How many cc's does it take to fill just the Port and Tubing in the LB-APS?

[pjop 9]

Geez. I don't know what to tell you. Everyone seems to have such different experiences. I'd be pissed though......if my tubing wasn't even primed yet!! Try and talk to him about it. Try not to let him intimidate you.....they are working FOR YOU. $200 a pop is a lotta $$$. I wonder if the "tube priming" is addressed on the lap band web site. And I wonder, also, if they shorten the tubing at all during surgery due to one's unique anatomy. I don't know but I think I'm gonna ask at my next appt.

I am so stressed. I had my band put in on March 9, 2009. I have lost about 15 pounds, but lost all that in the first week or so. I have a 10cc band and at surgery I had no fill whatsoever. My first fill wasnt until 6 weeks after surgery and it was only .5cc. And it has been that way every fill I have had since then. The doctor only puts half a cc every time. I have had 4 fills since then at 200 bucks a pop and my tubing isnt even filled??? I think I am at 2.5 cc's right now and I can eat, drink, whatever I want and as much as I want. Is this normal or am I being ripped off? Has anyone else experienced this? Please help. What should I do? I try to talk to him about this and ask for a larger fill but he just says he doesnt want me to throw up and he intimidates me. I'm not rich by any meeans and its going to take a long time and tons of $$ to finally get where I need to be at this rate.:ihih:

[Band_Groupie 3]

I am so stressed. I had my band put in on March 9, 2009. I have lost about 15 pounds, but lost all that in the first week or so. I have a 10cc band and at surgery I had no fill whatsoever. My first fill wasnt until 6 weeks after surgery and it was only .5cc. And it has been that way every fill I have had since then. The doctor only puts half a cc every time. I have had 4 fills since then at 200 bucks a pop and my tubing isnt even filled??? I think I am at 2.5 cc's right now and I can eat, drink, whatever I want and as much as I want. Is this normal or am I being ripped off? Has anyone else experienced this? Please help. What should I do? I try to talk to him about this and ask for a larger fill but he just says he doesnt want me to throw up and he intimidates me. I'm not rich by any meeans and its going to take a long time and tons of $$ to finally get where I need to be at this rate.:ihih:

Geez. I don't know what to tell you. Everyone seems to have such different experiences. I'd be pissed though......if my tubing wasn't even primed yet!! Try and talk to him about it. Try not to let him intimidate you.....they are working FOR YOU. $200 a pop is a lotta $$$. I wonder if the "tube priming" is addressed on the lap band web site. And I wonder, also, if they shorten the tubing at all during surgery due to one's unique anatomy. I don't know but I think I'm gonna ask at my next appt.

I agree...if you're sure your band wasn't primed/filled at surgery then you are getting ripped off. There aren't any 'standards' for fills so each doc approaches it differently, but the band doesn't start filling until the port and tubing are full (I'm 99% sure the tubing is one length and isn't changed). I would go to the LB site and see if they have info. on standards and statistics (like average # of fills it takes to get to your sweet spot). I've read it averages 4-6 fills and a fill of around 5-6cc's for most to get there. My doc is super conservative...didn't put any fill in at surgery (he has some patients who never need a fill), but even he gave me 3cc's at my first fill (I expect the next one will be smaller as the first one included the prime). I'd insist your doc give you more and that you're willing to come back in if it's too much. Heck, I'd ask my doc how much it takes to just fill the port/tubing and let him explain why he hasn't even filled those yet!

[carissarenae1986 0]

Yea, I definatley think that he is just making money on me. He is an excellent surgeon and my only problem is the tiny fills. I keep hearing that people are getting 3-4cc's, hell I'd be happy to just get one full one. By the posts on here I am guessing I am just now to where my tubing is filled. It really is starting to get to me because everyone keeps asking me how much weight I've lost and when I have nothing to report I get that failure look. Grrr.. I have my next appt on 6-23 for another fill and I am going to ask him for more than half a cc and if he says No then I am going to start looking for another doctor. I mean its just ridiculous I told him I only lost one pound in a month and he was like "What, you dont want to lose weight?" He is just really smart ass and I don't really think he is in this for his patients.. I hate to say this but I think he's probably in it just for the $$. Oh well, just one more obstacle I have to overcome on this journey. I am trying not to get discouraged but it is hard. I mean I waited so long to have the surgery done and when I finally do it is seeming like I've made a mistake and I will never get this weight off. I'm not gonna give up. I can do this, lol.

[redcat 1]

.5ccs at a time?! Sounds like you'll likely go through a lot of $ before getting restriction. I got 4ccs on my first fill. Now after 5 fills, I'm at 8.6ccs in a 10cc band. I just got the fifth fill...so not sure about my restriction yet...but I think I probably have moderate restriction now.

Can you go to another facility for fills?

