Maria Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 [Hi Everyone. I am new to this board and have a question. I was banded in Mexico March 3rd, 2006. I have had three fills. The last was this past Tuesday. I went from 1.5 cc (4 cc band) to 2. Drank a sip of water and had MAJOR restriction. Left the doc, went home, and for 24 hours I could not drink water, and pb'd on my own saliva. Went back to the doc on Wed. to have an unfill. They took .25 out, leaving me with a total of 1.75 cc. Now I can eat ANYTHING. I had more restriction with 1.5 cc in prior to going to the doc's on Tuesday. I am so confused. They did have a hard time (both for the fill and unfill) finding my port, and I was poked several times before they got the needle in. Could the needle have punctured the band? Does .25 cc really make you THAT much tighter? Why was I tight with 1.5, but looser with 1.75? I am sorry about all the questions. I am just curious about the fills. People talk about eating 1/2 Cup of food before full. I just ate 2 sushi rolls with not problem. I even thought that perhaps I had slippage with 1.5cc, and when the doc took out the fill, my stomach went back into place, which is why 1.75 does nothing? I just don't know. Anyone have any ideas? BTW, I have lost 32 lbs since March 3rd. Have not felt like that was enough so far. Thank you! font=Century Gothic] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelley Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 They did have a hard time (both for the fill and unfill) finding my port, and I was poked several times before they got the needle in. Could the needle have punctured the band? Does .25 cc really make you THAT much tighter? Why was I tight with 1.5, but looser with 1.75? I am sorry about all the questions. I am just curious about the fills. People talk about eating 1/2 Cup of food before full. I just ate 2 sushi rolls with not problem. I even thought that perhaps I had slippage with 1.5cc, and when the doc took out the fill, my stomach went back into place, which is why 1.75 does nothing? I just don't know. Anyone have any ideas? Congratulations on your weight loss thus far! I think it's fantastic that you have lost over 30 lbs in 4 months. The ideal weight loss is 1-2lbs a week and you've certainly done that. Pat yourself on the back because it isn't an easy feat in the quest to find the magic fill level ...... been there .... gosh it's hard! A lot of people think that you should drop drastic amounts of weight like gastric bypass patients, but that isn't true. Lap-banders loose their weight at a slower pace which is healthier because you don't have the nutrient loss gastric bypass patients experience. I was very puzzled about my band up until last week. I had a 2.8cc fill in TJ 8 weeks after surgery. I had restriction at first and then "poof" it was gone and I was eating just like I was pre-band. At the time of my second fill, which I elected to have here in the USA, the doc could only draw back 0.5cc from the band. I was seriously freaked out and couldn't get answers to satisfy my nurse's mind. I made the assumption that ... OMG... MY BAND IS LEAKING! I received my 3rd fill this last week... and HELLO... restriction!!! When I posed the question on another forum as to what was up with all this fill business, two very kind bariatric surgeons offered the explaination that my first fills had gone into priming the band. As it turns out, my tummy was still pretty sensitive 8 weeks post-op and just the action of placing the first fill irritated the banded area and caused swelling, which is a normal side effect. What I thought was initial restriction was actually swelling and when it resolved ... I could eat like a horse! Fill #2 also went into priming my band.... by the way I have the larger band. To kinda understand what was happening... just imagine connecting a water hose to the hydrant and turning the water on ... how much water does it take to fill the hose before it starts coming out the open end? The bariatric docs that responded to my post said it sometimes takes 3cc or so to prime the VG band. So far with fill #3 I have restriction ... and I hope it lasts... I've already joined the PB Club... OUCH! I would encourage you to call your doctor and express your concerns. Was your fill done under fluroscopy where the doctor could visualize your port on film as he accessed it? I have heard of cases where the tubing became disconnected from the band or the port, but it is rare since Inamed improved the design of the band. Once again, this was just my experience. Please refer your concerns to your doctor and keep us posted on how you are doing. Chelley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoriBecky Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 Hi Maria, It is possible to puncture the port or tubing during a fill especially if the doctor doesn't do it under fluoroscopy, it doesn't mean that's what has happened to you, but it can happen. I think your weight loss is great - we want slow and steady. Its a much healthier way to lose, and you are learning new, great habits as you go along. I go for my first fill on Wednesday, I'm so excited, but I'm also going with the knowledge that I do swell very easily, so I may feel a great restriction right after my fill, but that might reduce some after my stomach has settled down. What I'm saying is, I'm anticipating having to go a few times to hit my 'sweet spot' for fills. Just remember, this isn't a race to the finish line, but the nice part is... once we cross that line, the band makes it much easier to maintain the weightloss. As all of us know, losing the weight wasn't the problem in our past... it was keeping it off Let me know if you have any questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maria Posted July 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 Thank you to everyone for your responses. I think the whole swelling idea is probably right. I am just a little paranoid, as it was hard to imagine me having more fluid in the band, and less restriction than before the fill. No pbs, yet I had them before the fill. Hmmmm.... I did not have this fill with Flouro. The first fill was with, and the doc said everything looked great. This fill was real tough, as they said I had a lot of scar tissue around the port, and they used two needles to finally get it in. Took them 10 minutes to succeed. Thank you again! I am so grateful for this site! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoriBecky Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 Hi Maria, A little trick that someone shared with me - and since I'm newly banded, I can't recommend if it works or not, but I will share it. I've heard that if you drink cold liquids shortly before eating it will restrict you more and if you feel too restricted - like in the morning - drink a warm/hot beverage and it will relax it a bit. Again... this could be an urband legend... but it won't hurt - so give it a try Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maria Posted August 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Hi Maria, A little trick that someone shared with me - and since I'm newly banded, I can't recommend if it works or not, but I will share it. I've heard that if you drink cold liquids shortly before eating it will restrict you more and if you feel too restricted - like in the morning - drink a warm/hot beverage and it will relax it a bit. Again... this could be an urband legend... but it won't hurt - so give it a try Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelley Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Thank you to everyone for your responses. I think the whole swelling idea is probably right. I am just a little paranoid, as it was hard to imagine me having more fluid in the band, and less restriction than before the fill. No pbs, yet I had them before the fill. Hmmmm.... I did not have this fill with Flouro. The first fill was with, and the doc said everything looked great. This fill was real tough, as they said I had a lot of scar tissue around the port, and they used two needles to finally get it in. Took them 10 minutes to succeed. Thank you again! I am so grateful for this site! Maria - It is perfectly normal to be worried. I'm a nurse and I was freaked out when my fills felt like they were comming from the twilight zone. We want so desperately for this to work for us and for the first time in a long time we have hope... but this little nagging voice won't shut up that says "what if this doesn't work either" ... right??? Hang in there! I'd recommend you get your fills under fluro since the last doc had trouble accessing your port. In the 3 months since I had surgery, my belly fat distribution has changed with inches lost and my port has tilted somewhat and even with fluro, the doctor had a little of a challenge getting the needle in my port. Keep us posted! Chelley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennaR Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Cold before meals: yes it does work but is temporary and does add the liquid to the solid foods. Plus, if you do it too fast you could completely ruin any chance of eating because you are PB'ing on the cold liquid. Hot in the morning to make you relax: Yes, this works too. But be careful, sometimes the restriction is a GOOD thing and you don't really WANT it to relax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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