Hi All,

I had my fourth fill today and am at 7.2ccs ---- I have an 11cc band. What happens if I get to 11ccs and still dont feel the restriction I need? Would this ever realistically happen or am I being completely paranoid? I am not even 4 months out of surgery and my band is over half full so I am just a little concerned because I thought I would need to get fills for years to come and at this rate, there won't be any room left....lol. Or is it that after a certain point, you only get a little bit here and there and that does the job? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!!

Jay,

Let me start by saying that everyone is different - but I'll tell you my experience...

I'm currently at 9 in my 11cc band and if I'm not at my sweet spot, I'm getting pretty darned close. I can thankfully still eat most things, but I have a tremendous amount of restriction and cannot eat more than about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of solid food. I know what you're feeling because it took me several fills before I could really feel a difference. After each fill I'd be disappointed because I could still eat so much at one time and felt hungry more often than I thought I should have been. But my last couple of fills each took me a week or two to get used to the new restriction because I could really feel a difference.

And just so you can compare... there are two other women in my office that had the surgery last year that both also have 11cc bands and one is at her sweet spot with a 4.5cc and the other at 7.5. So you can't really base it on the numbers.

Good luck - and I'm confident you'll get the restriction that you want.

Everyone is different, but it really is unrealistic that your band will ever be full to capacity.

Thank you both!

I was the same way, wondering when I was gonna be able to tell and feel the restriction. Much to my surprise, my tube was undone from my port the whole time. I had it fixed and it came undone again. grrr. So, if you dont feel it soon, you may want to have x rays done to check ur band and tube

It may not make sense when you think about it, but even 1/4 cc -- which is about half a teaspoon -- can make a HUGE difference in restriction. I know someone (a nurse) who adjusts her fills in 1/5 cc increments.

Point being, even if you get ALMOST full, whatever capacity is left is HUGE in terms of the difference it can make. I know it's natural to think "I'm at 9 out of 10 ccs and don't feel anything yet" and worry, but that 1 cc that's left will make more impact than the 9 already in there.

I'm not sure if it's still the case nowadays, but a handful of years ago surgeons would sometimes overinflate the band if need be. I don't think it's condoned, but I believe they're built for it.

BTW, I've had 1/4cc make the difference between not eben being able to swallow my own saliva, and being able to eat whatever I want.

It may not make sense when you think about it, but even 1/4 cc -- which is about half a teaspoon -- can make a HUGE difference in restriction. I know someone (a nurse) who adjusts her fills in 1/5 cc increments.

Point being, even if you get ALMOST full, whatever capacity is left is HUGE in terms of the difference it can make. I know it's natural to think "I'm at 9 out of 10 ccs and don't feel anything yet" and worry, but that 1 cc that's left will make more impact than the 9 already in there.

I'm not sure if it's still the case nowadays, but a handful of years ago surgeons would sometimes overinflate the band if need be. I don't think it's condoned, but I believe they're built for it.

BTW, I've had 1/4cc make the difference between not eben being able to swallow my own saliva, and being able to eat whatever I want.

actually, 1 teaspoon = 5cc's. 1/4 cc is about 5 drops.

I stand corrected -- 1/4 cc is about .05 tsp. I misread the placement of the "." Not sure how I missed that, but good eye for detail & thanks for catching it.

Thanks everyone - all of the info is much appreciated