Health of the Band

[Jim1967 3,569]

Hey All,

I am approaching 19 months (Nov 16) out and things are going great. Lately, though I have been wondering about the health of my band. I have no real reasons to be suspicious of a problem but I am curious. Since I hit the year mark and I was in the green zone my Doc started setting me up with 6 month follow up appointments instead of every 6 weeks. They always tell me if for any reason I need to come in then just call.

I have never had a Fluro fill. I would just go in to the office and they would stick the needle in and be done. I am just curious if anyone else has thought much about this. I know the old saying goes "if ain't broken then don't fix it"

thanks for reading...

[AquarianCrab 8]

I'm about 2.5 years out. My fills are done in the hospital under fluro, but my surgeon always fills 1-2 cc. Then a few days later I'm back in his office for an unfill because I can't keep anything down. I haven't been back now for almost a year, and needless to say I'm at a standstill after regaining about 1/3 of my weight lost. I'm in the "call me if you need me" group now. I feel like I should go back for another fill, but I'd like him to do it more gradually. I guess what I'm trying to relate is that each surgeon is different.

[HotButterFly 981]

Aquarian, your surgeon SHOULD respect your opinion about how aggressive your fills should be. I say you call them and put your feet down and don't allow him to do as he pleases with you.

[Jim1967 3,569]

Aquarian, your surgeon SHOULD respect your opinion about how aggressive your fills should be. I say you call them and put your feet down and don't allow him to do as he pleases with you.

I agree 100%. I sit down with my Surgeon and Nut at those appointment and we discuss my progress and we come to a consensus. At the end of the day they leave the ultimate decision up to me as they realize I am the one walking around and living with it.

[NaNa 878]

Hey All,

I am approaching 19 months (Nov 16) out and things are going great. Lately, though I have been wondering about the health of my band. I have no real reasons to be suspicious of a problem but I am curious. Since I hit the year mark and I was in the green zone my Doc started setting me up with 6 month follow up appointments instead of every 6 weeks. They always tell me if for any reason I need to come in then just call.

I have never had a Fluro fill. I would just go in to the office and they would stick the needle in and be done. I am just curious if anyone else has thought much about this. I know the old saying goes "if ain't broken then don't fix it"

thanks for reading...

There is really no need to see your surgeon after the first year especially if you are in the Green Zone and KNOW what danger signs to look for.

Many band patients are not skilled enough to know "warning" signs with the band or many band patients IGNORE them.

But if you are on TOP of lap band warnings, such as "able to eat too much", OR the band gets extremely tight with no recent fill adjustment, frequent vomiting, frequent reflux at night, and a dry frequent cough, -- you really don't need to see your lap band surgeon but once per year, or six months.

I agree if it ain't broke don't fix it, congrats on your success!

[NaNa 878]

I'm about 2.5 years out. My fills are done in the hospital under fluro, but my surgeon always fills 1-2 cc. Then a few days later I'm back in his office for an unfill because I can't keep anything down. I haven't been back now for almost a year, and needless to say I'm at a standstill after regaining about 1/3 of my weight lost. I'm in the "call me if you need me" group now. I feel like I should go back for another fill, but I'd like him to do it more gradually. I guess what I'm trying to relate is that each surgeon is different.

I agree with ButterFly -- YOU are in control of how tight your band should be, always remember that, they work for you. You should let them know how tight you want your band, when they are filling your band under Flouro -- you can still let them know if they should back off the saline, or add more.

[kll724 3,055]

I agree with NaNa! I see my surgeon every 2-3 months just to keep an eye on myself. I guess, if I felt that I was totally in control, which after 4 years, I should be, I would wait longer between appointments. My visits to him keeps me honest with myself and him, kind of like WW followups! Karen

[Leena 108]

I'm 6 years out. And end up back in every year or so for something. Most recently it was knowing I was able to eat too much, gaining weight because I couldn't work out as much due to injuring my back- only to find out that part of my fill was missing. It's something to keep on top of.

I have the smaller 4cc band so my fills are all very small anymore. My last one took me from 2.7cc to 3.1 cc so we're talking little tweaks here and there. Although with the smaller bands that's all it takes. 0.1 cc makes a huge difference in the green zone, actually if I added 0.1cc I know I'd be too tight.

I see from your signature that you're getting close to the limit of your band, so it would make complete sense that your fills need to get smaller. At 9.5cc in an 11 cc band a whole 1cc makes a huge difference. I'd ask what the smallest fill your surgeon can do is. Maybe try adding 0.2cc or 0.5cc. I know mine adds by the 0.1 in small bands, but I wouldn't see why they couldn't add little amounts in larger bands as well.

[mrsto 2,925]

Hey All,

I am approaching 19 months (Nov 16) out and things are going great. Lately, though I have been wondering about the health of my band. I have no real reasons to be suspicious of a problem but I am curious. Since I hit the year mark and I was in the green zone my Doc started setting me up with 6 month follow up appointments instead of every 6 weeks. They always tell me if for any reason I need to come in then just call.

I have never had a Fluro fill. I would just go in to the office and they would stick the needle in and be done. I am just curious if anyone else has thought much about this. I know the old saying goes "if ain't broken then don't fix it"

thanks for reading...

