When should I have my first fill?

[pmcw 0]

HELP! I am not sure what I should do. I was banded on 6/30/2010, my dr. dosn't do a first fill until one month after surgery, but that would put my first fill right before I leave for a vacation. He did say he would do it a few days early and I could have earlier in the week so I would have a couple of days before I leave, but should I do it then or wait another two weeks and do it when I get back? I am hungry and going threw "Bandster Hell" but I am dealing with it pretty well. I would love to get started on the actual losing weight part of this, and not the struggling to get threw part, but I am afraid if I have any problems adjusting maybe I don't want that to be while I am staying with family that I haven't even told I had the surgery yet. But then again if I wait I will have my fill just as I am returning to work, they don't know I had the surgery either, and that might not be the best time to get used to my first fill either. What do those of you who have actually had a fill suggest? Do you think it will be a hard adjustment for me, should I do it before I go on vacation or when I get back? This is really stressing me out, mostly because I haven't told very many people, just my kids and hubby of course, and a very few friends that I am around regularly and having the surgery effected things I was able to do with them. None of my family back home know about this, and I prefer to keep it that way for now because I don't expect them to be supportive of it, they are too negative about things and would probably have stories about people who this did not work for. As far as work, I haven't told anyone because I work for a school and I did this during the summer and haven't really seen them yet, but their will be very few people there that I will tell either, because it is none of their business and I prefer to keep it private. What should I do:confused: How did your first fills go?

Pam

[bambam31 168]

Most surgeons only fill a small amount at a time. IF this is your case, I would get the fill as soon as possible. It would be very rare to have any overfill complications from the first fill. You will have to be careful what/when you eat on vacation though because some foods MAY become problematic.

Try to keep your stress to a minimum - most people get very tight when stressed.

Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

Brad

[jensmallwood 0]

I think you'd be ok to just do it a few days before your vacation. If you have 2-3 days, and have no problems, you should be good to go. If you do have a problem, you can get a slight unfill before you leave. (but it's unlikely that you'd have a problem on the first fill.)

The only thing to really think about is if your doctor wants you to be on prolonged liquids or mushies after your fill. One or two days (before the vacation) isn't a problem, but if you have to eat liquids/mushies while you're on a trip- that would suck. If this is the case, I'd wait until after.

Don't worry about your coworkers if you decide to do it after your trip. If you do have any tightness issues, it won't likely be anything that will be obvious to them.

[Cocoabean 430]

Most people don't have problems with first fills, as Bambam said, they are usually small, but...points to consider.

I think it also depends on where you are going on vacation. Some bandsters feel tighter when they fly. If you are adjusting to a fill and then flying, it could be a problem.

Also, if you are going out of the country where you might not be as familiar with getting medical care, I'd think about waiting.

I postponed my first fill due to a 10 day cruise. I did not want to be so far away from home and have a problem. I had no clue if a cruise doctor would be able to unfill a band....? probably...

If you are going to be somewhere within reach of medical care where you can easily get an unfill then OK.

I think I'd prefer to enjoy my vacation and get the fill after...but then, that is what I decided to do. :cool:

I ended up waiting on my fill from my surgery Feb. 15 until early May. My surgeon won't do a first fill until 6 weeks.

Best wishes with the decision!

[pmcw 0]

Most surgeons only fill a small amount at a time. IF this is your case, I would get the fill as soon as possible. It would be very rare to have any overfill complications from the first fill. You will have to be careful what/when you eat on vacation though because some foods MAY become problematic.

Try to keep your stress to a minimum - most people get very tight when stressed.

Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

Brad

Thanks Brad for the advice and info, you are probably right it is only a first fill, it shouldn't be too much restriction, and I will have at least a couple of days before I leave if their is a problem. I think I still need to think about it some more and hopefully get some more responses about others experiences.

BTW.. Now I am 50 years old and happily married so don't take this the wrong way but your picture looks GREAT:wink2: Congratulations on your success! Pam

[pmcw 0]

I think you'd be ok to just do it a few days before your vacation. If you have 2-3 days, and have no problems, you should be good to go. If you do have a problem, you can get a slight unfill before you leave. (but it's unlikely that you'd have a problem on the first fill.)

The only thing to really think about is if your doctor wants you to be on prolonged liquids or mushies after your fill. One or two days (before the vacation) isn't a problem, but if you have to eat liquids/mushies while you're on a trip- that would suck. If this is the case, I'd wait until after.

Don't worry about your coworkers if you decide to do it after your trip. If you do have any tightness issues, it won't likely be anything that will be obvious to them.