[carissarenae1986 0]

Yea, I'm pretty sure that I can go to another doctor to get fills. I don't see why I couldnt?? I know that some doctors don't like taking on other docs patients, but I did call the Bariatric Center close to where I live and they do. So, we will see what happens. If he doesn't want to give me more than than half a cc next time then I'm not paying for it and I will just start going elsewhere. It's seriously throwing away 200 bucks every time because I feel absolutley No difference whatsoever after fills. Wish me luck, lol.

[angcal26 2]

I just had a fill Tuesday and was told that slower the fills the better. It gives you time to adjust. this was my 3rd fill I was banded back in August. lost 84 lbs so far. good luck and be patient your Sweet spot will happen soon.

[pjop 9]

Good luck. Let us know what happens!

[PATCHELTON 0]

I am so stressed. I had my band put in on March 9, 2009. I have lost about 15 pounds, but lost all that in the first week or so. I have a 10cc band and at surgery I had no fill whatsoever. My first fill wasnt until 6 weeks after surgery and it was only .5cc. And it has been that way every fill I have had since then. The doctor only puts half a cc every time. I have had 4 fills since then at 200 bucks a pop and my tubing isnt even filled??? I think I am at 2.5 cc's right now and I can eat, drink, whatever I want and as much as I want. Is this normal or am I being ripped off? Has anyone else experienced this? Please help. What should I do? I try to talk to him about this and ask for a larger fill but he just says he doesnt want me to throw up and he intimidates me. I'm not rich by any meeans and its going to take a long time and tons of $$ to finally get where I need to be at this rate.:smile2:

Either your doc is trying to make his first million with your help, or he is being overly cautious because another patient had a bad experience, or he is just being cautious.

Everyone is different. There is no magic number of ccs that is the same for everyone. I don't know if my band had Fluid put in during surgery, but 6 weeks after I got 3ccs. I felt okay in the office but later that evening Water was giving me indigestion. The next day I was very uncomfortable and met the surgeon at the hospital for an unfill. He removed 1.5-2ccs. Two weeks later in his office I told him liquids and soft foods were going okay, but denser foods were giving me a problem. So he took out another 0.5cc. I was fine after that (done probably early May 2008) until August. Got 1cc and that is all until last month. My weight was up a little and I was hungry after 2 hours, so he gave me a fill, letting me choose between 0.5 and 1cc. I opted for 0.5 since I am really unusually sensitive to the restriction, and that has been enough. So in a year or so it was 3 in, 1.5-2 out, 0.5 out, 3 months later 1cc in, 9 months later 0.5cc in. So if I am doing the math correctly I have something like 2.5-3ccs tops. I have an AP 14cc band. The surgeon said he rarely goes above 10ccs for fills. So barring slippage or erosion, I should have room for the rest of my life. I really do like the adjustability aspect, even if I will get a bill for this last fill (my brilliant insurance carrier paid in full for the surgery, but won't pay for fills because they are related to "weight loss or weight control").

While I might be the exception, when I think I need a fill, I ask for it. Once he talked me out of it, but mostly he will see it my way. Don't let your surgeon intimidate you. TELL him that you are not feeling restriction, and the conservative nature of his fills are taking you to the poor house. Be honest with him. You don't have to get 5ccs or something outrageous, but a little more than he wants to give you would be nice. Think of an amount you might be able to compromise on, and then push for him to do the same. Good luck.

[redcat 1]

Good luck to you Carissa. Yes...some drs won't do fills on other dr's patients...but some will. If you should happen to need as much fill as I have (8.6ccs) to get restriction...that's 17 fills and $3400!!! That's a tremendous amount of time and money!! Hope you can get with another dr soon...maybe one that uses fluoroscopy, so you won't waste too much more time. Sorry you've had this trouble...

[carissarenae1986 0]

I am pretty sure that he is being cautios.. But maybe a little too cautious! I have never had to drink Water or anything. My visits are maybe 2 minutes in length from the time he walks in the room to when I'm walking out. He asks me one question and that's Have I been throwing up? and then I get a fill and he says see you next month. That's IT!! I'm not even close to kidding. I mean I could go on about this all day. I just want some restriction. That is the whole point of the band right? It's no good without proper fills, I know a lady who had a leak in her tubing so all her Fluid leaked out and now she has regained all her weight because she can't afford the corrective surgery. (Just incase you're wondering how her leak happened, a nurse that did her fill punctured it with the fill needle because she didn't know what she was doing.. so beware of inexperienced nurses doing your fills.) Anyway, the band doesn't work without the fills and I am just getting frustrated. I know that I do need to be patient, but it is just really hard. I did call today and I have an appt. with another lap band doctor on 6-30 to see what he says.. kind of a second opinion I guess. So, Thanks so much to everyone for all of your support. You have no idea how much help this site is to me and your words really do help in so many ways. And I will keep you updated. Thanks, Carissa.