I was wondering if anyone has achieved a maximum fill? I have been reading about people who go for fill #3, #4, etc., but have not heard from anyone who is maximally filled .

Also, for those who have "found" their ideal fill amount :clap2: , how long did you remain in that "zone" before the optimal restriction level began to wear off? Thank you in advance for your input. :biggrin1:

I have been at this fill for awhile - could use .2 more probably.

A very good friend of mine has the 10cm band that will hold 4 cc's. Her last fill was up to 3.8cc and we were very worried that she may never have restriction. She FINALLY has it. That sure was getting close to the max for me.

There are a number of people who are at the "max", but the band can actually hold more than it advertises. The 4cc band can go up to 5ccs, and the 10cm band can go to 13, but it's only supposed to go over, if inamed is envolved (basically the doctor is supposed to inform them that they are going over so that it can be monitored).

Thank you for all the valuable information. I go for my first fill tomorrow and have not felt any restriction since post-op day 5. I am worried that, because I haven't had any restriction, I will require several fills before I do feel it. I am keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow's fill is a success.

:clap2: Elisabeth--

I too am like you I think. Please let me know how you feel after your first fill. I am nervous about it but my first one is not until June 21st. I am looking forward to feeling the restriction!!

Hi Sassy,

I'll definitely let you know how it went. I am counting down the hours... 12 noon tomorrow and my port loses its virginity. LOL. It's been a long wait (8 full weeks).

Good luck, Elizabeth! Usually they start out with 1cc, so as not to over-do it. Hopefully, you won't swell too much, but it'll give you the gentle nudge that's needed to stop you when it should. Everyone is different. I think I had 3 fills my first year.

Elizabeth, everyone is different, but sometimes less than a CC can take you from "I feel like it's not even there" to "holy crap I can only eat 2 bites!"

It took me 7 fills or so to get good restriction and start losing weight, that was about 7.5mls. This is lasted a good 6 months before it started dwindling to practically no restriction again. I waited a bit and had my Tummy tuck etc done and after that it just got worse so I went for a fill a couple of weeks ago. I have the VG10ml band and I have 10.1mls in. My Dr isnt worried and said it can hold alot more safely.

I have what I consider "perfect" restriciton. I have no idea how long it will last but so far so good. I got some restrcition with my first fill. On my second I got to much fill and my own saliva wouldn't go down so I had soem taken out and now I consider it perfect. I have 7.5 cc in.

Elizabeth,

I am filled to 4.1 in my 4 cc band. It will be 3 yrs. banded this Sept. I am not tight at all. I can still eat anything. I can't eat as much as before I was banded but I can eat more then the average bander. If you have the VG band your fill will probably be around 3 - 3.5.

I got my first fill and am still here to tell about it. LOL. I think I was more nervous about the fill than I was the surgery but it was nothing. The surgeon numbed the area with a local anesthetic and then put the needle in with a 3 way stop-cock attached. He pulled back as hard as he could to get as much air out and then put in 1 cc of saline (I have a 4 cc band). He then aspirated back the saline into the syringe and several bubbles of air came back. He got rid of the air from the syringe and then instilled the saline and took the needle out. I felt no pain at all. Afterwards, I had to drink 5 oz of water and then I was done.

The surgeon put me back on full fluids for 2 days followed by 2 days of a soft diet. I go back to a regular diet on day 5 so I really don't know if I have any restriction or not and I'm not "testing the waters" by advancing the diet sooner than recommended. The stories of PB's, etc. that I read about from others have me scared to death.

I weighed the same today (exactly 8 weeks post-op) as I did when I went for my 2 week post-op appointment and that was disappointing but at least it was not a gain. I have to go back to the surgeon on 7/6 and hope to feel restriction with this first fill and kick the weight loss into gear.

Thanks so much to all of you for sharing your experiences with me. It made losing my band virginity painless.