Funny thing is that pre-band I could have taken or left Buffalo wings but I just really wanted that flavor for some reason. Tonight was my weekly "meeting" at my local pub (just a group of friends who hang out on Wednesday evenings)...had fish n chips without chips and no breading. Fish wasn't so great tasting but it's protein I suppose. Oh, and only iced tea for me--I have been told that a Guinness now and again is fine but I don't want to have anything to do with alcohol or beer specifically for a good long while. Finally, I found out on Friday that my landlords won't be renewing my lease this year (after three years) because of a long story involving a mean neighbor whose rent happens to be double mine (guess who won that battle for the landlord's heart?). So I've got to move (well, find a new place to live first) which won't be fun, but hey what's life without a few curve balls? That's about it for me!

Thanks :cry_smile: It's from one of my favorite movies--I like that character.

Hi all, got a weird situation (I have an appointment with the surgeon tomorrow so no worries on that front, I'm just looking for some input here). I never really had any port pain at all, just at the incision line. Last night I sat down kind of strangely (and quickly, I kind of plopped down in frustration over a telephone conversation) and suddenly, some pretty significant pain about 2 inches above the port incision. I poked it a bit (later when the pain went away) and found that that's where the port is! The pain kind of comes and goes now, comes when I move or stretch in a certain way or even slouch in my computer chair. Anyone have this? What might it be? I'm of course worried I managed to pop a stitch and flip the thing or make the tubing come undone or something dramatic like that. Again, I'm seeing the surgeon tomorrow and will certainly ask there--but anyone know what I'm talking about? Suggestions?

I totally agree, Wasa. I was just saying that I hope that the successful veterans don't all get so frustrated by those groups that they leave because otherwise all that's left are the type of bandsters I originally encountered in my research--those who aren't losing, are PBing everything they eat, having complications, claiming it doesn't work, it's hell, it's dangerous etc. Because this picture was night-and-day compared to how my surgeon had explained it at the info session, I did more research and reading and eventually (after a while) came across those bandsters who do things the way I'd been told it works and have had huge success with it. I'm still quite a newbie (just over two weeks out) and I'm still shocked when I read about PBing every day, or reading about the types of food eaten (all soft, calorie rich foods that go right through the band) and all that sort of behavior--I can't imagine what it's like once you've been doing this for a while. I was just voicing my hope that not all the successful bandsters would get "run out" due to negativity from certain segments of the board. Thanks again, all, for your insights!

Might be a bit far but when I was at the GW University Hospital's info session, I asked if I could still attend their support group if I had the surgery elsewhere (more just curious because I clicked with one of the nurses) and they said yes. So maybe give them a try? It's not hard to get to at ALL from I-66 or 395 (once you know your way around this tangled mess of an urban area that is).

Hi, I'm a DC-area bandster (not the District itself but inside-the-beltway which should count for something :biggrin: ). I don't know of any therapists in DC...the one I used to see on the Hill moved back to his hometown but he would have been perfect--his partner had RNY and he's familiar with WLS. There are tons of Lap Band doctors in the area--I'm sure you've found one by now. Just thought I'd say hi :biggrin:

Did they give you a fill at surgery? That sounds awfully tight to me, even considering swelling and stuff. I'd call the surgeon's office just to check in and tell them how you're feeling and see what they say. For me, I didn't feel any of that and still don't. I know for a fact that there is no fill in there, because I asked both before and after surgery.