How important is the first fill at OCC vs another option?

[skinnyagain]

I am really torn between going to TJ by myself, and just driving down the hiway and getting a fill. I would be home the same day, but if I go to OCC then I will spend the night in San Diego and fly home the next day. Its not that big of a deal for me to travel, I just want to know, from those who have done it one way and wished they had done it another...I want your feedback.

I do have an appt with OCC on the 26th for my first fill, but there are others that I will be using closer to home, so why shouldn't I get filled here in Wa?

Let me have it

Kim

[nothereanymore]

Hello Kim,

I had my first fill at the OCC, it was important to me since I wanted the people who put my band in to take a look and make sure everything was functioning as should be. I then did the rest of my fills in Olympia at Pacific Surgical.

However on that note I know many who never went back to the OCC, for me going back to the OCC was my personal preference.

All the best,

Lisa

[nicolek]

Hi

I had my 1st fill at the OCC and then the next 2 at home.

I flew back to the OCC for an emergency unfill in January and have just had my 2nd, 1st fill this weekend.

I know it is an inconvience ,especially from Canada but I will only go back to the OCC from now on for my own peace of mind.

[Lindsay]

great thread .. and awesome question!

i was just talking to my boyfriend about this last night.

I look forward to reading everyone's reply ....

[Kimmy in MD]

I think your choice of fill doctor is TREMENDOUSLY important!

I have had 3 fills over a 10 month period. I know there are others that have had way more fills than that. If you remember when talking to Dr. Ortiz about fills he said you shouldn't need a lot of fills. That a couple of adjustments should be all it takes. He gave me the impression that there are Docs out there that don't always know what they are doing with the fills and if you get one of those docs you will end up needing a lot of fills.

With that said, I NEVER went back to OCC for a fill. I wish I could have, but I live on the east coast and am a single mom. Traveling like that is not really a good option for me. Never mind the expense...It was about the time and the time away from home and work -- I just couldn't do it.

All my fills have been blind. Do I wish I could see if the band is perfectly placed and it pristine condition...you bet, but I haven't. Have I done alright with my band and fills..I think so. I was fortunate enough to find a fill doctor that was also banded in Mexico and is extremely empathetic to the situation we are in. She is a dream in my opinion. She is aggressive with her fills. None of this gradually brining you up stuff. She gave me 1.50 on my first fill and then another 1.0 on the second fill. She follows the guidelines set by Inamed for the band, however she also take into account your personal results etc and makes adjustments based on that. For my second fill she backed off and didn't add the 1.25 that Inamed recommends because she felt that my results on the first fill had been great and that 1.25 was not needed. For my third fill she said she could go as much as .50 but only did a "tweak" of .25 cc and after that she told me she would see me in a year because that was all I would need to finish off my weight loss. And guess what...I am now 9 lbs from goal and she was right....again.

My main point. FIND A GREAT FILL DOCTOR!!! If you can't find one...Go back to Dr. Ortiz. It is that important!!

[nazish]

Hello Kim,

I had my first fill at the OCC, it was important to me since I wanted the people who put my band in to take a look and make sure everything was functioning as should be. I then did the rest of my fills in Olympia at Pacific Surgical.

However on that note I know many who never went back to the OCC, for me going back to the OCC was my personal preference.

All the best,

Lisa

I agreee... I am going for my first fill on the 21st of April.......

[DaGreen]

I chose to go back to OCC for the fact that if anything was wrong, I trust the OCC to fix it right away. My first fill was pretty aggressive at 1.8cc. From what I have read, the OCC IS aggressive in their fills for optimum weight loss. My second fill was only .6cc's but we were able to see via fluro how tight the band was.

If you can afford it, I would do it.

[fabfifty58]

I think your choice of fill doctor is TREMENDOUSLY important!

I have had 3 fills over a 10 month period. I know there are others that have had way more fills than that. If you remember when talking to Dr. Ortiz about fills he said you shouldn't need a lot of fills. That a couple of adjustments should be all it takes. He gave me the impression that there are Docs out there that don't always know what they are doing with the fills and if you get one of those docs you will end up needing a lot of fills.

