Fill Dr Thinks my Band was too large/

[Renay]

I went to have a 4th fill last week and I have only lost 17 pounds since my first fill in July. My fill doctor made a comment that it is possible that the band that was put on my stomach may have been to large. Has anyone ever heard of this happening?

[snowbird]

What size band do you have? How much fill do you have in it?

I know of someone whose band was too small--he has never had a fill and is always too tight. However, any size band should be able to be tightened to give you restriction. My husband didn't really get any restriction until his fifth fill.

[Dolittle]

I went to have a 4th fill last week and I have only lost 17 pounds since my first fill in July. My fill doctor made a comment that it is possible that the band that was put on my stomach may have been to large. Has anyone ever heard of this happening?

I don't know which band you have,, but I do know that the difference between the 4cc band and the 10cc band is only the outside diameter. When both are filled with saline they both close down to almost the same inside diameter, it's just one band is going to require more saline to get to the tightest inside diameter. For an example,, and this isn't the real spec's from Inamed,, this is just an example,, say the 4cc band has an outside diameter of 1 1/2 inches in diameter and the 10cc band has an outside diameter of 2 inches, when both are filled to capacity the inside diameter would be only 1/2 inch in diameter with either band. The reality is that the larger band is looser at the beginning and is going need more saline to give you restriction. But either band should do the job its supposed to do,,, and that is to give you restriction. In Mexico the reason there's a choice between the 10cc and the 4cc band has to do with how much internal fat you have around your stomach. The more fat you have,, the surgeon will place the larger band. In the USA,, they use a even larger band,, its somewhere around 15cc's to 17cc's. My opinion on this is so American doctors and hospitals can drip fill your band at a slower rate, requiring you to have more office visits,, thus,, more insurance money. But,, that's my opinion. They're all designed to do the same job,, and that is with a proper fill of saline,, your going to have restriction. I hope this explains the difference.

[Renay]

I have a VG band. my first fill was 5 cc, second was 2.2, third was .8 , fourth was 1 for a total of 9 cc. From what I have been reading in this fourm it mean that I will just require the large fills like I am getting. I guess I will not freak out about it yet. I will wait until the band is full and then see if it is a problem.

[mona-camille]

For what it's worth, I have the larger VG band and am up to 10CC's in there and still have only slight restriction. I was banded last March and only lost 38 pounds since then. Not sure what that is all about, but I am on my way back to the OCC on February 28th for a check to see whats up. I too wondered if there was such a thing as the band being too big but was assured it was not. However, I do find it funny that after all this time and all these fills, I still only have a slight restriction. I am definitely eating less and healthier that is for sure, but not the tiny amounts the people on here write about. So, hopefully, I will have an answer in 3 weeks.

[tnm75]

Wow... Mona, I will be curious to hear your February update. I hope your slight-restriction issue is resolved! I would have thought the exact thing Dolittle was explaining, as that makes logical sense, but to those of you not having the restriction after numerous fills... how frustrating.

Kristy

[PAMMIE]

For what it's worth, I have the larger VG band and am up to 10CC's in there and still have only slight restriction. I was banded last March and only lost 38 pounds since then. Not sure what that is all about, but I am on my way back to the OCC on February 28th for a check to see whats up. I too wondered if there was such a thing as the band being too big but was assured it was not. However, I do find it funny that after all this time and all these fills, I still only have a slight restriction. I am definitely eating less and healthier that is for sure, but not the tiny amounts the people on here write about. So, hopefully, I will have an answer in 3 weeks.

INTERESTING, LET US KNOW WHAT THEY TELL YA MONA

[Renay]

Mona

Just went back to the doctor on friday. My band is now full and when I left the office I did not fill restriction like I normally do. The dr stated she could not put any more saline in the band because it would put the band at risk. I am now discouraged, I have thousands of dollars invested in this and now without restriction capability I will start gaining weight. I am planning to call the doctor that performed the lap band. i do not want to say who done it because he is a wonderful doctor and I do not want to discourage anyone from using him. I just think I the exception to the rule for the Lap Band working. i will post again after I talk to the doctor.

[Kimmy in MD]

I think you should say the doctor that put in your band. This is a board for patients of Dr. Ortiz of the OCC in Tijuana. Obviously your doctor is not that great or he would have picked the correct size band for you and he didn't. Others should be warned so they can pick a competent doctor like Dr. Ortiz.

I am sure he is a wonderful PERSON but probably not so wonderful at this.

[ValleyGirl]

I have a friend here who went to dr. Joya in Puerto Vallarta and got the Johnson and Johnson Realize band and she has very little restriction yet they won't giver her any more fill either. They said she's not aloud any more fills!!! SHe's obviously upset. Have you heard of this happening before? She's checked the band under fluoro and it looks fine.

Sabrina:)

[Smiley]

It is my understanding that there is a fat pad around your stomach. The size of the pad determines the size of band you will receive as the smaller band simply will not fit around everyone's fat pad (such as mine). We all know that restriction is rather illusive at the beginning of this venture. As we lose weight there is the potential that the fat pad around the stomach will shrink which in effect makes the band looser and will continue to make restriction hard to attain.

Has your fill doctor ever pulled out all of the saline just to check how much is actually in there? Some people have experienced saline "disappearing" from their band. I would also check with my fill doctor about the stuff that is thicker than saline that can be put in the band. Maybe that substance could replace the saline that is currently in there and help you find the restriction you are wanting. Even without restriction, do not resign yourself to the idea that you will now put on weight. Remember, whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you are right. Think positive and make sure you are doing everything correctly even though you do not have restriction.

[Smiley]

My opinion on this is so American doctors and hospitals can drip fill your band at a slower rate, requiring you to have more office visits,, thus,, more insurance money.

Yes, this is simply an opinion and in my estimation a rather unfair one. It would be similar to saying that the doctors in Mexico do not have clean facilities simply because of the stereotype statements we have all heard. Yet I know that everyone of you who had your surgery there would defend their facilities and for good reason - because it is not an accurate statement.

The things I appreciate about being banded in the states are as follows:

1. If I wake up at 2 am in the morning and realize that something is seriously wrong I can call the surgery center and be in there getting it fixed by 2:30 am.

2. I don't have to figure out if I need another fill or not. For the first year after my surgery I had an appointment with my surgeon every month at no additional cost. Usually I got a fill, but a

couple of times I didn't need one. All of their fills are done under flouro because that is the best option.

3. While my fills tended to be smaller, I was fine with that decision because I knew I had a year's worth of free fills/visits and therefore had plenty of time to find my "sweet spot". Besides, by not

being too aggressive with my fills I didn't have to worry so much about being too tight and possibly having my band slip as some individuals on this forum and others have had to deal with.

4. Money wise, everything pretty much comes out even in the end due to not having to pay additional costs for fills, hotels, flights, and any companion costs. I got an additional $3,000 back on my

taxes this year because I was able to claim the surgery, and the peace of mind I have only being 20 minutes from my surgeon and all of his staff made it worth the cost.

I too was originally thinking of having the surgery done in Mexico, but my mother absolutely freaked out because I would be going by myself (yes, she has always been skeptical of my ability to do things on my own as a single woman), so I decided to bite the financial bullet and do it locally. Due to the above reasons I have absolutely no regrets. I guess mother's do know best in regards to their children.