Can a fill needle puncture the band?

Maria40 · July 30, 2006

Hi Everyone.

I am new to this board and have a question. I was banded in Mexico March 3rd, 2006. I have had three fills. The last was this past Tuesday. I went from 1.5 cc (4 cc band) to 2. Drank a sip of Water and had MAJOR restriction. Left the doc, went home, and for 24 hours I could not drink water, and pb'd on my own saliva. Went back to the doc on Wed. to have an unfill. They took .25 out, leaving me with a total of 1.75 cc. Now I can eat ANYTHING. I had more restriction with 1.5 cc in prior to going to the doc's on Tuesday. I am so confused. They did have a hard time (both for the fill and unfill) finding my port, and I was poked several times before they got the needle in. Could the needle have punctured the band? Does .25 cc really make you THAT much tighter? Why was I tight with 1.5, but looser with 1.75?

I am sorry about all the questions. I am just curious about the fills. People talk about eating 1/2 Cup of food before full. I just ate 2 sushi rolls with not problem. I even thought that perhaps I had slippage with 1.5cc, and when the doc took out the fill, my stomach went back into place, which is why 1.75 does nothing? I just don't know. Anyone have any ideas?

BTW, I have lost 32 lbs since March 3rd. Have not felt like that was enough so far.

Thank you!

OneMoreTime · July 30, 2006

No, the fill needle cannot puncture the BAND (located in totally different parts of the body, the band circling your stomach, the port close under the skin, under the fat but on top of the muscle)..

But a fill needle CAN accidently puncture the TUBE that carries the fill Fluid from the port into the band. That is why it is so important for the port to be exactly located before any needle gets involved - and why fluoroscopy is so important during the procedure.

Now, in more recent years, the Inamed band has used a metal sleeve over the portion of the tubing closest to the port, so accidental punctures without fluoroscopy have become less common. When the tubing is punctured, it must be replaced.

It is surprising how tough the scar tissue covering the port can become after several months - which is why the flexible needle can bend during the insertion as it is forced in. SOMETIMES people with little fill experience CAN damage the port's semi-permeable membrane -rip it some- and that can cause so much damage that the port has to be replaced.

OneMoreTime

vanesav · July 30, 2006

I also heard about the needle puncturing your tubing, I had the same experiece with the fill before my last one. I have a 4cc band, and my doc supposedly gave me a total of 2.75, but I felt more restriction before that than I did after it. I could eat chicken, bread and even a burger, which I had not eaten since being banded in 9/05. My weight loss was very slow, and I mean slow. My doctor left the practice and a new doc came in, I called worried about being able to eat so much just after getting a fill, the new doc asked me to come in and checked to see how much fill I had, and to my surprise, my band was completely EMPTY. He gave me a fill that totaled 3 cc, and was I ever so restricted. He said that the last fill probably didn't go into my tubing, the needle might have slipped out of the port and the fill was injected in my body instead. Well whatever it was, I am glad its over with because I was so worried about having surgery again. After this last fill, 4 weeks ago, I have lost about 18 lbs., which is extremely good for me, because before i would loose about 7-8 lbs per month. Good luck and I hope you don't have a punctured tube. Keep us posted.:Banane56:

princess_n_thep · July 30, 2006

This reason is exactly why I will ONLY do a fill under flouro.

FunnyDuddies · July 30, 2006

Flouro is the only way to ensure that the person oing the fill can see the process perfectly. It is the only way that I will have a fill done. But there are some things to concider in your situation.

A fill is not supposed to be variable, but your stomach is a variable. One day it could be swollen and irritated, making you tighter, the next day it could be thin and easy, making it easy for you to eat anything. It changes day by day depending on your changing hormones, hydration level, what your recent diet has been, and if there has been any trauma to the stomach (like a fill). The digestive system is EXTREMELY sensitive, nd shuts down, slows down, and changes due to the slightest upset from any source. While it is smart for you to determine how much fill is in there, you should also just keep the other situations in mind. You may feel wide open, and then eat something spicy and slam tight for 2 or 3 days. You never know.

When your doctor does a fill, according to Inamed, they are supposed to pull all of the fill out to ensure they know exactly how much is in there. They should NOT be going off of a record and just remiving or adding their bit and leaving it at that. You could have had a fill or unfill somewhere else and not told them. Or you could have a leak and they would not know. They should withdraw, and inject the Fluid a few times to make sure they can see exactly how much of a fill is going to end up in the band and how much was there to begin with. This is the really good way of ensuring you do not have a leak.

Tricia K. · July 30, 2006

When I get my fills, the nurse practitioner pulls all of the saline out of the band to confirm the actual pre-fill amount. Once she's satisfied, she puts the desired amount of the fill in. Keep in mind, even .25cc can make all the difference in too much restriction and/or no restriction.

Maria40 · July 30, 2006

Thank you everyone. My fill was not done with flouro. The first one was, and the doc said it all looked great.

Vanesa, way to go with your weight loss the past month. That is so inspiring! I am calling my doc tomorrow to see if he can fill me again. Since I just had it done last week, I wonder if he will charge me again? I was filled Tues and unfilled Wed. Hmmmmm...

health1st · July 30, 2006

Question: If they have to replace the tubing, is that major surgery or what? They attempted a fill (not under flouro) and they couldn't find my port. They hit metal once. I am sore and brused. So I cried "uncle" after about 15 minutes, 4 different needles and asked for a flouro. I wish I would have read this sooner, I would have just done the flouro in the first place.