Thanks for the help, I will have to check with my doctor about food restrictions after a fill, I didn't even think about that; I don't think he has any though or he probably would have mentioned that when we discussed weather I should have a fill before I left or not, he just said it was totally up to me:scared2: What do I know:confused: I'm going away just for tonight and tomorrow and I am a bit nervous about even that:rolleyes:

Pam

[pmcw 0]

Most people don't have problems with first fills, as Bambam said, they are usually small, but...points to consider.

I think it also depends on where you are going on vacation. Some bandsters feel tighter when they fly. If you are adjusting to a fill and then flying, it could be a problem.

Also, if you are going out of the country where you might not be as familiar with getting medical care, I'd think about waiting.

I postponed my first fill due to a 10 day cruise. I did not want to be so far away from home and have a problem. I had no clue if a cruise doctor would be able to unfill a band....? probably...

If you are going to be somewhere within reach of medical care where you can easily get an unfill then OK.

I think I'd prefer to enjoy my vacation and get the fill after...but then, that is what I decided to do. :cool:

I ended up waiting on my fill from my surgery Feb. 15 until early May. My surgeon won't do a first fill until 6 weeks.

Best wishes with the decision!

Thanks for your input, these are all good things to consider, however I will not be flying, I am going to IL to visit my family, so medical care is available, BUT at this point my family does not know I had this done and prefer to keep it that way until I have some results to show for it. I bounce around a lot between houses, Parents, two sisters, and an Aunt, also friends so I basically plan to not really eat with them much, so I don't have to answer questions about why I am not eating more and things like that, when I do eat with them, I will just try not to be too obvious. I may want to wait for my first fill though so I won't be as restricted, but then I want to start losing more NOW and I am HUNGRY the way I am so it is taking will power to make good choices and not eat too much, I want the decision taken away from me to an extent, I don't want to be hungry so much and I don't want to be capable of over eating with out discomfort (it is a lot easier to say no when you know the results will be uncomfortable). I'm heading away for the night and tomorrow, but I will check back as soon as I can on this thread! Thanks everyone for all the advise! Pam

[PamD0630 0]

I read your post and without exaggeration I thought it was me. I too was banded on June 30th and had the same exact questions. I am going on vacation on August 5th for 2 weeks. During my first post-op visit, I asked my surgeon if I could get my first fill a few days earlier. His response was that he highly did not recommend it. One of the reasons was exactly what Cocoa posted about flying. He said go away and have a good time, two weeks later will not make a major difference. I'm glad my surgeon made the decision for me because I would have def. gone ahead and had my first fill before I left.

Good luck making your decision and have a great time on your vacation!

By the way, my name is Pam too.:cool:

[SoccerMomma73 1,867]

I would go and enjoy yourself, try to follow the rules, then come home, get a fill, and get serious about it. People react so differently to fills. You'd likely be fine, but, coming from someone who has completely obstructed and had to have an emergency unfill, it ain't pretty! I, personally, would wait until I was home, on my home turf, in my comfy zone before I got my first. Good luck!

[Cocoabean 430]

Thanks for your input, these are all good things to consider, however I will not be flying, I am going to IL to visit my family, so medical care is available, BUT at this point my family does not know I had this done and prefer to keep it that way until I have some results to show for it. I bounce around a lot between houses, Parents, two sisters, and an Aunt, also friends so I basically plan to not really eat with them much, so I don't have to answer questions about why I am not eating more and things like that, when I do eat with them, I will just try not to be too obvious. I may want to wait for my first fill though so I won't be as restricted, but then I want to start losing more NOW and I am HUNGRY the way I am so it is taking will power to make good choices and not eat too much, I want the decision taken away from me to an extent, I don't want to be hungry so much and I don't want to be capable of over eating with out discomfort (it is a lot easier to say no when you know the results will be uncomfortable). I'm heading away for the night and tomorrow, but I will check back as soon as I can on this thread! Thanks everyone for all the advise! Pam

Hey Pam,

Believe me, I was none too happy when I was advised to postpone my fill! I had a band, darnit, and I wanted it working for me! My hubby was totally against me getting it before our trip, and I understood the reasons for being told no. I'd not have been able to live with myself (or my hubby!) had I ruined our cruise with a band episode after being told by my surgeon that I should wait.

Your circumstances are very different from mine.

I totally understand your reasons for wanting to proceed, and if your surgeon has given his blessings, I say go for it!

As to why you are not eating so much? You are working on better eating habits and watching calories! No lie!

