The band is fluid permeable?

Scott F · May 9, 2006

Today at my second fill the nurse noted that while I had last been filled to 1.5 ml I was now below that. She said that saline solution passes through the band/tube/port materials and that this is particularly common after the first fill. She said that body fluids also pass into the band and that generally the in and out flows are about net even. She is saying the band/tube/port materials are Fluid permeable, not suggesting leakage at connection points or damage to the band.

I haven't heard this before. Can anyone confirm it?

sleepyjean · May 9, 2006

That sounds like total bull to me.

Scott F · May 9, 2006

I should have done a search before posting. But in the search I just conducted I found the following posts on this subject.

#1 Part of the reason doc's are using contrast in the fills, is that contrast does not cause osmosis. Having just saline in the bands could, it used to for the midband anyway. Before contrast medium was added, the Midband would cause Fluid to come into the band via osmosis, causing super restriction, so they reformulated the band, making it less permeable, and added contrast for filling to prevent osmosis. Maybe in the swedish band saline somehow seeps out? Saline is a salt Water. One very basic example of osmosis is the body's use for Fluid balance, including balance in it's salt levels. If an area of the body is "hyper" or 'high' salt, your body draws fluid in to dilute it, or create balance, which is why eating a lot of salt causes high blood pressure, or "hypertension". The salt draws extra fluid into the venous system to dilute the salt, causing the veins to expand to accomodate the extra fluid, thus making the heart work harder to keep up.

It's like pushing fluid coming in to the heart from a garden hose back out through a straw. The straw end is getting a pretty high pressure flow. Sometimes high enough to knock loose a piece of plaque build up which could then be pushed into ever smaller arteries, until it blocks one, and causes a stroke. Your body also holds on to any extra fluids to keep from increasing the salt level by letting fluid out, so if the body is too salty, you get swelling, legs and feet, hands, etc...

#2 I believe I read recently that the port's membrane is semi-permeable... so a bit is lost over time. Not a lot, mind you... but some. I think you need to accept the possibility that at least once per year, you may need some sort of adjustment... be it adding or removing.

Xann77 · May 9, 2006

Yep, it totally happens after the first fill but my doc told me it's due to the fact that there was still air in my band after surgery and the saline evaporated a little bit -- makes sense given that saline is just salt Water and if there is air, well, there you go. Needless to say I was very frustrated and very worried that I had a leak or something. I'm happy to report that after several more fills, she's still taking the same amount out that she put in there. Don't worry too much about this.. it's pretty normal at first... Good luck!

EmileeKaye · May 9, 2006

Same for me...my first fill I had put in 2.2cc, then when the second fill came I had under 2cc's in the band so he just filled it back up to 2.2cc.

mini_me · May 9, 2006

well, i had my first fill of 1.3cc's on april 12, and i was told to schedule my next fill in two weeks as the first fill typically is absorbed by the band within 2 weeks. well, i certainly believe this to be true because i lost a little weight EVERY day that first week of having the fill. on that seventh day, all of my so called restriction was gone( i say restriction, but i really mean that i could eat a little bit, not get full, but be able to push away the plate, and be satisfied for several hours) i go for my second fill in the morning. i will let everyone know what they pull out and what they throw back in there.

Sunta · May 10, 2006

I just came from my second fill. At my first fill, he'd put in 1cc, and today he added .5 cc. However, he said that he only got out 1cc total with the fill he put in today. So I guess I have 1cc in there now and only had .5cc in there these past five weeks??? I don't know what to make of it. I sure wish I had a total of 1.5cc in though because I need more restriction.

NewSho · May 10, 2006

There is Fluid osmosis even with a non-leaking band. That's why my surgeon stresses that even if you're feeling fine - you should still schedule a fill each year, just to check the level of fluid (just like you would have the fluids checked in a car even if it's running well... )

LapBands are, by nature, somewhat fluid permeable. That's what makes them be filled, unfilled with some ease. So with that in mind, get the levels checked annually.

~ Happy Band and Life Journeys To All ~

mini_me · May 10, 2006

ok, second fill today...

first fill was 4/12/06, 1.3cc's

today, they emptied the band, and found that only 0.6cc's was left, explaining my full lack of restriction. So they reloaded and now i have 1.8cc's, and i can feel a difference when i drink Water.

DeLarla · May 10, 2006

I once did research for breast implants and was told breast implants, which are somewhat similar to bands, are permeable. They said if you set a breast implant on a newspaper for a period of time, you'd eventually see a mark on the paper since the material does "breathe" to a certain extent.