What is your current fill in your 4cc band?

[Bawilliams1 1]

The other thing I have read about that I find interesting is the Omnipaque. Some band patients have that put in their band instead of the saline and it is a thicker substance that provides more friction for the food to pass, so therefore a fill of 1.0 saline is not as restrictive as 1.0 of Omnipaque....

Anyone here have Omnipaque in their band?

Hello everyone! I have Omnipague in my 4 cc band. I am particularly frustrated and a little depressed right now. I am on my second band. My first band slipped and I got a new one last summer. The band is in the perfect position on my stomach and my port is in the most awesome spot that I don't have to lay down or anything to get a fill. My port actually protrudes just a tiny bit, so it's really easy to find. The doctor just sticks me and does his thing and I am done. However, it seems that my band must be leaking. I had to wait three months after getting my new band before I started getting fills. My surgeon just wanted to take the extra prcaution since I had a slip with the previous band. I got my first fill in the new band last September. By November my band was missing saline when I went in for a fill. My fill doctor injected my band with Omnipague because it can be seen leaking out on the flouro if there is a leak. We could not find a leak showing up on the flouro. He left the Omnipague in and started adding saline to it at each fill after that. I guess eventually there was more saline than Omnipague and when the two mixed the saline thinned out the Omnipague enough that it leaked out. I have a three hour drive between my house and the fill doctor. Before I even made it home I could tell that it had leaked. I got really hungry and I was burping up a lot of air. So, from my next fill on, I only get Omnipague in my band. The last few times I went for a fill from that point on I wasn't missing any Omnipague when he would draw everything out before doing the fill. Then I had plastic surgery on May 1st. My fill doctor wanted me to get a complete unfill before the surgery just incase of nausea and because of having a tube in my throat during the surgery. When he drew everything out I was supposed to have 4.2 cc's of Omnipague. He only got out 3.6 cc's. He said there could still be some in the tubing, etc and if I had been laying down it might have been easier to get it all out so I didn't worry. Deep down though, I felt like I probably had leaked out .6 cc's. I was unhappy about that, but I decided that if I could just stay at 3.6 cc's or so that would be okay. I didn't have great restriction, but the band was really helping me out by suppressing my appetite. When my band is pretty full, even if my restriction is not that great, my stomach hardly ever growls. If it does it's in the evening time when it's time for dinner anyway. I have had real problems getting good restriction with the second band. I am baffled by that because my first band was also a 4 cc band and I was too tight with a 3 cc fill. Why would this band be so different? The only thing I can figure is that I was fat when I got the first band so I probably had some fat on my stomach when I was banded. I was 134 when I had the first band removed and the new band put on. I probably have little to no fat on my stomach now because I had lost so much and because I carry most of my fat waist down. That's just a theory. Who knows. Back to the original subject - Omnipague. I went back to my fill doctor after my plastic surgery to get filled back up. He said he couldn't put 4.2 cc's in there in one shot. It would be too much at one time. He put in 2.3 cc's and I was fine with that. I could feel the difference before he even took the needle out of me because the Omnipague is thick. I actually had a little bit of throbbing on the way home because it was tight. I figured it would swell a little and then go down and I would just have to be good until my next fill when I get back to 4.2 cc's. I got the 2.3 cc's on May 11th. Yesterday, June 6th, I was having a smoothie for luch and I started having a lot of air just gurgling up my throat. That's not a good sign to me. Now I am worried that some of the Omnipague has leaked out! I can't imagine why my band would have held atleast 3.6 cc's of Omnipague before my unfill, but it wouldn't hold just 2.3 cc's now. I understand that the fuller my band is the more pressure the band and port would be under to hold the Omnipague in, but my band is only about half full now so I wouldn't think it would have a hard time holding the Omnipague in. Maybe I am just paranoid and the band is fine, but I won't know until I go back to the fill doc on June 19th. What really just kills me is that I have been through so much with having to get my band replaced and I have had three plastic surgery procedures trying to get my body fixed up. I am self pay and I have spent so much money and now I am facing the possibility that the darn band isn't going to work for me at all because it won't hold saline or Omnipague! The biggest thing that really eats at me though is that I have been through all of this and I have absolutely no control over the leak! There's nothing I can do about it. It's just my bad luck! The thing is though, every time I get a fill it is with Omnipague and it is under flouro so we can look to see if it is leaking and the doctor can never find any sign of a leak! I guess it doesn't leak out right away. It must wait a while and slowly leak over the next month. I just don't know! I have a feeling that the port is leaking. I don't know why, but that's just my theory. If it is the port, I know lots of people have had their ports replaced for different reasons. The front desk ladies at my fill doctor said I could probably get a port replacement for about $1200-$1500. While I am not anxious to spend any more money, I could handle that if that's all it would take to fix my problem. The only thing is, if the doctor can't ever see a leak, how will we ever know if it's the port or not? I have an appointment with my surgeon the same day that I get my next fill. I will go see what's going on, if it has leaked out or not and get another fill, hopefully back up to 4.2 cc's and then see my surgeon after that. It will be my one year post op check up. I just think it's pretty bad to pay $15,000 for a band that starts leaking within two months of the first fill! I know that the surgeon won't care though. He got his money. I am not even trying to lose any more weight. I just want to maintain. I wouldn't mind losing five more pounds, but it will be okay if I don't. I am just terrified that without the help of the band atleast being tight enough to suppress my appetite I will gain weight in the long run. I just had a lower body lift and I sure don't want to mess that up! I have been at the same weight for a year now. I have yo-yo'd up and own by a few pounds, but with counting my calories and going to the gym every day after work I have kept my weight in control. I was thinking that I would just have to try really hard until I could get good restriction with my second band, but I am starting to worry that I am going to have to do it for the rest of my life! I know that's how "normal" people who don't have bands do it, but there's a reason that I had to be banded to control my weight! Although I am thin now, I feel like I am still a fat girl in my head. I have changed a lot of my habits and I do lead a much healthier lifestyle now, but I am terrified at the idea of my band just being in there, empty because it leaks and having to be scared evry day of stepping on that scale and gaing a pound. If I get on the scale and I am up it just ruinsmy entire day. I will worry myself to death over it because I am terrified of being fat again! Sorry for such a book of a reply! Anyone else out there with similar problems? I am just trying to have faith in myslef and all I can do is take things one day at a time and make the choices I need to make each day in order to stay thin. I guess I just needed to get this off my chest. I can talk to my husband, but I don't think anyone who has never had a weight problem and who doesn't have a band really understands how I feel. Thanks guys!