Jim - I'm late to this thread (mostly because of the new format), but I just wanted to say…..that my fills are also done in the doctor's office, without fluro. I've never had any issues, nor have I needed an un-fill. Unless we're having any specific issues, I can't imagine that there is really any difference. Others may beg to differ, but I can only go on my own experience.

I have concerns about long term complications, but not based on the way my fills are done. It's more about the band itself, and things we read about all the time. But I do agree, that if it's not broke, don't fix it

[5.0junkie 770]

Jim I think you have a valid question. With as much as you've lost, I would want to make sure everything was ok. My doc actually will sign off on getting a yearly Upper GI if I request one just to make sure things look good and are working right. You may want to request one for some peace of mind. I know I will be doing mine because worry brings insecurity which can lead to failures. I don't want any failures! I want to be confident in my health and the health of my band.

I am very familiar with the if it ain't broke don't fix it mentality. Just because it ain't broke doesn't mean I don't take care of it with regular maintenance though. If you want to talk about wise old sayings here's one, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"

[B-52 7,113]

I have not had nor needed a fill in about 2 - 1/2 years now, and I see my Surgeon every 6 months...my appointments usually take 3 minutes...vital signs, weigh in, then asks if I have any questions...No? Ok, see you in 6 months.

I do regular maintenance on my own...around every 4-6 weeks I will go all liquids for at least 3 days...some people call this the 5 day pouch test...why a test I will never know....

I will also do this when I notice I am eating larger portions than the band usually allows...a few days rest from solid foods and things return to good as new for me....optimum performance.

I have been at my body's goal...normal weight and fat% for a while now, things are day to day with hardly a thought about the band or having the surgery....coming to this forum keeps me from forgetting...have not gained or lost any weight in a very long time...it has all settled out and completed.....

The reason I mention this, is because I have been pondering the long term effects - need, for having the band....should it stay? Should I go the sleeve? or should I have it removed completely, now that I have lost all my excess weight and have formed all new habits without even thinking about them anymore....

Although having it removed and replaced with nothing I am afraid my hunger will return and then my portion sizes will gradually increase...along with my weight...

Really need to speak with the surgeon next visit, which is in January.

[mrsto 2,925]

Jim I think you have a valid question. With as much as you've lost, I would want to make sure everything was ok. My doc actually will sign off on getting a yearly Upper GI if I request one just to make sure things look good and are working right. You may want to request one for some peace of mind. I know I will be doing mine because worry brings insecurity which can lead to failures. I don't want any failures! I want to be confident in my health and the health of my band.

I am very familiar with the if it ain't broke don't fix it mentality. Just because it ain't broke doesn't mean I don't take care of it with regular maintenance though. If you want to talk about wise old sayings here's one, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"

My doctor does a routine TNE and upper endoscopy on band patients annually……..as a precaution. I was having some problems a couple of months ago, and he did both of those tests then….even though I was only at the 5 month mark. Nothing was wrong with the band, and I was so GRATEFUL to have the diagnostics to confirm that.

[5.0junkie 770]

My doctor does a routine TNE and upper endoscopy on band patients annually……..as a precaution. I was having some problems a couple of months ago, and he did both of those tests then….even though I was only at the 5 month mark. Nothing was wrong with the band, and I was so GRATEFUL to have the diagnostics to confirm that.

I'm gonna pry, what were your "problems"?

[mrsto 2,925]

I'm gonna pry, what were your "problems"?

I was having some (only way I can describe it) is some sticking/poking pain in the middle…right under my breastbone. I had vomited a couple of weeks before, and I was concerned (okay, more like freaking out) that I did some damage. I still don't know what the pain was about, but it's gone.

5.0 - since being banded, I go along most of the time with no awareness of the band (other than the eating signals). But sometimes, like last week, I had really bad stomach pain in the morning, which lasted for a good portion of the day. It subsided, but I don't really know what caused it. I think, probably, eating a bit too fast, or bites bigger than they should have been? I'm still not sure, but I had to back up & pay VERY close attention to eating, as I did in the very beginning. I babied the band for a couple of days, and it's fine now. But it still concerns me, because I, like you, wonder about what exactly might be going on. My doctor told me from the get go that bodies do not like foreign implant objects. That is a piece of why he's not a huge band fan. He's done thousands of them since Allergan rolled them out, but it's not his favorite. But so many people live for years and years without issue. My biggest hurdle will be to constantly remind myself that I do have this device. When things are going along smoothly, I can (and have) gotten a bit sloppy. Then, like last week, I get a huge wake up call. It's an ongoing process

[Bandista 7,466]

I'm about 2.5 years out. My fills are done in the hospital under fluro, but my surgeon always fills 1-2 cc. Then a few days later I'm back in his office for an unfill because I can't keep anything down. I haven't been back now for almost a year, and needless to say I'm at a standstill after regaining about 1/3 of my weight lost. I'm in the "call me if you need me" group now. I feel like I should go back for another fill, but I'd like him to do it more gradually. I guess what I'm trying to relate is that each surgeon is different.

Put those medical professionals to work for you!