About Fills

[ButterflyBandita]

I thought I'd post my experience as the fill topic seems to keep coming up in different threads.

I was told at the OCC that 3-4 fills in a lifetime was the norm. Of course, I thought I'd beat the norm and that I'd have perfect restriction after surgery. Not a chance.

After the swelling went down, there was no restriction at all. My surgery-day weight was 201. I dropped down to about 195 prior to my first fill. When I got my first fill, I was given 5 cc - which I thought was fabulous. But again, once the swelling went down, there really wasn't much restriction. I did manage to lose another pound or two before my next fill.

At this point, I decided to stay local and went to a doctor a few cities over. He didn't use barium, but did have me drink water during the fill to see how it felt going down. I was given another 3 ccs during this fill. This fill allowed me to experience restriction but it only lasted about a month. When I realized that I could eat large / regular-sized / pre-band meals, I decided to go in and get another fill.

So I went back in and the doctor added another cc. This was good, but only for a few days. Luckily, my doctor will allow you to come back in within 2 weeks to add more or take some out if the fill isn't just right. So I decided to take advantage of it and went back in for another cc. I did the water test and thought it was fine. This brought me up to 10 cc. When I got out in the parking lot, I tried drinking water in my car and I started sliming - this was the first time I actually experienced that, even though I thought I knew all about being stuck, PB-ing, etc. I wanted to keep the fill, knowing that each fill that I've had has loosened up within about a week. But, I knew better. I went back to my doctor later that hour and they took out about .3 cc.

The restriction was great, and lasted for a month. I considered going back in and getting another fill at this point, but right now, I think I am losing at a nice pace. I am actually losing steadily now - at least so far. I figure that if I'm still loosing, there is no need to get another fill.

I also noticed that because of my aggressive restriction-chase, I had grown accustomed to being pretty tight and was babying my band quite a bit, relying on sliders and protein drinks. Now that I'm following the rules (protein first!), things seem to be easier. I'm not hungry in between meals and am not feeling ravenous during meal times. I am able to eat larger portions in the evening, but that doesn't mean I do. I can feel quite satisfied with smaller amounts.

So, hopefully I can get a bit more mileage out of this fill.

. . . and hopefully this post will help someone.

[EcMjawad1]

Hi!,

Thanks for the post...I live up in the Bay Area but decided early on that I would go to OCC for fills unless I found an MD who does floro. I appreciate your comments and story because sometimes if the rules aren't followed (like protein first), it's a waste of time and money. I totally agree with what you are doing now and after my second fill two weeks ago, notice that if I follow the rules I am pretty full and satisfied. Now I am just figuring out an approximate calorie level so I don't throw my body into starvation mode?? Hmmm. The protein first makes a very big difference for me and once I got that figured out I do pretty well...like all new habits, sometimes I forget, and then I get hungry faster. I am not a big meat fan and would like to do more alternative proteins...what do you do? Thanks again.

[Apprehensive]

I thought I'd post my experience as the fill topic seems to keep coming up in different threads.

I was told at the OCC that 3-4 fills in a lifetime was the norm. Of course, I thought I'd beat the norm and that I'd have perfect restriction after surgery. Not a chance.

After the swelling went down, there was no restriction at all. My surgery-day weight was 201. I dropped down to about 195 prior to my first fill. When I got my first fill, I was given 5 cc - which I thought was fabulous. But again, once the swelling went down, there really wasn't much restriction. I did manage to lose another pound or two before my next fill.

At this point, I decided to stay local and went to a doctor a few cities over. He didn't use barium, but did have me drink water during the fill to see how it felt going down. I was given another 3 ccs during this fill. This fill allowed me to experience restriction but it only lasted about a month. When I realized that I could eat large / regular-sized / pre-band meals, I decided to go in and get another fill.

