Got a fill today at FCUSA..my opinion on FCUSA

[aSpen]

Well it has been a long time since I have posted so I just wanted to come here and say "hi" again!!

I got my first fill today since April, I went to Fill Center USA. I was sooo nervous because they don't use fluoroscopy and I thought "OMG" how are they going to find my port, I don't even know where it is..But the doctor did and she was super nice. Everyone at the clinic was really nice, and helpful.

I just wanted to come here if anyone was a little hesitant on going to a Fill Center that I had a very good experience. It was different from Dr. Ortiz's first fill but that was only because they used the fluoroscopy and you knew exactly when to stop filling.

I had 1 cc in my band and she added 1.8cc's which I am hoping isn't too much.

The cost of the first visit is a lot $349 but after that it drops down to $169 I think, which is great. I was afraid they were going to skimp me on the amount of fluid they were going to put in but she kept going til I said stop. So hope this helps someone that might be worried about going or just doesn't have the money to go see Dr. Ortiz.

So I am looking forward to losing some more weight woohoo!!

[determination]

Hello,

I am curious as to what you mean when you said "that she keeps filling until you say stop"? I do not have the option here of having a flouroscopy either. Maybe I am not paying attention, but I have no clue how to know when I have had enough. Please let me know.

Anne

[aSpen]

Well what she did was she put the needle in and sat me up and had me drink water while she filled it little by little asking if I could tell a difference. Well honestly I've had one fill prior to this one and that was a long time ago (back in April) so I had a hard time trying to figure out the difference between the water going straight down or slower then usual. But as she added the fill you could kind of tell, you just have to keep swallowing water as they fill you. Hope this helps.

[Lindsay]

wow.

that's an 'interesting' fill technique, and kind of scary, IMHO.

If it had been me, i would have had the band completely full, knowing i shouldn't, but could get away with it!

Scary.

[CookieJ]

I've honestly never heard of that fill technique either! I've never had a fill with flouro, it was just .5 to 1.0 cc's each fill till we found my sweet spot. I always drank a little half bottle of water after the fill while we chatted a bit, just to make sure everything went through just fine, but I was never told to 'say when'.

As for the port, maybe mine is different, but is a flouro really needed to find it? Mine is a clearly-felt half dome of smooth plastic no more than 3/8" under my skin! Every fill I've had is lay back, alcohol swab, feel with two fingers for 3.6 seconds, poke and fill, then up to drink my water! I've mentioned that she could at least buy me dinner first!

Cookie

[magkai1]

Does it say something about me that I see "Eff YOU, USA!" ???

[orockz99]

Does it say something about me that I see "Eff YOU, USA!" ???

I had my first fill done at FCUSA and it wasthe same for me. The Dr. Filled my11cc band up to 5cc's, he sat me up and said I had to drink at least 2 cups of water to make sure the fill wasn't too. Much. I started drinking the water and it bearly went down. So he took out .2 cc's. I wanted to lie to get the full amount but it was obvious that it was too much. I don't think it would pay off to lie and have to come back and get an unfill cuz ur too tight.

[celticbanded]

I am so happy you posted this. I go next week on the 30^th for my first fill with them in Austin, TX, and I am worried that they will only try to fill just a little bit. I do not have a bunch of extra cash so I want this fill to be worth the money. I hope to get at least 3cc or what I feel comfortable with (might be less). It would be different if my insurance was paying and I could go get a fill as I needed for $20 copay but it isn’t the case.

[Luanne]

I've been to the Fill Center USA three times and have had really good adjustments. I also have the thoughts to try and get filled too much and then just stay on a liquid diet, but it isn't comfortable. Then when I had a social event and had to eat with others I would be getting up after every bite to get rid of it. Then I got crabby and unhealthy. Sometimes a person thinks they'll endure that just to lose the weight. Eventually I did have to give in and get .5 cc taken out. The doctor was very understanding and concerned about an overfill. I think even if they don't have the band themself, they've been trained to know if we will leave there O.K.

I always have to drink 2-3 cups of warm tea and hang out for awhile before I leave. They want to make sure you can get liquids down. Hope this helps someone.

Happy Holidays!