January Bandsters???

[5jacks 0]

I am going for my 2nd fill tommorow at 1:45 pm. I was told that I may not even have a cup of coffee in the AM. Has anybody else been told not to eat or drink anything on the day of a fill? I appreciate your help.

Thanks!

Amy

My doctor doesn't say anything different for before the fill, then softer foods/mushies the day of the fill....back to normal next day. My past 2 fills I didn't feel much like eating much afterwards. Always makes me feel a little queasy or something for a day or two.

[Kellie Reachell 0]

Hey everyone, I was banded jan 3rd. have had no fills to date and have lost 27lbs. I really do not have any restriction at this point, so I watch what I eat and try to exercise. Going to get a fill soon and was wondering if it really is safe to get a fill without fluero and how easy it would be to puncture something?? I am very nervous about something going wrong since I had my band placed in Mexico!! Please give any and all input you can, thanks, and keep up all the good work you guys are doing, I know I can do better but i need a fill, Kellie

[TracyV 0]

I am so happy with how my band feels at this point...my life doesnt revolve around my next meal anymore..worth every penny, my band was...

[Tulip 0]

I am going for my 2nd fill tommorow at 1:45 pm. I was told that I may not even have a cup of coffee in the AM. Has anybody else been told not to eat or drink anything on the day of a fill? I appreciate your help.

Thanks!

Amy

Hi Amy,

I was told to stick to liquid only after midnight the day of the fill. After the fill, I am allowed very soft foods.

I haven't had any problem keeping to this since I don't eat much before 2:00 pm anyway.

Let us hear how your fill goes.

Terry

[Tres Chic 0]

My doctor doesn't say anything different for before the fill, then softer foods/mushies the day of the fill....back to normal next day. My past 2 fills I didn't feel much like eating much afterwards. Always makes me feel a little queasy or something for a day or two.

Me too--I have no problem with fluids the day of fills.

[kima 0]

I am going for my 2nd fill tommorow at 1:45 pm. I was told that I may not even have a cup of coffee in the AM. Has anybody else been told not to eat or drink anything on the day of a fill? I appreciate your help.

Thanks!

Amy

AMY

YES.. For my second fill (under xray) I was told "no food or liquid after midnight" the evening before my fill. I'm guessing it makes it easier to see the port on the xray. When he did my first fill and atempted my second in the office, I was not required to do this. (He was unable to acess my port for my second fill and I had to reschedule for the second to be done with xray)

Good luck

Kim:kiss2:

[patsygrn 0]

Hi, I haven't posted anything in a long time. Banded Jan. 15th, and only had my first fill (1.5cc) on April 12th. I've felt restriction from the get-go, but continue to eat too much. :faint: You all sound like you've done so well, and control your intake so well, makes me feel like a looser.... and I don't mean pound wise! I've lost 16 pounds since surgery. Since getting my fill Thursday, I'm eating alot less so maybe it will start coming off... and I won't wait so long for my next fill if/when it's needed.

My port site is still sore. Very tender to touch. I can feel it at any given time and at times it even seems to protrude some. The scars are healing very nicely, no sings of infection at all. No one is talking about their port sites anymore.... am I the only one still so tender?:cry

[kima 0]

Hi, I haven't posted anything in a long time. Banded Jan. 15th, and only had my first fill (1.5cc) on April 12th. I've felt restriction from the get-go, but continue to eat too much. :faint: You all sound like you've done so well, and control your intake so well, makes me feel like a looser.... and I don't mean pound wise! I've lost 16 pounds since surgery. Since getting my fill Thursday, I'm eating alot less so maybe it will start coming off... and I won't wait so long for my next fill if/when it's needed.

My port site is still sore. Very tender to touch. I can feel it at any given time and at times it even seems to protrude some. The scars are healing very nicely, no sings of infection at all. No one is talking about their port sites anymore.... am I the only one still so tender?:cry

patsygrn

You are not alone. My port is still tender to the touch and I find it very uncomfortable to lie or sleep on my left side. Hope it helps to know you are not the only one.

Kim:kiss2:

banded 1/30/07

223ps/217s/203t/135g

first fill 1.0 3/09/07

second fill 1.0 4/12/07 (only 1.5 total- .5 lost)

[sherilynn 1]

Hey All...

