Lap Band Fills / Adjustment Info

[~Jules~ 0]

Dr. Dobson is in Arlington/Grand Prairie area.

Where in the Dallas area are you?

[anniemay 0]

You might try fillcenterusa.com 866-345-5872 a lot of people go there.

[Mary Luke 0]

Thank you for the suggestion. I am in Arlington. What do you think of Dr. Dobson?

Mary Luke

[~Jules~ 0]

I don't know yet, but he will be doing my next fill.

I know someone that went to him a couple of years ago and she liked him.

[NowNotSoBigGuy 0]

You might check www.aigb.com. American Institute of Gastric Banding operates lap-band surgery centers in Houston and Dallas. I get my fills for $150 at the Houston Physicians SurgiCenter. Check either the Surgery Center of Richardson or Specialty Surgery Center of Fort Worth.

[wild_in97 0]

I think you will be fine. For me i was given alot of saline very fast with my first fill. On a 4cc band my first fill was at 2.1 and then 2nd they added .4 to make a total of 2.5

I am so tight that often i choose to have Soup just for a break in swallowing. It makes eating a task not a enjoyable experience. My Doc says i will loosen up but after three + weeks i think i will but only after loosing a bit more

I had my second fill about 8 weeks ago, and I am still pretty tight. There are days I can eat quite a bit, but then, there are days that I can not eat anything solid until after 3:00-5:00 p.m. Just because I wanted to see my weight loss increase in speed, I almost went to get a third fill. I had an appointment and the day before I went in, I could not eat much of anything. I Pb'd most everything up that day. I was really hungry, but had to drink cause everything I ate, seemed to come up. I postponed my appointment until this Saturday. To be real honest, I don't think I am going to need the fill this week either. I did not eat any solids today until 5:00p.m., but once I started eating tonight, I ate more than I meant to......so, what do you think???? What should i do????? Today is a perfect example of my confusion. I have lost about 28-30 pounds in 6 months and am very discouraged. I just don't get it when I hear others say they lost 25-35 pounds the first 2 months. H E L P!!!!!!:help::help::help::help::help::help::help:

Wild.........about life.

[BJean 16]

wild_in97: You weight loss is actually a little above average according to my doctor. We are supposed to only be losing 1 to 2 lbs. per week. Those first big losses are due to things that are not all actually accumulated fat. Our fat stores are what we need to get rid of to lose the real weight and losing it over a longer period of time is what helps us get in the position to keep it off.

Having a really tight band that doesn't allow you to eat solids for an extended period of time can cause you to not get the proper nutrition and can cause you to lose weight so fast that you will eventually have a lot of cravings that will subbotage your efforts.

I'm not an expert, I'm just telling you what I've been told. It makes perfect sense. Like they say, if you keep doing the same behavior you've always done, you'll get the same results that you've always gotten. So if you are anything like me and have done diets that have been really restrictive and caused you to lose weight real quickly, but some time later you gain it all back, and more, you may be doing the same thing that you've always done. And you'll get the same results - unhealthy obesity.

I've been having the same struggles as you. I am trying to decide whether to have another fill too. It's a tough decision because you know that if you can't eat, you'll lose weight faster. But I have decided that I'm in this for the 2-year plan that they promised will give me better health and will not cause me to lose my hair.

I hope you continue to do as well as you have been and wish you all the success in the world!

[GrannyAces 1]

Hi, I am considering a TJ doctor. Do you mind sharing who did yours and how much did it cost? What was your experience etc...

I had Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana. He is great. The facility is clean and modern and the staff is friendly and caring. Dr. Ortiz has done thousand of lapbands and has more experience than most U.S. doctors. The cost was $8500 and that included the hotel for 3 days and transportation from the airport and hotel to the facility. You have to pay your own airfare. The follow up fills are free unless done under fleuroscope which costs $100. If you are self-pay I would definitely recommend Dr. Ortiz. I went back to Mexico for first fill so he could check to make sure everything was going right. After that, I found a fill a great doctor in Oregon who does the fills for $150. Good luck on your surgery!!

[anniemay 0]

Wild in 97

I too have the same problems you have, and I have lost about the same amount of weight in the same amount of time, but my girlfriend lost twice as much as me but she had a lot more to lose, but her skin sagged really

bad so she had to spend a lot more money getting a body lift and face

lift just to get rid of the extra skin, so I don't think it's worth it to lose

too much in a short length of time.

Anniemay

[BJean 16]

I just returned from an appt. with the exercise physiologist and the doctor because I decided I wanted a fill. I had lost 5.5 lbs. in 4 weeks. I've lost 35 lbs. and 35 inches - about the size of my granddaughter. Just think. I was carrying around my granddaughter (in fat) full time!

The doc gave me a sweet lecture. He did not think I should get an adjustment. He said that I should wait until I plateau. He says I'm being impatient and not giving myself enough credit for what I've already lost. He says that we bandsters tend to give our bands all the credit. We need to be proud of our accomplishments and take full credit. I was pretty pumped after I left. I think I just wanted even more restriction so I could lose it faster. But faster isn't better if you want to keep your health, including your hair. Plus slower gives time for our minds to adjust and really register our weight loss. He said that one day, in another 30 lbs. or so, I will come to the realization that I won't gain the weight back like I always have before.

So I hope this helps somebody else at least a tiny bit. I can't eat fast, but I don't PB a lot. Only twice in the past month. And he says that's a good thing. It means I am learning how to eat properly... with or without the band. Good point I guess.

[swimswiggs 0]

Hello to all. Haven't been on for awhile. I had my 3rd fill today. I haven't had any restriction, don't think I will with this either. But today when she injected the saline, unlike before I felt a big rush kind of painful sensation. Is this the saline going in the tube or what? It did not do that the first or second time. Also there wasn't all the saline in the band that should of been , I think I'm supposed to have 1 1/2 or 2cc. I have the 9.75 band. It is so frustrating, cause I haven't lost any weight at all since I had this done in July 06. Then you read of poeple being tight and can't hardly eat anything. I will probably go for my next fill under flouro. Was just wondering if anybody else had this experience. Thanks

[BJean 16]

Swimswiggs: I have never heard of that happening. I never feel anything except the tiny needle for the anesthetic.

When you asked the doc about it, what did she say? I think I was supposed to have 2.1 cc in my band and when he withdrew the solution, it was 2.0 ccs. He says it amounts to a couple of drops. I asked if I had a leak and he said no way.

But feeling a rush and kind of an uncomfortable or painful sensation during the fill doesn't sound right to me. But someone else here might be able to clarify that for you.

Good luck! Please let us know what you find out.

[kwhenrykerr 0]

I could feel the band tighting, It was not painfull, just strange. This happened with both of my fills. Both fill have caused a restriction and were done under flouroscope. The band was filled untill Water would not go down then some of the fill was removed. A barrium drink showed that a nice flow was working. I am happy paying the extra for the flouroscope and getting resualts.

[BJean 16]

My doc doesn't believe in doing fills that way. He claims we need the time to adjust to new eating patterns, etc., plus he says some people have to have an unfill sometimes even if they use a flouro.

Frankly, I don't know if he is right. I am tired of going through several weeks of no loss. Then only getting a small fill that I don't even notice. Having holes poked in me isn't fun. And I would like to lose this stuff faster. I'm not getting any younger!

[losing it all 0]

I've completely stopped losing weight since my last fill. Is it possible I'm too tight? I've had some problems getting things to go down, but I can still eat fairly large quantities of soft foods. I've been the same weight for 4 months!!! I'm ready to scream.:angry