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.

Fordmotor,

Nineteen pounds is pretty darn excellent in just 6 weeks! I think you should be proud of yourself! Three lbs per week is something to celebrate! The fill should make it that much easier. Let me know how it goes. I am getting my first fill 5/8/06. It is a worthy process and I have no doubt that combining the band with exercise and diet will be the best course of action. I will let you know what my experience with the adjustment is.

Mary Luke

I had my first fill May 8 in Monterrey,MX. I went back to the doctor who had done the surgery-Dr. Sanchez -because I wanted to see what the first one should feel like and have that to compare to future fills in the U.S. It went very fast and was painless, except for the first little sting of the needle accessing the port. But, the port was found on the first stick. I was flat on a table so the machine could see everything easily. The table was raised a few degrees so then I was on a bit of an angle. After drinking a few swallows of barium-not pleasant but not horrible either- the needle filled the band. It was so quick that I did not even know it had happened except that I could see it on the machine. Then another swallow of baruim to see how the liquid passed through. The doctor thought all looked fine and I was done!

I can feel the restriction when I eat because I have to eat more slowly and chew everything almost to a liquid. If I do that, then there is no pain. If I eat too fast or do not chew well enough, the food gets stuck and it hurts. So, I am slowly learning to change my eating behaviors which is what I have needed to do all along!