Air bubble in band. Significance?

[Cocoabean 430]

Hi everyone,

I had a band adjustment two weeks ago and I became too tight (I got stuck on mashed potatoes!). When the doc removed some Fluid, he said there was an air bubble in the band.

I am wondering what the significance of this is, if any. Does it make the band tighter than you would expect at a certain fill level?

I had 1 ml added, he took .5ml plus the air bubble out, so I should be tighter than I was before the 1ml addition, yes?

Thanks!

Denise

[Jachut 487]

I would imagine an air bubble could make you quite a LOT more restricted than you would expect at a certain fill level. It would create quite a lot of pressure in there.

I think you just have to sort of see what happens now, its a bit hard to anticipate how tight or not tight you might be now that the air is gone.

[Shamrockgirl60 1]

I went for my second fill, they took all the Fluid out because it had a slight bit of blood in it, she said that happens she replaced it and added a cc more. I have really good restriction right now. Can only eat 4 to 8 oz. of food at a time. I know when I lose more weight to call and get another fill.

My nurse/practitioner said usually you need a fill every 4 to 6 weeks. You can tell when your able eat more...than you should. To watch for that symptom. And get a fill asap so you won't go off track.

[Cocoabean 430]

I would imagine an air bubble could make you quite a LOT more restricted than you would expect at a certain fill level. It would create quite a lot of pressure in there.

I think you just have to sort of see what happens now, its a bit hard to anticipate how tight or not tight you might be now that the air is gone.

Hi Jacqui, thank you for your response. I appreciate that someone at goal hangs around to help us less veteran bandsters get through it all.

I seem to be as loose as I was before the 1 ml was added. As you say, I need to wait and see where I settle in. But I am happy to be able to drink liquids without pain! I plan to wait a few weeks before scheduling another fill (which takes about three weeks to get in) to see how it turns out after any swelling has gone down.

I'll take a slower weight loss in exchange for not hurting like I was! I am about 20 lbs from my goal, and I lost 7 lbs in the two weeks I was too tight...that just seems much too fast for my weight. The medical assistant said, "Holy Cow!" when she saw my loss when checking me in :rolleyes2:

I have put back on 1.5 lbs since my unfill, but I figure that was Water weight as I was not able to get much Water down during that time and was experiencing symptoms of dehydration.

Denise

[Cocoabean 430]

I went for my second fill, they took all the Fluid out because it had a slight bit of blood in it, she said that happens she replaced it and added a cc more. I have really good restriction right now. Can only eat 4 to 8 oz. of food at a time. I know when I lose more weight to call and get another fill.

My nurse/practitioner said usually you need a fill every 4 to 6 weeks. You can tell when your able eat more...than you should. To watch for that symptom. And get a fill asap so you won't go off track.

Hi Shamrockgirl. How does blood get in? From the needle going into the port?

My doc says that proper portions are those that satisfy me and I still lose weight. That is what he bases the need for fills on. I am not sure how much I am eating measuring cup wise, but last night I had about 1.5-2 oz of steak, some mushrooms and about an ounce of potato.

I am much hungrier now than I was during my tight two weeks, but cannot determine if I am eating more than before the fill that put me over the top. I don't think I am, but need more time to tell as sometimes my band feels looser than at others.

Denise