Very Stupid Question

[Squishee 1]

Ok, I need to admit I'm a newbie, I was banded 13th Nov and have now lost 38lbs (hurrah!) with still no fill. I was banded privately and have to pay each and everytime I need to go for a fill and have not been in communication with my Dr since my op as yet.

I have read on here that sometimes fills can be far too much and you've had to de-fill, for me that would still count as a fill and I have to pay £60 or $120 for each one. I should also mention that I'm a trained nurse.

Now the question! Has anyone ever administered their own de-fills if they are too tight. I know that the filling should be done under the guidance of your Dr but does anyone have any insight or info on DIY defills? Finances are a tad tight esp at this time of year, I hope you all understand, I'm just concerned and am pre-empting.

Thank you and Merry X-mas to all!

xx

[*susan* 1,709]

Personally, I would never recommend doing your own fill or unfill. Does your doctor do fills by flouroscopy? That is the best way to ensure that when you get a fill, you are not overfilled.

[txgirl 0]

check out fills USA they have a set price. and you can us them anywhere in the US. i was banded in Mexico

[BansterNYC 0]

Do not unfill yourself. Even though you're a trained nurse, you could puncture the tube leading to the band and put yourself up for another surgery to fix that. IMO it's not worth the risk. If you're losing at least 2 lbs per week, then you likely do not need a fill.

Also, no questions are stupid. We're all here to learn.

[juliegeraci 7]

I completely understand. My fills are $200 each and last year I spent about $1600 on fills. Good luck.

[faithmd 14]

Not a stupid question at all, here's a link to a really good thread about this very topic:

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/honest-32629/

[queenp 0]

I also work in the medical field. It wouldn't seem a hard thing to adjust the band yourself, However....I wouldn't do it. To many possibilties of things going wrong (infection, leaks, ect.) You have had a successful process thus far. Don't do anything to mess that up. In the end the money would have been worth the weightloss. God Bless.

Banded 08/20/07

Filled 10/26/07 (5cc)

Starting 267

Current 239

goal 167 (100 Pounds)

[mbanja 1]

My fillcenter that I use has a 72hour overfill policy. If you fill you are too tight, notify them with in the 72hour window and the unfill is no charge. Ask your facility if they have an overfill window.