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First Fill: When Do You Know?



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Hello Bandlarians!

I'm 6 weeks post op and wondering if I should schedule my first fill. I can pretty much eat any kind of food, about 1 1/2c in volume and my weight loss has slowed to an almost stop.

Thanks for suggestions and advice.

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Hi there!

Did your dr. give you any guidlines on getting a fill?

Mine made me do 5 weeks of liquids, then 2 weeks of pureed food and then a week of solids.

They even checked the calendar so I couldn't schedule before!

You might call and just find out. All dr's are different!

Best of luck to you!

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leener, my surgeon scheduled my first fill at 6 weeks out. You seem to be at a perfect time for your 1st fill. Keep us posted. :confused:

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Hi ALl!

No more chocolate bunnies! I got a huge headache from it too...lol

Doc said 6 weeks after OP, but I know everyone's body follows their own schedule and wanted to hear your thoughts.

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Okay, I'm defo ready for one. I am hungry all the time and able to eat solids without a problem. I'm slowly gaining back the weight I lost because I'm never full.

I think it's time for my first fill.

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Our surgeon scheduled us at 5 weeks post-op for our first fill. He based the amount of that fill on your description of what you can eat/feel if you have some restriction, otherwise he does it by feel. He gave me 1cc (4cc band) on my first fill b/c I had lost a lot of weight and still wasn't eating very much. Then, almost overnight, my food capacity went way up. It was still nowhere near what it was pre-op, but it was more than double what I could eat the day before, so I called and they said, "Yep, fill time!" I just had my second today and am now at 2cc in a 4cc band.

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My surgeon won't allow any fills to be scheduled until 8 weeks after surgery so I'm waiting for my appointment in 5/25. Like you, I feel NO restriction from the unfilled band (since post-op Day 5) but I am determined to lose the weight and am sticking to the diet. It sounds like you're ready for a fill.

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Same here Wheetsin, it seemed to "open up" overnight.

I agree Elizabeth, time for a fill. I'm really upset and the weight coming back on.

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:eek: Hi,

I knew when I needed my first fill because I was literally starving and I needed to eat often as well as my weight stayed the same.

Good luck, and I hope that you are NOT worried about the fill. I was actually scared to death for nothing.

Good Luck

Banded Brenda

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I'm scheduled for my first fill this Thursday. I'm not so worried about the process of getting the fill - don't get me wrong it doesn't sound like a day at the beach but I think I can handle it. What worries me most is the possibility of infecting my port. This part scares the sh+t out of me. This scares me worse than slippage or errosion. If you get a slip you go in and fix it or remove it. If you get errosion you go in and remove it. If you get an infection you try to treat it - haven't seen any reports of success with treatment - then you have the port taken out and have a drain in place for an undetermined amount of time. Then you put a port back in - and lots of times it gets infected too and you go through it again . . . See what I mean? Too damned scary. Yep, I'm freaking myself out about a very minor possibility, but . . . it happens.

I'm still feeling restriction from surgery - when I eat I have to eat very slowly with little bitty bites chewed to nothing or I get that horrible burning golf-ball feeling in my chest. I'm scared about getting a fill and making it even worse but I'm going through with it because I feel hungry too often, I can eat too much food at a sitting, and I've been putting on and taking off the same pound for over a week now! Although I did have my monthly friend this week. Hmmmmmm. Anyone want to chime in here? Should I get the fill or not?

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There is a woman who was in my group for preop counselling who hasn't had a fill yet (her surgery was in Jan 06) she is still losing. Our surgeron will not do a fill if you are losing. I got one because I had stopped and I was starving. It took everything that I had not gain back my weight during the 2 weeks prior to my fill. I guess, I feel that I have come this far and that I can't let "possible reactions" stop me now. Only you know if you can go on without a fill. Everyone's experience is different, everyone's doctors seem to have a different point of view as well. Good Luck on making your decision

Banded Brenda

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This is my first post and I must say, I am very grateful for all the info shared so openly on this site. I had my band placed on 3/27 and although at first I could feel some restriction, that has passed. I can now eat whatever I want and have been feeling frustrated with myself ffor going to the expense of getting banded bbbut still struggling so much with eating healthfully. I am scheduled for my first fill on 5/8 in Monterrey by the radiologist that works with Dr. Sanchez. I started at 233lbs and am currenly at 225 lbs. So, I have lost a little but more due to a 'diet' than restriction of a band. I will keep you up to date on further progress.

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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