On this forum, weeks and weeks back, someone listed something like 'the best way to get a fill'...I've been searching and can't find the information. I'm still WAITING on my first fill, May 8...but I'm getting excited (more mad at insurance these days) to finally have it done. My doc BETTER be aggressive with my fill after me waiting 90 days!!! Anyway, I've searched this whole site, and can't find this person's advice.

Thanks,

Sheri

[rms78645 0]

Got this from another site I belong to. The woman who wrote this is extremely knowledgable.

Increase Your Chances of a Good Fill

>

> The following suggestions are good rules of thumb and will greatly

> increase your chances of getting a good fill.

>

> 1. Be sure you are very well hydrated when you come in for your

fill

> appointment. That means at least 8-10 full glasses of liquid every

> day for at least several days before the fill.

> (You really need this amount at all times anyway).

>

> Drink especially well the morning of the fill. If you're flying in,

> it can be much harder to stay hydrated, so take a drink bottle and

> drink very often! Those little "to-go" packs of Crystal Lite are

> ideal - ask the flight attendants for a refill of your Water

bottle,

> pop one in, and then you will have plenty to drink. Those little 4-

oz

> cups of liquid they give you during flight are useless.

>

> (Hint - While you're on the plane, also take home a couple of those

> white barf bags –

> good to keep one in your purse or car, both now and later,

> for "emergencies".)

>

> 2. Be sure not to have any solid foods for at least 6 hours before

> the fill. Don't eat a huge or late dinner the night before. If

you're

> having any trouble (reflux, possible slip, etc)

> please have nothing but fluids after dinner the night before.

> In some cases, food can still be in the pouch for 12 or more hours.

> ANY food in the pouch will make it impossible to give a good fill,

or

> get a good fluoro

>

> 3. Don't drink COLD fluids for an hour before the fill. That will

> shrink your stoma and give a false fluoro reading, and a poor fill.

> Room temp fluids are fine. Let the ice in your drink bottle melt

and

> hour before a fill,

> and then you'll have room-temp fluids to drink right up to the fill

> time.

>

> 4. Avoid getting a fill during a menstrual period or a few days

> before an expected one. During this time, we are usually retaining

> water, and the fluoro will not be as accurate, and the fill will

not

> be either.

>

> 5. If at all possible, hang around for at least a few hours after a

> fill. Don't run right back home or to the plane. It takes the

normal

> swelling after a fill 1-2 hours to develop, and by that time you

> might be too tight and need to come right back.

>

> 6. If at all possible, stay overnight and catch a plane out the

> following late afternoon or evening. If you are too tight, this

will

> allow time to get a small unfill before you leave. This is not very

> convenient, but sure beats having to possibly return to TJ in a few

> days, on short notice, in pain, and at high last-minute plane

fares!

> This is "prevention!" Overfills are not common, but they DO happen,

> even under the best of conditions. Be prepared, and think about

this

> overnight stay.

>

> 7. After a fill, please have liquids only for at least 24 hrs. This

> allows the stoma to rest and heal. Then, a day of soft foods, then

> back to regular foods.

>

> 8. Review the eating and food guidelines again before every fill.

> You'll need to refine your eating more and more with higher fill

> levels, and there will be less and less room for goofs. As you

reach

> a higher fill level, you'll no longer be able to "get away" with

> things you might have before!

>

> 9. Please don't get a fill if you are having ANY trouble with the

> current level of fill. This means ANY regular pain, PB or barfing

> more than maybe once a week at the VERY most, not able to get

enough

> calories in, not able to drink enough, able to eat only soft foods

or

> fluids.

> More fill will NOT help, and will make things worse. Discuss all

> this carefully with your doc. You may even need an UNFILL, to keep

> your band and stomach safe.

>

> 10. First fills are not routinely given at 6-8 weeks - but only as

> you need them. Many people do, some do not. We'll help you decide

if

> you need a fill - just ask. There is no rush for fills. Too much

can

> very easily get you in trouble, and you end up further "behind"

than

> if you had gone slower with fills.

>

> 11. Give a fill at least 2-3 weeks to test it. Some fills

> don't "settle in" for a week or two, and sometimes more. Your

weigth

> loss is what determines how a fill is - not any feeling of

> restriction, necessarily.

>

> 12. One of the most impt things in determining if a fill is good is

> choosing proper band foods. Soft foods, liquids, junk foods,

sweets,

> etc will NEVER be well-resticted, and will never tell a thing about

> having a good fill or not. Only solid foods give useful info.

