Aggressive Fills

[Poodles 0]

Know some Drs have their way, and most with reasons, but wonder if you can request an aggressive fill? Don't want to spend months being cautious if I can get more in one "shot".

For example: I have .6 cc in a 4 cc band, while most of my other Junebies are at around 2cc's... I was told .6 cc was good for a first fill, but don't want to go up .5 cc's at each fill and drag it out forever to "catch up" with my other bandsters... (and yes I know everyone is different, but hopefully you get my point.)

Can you request an aggressive fill? Or are you stuck with what your Dr will "normally" do?

[Jachut 487]

I havent made it to 2ccs yet and I'm 8 months down the track so aggressive fills arent something I'd want.

I think the thing is that you might not tolerate the lot at once but will if its done in small increments.

What's the point of being filled and then being unfilled?

[nightingale2u 42]

My Doc's P.A. started me out with a whomping 2ccs for my first fill... it was the beginning of a host of problems for me and my band. There are risks with starting out with a slam dunk fill... but the only person that can really answer your question is your surgeon. Good luck!

[mousecrazy 2]

After a year, I have a total of 1.3 cc's in a 4 cc band. I think if I had a big 2 cc fill right off the bat, I would have lost the experience of learning how to adjust my "head band." That would have caused lots of problems and emotional distress. There was plenty of emotional adjustments as it was, with more conservative and slower adjustments.

Everyone is different, and hopefully, your progress will be tuned just for you.

Good luck!

[DonnaB 3]

The problem is, what EXACTLY is an aggressive fill?

I started out with a 1.4 fill, the next visit the doctor put in an additional .5 making my fill level 1.9cc's. Which was WAY, WAY too much. I was fine with 1.4, but 1.9 kept me from swallowing my own spit. The 36 hours I spent with too much fill also caused esophagitis which required an unfill and 2 months of medication to get under control. The first month after the unfill I regained weight and I'm just now back to where I was with the 1.4 fill. I lost, effectively, nearly 2 months' worth of weight loss because of too much fill.

IMHO - IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT. Go slowly. It took time to reach the weight you are, just accept that it's going to take time to lose that weight. This is a journey, not a race.

Having said all that, I did not want that second fill - the doctor was just supposed to check my band under fluro. He insisted on checking the fill level at the same time. When he did, he added the .5 without informing me. I had no idea what the hell was wrong later that night when I couldn't swallow. (If you want to read about that saga, check out my LBT journal) So . . . YOU have to be your own advocate. YOU have to tell the doctor what you want and YOU have to be sure he does what you want. YOU're the only person who can - and who should - decide what's best for you. Suggestions are nice, advice is nice, but in the end it's completely up to you.

[mousecrazy 2]

DonnaB has said it perfectly! Get feedback from others, then make your own decision...everything is too individual, every body is different and responds differently.

[Iulizbug 0]

Like the others have said, everybody is so different regarding fills. I, personally went extremely aggressive and have been lucky to have no problems to date. I knew I had an incredible appetite and being self-pay and spending $400-$550 per fill I could not afford to tip toe my way to proper restriction. I asked my doc for quite a bit and she happily filled me. I think she may have been a more agressive doc anyways but she only filled me when I asked her to. I had 2.0 on my first fill, was filled to 2.7 cc on my 2nd and was filled to 3.2 on my last fill and I have perfect restriction now. So it really is individual. I would probably recommend going slower b/c it is safer--MOST ppl would not be able to do what I did w/out an unfill but I needed the restriction to lose. Good luck!

~Liz~

03/10/06

241/182/150ish

5'7''

[vinesqueen 2]

I cannot imagine being actually filled to 3.ANYTHING I found 2 anything way too much. I have something like 1.25 but I am contemplating another unfill because my tumor is making me nausious for days at a stretch.

[DonnaB 3]

3.anything in a 4cc band is high, but if she's got a 10cc band - not so big a deal.

The amount of fill without the band size doesn't tell much.

[Iulizbug 0]

I do have a 4cc band. I didn't feel restriction until I got to 3.2 cc. I got that fill about a week ago and finally am not hungry w/in meals and the scale is going down again. I know for most ppl 3 ccs would be too much but I barely felt 2ccs. Guess I am weird huh???

~Liz~

[DonnaB 3]

WOW! That sounds scary to me. But only because I thought I'd be pinched in half by 1.9 and am doing well on my current 1.2 fill.

I think the only weird part about this is HOW DIFFERENT the anatomy of two people can be! lol

[Iulizbug 0]

I agree Donna. I was eating WAY too much at 2 ccs...I am talking 2 chicken breasts, a side salad and some starch. That is why I didn't lose very much the first 2 mos... I know of someone whose band was so tight from just .5 of a cc that she was PBing and vomiting regularly and it caused her band to slip. And then there are some ppl who are filled up to 4 ccs or even over to gain restriction. We are all different...

~Liz~

[La_madam 20]

but don't want to go up .5 cc's at each fill and drag it out forever to "catch up" with my other bandsters...

This is not a race..this is a lifelong journey. The less you fill your band the longer it will last. The band is not a magic wand, it is a tool to help us, we must not rely on it to do all of the work. Too tight of a band can result in many bad things, reflux, slippage, erosion, pbing often..Remember just because we can eat it does not mean we should eat it..also restriction can also come with the foods you eat, of course the softer foods will offer little or no restriction where as white chicken breast ,steak, bread or potatoes my create more restirction. Just because others have more in their bands does not mean that will be right for you..everyone is different, the key here to this whole band thing is to work with your band together you and the band, do not reply totally on the band. and it is PATIENCE...

[MelodyJ 0]

My first fill was 2.4cc then 8wks later was able to eat over a cup and hadn't gained or lost in 3 wks....so he popped me up to 3cc....I drove away and drank one small sip (after 4cups in teh office) of Water and promptly threw up all over myself....drove 50miles back and they removed 0.1cc....so am at 2.9cc.....I am still struggling 3 wks later....I cannot eat much at all and PB/slime/throw up if I eat 2 bites sometimes....in teh evenings I am doing better finally!! He ran barium through and I passed it in 1sec.....he wants me to stick w/ liquids a bit longer.... He told me to "enjoy the weight loss wave"......HA! Anyway.....he has had the band and he's open so felt like I should listen.....don't rush the fills....really ALTERS your life and it's tough at times!!! I TRULY understand the desire to lose...I'm there...but as others have said....it took a while to get where we're at. This is a marathon not a sprint!!!!

God BLess,

Melody

Banded 3/20/06 -71lbs

[Jachut 487]

Liz you're not weird. I have a 4cc band which I would have thought because I'm a "big" person, tall, well built etc that I'd have a big stomach too and that I'd therefore get great restriction with the smaller band. Not so, I'm at 1.9 (I think) and I can barely feel it really. It helps me eat less than I used to and its helped me with great weight loss but I attribute a lot of the weight loss to my running becuase I eat a LOT for a bandster. I eat a normal size bowl of Cereal in the morning and I can get away a fair bit during the day, just get tighter at night.

I can eat anything, and only get occasional blockages and discomfort and have never pb'd.

In some ways I wish I'd just get a big fill and be done with it, I havent needed a lot of restriction till now but I just cant get my weight moving again now, I"ve been stuck at around 89 kilos for 2 or 3 months. I'm going tomorrow, but it'll be a small one, I'm too chicken.