[keeping the faith 0]

I would wait. I just had my first fill a week ago and I didn't feel any restriction...and many on this site told me that sometimes it takes time for the fill to set in...which I thought was counter intuitive...but they were right, as usual. Try to eat healthy and start off on a good foot. Don't take the chance of having to remain on mushies or having people ask questions if you need to go for medical help and find out about the procedure when you want privacy. As many people have told me, the band is a tool, and so is eating healthy and exercise. And remember your husband's support is so important, so give him a big hug and a kiss and ask him to gently nudge you if you start or continue a bad habit. Just think, you are giving your body just a little more time to heal, which my doctor says is never a bad thing. Also, not all docs put in just a little. My doc put in 4ccs in a 10cc band on my first fill.

Hope you have a great vaca! Let us know what you decided and how it is going!:cool:

[pmcw 0]

I read your post and without exaggeration I thought it was me. I too was banded on June 30th and had the same exact questions. I am going on vacation on August 5th for 2 weeks. During my first post-op visit, I asked my surgeon if I could get my first fill a few days earlier. His response was that he highly did not recommend it. One of the reasons was exactly what Cocoa posted about flying. He said go away and have a good time, two weeks later will not make a major difference. I'm glad my surgeon made the decision for me because I would have def. gone ahead and had my first fill before I left.

Good luck making your decision and have a great time on your vacation!

By the way, my name is Pam too.:cool:

Nice name :wink2: I wish my dr had made my decision for me, I was all set NOT to have a fill, because before the surgery he had indicated we would wait until I got back from vacation, then when I went in for my post-op visit he seemed to be ready to move things along at a faster rate, I guess because I was doing so well, he gave me the ok to eat all types of food, "as long as they don't make me throw up" and said I could have my first fill any time the week of the 26th, if I wanted to, so I would have at least a few days before I leave town on Aug. 1st. From the things I read on here about other drs. instructions, my dr seems to progress at a faster rate with things than some others, I don't know that that is bad, so far I have likes it, for example getting to eat sooner, but maybe I need to be slower about the fill, I mean it seems a lot of drs wait 6 weeks post op to do a fill, and mine is talking about not even waiting the full 4 weeks he had told me in the beginning. Plus I must have some restriction anyway, because why else would I fill up so quickly, and be having so many PBing episodes when I don't chew well enough or eat too quickly? It must not be too much restriction because the food does seem to go threw quickly and I get HUNGRY after only a short time, but there is definatly a change since the surgery. I am still undecided but at this time I am leaning toward waiting. Thanks for your input though. :thumbup: Pam

[pmcw 0]

Thanks everyone for your support and advise as I told the other Pam, I think I will wait until I get back, but I am still a bit unsure, so I may change my mind again, I wish my dr. just hadn't even suggested an early fill to me :cool: Pam

[shannie83301 0]

I would wait till you get home! I had 3.5 cc on my first fill and had a lot of restriction and couldn't keep solids down without throwing up! That would really ruin your vacation! I ended up having to go back in a get a cc out. So althought most don't get a lot of restriction after the first fill it can happen....and it would be pretty misrible to happen when you are out of town on vacation! 2 weeks isn't that long...if it was me I would wait! Good luck what ever you decide to do and enjoy your vacation!

[pmcw 0]

I would wait till you get home! I had 3.5 cc on my first fill and had a lot of restriction and couldn't keep solids down without throwing up! That would really ruin your vacation! I ended up having to go back in a get a cc out. So althought most don't get a lot of restriction after the first fill it can happen....and it would be pretty misrible to happen when you are out of town on vacation! 2 weeks isn't that long...if it was me I would wait! Good luck what ever you decide to do and enjoy your vacation!

Thanks shannie, I think after yesterday that is exactly what I am going to do. I had a very untimely PBing incident. My husband was going camping for the weekend on some property we own, and I decided to join him just for Friday night. I went out with minimal supplies since I was going to head home the next morning, I left for home between 10:30 and 11:00, I was getting hungry but didn't feel like eating the granola bars my husband had packed for Breakfast and just planned to pick something up on my way home. In the mean time a bag of pretzels had gotten left in my car so I decided to snack on a few of them, they went down fine, but I got thirsty, so I started drinking a bottle of Water, pretty soon I started feeling like I had swallowed to big a gulp of Water and needed to burp or something, so I quit drinking. It wasn't long before all the water I had drank came gushing back up, I mean with force, it sprayed everywhere :scared2:, Luckily it was only water, and no one was with me to see it or it could have been really embarrassing. :smile: Anyway it was enough to convince me that if I am having problems with little things like that now what is it going to be like after a fill:confused: I just need to wait til I am home and can relax and deal with things slowly and privately.

Congratulations on your success so far, I looked at your profile, my daughter is 13, and I can totally relate to how you feel about your 9 year old daughter:smile2:

Pam