Band sizes, whats the difference?

[Trinity 0]

Hello all, first time creating a topic! i have been reading this forum for the past couple months, and even though im sure this has been discussed i must of missed the topics.

I had the surgery on 8/13 and when i got my first fill i asked my doc how many ccs i have and what are the limits.

He said that i have a 14cc band, and i had 2.0 mls in at the time of surgery, and my first fill was another 2.5-3.0 mls.

He said that normally people dont feel restriction until about 8.5-11.0 ml.

So far i havn't felt much of anything from my band... i could easily put away food like i use to. Im not discouraged as i know that banding is the longer and slower but safest version of weight loss surgery.

My main question is whats the difference in the size differences in bands. most people seem to have 10ml bands, but i have a 14 ml band. I know 4ml is such a small amount of saline... but percentage wise its a 40% increase in the size of the bands that most people have.

advantages, disadvantages of having my type of band? any resources from the web so i can do some reading?

Also i know my doc is conservative in how much he does on fills. I have about 5ml and i want to ask him so badly to just add 4 ml. but i have a feeling he will only add about 2.

anyone else get frusterated and ask their doc for more than the doc would normally do.

Thanks all for the help. Keep up the fight, if we stay motivated we can beat this.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Trinity

[Mariasha 3]

Different people have different size stomachs, hence the different band sizes.

I too, have a 14cc band.

It really is best not to go to fast on the fills. Do you really want to end up in the ER because you can't keep anything down, not even Water?

Also keep in mind that as you get closer to restriction, even a small fill can make a big difference to your appetite.

[skeetersmom 3]

I thought I had a 10 cc realize band, but went for a fill today, and I asked again, they said its 9.5, I am filled now to 7.5, and I am hoping this is where I need to be, the dr. said I should be very close now!

[Jachut 487]

From what I can gather from my years on here, the newer, larger capacity bands make it more difficult to get to a good restriction.

I have the older 9.75cm 4cc band and I had restriction from surgery, with no fill at all. When that waned after about 8 weeks, I had a fill which bought me back to restriction. That tapered off after another 8 weeks or so so I had another fill which again bought me back to restriction. As I got more in my band, the periods of restriction lasted much longer and took like 0.1cc to top it back up. there was none of this waiting to feel any restriction or to get to a sweet spot. I had it from the beginning and lost weight steadily.

That would lead me to assume that with larger bands, you're going to have period post surgery for a couple of months where you dont have much restriction. That doesnt mean you cant/wont lose weight but its more reliant on willpower and behavioural changes. I made those too, right from the start but it was very easy when i wasnt hungry much and couldnt overeat.

[Mariasha 3]

From what I can gather from my years on here, the newer, larger capacity bands make it more difficult to get to a good restriction.

I have the older 9.75cm 4cc band and I had restriction from surgery, with no fill at all. When that waned after about 8 weeks, I had a fill which bought me back to restriction. That tapered off after another 8 weeks or so so I had another fill which again bought me back to restriction. As I got more in my band, the periods of restriction lasted much longer and took like 0.1cc to top it back up. there was none of this waiting to feel any restriction or to get to a sweet spot. I had it from the beginning and lost weight steadily.

That would lead me to assume that with larger bands, you're going to have period post surgery for a couple of months where you dont have much restriction. That doesnt mean you cant/wont lose weight but its more reliant on willpower and behavioural changes. I made those too, right from the start but it was very easy when i wasnt hungry much and couldnt overeat.

Jachut, I have the larger 14cc band and my experience has been similar to what you are describing. I think it just varies from person to person and as you said behavioral and attitudenal changes.

[DiValencia 0]

This answered a lot for me. I've written in the past couple of weeks that I too have a 14cc band and have had no restriction and I am my 3rd fill in at 9cc's and nothing yet. But I am still losing inches and a few pounds at a time. I was banded on July 14th and I measure the success by the way I feel and am able to move and my clothes.

[SusieQ1104 0]

I have a 10cc band with no fill at surgery. My first fill was 6 cc's. That seemed like a lot for a first fill, but after a week, I have great restriction. I guess each doctor is different. I'm glad my doctor didn't take baby steps with me.

[RGVT78 5]

I also was banded on August 31st and have a 14cc band. I only had 0.5 cc left in the band after surgery, so no restriction at first. !st fill was 3 mls 3 weeks later.. nothing.. 2nd fill 2mls another 3 weeks later. I had my 3rd fill last Wednesday (6 days ago), another 2 mls, and for the first 2 days, nothing, them BAM, almost restriction over the weekend, and ever since. So I'm at a total of 7.5 cc's and almost have restriction, and now feel that I DO have a band. :wub: 4th fill is scheduled for the 17th of Nov.

I know a lot of people get frustrated at not getting restriction right away, but I looked at it, (or tried to) with the attitude, I didn't get this weight overnight, and its not going to come off overnight. I may have had larger portions, but I didn't get hungry again right away (so didn't snack), and did my best to make good decisions. I will say that chewing tons, and eating slowly makes it that much easier at this stage, and no stuck, sliming, PBing episodes so far.

[Trinity 0]

Hello all, first time creating a topic! i have been reading this forum for the past couple months, and even though im sure this has been discussed i must of missed the topics.

I had the surgery on 8/13 and when i got my first fill i asked my doc how many ccs i have and what are the limits.

He said that i have a 14cc band, and i had 2.0 mls in at the time of surgery, and my first fill was another 2.5-3.0 mls.

He said that normally people dont feel restriction until about 8.5-11.0 ml.

So far i havn't felt much of anything from my band... i could easily put away food like i use to. Im not discouraged as i know that banding is the longer and slower but safest version of weight loss surgery.

My main question is whats the difference in the size differences in bands. most people seem to have 10ml bands, but i have a 14 ml band. I know 4ml is such a small amount of saline... but percentage wise its a 40% increase in the size of the bands that most people have.

advantages, disadvantages of having my type of band? any resources from the web so i can do some reading?

Also i know my doc is conservative in how much he does on fills. I have about 5ml and i want to ask him so badly to just add 4 ml. but i have a feeling he will only add about 2.

anyone else get frusterated and ask their doc for more than the doc would normally do.

Thanks all for the help. Keep up the fight, if we stay motivated we can beat this.

Hey guys, just a quick update!

I had my fill yesterday. Doc said i was at 4.75 ML and now i am at 6.5ML. That is less than 2 ML added. Yeah definatley conservative compared to the person that said they had 6 ML added on thier first fill. lol.

I asked about why he used a 14 ML band. He said that Guys in general have more tissue and lining around the stomach so the larger band is needed simply to make it fit. He said that girls usually have no trouble fitting the 10ML, but guys rarely can fit the 10ML.

So that seemed reasonable to me... it probably isn't the only reason, but the more i read about peoples experiences, the more i realize that different doctors have completely different rules.