I received an email from my band buddy today who has a friend that moved from the surgeon we currently see in Milwaukee, WI who does fills without fluro, out to Arizona where they use fluoro.

Here is part of her quoted email:

"During my first visit I told my new doctor I had two fills already and said I still don't feel full. He said by doing the fill under fluro you can see everything and make the correct adjustment in one session. He said they close the opening and then back off to allow for the correct opening size."

My band buddy took this to mean that getting fills under fluoro assures the "correct" fill right off the bat.

She is going to call and inquire about fluoro for our next fill in January, however, I wonder what your experiences are as my doctor said he doesn't feel it necessary to use fluoro unless there are problems and/or a difficult port.

That's interesting, because that's exactly what my doctor did using fluoro for my fill. It did occur to me at the time that a doctor couldn't take the close-off-completely approach really safely without that real-time visibility. I know that I couldn't feel the difference between the restriction the doctor felt was OK and that tiny bit more he thought would be dangerous.

From my POV it just makes good safe sense, and I'm glad my doctor uses it.

Jennye:

The question is: how do you feel after your fill? Do you feel fuller than before? Do you think it was successful? Can I ask how much he charges you since you had surgery with him? (You don't have to answer if you don't want to, I just wonder if they charge more for "Mexican" patients.)

What is the size of your band and how much did he put in?

My appointment is Monday. Can you think of any questions I should ask? Its just a pre-surgery consultation. I don't know why they insist on seeing you before - especially since they aren't the ones doing the surgery. Maybe its the extra $300.

I feel more restriction after my first fill of 2cc's. I'm not sure how much the charge is yet, insurance is paying. I'm assuming there is a great difference in fluro charge vs. non-fluro...not sure...

Flouro. Otherwise, they're guessing.

(There is no guarantee that the patient gets the "correct" amount, but you will see for yourself that liquids are going through and you'll also see the size of your upper stomach. Also, without flouro or at least an x-ray, they cannot see if the integrity of the esophagus is compromised, and that's important to know.)

Sue

I have had all my fills under fluoro, so cannot imagine how a fill could safely and confidently be performed without. I do realize that is seems as though most people have their fills without, but again, I don't think I'd ever want to try it. Particularly as people are creeping up to their "perfect" restriction, where .1 cc can make or break you.

Even under fluoro nothing can be guaranteed, as Sue says, but you can see whether the barium is flowing or not (and how quickly) before the doc removes the fill needle. And it's always a nice reassurance to see that the band is still perfectly placed.

if it is your chioce take fluoro!!!

i have only had blind fills- like 8!!! and i have 3.6 cc's with fluoro i wouldnt have waisted so much time! plus you get to have them look at you band and make sure everythings in place!

I would say flouro, They can also see if everything is ok in your tummy.

And they can fill just with much more precision. My doctor even asked me if I wanted a tight fill or not, and its all made possible with flouro.

Hi, I had my one and only fill without fluro on Sept.19th he put in 1.25cc. I have had good restriction since then I go see him again on the 22nd and may ask for a tiny fill. My port is very palpable and he got into it with first try. He makes you stay in office awhile and drink water to make sure it goes down.

I've done a lot of research, but I don't fully understand yet what happens to the saline that is put in there. If you get a perfect fill, I'm sure it doesn't stay that way forever - right?

What happens then? Does your pouch stretch? Does the saline dissipate? Thats the part I don't get.

What happens after the perfect fill is that a very small amount of saline is lost through osmosis. At the same time, you are losing weight, inside and out. If you lose fat from the internal organs (that's the fat that will kill us first, so we hope to lose that), you will lose a little bit of fat around the stomach.

SOOOOO: a little fat gone + a teeny bit of saline gone = loose band.

Ok, now I get it. So even if you get a perfect fill once at 2cc (for instance), next times its probably going to be different, right?

Thanks, Sue.