Need advice

mjenkins0344 · January 20, 2009

I went for my first fill about 1 month ago. After several attempts (about 30 minutes of searching for my port) the PA found my port and gave me 3.5cc's in my 10cc band. He left the room to get a cup of Water to have me sip slowly. When he returned to the room he said he was not confident that he found the port and wanted to try again. So he began searching for my port once again. This time he said he was sure he got it and gave me 3.5cc's. He got me a drink and I was able to drink just fine so home I went. After a couple days I became concerned because I had absolutely no restriction and I was able to eat anything and any amount I wanted. I called the office and went back in to see a different PA this time. I asked her if she could just check to make sure that there was 3.5cc in there. I realize I may not feel restriction with the 3.5cc in the band but I did not feel confident that I had anything because of the difficulty the PA had. She put the needle in and tried to withdraw the saline from my port. She was not able to get anything out. I asked her if that meant I had nothing in my port. She said no not necessarily. How could this be? If he put 3.5cc in my band shouldn't she be able to withdraw 3.5cc's? Anyway she proceeded to put in another 2cc's into the band. If I was really getting all the saline they said they were giving me, I would now be up to 5.5cc's. The problem is I still feel absolutely no restriction! How do I know exactly what is in there? I have a feeling that the first 3.5cc's was never really put in there. I am meeting with the doctor tomorrow to review all this but I thought I would ask if anyone out there has had a similar situation. I realize I have babbled on quite a bit here and I hope you were able to follow me. Please let me know if anyone has had a similar experience.

Kickash73 · January 20, 2009

if it's any reasurance, i can tell you that i felt no restriction until i was at 6cc, my surgeon does all my fills myself and i feel very confident that he's doing them properly. i expressed my concern with him with i got in the 5cc range and had no restriction as well, and he said that everyone is different, i was worried about a leak, and he said take some time, and come back in 2 weeks, well now i have restriction. he also told me that because i was not as heavy as most of his pacients that my band was loose when he placed it and that could be a contribuiting factor to why it took so long for me to get restriction, he also said i will prob never reach 8.5cc so hopefuly things will work out now. with that all being said i just went in for another fill last week and i feel like i got more of an unfill than a fill, don't know why but i'm going back next wednesday to have him tweak it. just work with your band, remember it's a tool, and try to have pacients.

DanaM · January 20, 2009

I am at 6cc in a 9cc band and I have very very little restriction!

BgB9 · January 20, 2009

They can do a type of upper GI to see if there is any Fluid. I'm one of the odd ones that noticed restriction. At 3.5 for my first fill, I couldn't even drink Water and they had to pull .5 out. But it only lasted a couple of weeks. Most likely, the first PA missed both times so you may only have 2 cc's in. That won't cause much restriction. But really impressive to have lost more than 50 pounds without restriction.

mjenkins0344 · January 21, 2009

Well I just got back from the doctor's office. When I got there I explained that I was not confident that the PA had done the fill correctly. After examining me and asking me a few questions he ask me to meet him at the hospital and he would do an upper GI to see if I had anything in my band. Once at the hospital it was confirmed that I did not have anything in my band!!!! He put 3cc's in my band and boy what a difference! I am so glad I said something and didn't just sit back and continue to starve! Thanks everyone for the advice.