Lap Band Fills / Adjustment Info

[BJean 16]

biggestloser-thanks for your post. I really think this is more important than some people realize and if you wind up having major problems, it may be too late.

If you can't eat anything, eventually you actually can stop your metabolism (like you said) and you just won't lose. Once you are able to eat - and eventually you HAVE to - you will gain. Not at all what we want or expect from the band. It's is just very, very hard to be satisfied with a 1 to 2 lb. weight loss per week.

Btw, Congratulations on your nice weight loss - you're in a good spot right now with only 22 lbs. to lose!! That's great!

Tyme 2 Shine- As I understand it, erosion is not real common. Although I have heard of several cases both here at LBT and through my doctor. I believe that erosion is a slow process and that is one reason we may not even realize that it is happening, so there are various degrees of erosion. But we definitely do not want any erosion ever!

The band is a very good thing if we realize that we have to take care of it and baby it when we need to. My doctor doesn't ask us to go on liquids after a fill because he is extremely conservative with fills. He is for very good reasons - slippage and erosion are just 2 of them. You can also enlarge your esophogus and that can be a big problem down the road. You can develop a hiatal hernia. And I am sure there are other problems that can arise that I've never heard of.

If your doctor is aggressive with fills, the whole area can be sensitive and you really need to be careful for several days after a fill. I've heard lots of bandsters say that they managed to keep pizza and sodas down. I ask at what price?

Hey, we only have one body folks and we need to take good care of ourselves and our friend, the band. No one wants to read another story about someone having to be hospitalized and suffering due to the abuse of themselves or the band.

[biggestloser2be 0]

BJean,

I am terrified that my band will slip or erode because I was a self pay. I don't know if insurance would cover that expense or if I would have to pay for that too if it happened to me. I try very hard to baby my band by reading the signals that go off in my head when I eat. Now that I had a small unfill and can eat solids, I am paying attention to what I put in my mouth.

You are right, I think I am at a good spot for now. But I have more than 22 pounds to go. I have 58 more to go. I have lost 22 pounds so far. But I will take it. It is much better than gaining it. Hopefully now that I am able to eat I will drop some more weight. Today, I bought a salad and I was only able to eat a quarter of it before I got full, so my band is working great. I do love this band when I am not extremely tight.

[Funnkyness 0]

The Dr I had set up to do my fills has moved out of state:sad:

So does anyone know of any Dr's that will do Fluoro fills for someone who was banded on Mexico??

Thanks!!

[Mari2 0]

I'm glad to hear you feel good and even a little hungry as I have read so many others that are feeling miserable with the larger amounts of fill. I had my lap band 1/17/08 and am getting my first fill on 2/28 and am hoping for 1 cc to let my body adjust. I keep thinking that losing 1-2 pounds a week gives your body a chance to adjust to all the changes. Losing too fast because you are not eating solids doesn't seem like a long term goal. Mari

[julieh 1]

Here's a question to those of you who have a 10cc band. When you received your first fill, how much did you get, and did you notice it? I am going in for my first fill today and am curious as to how much I would get?

[Mellis 0]

I have the new Realize band--my first(only) fill I gotr 5 cc put in--BUT--that was with flouro by my surgeon.

[biggestloser2be 0]

I have the new band and my first fill was 3cc. I felt a difference for about 2 weeks and then it loosened up a little. My band was empty after surgery too.

[julieh 1]

I got my first fill!!! The Dr. put 3 cc in, and I am feeling really good.

biggestloser2b, How are you feeling now after your 3cc fill? You said it had loosened up, but are you still feeling any restriction?

Mellis, how are you feeling after getting the 5ccs? Are you feeling restricted?

How long did you guys wait to eat?

[julieh 1]

I has by surgery done as Dr. Ortiz as well. But I went for my first fill to a Fill Center in Las Vegas, which is much closer to my home in St. George, Utah. On the Obesity Center's website there is a link to fill centers usa where you can find a fill center closer to your home. I had a great experience with my first fill, and it was done with fluro as well!!!

[biggestloser2be 0]

I got my first fill!!! The Dr. put 3 cc in, and I am feeling really good.

biggestloser2b, How are you feeling now after your 3cc fill? You said it had loosened up, but are you still feeling any restriction?

