Help! Weird Lap Band Fill Experience -- Normal?

[WhitewolfCO 0]

Dr. Inserted long needle all the way down to the shaft. I was head lower than feet laying down. With needle still in place, Dr. Asked me to sit up. As I was starting to sit up, gravity was settling the port back into place with the needle still in it! Excruciating!! I have never been asked to sit up with needle still in port. Does this sound like normal procedure?

[The teen bandit 3]

How odd! I've only had one fill but i was told to just lay there it didn't hurt just a funny feeling, though I suppose some docs do it differently, were u with the same doctor who normally does your fils? I have to see a different doctor this Friday, after reading this post I'm a little nervous. My doc put a pillow under my arch in my back to raise my stomach and made me do a little semi sit up then he dotted with a marker -which has left a dot where he inserted the needle- put the needle it poked around to get the port he got it pulled some Fluid out and pit it back with a little more I giggled the whole time. It was a weird sensation I didn't have a numbing needle butaybe suggest getting one next time if he asks you to stand up again.

[Timoniumroady 10]

I too lay down to have my fills and then my doctor has me sit up with the needle still in. The reason is that once it's inserted and I sit up he then has me sit up and drink a 6 ounce glass of Water. He leaves the needle in so that if he filled me too tight or not enough, he can then just take out or place more.

[cheryl2586 3,053]

Yes you have to sit up with the needle in so you can drink Water and he can remove if he has too while your drinking. Every fill I have had has been sitting up with the needle in. Pain? No I never had pain where was the pain because the needle isnt in your tissue its in the port.

[WhitewolfCO 0]

Maybe it was pulling the skin when the port moved as I sat up, but it was painful. Working with bran new doctor and maybe this is the new way to do it. I was banded 6 years ago and I always just layed down, no sitting up and drinking with needle in. Seems like new method risks large holes being pulled in the port. I am not sure if the port is rubber or what it is made of.

[Dawn200321 146]

This is how my fill was done as well. Lay down they insert the needle and then sit up with needle still in place. It doesnt hurt though

[Cazzy 725]

I lay down to have the needle inserted then sit up while its still in and drink Water. no big holes yet after 5 fills

[xavier 153]

Same for me but the table brings me up I dont have to actually sit up on my own...you get a more accurate fill this way...hang in there!

[Lianne 34]

That's how my Doc does it. Places then needle, then I have to sit up and drink Water to see if it goes down. Leaving the needle in place is painful, and I do tend to have some pain, but it allows him to add more or remove some if I have any issues getting the water down. After my adjustments my injection site usually does bleed a little and does show some bruising for a couple of days.

[kll724 3,055]

Always have my needle inserted and then sit up, and stand too, if he needs to see the Water go down. Then holding the needle,(he always has me hold it with my right hand), he has me walk over to see it with the flouroscope. It is the only way he can tell if it is too much, or just right! It has never hurt, he deadens it with little spray, before hand. Karen

[pen527 6]

WOW! This all sounds so strange to me. I have never had to sit up. All of my fills have been successful in that he's never had to take any Fluid out- I have always gotten the Water down with no problem.

Does he really have to take Fluid out after a fill all that much? WOW!

[kll724 3,055]

He always removes it 1st, verifies how much is in it, then fills and has me try Water, sitting up. At that point he determines if I can swallow it, or if it is not really going down, well. If it seems to be not going down, he will have me go to the flouroscope and see with barium. Then he determines if I am too tight. I am very sensitive, and 5 cc is too tight, but 4 1/2 is okay.

[Julie G. 0]

In Ontario, my "fill nurse" does the fill while patients are standing up. She's very good....not matter what position the port is in, she manages to fill it in 1 try. Then we are sent to the waiting room to drink Water. If we can't drink a cup in the next 20 minutes or so, she calls you back and de-fills a little bit. By the way, in Toronto, my surgeon, Dr. Yau, who works for Slimband, no longer stitches the port into place. I'm not sure why...I think it has to do with our body changing as we lose lots of weight. So our ports tend to move around....but rarely flip completely. Should it totally flip, the doctor can fix it with a local anesthetic and a local incision. Thanks for telling me about this method....I'll be prepared in case I try to get a fill in the Daytona area while I'm on holiday.