[reqgoddess 0]

2 cc's for me. But I should have some taken out after the first coupleof days. Okay now, though, well, getting there :-)

[Paulax 8]

<p>Wow Brandi, that is quite the story. I think you should pose the same question you posed here. That you paid 16,000, and he got his money and you need to find the reason you are leaking and/or get it fixed. I wouldn't want to see you have to pay any more out of your pocket. See what your doc says.

[FurEllie 0]

.8ccs and banded info in sig

[Oregondaisy 2,019]

I am so sorry to hear of your problems, Brandy. I don't know why you would have a leak that doesn't show up. I hope your doctor can figure all of this out for you.

I sure hope as hard as you're working with all of this, you'll be able to keep your weight off. You have done so well!

Can you do me a favor? When you are posting, can you put a space in between a few places. It's hard to read when it's a long post and there are no spaces. I really want to hear how it's going for you. I hope you don't take this wrong. I know you have a lot to say, and I do want to read it.

I just got a new fill. Now I know what other people are saying. I don't feel like I can eat. I am worried about getting my Protein in because I am losing my hair. I could easily skip dinner. I wonder if it's going to stay this tight.

I am at 2.5 cc's right now.

[ibchelle76 0]

I Had My First Fill On 5/24/07 And It Was 1cc. I Felt Restriction For 2 Weeks And Now I Don't Really Feel Any.

340 Start 4/2/07

320 Surgery 4/17/07

305 1st Fill 5/24/07

294 After Fill 6/6/07

[TracyinKS 7]

Banded 4/26/07

First Fill: 06/04/2007 1.5cc

Next Fill sched: 07/02

[Paulax 8]

What a fickle band this!

I went on a long road trip with my dd this weekend. And although I know elevation shouldn't affect the band, something sure did. I could hardly eat all weekend.

So I just wanted to report that it is interesting how much variation I can get with this fickle friend of mine. My surgeon thinks I should be able to get to goal with this fill. I am starting to think he might be right on that one.

[Oregondaisy 2,019]

I am at 2.5 and I know I couldn't stand it any tighter. I will have to lose a lot of fat around my stomach before this loosens up.

[angelav 0]

You are my hero !!!!! thats awesome. I was banded 4/9/07 start 197. First fill 6/11/07 2.2cc's current weight 165.

[losethechains 0]

Banded: Apr 12th 1 fill so far, 1.7cc. Moderate restriction, I am looking forward to more.

[SOM 0]

I have 2.7 and am feling pretty tight. I am enjoying the accelarated weight loss, but I don't think I will be able to do this long-term, unless it loosens up.

[nursinggal 1]

Hi. I have had my band for 2 years now. My first doctor would never tell me how much Fluid was in my band. In fact, since the end of October, I have gained back all of the weight I lost plus an additional five pouns. He said he only put a "little" bit of fluid in my band back in October. Obviously, it was not nearly enough for me, because I gained back everything! Instead of going back to my doctor, I let it get out of control. I am now back at square one! Anyway, I now went to a new doctor, who I LOVE. She told me that I had 1.8cc's in my band and she added 1 more cc, so now I am up to 2.8cc, but I am feeling a bit too restricted. What are the signs of too much restriction and how soon after a fill do you know? I want to find that "sweet spot" I hear everyone talking about. I feel really alone on this journey right now! Please help me!

[Paulax 8]

Nursinggal, I would have to say that you are too tight if you can not eat your small Protein serving, plus a bit of veggie.

Although, having said that. I like a tight fill and I tend to losen up after 10 pounds or so.

I am glad you found a new fill doctor, but 1.0 seems like a big jump to me. My doc went up by .5 increments. So ya, you might feel really tight nowk, after a fill of 1.0. Let us know how you are doing and what you decide.

[celestemcnair 0]

I had my surgery 10/31/06. My first fill was 1.5. I went to 2.0 in January, 2.2 in February and then 2.6 on March 4. That's when my trouble started. I had never in my life had heartburn or acid reflux or acid in general. It was awful. I am much better now, and within 15 pounds of my goal. As of today, I have lost 92 pounds.

Terri

So, you start fills over again after you have been filled to capacity? How does that work?