Hello everyone. I was banded about 4 weeks ago and im a bit disappointed that i do not feel very restricted.. at ALL. Can someone tell me what to expect with the first fill? I went to a support meeting and i was very sad to hear the others complaining that even after 2 or 3 fills that they still don't feel very restricted. What is considered normal.

Jeanette,

That isn't a complication. Go back and read all the "stickies" about what to expect. Has your surgeon not provided information for you?

http://lapbandtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17

I think expecting restriction without a fill is a bit unrealistic and probably not going to happen. I have seen a few posts here and there from people who have never had a fill and have lost but........ by and large you need a fill for the band to work.

Peace!

I would echo this post. You aren't supposed to be restricted now. Your surgeon should have told you this a million times by now!

Dr. C

Cincinnati, Ohio

877.442.BAND

DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

I had a fill 8 weeks post-op and got no restriction. I'm going for the second fill on Wednesday (3 months post-op) and am hoping to feel restriction with that one. While some people do feel restriction with no fills or one fill, most require a few. Hang in there... better days are coming.

WOW. Amazing that people dont really read these threads correctly. I never said that i was expecting restriction with out a fill. I expressed concern that others state that they feel NO restriction after 2 or three fills and wanted to know what to expect. YES, my doctor did tell me a million times what to expect after surgery. Thanks DR C For re-iterating this to me but wanted to know if other Patients found problems with restriction AFTER FILLS. Please dont berate me unless youve read the whole post.

Jeanette,

Quote from your original post:

Hello everyone. I was banded about 4 weeks ago and im a bit disappointed that i do not feel very restricted.. at ALL.

That is why people are saying that you should not be restricted yet.

From what I have read, some people get restriction without a fill. lucky people. others have to make multiple trips to get it right. I am having the band tomorrow. My doctor promises me that I will lose loads of weight without a fill. He says the band alone, if I eat the rights things in the right order will give me restriction. Who knows. I think that you are normal.

JeannetteW...

I didn't see anyone berating you... myself included. You stated that you are 4 weeks out and feel no restriction. I was responding to your post.

In answer to your question about fills... I have had 2 fills and I'm 7 weeks out from being banded. My first fill I was very nervous and had no idea what to expect... just what I have read here. It went fine and he placed 1cc in my band that I believe holds 4cc's. I went for my second fill yesterday as I was no longer feeling any restriction and was suprised to learn there was only .5cc's in my band. My doc says this happens sometimes where a fill "disappears" and not to stress about it. He put a total of 1.5cc's in and I feel decent restriction now. It's not what I'd like it to be at this point but I have learned here that it can take awhile for a fill to "kick in" so I'm going to wait a week or so and see what happens. I am lucky in that my doc is 15 minutes from me and I can go see him whenever I need to. I appreciate his filling me conservativily. My biggest fear is being too full and having some of the problems that others here have had.

I'm sorry if you felt jumped on... I don't think that was anyone's intention. I hope this answers some of your questions. If not... ask!

Peace!

The answer is that yes, many patients don't have restriction until they've had several fills, sometimes as many as five in my experience. Sorry if it seemed like I was berating you!

Dr. C

Cincinnati, Ohio

877.442.BAND

DISCLAIMER: I am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

WOW. Amazing that people dont really read these threads correctly. I never said that i was expecting restriction with out a fill. I expressed concern that others state that they feel NO restriction after 2 or three fills and wanted to know what to expect. YES, my doctor did tell me a million times what to expect after surgery. Thanks DR C For re-iterating this to me but wanted to know if other Patients found problems with restriction AFTER FILLS. Please dont berate me unless youve read the whole post.

Mine was just the opposite. I received my first fill (2.5cc) and was sooooo restricted that 3 months later I had to have it all removed (because of acid reflux) for 7 weeks and then they put in 1.8cc which is great. Nothing, and I do mean nothing is more miserable than a too tight fill and ending up with acid reflux. Not only was I pbing alot, I could not sleep at night due to the reflux and with little sleep I am not a happy person...

Mine was just the opposite. I received my first fill (2.5cc) and was sooooo restricted that 3 months later I had to have it all removed (because of acid reflux) for 7 weeks and then they put in 1.8cc which is great. Nothing, and I do mean nothing is more miserable than a too tight fill and ending up with acid reflux. Not only was I pbing alot, I could not sleep at night due to the reflux and with little sleep I am not a happy person...

Hi Jeannette,

I had no restriction until my second fill. It really depends on the surgeon and whether he /she like to slowly creep up to a good fill level. It also depends whether the fills are done blindly or whether or not fluoroscopy is used. Fills are not rocket science unfortunately and different people respond very differently at the same fill level. I have 2.5 CC in my band now and someone else might not have any restriction at all at this level or could have the opposite problem where they cant swallow their own saliva. Sometime fills kick in right away and sometimes it can take a few weeks to feel a major difference. There are lots of theories about where saline goes and how it gets there. Such theories include Fluid distribution and having some still sitting in tubing to osmosis (although not likely because the band is closed system)

A lot depends on how conservative your doc is or how assertive they are. I whined a lot and luckily got to a level of restriction that I could live with within 6 weeks of surgery. But in the beginning I had 0 restriction the first 6 weeks and I was frustrated. Be your own advocate and when its time for a fill, make sure you get a good one, although please know that there is NO exact right way to get you there. Every doc is different and every patient is different.

Babs in TX

334/180 ish

-150 ish

Hi Jeanette, I am glad you asked this question...I was asking the same thing on another thread :-} I've only been banded about 3 weeks and I have no restriction on intake. My doctor said I had no restriction but when I first got home I was not hungry at all. The hunger isn't the issue, its the consumption. My hunger is still down but I don't know when to stop eating and I don't know if I am eating too much. Glad you posted this. Its been very helpful to know I am not alone. Thank you!