How do you know when you need a fill?

[joanne28 0]

I was banded on the 9th June and have lost 10lb but I think I need a fill. Can someone tell me also how you know when your in green zone

[kll724 3,055]

You are only 15 days out of surgery. You probably have a lot of head-hunger currently. You will need a fill, usually, but most surgeons don't fill until 6 weeks. You will be in "green zone" when you can go 3-4 hours without hunger and be satisfied with a small amount of food. Best wishes. Karen

[GoingforGoal 1,734]

Hi Joanne and congrats on getting banded. I'm sure you do feel like you need a fill. However, your surgeon won't be ready to give you one for approx. 3 months. This is because a lot of swelling needs to subside and healing needs to resolve. Even when we physically feel better/more mobile/no pain etc healing is still taking place. That and you want to give your body some adjustment time to it's new band. Dont' want to be aggressive and end up causing issues. However, with that being said, when it is time to get filled... The green zone is.. 1) when food doesn't just slide down to the stomach like it did pre-op, 2) when you feel fuller off of small portions (avg is 1/2-1 c), 3) when you feel satiated between meals (approx. for 3-4 hrs) although I struggle with this one. The green zone is not 1) excessive tightness that results in frequent regurgitation (despite small bites and good chewing), or 2) so tight it causes symptoms like GERD before during or after meals. It usually takes an avg of 3 fills before you achieve green..so be patient. Also, stay on top of your fills. Many people who gain weight back often did not keep on top of fills. You can be green for a long time but as you lose weight or as the body adjusts you may need tweeking. So always reassess. I just got a 0.5cc fill after 3 years of being in green. Good luck

[ksaug21 81]

Hi- I had my first fill 4 weeks exactly after surgery. I think every doctor is different so I'd definitely inquire and see what yours thinks. I'm going for my 2nd fill next week.

[GuyMontag 1,264]

I have a couple rules of thumb that I go by. If I can easily and regularly eat a sandwich with bread or a cheeseburger with the bun then I need a fill. Notice that I said easily and regularly. We all have our 'loose' days and can get away with eating foods we can't normally eat on a regular basis. So being able to eat a sandwich late one night out of the entire month doesn't count. That being said, the green zone for me is being able to eat a moderate meal and be full for at least four hours. Also, the green zone for me fluctuates day by day and even hour by hour. In the morning, I can be too tight to eat most food and yet at night I can eat a small pizza. My point is that you have to realize there is some give in your band depending in the time of day and whether you're hydrated, exercised, or stressed. Don't freak out if one day you can eat more than another day and think you are out of your green zone. The green zone can 'float' so to speak.

Maybe this will be helpful, I work in radio and we use satellites to receive many of our broadcasts. To do that we point a dish at the satellite and we get our programming. Now here's the problem, say you point your dish at the satellite at the beginning of the month and yet by the end of the month you're no longer getting any signal and have to point your dish at the satellite again only to lose the signal again and again. This can happen because satellites appear to swing back and forth above the Earth even though they are in geosynchronous orbit. The key is to know where the middle of the sway is and aim for that and not align the dish at the far end of either sway of the satellite. So if the satellite sways from 6-12 you don't want to point your dish when the satellite is at 6 because you'll lose the signal when it points to 12 and vice versa. The best solution is to point the dish at 9 so even when the satellite is at 6 or 12 you still can get a signal.

I know that was a long analogy but I hope it helps! Good luck!

[mrsto 2,925]

Hi- I had my first fill 4 weeks exactly after surgery. I think every doctor is different so I'd definitely inquire and see what yours thinks. I'm going for my 2nd fill next week.

I also had my first fill at the 4 week mark. You're right.....as with everything else with bariatric doctors, they all do things a little differently.

[dawalsh 919]

I have a couple rules of thumb that I go by. If I can easily and regularly eat a sandwich with bread or a cheeseburger with the bun then I need a fill. Notice that I said easily and regularly. We all have our 'loose' days and can get away with eating foods we can't normally eat on a regular basis. So being able to eat a sandwich late one night out of the entire month doesn't count. That being said' date=' the green zone for me is being able to eat a moderate meal and be full for at least four hours. Also, the green zone for me fluctuates day by day and even hour by hour. In the morning, I can be too tight to eat most food and yet at night I can eat a small pizza. My point is that you have to realize there is some give in your band depending in the time of day and whether you're hydrated, exercised, or stressed. Don't freak out if one day you can eat more than another day and think you are out of your green zone. The green zone can 'float' so to speak.

Maybe this will be helpful, I work in radio and we use satellites to receive many of our broadcasts. To do that we point a dish at the satellite and we get our programming. Now here's the problem, say you point your dish at the satellite at the beginning of the month and yet by the end of the month you're no longer getting any signal and have to point your dish at the satellite again only to lose the signal again and again. This can happen because satellites appear to swing back and forth above the Earth even though they are in geosynchronous orbit. The key is to know where the middle of the sway is and aim for that and not align the dish at the far end of either sway of the satellite. So if the satellite sways from 6-12 you don't want to point your dish when the satellite is at 6 because you'll lose the signal when it points to 12 and vice versa. The best solution is to point the dish at 9 so even when the satellite is at 6 or 12 you still can get a signal.

I know that was a long analogy but I hope it helps! Good luck![/quote']

Gary,

I loved your analogy! Made perfect sense for newbies and veteran's alike.