I don't know if this is normal , but it's starting to really piss me off . I was banded August 27 of this summer I weight 255 . Iv only lost 15 pounds to date . My first fill was October 15 he only put 2 cc in 10 cc band. I didn't feel anything he says come back in month so november 18 he tells me okay I'm putting in another 1 and half cc making it 3 and half . He said his reason is for me to do the work and I change myself not with the band . I'm like okay whatever , still I don't feel restriction .so my next appt was December 19 I called him early and was like listen I'm almost 4 months post opp and Iv only lost 15 pounds your not filling me to where I feel anything . He tells me to come in last wednesday instead of waiting till the 19 . He tells me okay im putting in another 1.5 cc . Im thinking yess thankyou almost half way filled , maybe ill start to feel retrain . He says no you have only maybe 4 cc i was like what you talking you told me 2 first fill then 1 and half second and now another 1 and half . He tells me somtimes air get stuck blah blah. I'm started to get discourage and mad I'm considering changing doctors , also when he does fill he takes it all out then puts it all back in at once . Does anyone else doctor do this ? Help please

In my experience, my doctor does things the same way. Go in every month for a slight adjustment and see how it goes. And yes, they draw all the fluid out of the band and then right back in with the new fluid. My understanding for this is so they can make your band isn't leaking. It is a process and I agree it can be frustrating but I know my doctor truely cares and wants to see me succeed, for me the monthly visits get to be a bit much, but on the other hand it helps me to be accountable for whats going on!

Good luck!

Many doctors move slow with fills. I get feels using floro to make sure they don't over fill me. I think the largest fill I ever got was 1.5 cc. Your body can only take a little at a time. The more weight you lose each month the large fill you can stand.

The way it was explained to me is due to our weight- there is a layer of fat surrounding organs including the stomach. As we loose weight the band will become looser and just like a belt needs to be tightened. Eventually, we will get to a point where we have gotten rid of the fat around the organs in that area and we will be at a green zone. This made sense to me.

Your doctor is doing it right. I lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks and then nothing the next 3.5 months. Then, my 3rd fill I started to feel some restriction. By my 6th fill I was in the green zone.

Doctors like to sneak up on restriction and rightly so. There's no gauge on your band to tell them when you have the right amount of saline injected. It's not like a gas tank gauge where you know you're full or have enough. Some bandsters are at full restriction with just a couple of CCs of Fluid where others take 10-14 CCs to get there. Over-filling can cause too much edema around the stoma/band area or seal off the portal completely.

I look back and I too was a little pissed off that it was taking so long. No one told me(or I chose not to hear) that the band took all this tweaking to work properly. But it does and will continue to need tweaking.

Again, looking back, time gave me the skills to learn how to be one with my band. Time helped me to learn how to eat the right way. I see so many people posting here that they can't eat normal foods and end up drinking their meals or relying on slider foods. I can't help believing they never learned how to eat slow, eat small and chew big. Be patient, it will come. Take this time to work on those eating skills we all need so much.

tmf

I was banded in Aug also with a 10 cc band and had 4 cc in it the day of surgery and after 3 fill now have 6.5 cc in it and it fills good. My doctor said every 2 wks I could have a fill. The fills make the band work. The band sits around the top of the stomach where the nevers to the brain are. It is suppose to be tight enough to tell thesenever on the first bit that u are full. the signal to you is not the restriction but how long after eating one cup do u feel hungry again. If it is 4-5 hours later then the band is in the green zone if no u need more. keep bugging the doctor or go to another.

Sounds just like my Dr. He would rather fill slowly rather than overfill and have to unfill. Until you get to the green zone however its really will power. I know how hard it is but I suggest to track your calories and weigh and measure your portions so the weight comes off until you get there.

I had my first fill today. It was .5cc. When my dr. checked the volume of saline in my band before he added the fill he found out I had 2.75cc .

So now I have 3.25 cc in a 10cc band. My surgeon had told me he had put 3-4 cc in my band during surgery.

It has been 7 weeks since surgery so I am not sure if some evaporated or if he didnt put as much in as he told me.

I will go back in a couple of weeks if I start getting hungry around the 2.5 hour mark.

At that time he will again put .5cc in.

Slow and steady wins the race