So I went back in and the doctor added another cc. This was good, but only for a few days. Luckily, my doctor will allow you to come back in within 2 weeks to add more or take some out if the fill isn't just right. So I decided to take advantage of it and went back in for another cc. I did the water test and thought it was fine. This brought me up to 10 cc. When I got out in the parking lot, I tried drinking water in my car and I started sliming - this was the first time I actually experienced that, even though I thought I knew all about being stuck, PB-ing, etc. I wanted to keep the fill, knowing that each fill that I've had has loosened up within about a week. But, I knew better. I went back to my doctor later that hour and they took out about .3 cc.

The restriction was great, and lasted for a month. I considered going back in and getting another fill at this point, but right now, I think I am losing at a nice pace. I am actually losing steadily now - at least so far. I figure that if I'm still loosing, there is no need to get another fill.

I also noticed that because of my aggressive restriction-chase, I had grown accustomed to being pretty tight and was babying my band quite a bit, relying on sliders and protein drinks. Now that I'm following the rules (protein first!), things seem to be easier. I'm not hungry in between meals and am not feeling ravenous during meal times. I am able to eat larger portions in the evening, but that doesn't mean I do. I can feel quite satisfied with smaller amounts.

So, hopefully I can get a bit more mileage out of this fill.

. . . and hopefully this post will help someone.

Very well put. I totally agree with you about following the rules. I admit, it is easy to learn which sliders are easy to allow you to work around the band. I have done that a few times. Like you say, if you follow the rules, protein first, then the other foods...you will continue to lose weight, and have a healthful diet. I find that when I don't eat the protein first, then I am really hungry earlier than I usually am when I do eat the protein first. It is easy to follow the rules, but it is easy to let it "slide" from time to time. With some willpower, we all are better off.

Thanks for the pertinent information.

Appy

[ErinRed]

Hi ButterflyBandita,

where did you get your fills done in the Bay Area and how much were they?

I live not too far from San Jose and am looking for a reccomendation for post op care.

Thanks in advance!

[Sherri]

I thought I'd post my experience as the fill topic seems to keep coming up in different threads.

I was told at the OCC that 3-4 fills in a lifetime was the norm. Of course, I thought I'd beat the norm and that I'd have perfect restriction after surgery. Not a chance.

After the swelling went down, there was no restriction at all. My surgery-day weight was 201. I dropped down to about 195 prior to my first fill. When I got my first fill, I was given 5 cc - which I thought was fabulous. But again, once the swelling went down, there really wasn't much restriction. I did manage to lose another pound or two before my next fill.

At this point, I decided to stay local and went to a doctor a few cities over. He didn't use barium, but did have me drink water during the fill to see how it felt going down. I was given another 3 ccs during this fill. This fill allowed me to experience restriction but it only lasted about a month. When I realized that I could eat large / regular-sized / pre-band meals, I decided to go in and get another fill.

So I went back in and the doctor added another cc. This was good, but only for a few days. Luckily, my doctor will allow you to come back in within 2 weeks to add more or take some out if the fill isn't just right. So I decided to take advantage of it and went back in for another cc. I did the water test and thought it was fine. This brought me up to 10 cc. When I got out in the parking lot, I tried drinking water in my car and I started sliming - this was the first time I actually experienced that, even though I thought I knew all about being stuck, PB-ing, etc. I wanted to keep the fill, knowing that each fill that I've had has loosened up within about a week. But, I knew better. I went back to my doctor later that hour and they took out about .3 cc.

The restriction was great, and lasted for a month. I considered going back in and getting another fill at this point, but right now, I think I am losing at a nice pace. I am actually losing steadily now - at least so far. I figure that if I'm still loosing, there is no need to get another fill.

I also noticed that because of my aggressive restriction-chase, I had grown accustomed to being pretty tight and was babying my band quite a bit, relying on sliders and protein drinks. Now that I'm following the rules (protein first!), things seem to be easier. I'm not hungry in between meals and am not feeling ravenous during meal times. I am able to eat larger portions in the evening, but that doesn't mean I do. I can feel quite satisfied with smaller amounts.

So, hopefully I can get a bit more mileage out of this fill.

. . . and hopefully this post will help someone.

Thanks for the fill post.. I am not experiencing any restriction after my first fill. Trying to eat my protein first which is hard because I don't like meat either. If I do eat protein then I tend not to snack as much so that helps..