With that said, I NEVER went back to OCC for a fill. I wish I could have, but I live on the east coast and am a single mom. Traveling like that is not really a good option for me. Never mind the expense...It was about the time and the time away from home and work -- I just couldn't do it.

All my fills have been blind. Do I wish I could see if the band is perfectly placed and it pristine condition...you bet, but I haven't. Have I done alright with my band and fills..I think so. I was fortunate enough to find a fill doctor that was also banded in Mexico and is extremely empathetic to the situation we are in. She is a dream in my opinion. She is aggressive with her fills. None of this gradually brining you up stuff. She gave me 1.50 on my first fill and then another 1.0 on the second fill. She follows the guidelines set by Inamed for the band, however she also take into account your personal results etc and makes adjustments based on that. For my second fill she backed off and didn't add the 1.25 that Inamed recommends because she felt that my results on the first fill had been great and that 1.25 was not needed. For my third fill she said she could go as much as .50 but only did a "tweak" of .25 cc and after that she told me she would see me in a year because that was all I would need to finish off my weight loss. And guess what...I am now 9 lbs from goal and she was right....again.

My main point. FIND A GREAT FILL DOCTOR!!! If you can't find one...Go back to Dr. Ortiz. It is that important!!

On that note can anyone recommend a fill Dr in NYC

[fabfifty58]

I think your choice of fill doctor is TREMENDOUSLY important!

I have had 3 fills over a 10 month period. I know there are others that have had way more fills than that. If you remember when talking to Dr. Ortiz about fills he said you shouldn't need a lot of fills. That a couple of adjustments should be all it takes. He gave me the impression that there are Docs out there that don't always know what they are doing with the fills and if you get one of those docs you will end up needing a lot of fills.

With that said, I NEVER went back to OCC for a fill. I wish I could have, but I live on the east coast and am a single mom. Traveling like that is not really a good option for me. Never mind the expense...It was about the time and the time away from home and work -- I just couldn't do it.

All my fills have been blind. Do I wish I could see if the band is perfectly placed and it pristine condition...you bet, but I haven't. Have I done alright with my band and fills..I think so. I was fortunate enough to find a fill doctor that was also banded in Mexico and is extremely empathetic to the situation we are in. She is a dream in my opinion. She is aggressive with her fills. None of this gradually brining you up stuff. She gave me 1.50 on my first fill and then another 1.0 on the second fill. She follows the guidelines set by Inamed for the band, however she also take into account your personal results etc and makes adjustments based on that. For my second fill she backed off and didn't add the 1.25 that Inamed recommends because she felt that my results on the first fill had been great and that 1.25 was not needed. For my third fill she said she could go as much as .50 but only did a "tweak" of .25 cc and after that she told me she would see me in a year because that was all I would need to finish off my weight loss. And guess what...I am now 9 lbs from goal and she was right....again.

My main point. FIND A GREAT FILL DOCTOR!!! If you can't find one...Go back to Dr. Ortiz. It is that important!!

On that note can anyone recommend a fill Dr in NYC

[KatyG]

I did not go back to the OCC for any of my fills. I also found a doc who was willing to follow Inamed's guidelines for fills. He was aggressive and also took into account MY feelings. He ha also been a God-send for when I had an issue of being too tight. It happened a couple months after the last fill, and happened gradually. I got myself into an emergent situation though, and needed an emergency unfill because I could ONLY keep down HOT liquids (not even SOUP would go down). He came in on his day off to help me out of the jam, and also ordered an upper GI for me to make sure my band was ok. YOU WILL run into issues with your band as you go along. IT is a GREAT tool, but imperfect. It will get tight and loosen up for no reason whatsoever. Therefore, I suggest you find someone local who is on the same page as you as far as your fills and care are concerned. Because most people can't just hop on a flight at the drop of a hat if you run into a problem. It is nice to have a fill doc that knows your history as you go along.

Dr. Ortiz can often make recommendations for good fill docs in your area. That's how I got my doc.