My Fill Experiences

[greeny 0]

I was banded on October 31, 2007. The day of my surgery I weighed 243lbs. I have a 14cc band which had 2cc of fill placed in it on the day of surgery. My first fill post surgery was done on December 3, 2007. I received another 2cc of fill. My weight was 226lbs. After the swelling in my stomach went down, I really didn't notice any restriction at all. It was a month of many holiday celebrations and I paid the price when I returned for my next fill on January 14, 2008. I had gained 9lbs and felt terribly ashamed. I received another 2cc of fill for a total of 6cc. Initially after this fill I felt like I was filling up faster however I was still able to eat 2 cups of food at a sitting. When I returned 2 weeks later on January 28, 2008 I had lost 8lbs and weighed 227. I did not receive a fill on this visit. I still felt the same and was able to tolerate everything I ate. February 11, 2008 was my next visit. I had lost an additional 2 lbs but still did not feel any restriction. I received 1cc of fill and now had a total of 7cc. I was quite disappointed after this fill as I didn't notice any restriction and it seemed like I was able to eat more at each meal. I was becoming very frustrated as the scale did not indicate any weight lost. When I returned for my next visit on March 31, 2008 I had indeed gained 3lbs and now weighed 228. I decided not to let this get me down as I knew I was exercising and eating better than I had in many years. I received another 2cc of fill and now had a total of 9cc of fill. After this fill I definitely noticed a difference. I finally had restriction and was no longer able to tolerate breads, Pasta, rice, broccoli, dry meats or large bites of food. The largest obstacle I had to face was staying away from sweets and junk foods. I feel like I am actually making a little progress.

[tgc 0]

:thumbup:Sounds like you are doing great. I was banded March 20th and have lost 22 pounds but I am really stuck, not losing any more. I have not had a fill as of yet, and I feel hungry all of the time. How much have you lost since your last fill? Keep plugging along

[ovahkummer 11]

You sound just like me, however I've only had one fill lost 22lbs, and don't exercise. I can tolerate anything I want also.

[greeny 0]

I will officially weigh in next Monday. According to my scales, I have lost 2 lbs since my last fill. Congratulations on your weight loss. Try to stay away from the sweets, fats and junk food for now and you should do ok. That's where I went wrong when I didn't have any restriction. Good luck!

greeny

[greeny 0]

You sound just like me, however I've only had one fill lost 22lbs, and don't exercise. I can tolerate anything I want also.

Congratulations on your weight loss. Be careful and stay away from the junk food, sweets and fats. It's easy to go back to what used to be comfortable when you are able to tolerate everything and don't have any restriction. At least, that was my experience.:biggrin:

[busdrivinmom 0]

hi all I'm new here so I'm learning a lot however the band is not new. I have had the same problems with the fills. I have only had 2 since Aug 07 and thought I was doing ok I lost 37lbs right away and nothing since. I even put 6lbs back on. Now it's time for another fill. How often should this be done? I kind of think each doctor has a different thought. I also am trying to restrict myself and use the band as a tool-- I have seen wonderful results for some and others struggle way to hard,

[PamJ4 0]

Thank you for posting these experiences... My mom and I have been banded for about a year but we were given the original impression by our weight loss center and surgeons that we would be much further along than we are. What we have found out is that the weight loss is much slower than we ever expected and we need to pursue more fills until our band is tight enough to keep our weight loss going. We're not giving up, though, and that is for sure!!

[acalpn 0]

hi everyone, i was banded in january and have lost 53 lbs. so far. i have not had a fill as of yet. has anyone else out there ever went that long without a fill?? i want to schedule a fill in the next month or so. anita:rolleyes2:

[anavrin 0]

I was banded on May 20th and had my 1st fill today. I had watched a video of the proc on this site, and was very scared. My MD was delayed, and I had too much time to nose around in the room, from which I found the huber needle he was going to use to access the port, it is 2 inches long, and the gauge is 19. I'm a nurse, but never having it done, I was still scared. When he finally came in, we got right to it. I layed down, and he had me lift my head off the table to tighten my abdomen, he accessed the port thru the scar tissue, so it was virtually painless, once he got it in, and attached the syringe with saline in it, he injected some, helped me to sit up, handed me a cup of Water, told me to take 2 small sips, and then a couple of gulps. Then he asked me to tell him when I felt pressure in my throat or chest, it came pretty quick in my throat, and stayed too long, so he backed some out, and had me gulp again, this time, no pressure, so he added a little, repeated the process, and this time, I felt the pressure for a few secs, and it went away. He said we were good, and put a bandaid over the site. My only concern is, I have a Realize band that has a 9cc capacity, and he put 5 1/2 cc'c in it today. I made an appt for 3 weeks from now. My question, what happens when it is at capacity? Will I be at goal? I'm 4'11" and want to get to 115, I was 181 today, and started out at 200.

[georgebals 0]

Hi Anita, I also was banded on Jan. 15th 2008. Down 114 pounds. No fills. I am trying (will) to find out the % of successful no fillers. I think we are lucky. Just using band as a tool. Hasta Pronto, George

[ITGUY 0]

Hi y'all, Im considering doing the lapband. Seems like everyone has had some issues with it. Is it worth it, does it work? Also, what are y'all talking about when you refer to (a fill), is this an injection into thering that makes it expand and cause the restriction?

[dsn55 0]

I'm having the same issues. I don't feel restricted and I'm not losing. I'm at 6cc but I'm think I should be at 8. Like you, I;m eating better and excercising so I know that this is better than what I was doing....I sometimes think about what I ate before and I wonder why I'm not dead....Keep up the good work......

[270 pounds 0]

I was banded on Septemer 29, 2008. I am feeling more hungry everyday! what should I do?

[Brian 2]

I'll join the club. I was banded June 30th, and down 51 pounds, no fills, and really no true restriction, very mild really. My "gas tank", seems to be filled eating about 1/2 of my usual meals and that maybe is 1 of 2 saving graces. The other, I've sworn off a lot bad foods, and if I splurge, eat only something like a 1 inch square of cake. I do figure at some point I'll back-slide and will need to put the band to use with restriction, like I thought I would right off the start. I've been pleased that either my will-power is high, or the band is lurking and working behind the scenes- probably both. It seems that one way or the other, self-control still has to be a major component to success. What I'm doing now truly seems preferable to major restriction. Unfortunately, I've lost weight before and didn't keep if off. But my motivation increased this week, when the results of my last echocardiogram showed mild LVH and mild bi-atrial enlargement. Yuck. In the end, I'll do whatever it takes to get healthy.

[newnikki2009 0]

I know how you must have felt. I am a 6 wks post op and i had my first fill about 12 days ago, the day i was able to eat again. I was eating about 3/4 each sitting i could keep going and it upset me so bad. Before the fill i was averaging 3 lb a week after it 1lb i have call doc and i am going for an adjustment so i wont start the rollercoster ride