Hi All....I am going out of the country 5 days after I am scheduled for my first fill. I have read that many people need to be unfilled or they can't keep food down after a fill. Should I postpone it? On one hand I was actually looking forward to the first vacation ever that I will lose weight instead of gain, but on the other hand, I don't want to be stuck drinking liquids for 3 weeks. Thoughts and experience would be appreciated! :-)

You are unlikely to have too many problems with your first fill unless your surgeon is aggressive with fills. You should tell your surgeon that you are going on vacation so they can work with you to manage your care appropriately.

have a great trip.

most people never feel any restriction at all after 1 or 2nd fill - odds are you won't even notice.

Hey, I went to Hawaii 1 day after my first fill, and it wasn't bad at all. My surgeon advised me to drink liquids for 24 hours and then slowly work solid foods back in. Most physician will have you sit in the office and drink a cup of Water before they let you leave to make sure you are not too tight. If by chance they fill you too much (which is insanely rare on the first fill), you will definitely know within the first couple of days.

From what I have read on these forums and from other bandees I've talked to, most people feel hardly any restriction after the first fill, most of the time it takes two or three before they really start feeling anything.

I will share a horror story though. The next day on the plane I ate some of the trail mix the flight attendents offered and got a sliming episode in the middle of the plane. To make matters worse, the aisle was full of people waiting to use the bathroom, so I couldn't rush to the toilet. I had to sit in the seat, pull out my little packet of kleenex I always keep with me, and fill two barf bags full of slime. Nightmare!

So just make sure you eat carefully for a couple of days after your fill, tell your doctor about your vacation and see what he/she says, and don't take the trail mix! lol!

I think you'll be fine.

Get the fill-you will be fine as long as your doctor isn't agressive with the fills. Tell him about going out of the country. After my first fill I could eat just the same as I always could-no real difference until my 3-4th fills. He told me liquids for 1 day and then back to regular eating. You will need to be in control of your eating on your vacation because it is highly unlikely the fill will make a dramatic difference. Enjoy your trip!!!

Thanks for all of the advice. I am just concerned since I am only 2 weeks post op right now (fill is not for another 4 weeks), but I sometimes feel a tightness in my chest after drinking something. The dr says I have no fill. Some people are saying that is from the swelling.

It is from the swelling-you might also have a little reflux. I use to get that feeling in my chest, but it did go away.