Mellis, how are you feeling after getting the 5ccs? Are you feeling restricted?

How long did you guys wait to eat?

Juleih,

After my first fill of 3cc it loosened up after a couple of weeks. I went in for my second fill of 1.3cc but was to tight. After 9 days I went in for a small unfill of .5cc (total in band was 3.8cc). I got my third fill of .5cc and for two weeks was way to tight and went in for another small unfill of .3cc (now have a total of 4.0cc. This is a good fit for me. I am able to eat solids now and get my Protein in without slimming or being very uncomfortable.

Don't rush for big fills. Everyone is totally different. Some people need more fills than others and some don't even need any fills and they lose weight. Just make sure that you are not to tight and slime all the time because you can do more harm to your band with either eroding or slippage and then you will have to start all over again. Best of luck and luck and let us know how your doing.

[PamJ4 0]

I have a 10cc band with 6 cc in it (after 5 fills). My question is.....how do you know when the fill is set correctly? I was originally told you would only be able to eat not more than 1/2 cup at a time and feel full without drinking before/during/after meals like we were taught. I can feel the food "plopping" right through the band and can still eat 1 cup or so of food. My last fill the surgeon wouldn't add more saline because he said it felt too tight.

I realize I still need to exercise more and that I'm eating too much on occasion, but I end up famished by dinner time. That spells disaster for keeping portion size in check. Even though I had blood clots after the surgery that slowed me down, restricted my exercise time, and kept me from getting fills right away, I wish I were further along with my weight loss.

Any thoughts or ideas are very appreciated.

Banded 6/27/07 - Dr. Erbella and Dr. Bunch, Bradenton, FL

Current weight 261, loss of 34 lbs.

[Tyme 2 shine 0]

I learned from others on the forum that you will know when your filled correctly because you will only be able to eat at least 1 cup of food. They explained how hard that was for them to get used to but it completely was a benefit because they lost a lot of weight. I understand you believe me. We need to get to a point where food just isn't as important to us. We have gotten so use to tasting different foods and I tell myself daily I need to get back focused on my goal!! Getting healthy and doing what I need to do to get to my goal weight.

Good luck to you!!!!!!!!!

[Tyme 2 shine 0]

Thanks for responding!!! I am so excited about the journey with the band. I am not fiilled right now and I am able to eat whatever I want. This makes it hard. I actually went back on a liquid diet to keep me on the right track, is that ok??? I really am not sure but I need to be filled immediately. I get filled on the 11th of March. I would like to loose more weight that 1 to 2 pds a week but I'll take it. I have a thyroid condition already and I am wondering if because of my metabolism is it ok to do liquids. Any advice will help!!!

Thanks

[Whitepants 0]

Tyme 2 shine. I am hypothyroid, which makes it a little harder to lose weight without the band as is. So with the band like w/ medication it's helping to lose weight. I am a strong advocate of measuring foods as we're told to do. I eat 4oz of Protein, 4oz of veggies and 2oz of carbs per mealtime. I take 2oz for I gain weight if I eat carbs like I'd like to. I don't know how losing weight works if you're hyperthyroid.

You may want to put this on the general forum to get info. Invest in a food scale and find out what your calorie intake should be for you to lose weight. I went to NutritionData.com and found out how many calories I should be eating. Especially for the weight I want to be. Those are the calories I am eating. It also lets you know protein, fat, carbs and other nutrients you should have daily. Eating liquid is okay, but not if it is because of being to tight.

As you've read so many times, the band is a tool. As with tools, if you don't use it properly alone or w/ other tools, it won't work and you won't get the results you're looking for. Measure, measure, measure. This is a life style change of eating habits, hence the word, change. You've gone thorough the first step of change. Now take it to the next level. Manage your food intake. We're all still learning and adjusting our way of eating and finding out what works and don't.

Keep coming back for more info and let us know what you've found out also. You are not alone in anything you experience and don't think we won't understand. We do.

[min 0]

what a brilliant helpful page.... many many thanks.. ill be calling in from time to time to keep tabs on myself..

cheers banded for 7 weeks and a loss of 7.5kg