Got my band in Mexico (ins wouldn't cover). Going to Fill Centers USA for my first fill.... Heres the issue. I'm always hearing, for at least the first fill, it should be done using flouro... wellll.... I live in MI, can't find a doc that will even work with me (basically I get thrown under the rug because I'm a self pay) and Fill Centers USA's closes flouro is in NJ, and thats probably 13 hours away, not to mention another $300. According to the lady I spoke with, my BMI is now under 39, I can feel my port, I have xrays from when I got the band, and she says that it shouldn't be a problem filling me.

Has anyone not used flouro and not had a problem? Am I just worrying for nothing? Any encouragement would be appreciated. Thanks!

I have had about 6 fills and have never had fluro done with them.. everytime they have found it.. they say my port is in a good place...

I have had about 6 fills and have never had fluro done with them.. everytime they have found it.. they say my port is in a good place...

Did you have your fills done by the doctor that put your band in?

3 fills with out xray and yes my surgeon is doing the fills. You shouldn't have any problems........

I've never had fluoro and so far haven't had any problems. The fill person has always got my port on the first attempt except for once as well.

The PA at my surgeon's office does my fills and hasn't used fluoro. She has easily found and filled me without pain both times. It seems to depend on the position of your port and the expertise of the person doing the fill.

I also had surgery in mexico. I just had my first fill and it wasn't done under fluoro....I also was a little scared at first but once it was done, I realized I was worried for no reason.

I got my fill on Tuesday... When she first put the needle in, it wasn't that bad, but unfortunately I didn't feel anything after she put in 2 cc's. It then took her about 30 minutes of feeling around to locate the port again. It hurt a little bit, but it wasn't to terrible. The craziest thing was hearing the needle clicking on the side of the port. Finally she got it, and put in another 1.4 cc's. I felt a little restriction, but not a whole lot. Now I just have bruising in a circle around where she inserted the needle.

I haven't had any of my fills done with flouro.

They dont use fluoro or xray routinely in Australia.

Do you know what? I think using it has a very big downside. The reason being, the band is rather fickle. You just dont know how your body will react to each fill, whether you will swell, whether it will take days to feel the effect or whether the renewed restriction will wear off after only a week or two.

Filling your band to cut off point, which you can see on a screen, and then backing off just so things go through, that's fine in theory. However, many many people cant handle that aggressive a fill and will swell up in reaction. Meaning they're unable to swallow even their saliva within a few hours, even though the machine showed it was the *right* fill.

I think approaching it very slowly, with small fills may be more expensive and inconvenient if you dont live a few suburbs away from your doctor, but its way better for the health and longevity of your band in the long run.

Not to say fluoro isnt useful - when you cant find the port, when you cant get good restriction etc. Just that its not the be all and end all. I've never been stuck more than once for a fill, never been overfilled and never had fluoro.