> A good test meal is 2-4 oz of solid meat or chicken - be sure it's

> soft and moist - and about 1/2 cup veggies. You should be able to

eat

> about a cup of food (no less) and this should keep you satisfied

> (NOT "FULL", but simply "satisfied, not physically hungry". for

about

> 3-4 hrs.

>

> 13. Plan regular meals. A good fill will keep you satisfied for 3-4

> hrs, but no longer. If you are hungry 5 hrs after kunch, it is not

> becuase you have an inadequate fill! Reular meals aty planned times

> are important for a number of reasons, including avoiding snacking,

> maximizing calorie burn 9which = wt loss) and normalizing

metabolism,

> which is essential for wt maintanace later on.

>

> Please remember that good fills are very elusive, even with highly-

> experienced docs and fill people. There are just too many

individual

> factors involved that the docs cannot control. Even the fluoro is

> only a clue, and not entirely accurate - for some of the reasons

> above.

>

> It usually takes 3- 5 fills to slowly and safely creep up on a good

> level, and they can be safely given a month apart.

> Trying to go faster with a bigger fill is not the solution, and the

> stomach rebels at big sudden fills. The goal of th first few fills

> is NOT to achieve a good resticrion, but to gradually get your

> stomach used to some pressure so you can tolerate a GOOD fill later.

>

> SLOW and GRADUAL is the key!

> Going slowly with fills can be frustrating, but is well worth the

> wait to avoid problems.

>

> Sandy R

> at goal x 3+ yrs

This one you mean?

[sherilynn 1]

Yes...exactly what I was looking for!

Anyone getting fills - does all of this advice hold true?

[Louisianagirl 0]

Hi, I haven't posted anything in a long time. Banded Jan. 15th, and only had my first fill (1.5cc) on April 12th. I've felt restriction from the get-go, but continue to eat too much. :faint: You all sound like you've done so well, and control your intake so well, makes me feel like a looser.... and I don't mean pound wise! I've lost 16 pounds since surgery. Since getting my fill Thursday, I'm eating alot less so maybe it will start coming off... and I won't wait so long for my next fill if/when it's needed.

My port site is still sore. Very tender to touch. I can feel it at any given time and at times it even seems to protrude some. The scars are healing very nicely, no sings of infection at all. No one is talking about their port sites anymore.... am I the only one still so tender?:cry

Did you have your port checked out? If not maybe you should. My mom was banded the same day and she noticed if her jeans are tight her port area will be a little sore.

[juno610 1]

Yes...exactly what I was looking for!

Anyone getting fills - does all of this advice hold true?

I told my surgeon that I followed these rules before my second fill, and she was very pleased with me! She said it was exactly the advice that she would've given.

[juno610 1]

Well, I've had an exciting weekend. My mom and I deep-cleaned and rearranged one of my extra bedrooms on Friday. Apparently, all the dust we kicked up was too much for me, because by 10, I was feeling sort of short of breath. I just went to bed, not realizing what was happening. So, I wake up Saturday, and it's getting worse. I go run some errands, and at one point, I even considered calling 911 from a parking lot. I was so out of breath and hyperventilating after walking to my car that I thought I was going to pass out! So, I make it home, and I call my surgeon. I was coughing a lot too, and I was afraid for my band. She heard me wheezing over the phone and said I better get myself to the hospital. DH took me up to the ER and sure enough I was having a major asthma attack out of nowhere (apparently my teenage asthma is back). I spent the night at the hospital getting steroids and breathing treatments. Doing much much better today. No exercise for a week though! It was pretty scary!

Anyway, on the nasty hospital food, I managed to lose 3.4 lbs!

Maria

[tonya66 13]

Hey everyone, I was banded jan 3rd. have had no fills to date and have lost 27lbs. I really do not have any restriction at this point, so I watch what I eat and try to exercise. Going to get a fill soon and was wondering if it really is safe to get a fill without fluero and how easy it would be to puncture something?? I am very nervous about something going wrong since I had my band placed in Mexico!! Please give any and all input you can, thanks, and keep up all the good work you guys are doing, I know I can do better but i need a fill, Kellie

I think if the doctor is pretty familiar with your port area, he will do fine. I know many do it without flouro and have no problems. My doctor sends me to the hospital and one of the radiology doctors does my fills under flouro. But I know many doctors do it theirself without the flouro machine. Good-luck!