I have a large Vanguard band, 11cm, and can hold up to 13cc. I live now abroad. I have 2cc already, but I still can eat 2 whopper burgers without any problem at a time. I am constanly on regime, and still can not lose weight. I feel like my stema is wide open.

Filling is easy, mostly nurses and assistants do it. Mine was done by the doctor.

He lies you on the table, he carefully senses where the port is, and enters the needle to the port under the skin, till it hits the metal plate, and draws the saline to see how much there, and change the saline rezervoir in the injector with the new saline, and carefully injects the saline in. Everything lasts less than 5 min.

I can easly sense where the port is. Zero mistake, and can locate the middle of the port, no problem. I am used to injection. So what are the risk.

I know my needle is not allegran made, I believe my doctor also used an ordinary needle.

What do you guys think.

I think I was right on the target. The port is just under my skin, I put a metal coin around it, I arranged myself so that port was leveled, and once I inserted the needle perpendicularly, it stopped, and I injected 3cc. That is it. No rocket science.

I do not recommend to this everyone. It is too risky, you can damage the tube, or port. I used ordinary needle not Huber. I did this because I dont like the doctors fill policy. He is too conservative, and too arrogant. I have no other doctor to go at 500 miles radius.

I put in 3cc, and there was 2cc that was put in by the doctor so I have 5cc in my band, but still I can gulp Water. Next time I will try to find a better doctor.

I have a super whopper sized VG band, 11cm, I already put 5cc in it

but this amount is still has less resctrictive than the 9.75 cm band with no saline in it. Look at the allegran site to see it. Outside the USA, doctors use larger bands, and I am not happy with it. I would prefer 9.75 cm or a Swedish band.

Whether or not your band is less restrictive has to do with your stomach size too. Have you studied to find out of putting more in at a time increases the chance of erosion? It's not that the technique is difficult, it's that we are paying people who have studied enough to know the nuances that can help us not have complications.

I think I was right on the target. The port is just under my skin, I put a metal coin around it, I arranged myself so that port was leveled, and once I inserted the needle perpendicularly, it stopped, and I injected 3cc. That is it. No rocket science.

I do not recommend to this everyone. It is too risky, yo can damage the tube, or port. I used ordinary needle not Huber. I did this because I dont like the doctors fill policy. He is too conservative, and too arrogant. You can not see a smile on his face. I have no other doctor to go at 500 miles radius.

I put in 3cc, and there was 2cc that was put in by the doctor so I have 5cc in my band, but still I can gulp Water. Next time I will do under radiology with barium swallowing.

I have a super whopper sized VG band, 11cm, I already put 5cc in it

but this amount is still has less resctrictive than the 10 cm band with no saline in it. Look at the allegran site to see it. Outside the USA, doctors use larger bands, and I am not happy with it. I would prefer 10 cm or a Swedish band.

And do you know the reasoning for needing a non-coring needle versus a coring needle?

OOOOHHHH OOOHHHHH I DO, I DO!!!!!

Which is why my Dr. does my fills!!!

Kat

You can't fix stupid, can you?

Well, that's name calling, but somehow I smell a fish in this post.

I am an RN who is certified to access mediports as well as lapband ports. However, there is no way I would ever fill or unfill myself. It's not within the scope of my practice to do this solo and, if I ever had complications, I don't want the finger pointing to me.

I also have a large VG 11 cc band and it took until the last fill (8.1 cc) before I noticed restriction that lasted more than a day. While the procedure may be an easy one, it is not wise for ANYONE to PRACTICE medicine on themself or a family member.

I used ordinary needle not Huber. I did this because I dont like the doctors fill policy. He is too conservative, and too arrogant.

So you intentionally used the wrong kind of needle because you think your doctor is arrogant? Wtf?

My surgeon is banded. I asked him if he did his own fills. He said "No, and I wouldn't take out my own appendix, either."

As for the needle, you are asking for trouble if you don't use a Huber needle. If your doctor didn't use one, then you need to find yourself a new fill doctor.

It's your body and you are certainly within your rights to do whatever you like with it, but I personally think the cheese might have slid off your cracker, hon.

I am really frustrated with this large VG band, still I can eat everything and as much as possible. As long as I chew the meal well, it goes down the lower stomac right away, and doesnt stay in the pouch. My weight loss stopped in the last month. I eat less than half of what I used to eat, still i can not lose a pound.

I dont like anything sweet, or bread, biscuits so I am on a healthy diet. I tell all these to the doctor, he says 2cc is good for you, because he has a policy, a rule, and it is for eveyone the same. No matter band he uses, or whoever he or she is. He usally uses the Swedish band. I told him in the Inamed manual that he gave me, it is written that for vanguard you can put 4cc in the first fill, still he said no. His policy is 2cc. I called him yesterday that I need a larger fill, he said i should come after 4 month. So I took the needle, found the port easily, and filled 3cc, totalling 5cc.

I could not find a huber needle in the pharmacies, I did not think this would be a problem, the port is self sealant. It could tolareate a larger needle, though there was a chance of ripping self-sealant, the needle was so thin, I took the risk.

I do not need a fluoro. I know how fast everything goes down. Mine is wide open. In the next control, the doctor draws all the Fluid out to see how much there, and puts back in. My guess is 4.5 cc. Then I will know everything went well.

If I had a choice I would choose Inamed 10cm, 4cc band. It is like VG band with 4cc already in. There are references to this in the site. After a couple of fills you hit the sweet spot. With this band I have to wait 6-7 months to start really losing.

Anyway, I will let you know, If there was any damage to the port, I sure dont think so.

It'll be interesting to see if your Dr. will still treat you.

What's the deal with the needle? Does the other kind leave too big a hole?

It'll be interesting to see if your Dr. will still treat you.

What's the deal with the needle? Does the other kind leave too big a hole?

His doctor may never know, unless there is a problem. Mine doesn't keep a record of how much fill I have. But if he finds out, who knows what his reaction will be. My doctor would not continue to treat me, of that I am certain.

The Huber needle is non-coring, meaning it does not take a chunk out of the port material each time it goes in/out.

If I had a choice I would choose Inamed 10cm, 4cc band. It is like VG band with 6cc already in. There are references to this in the site. After a couple of fills you hit the sweet spot. With this band I have to wait 6-7 months to start really losing.

You're wrong about that, too. I have the 10 cm, 4 cc band and have had 8 or 9 fills, plus a couple of unfills.

My husband has the VG band and he has actually had fewer fills than I have. Most doctors do fills .5 cc at a time in people with the smaller band.

Charlene, look at the following chart. Only when VG band is filled at least 5cc of saline, the stoma size is same as the other Inamed bands without any fill. Even you fill 10cc,its nominal size, stoma is wider than the other bands that are full, thats why they fill upto 13cc, if required.

Charlene, look at the following chart. Only when VG band is filled at least 5cc of saline, the stoma size is same as the other Inamed bands without any fill. Even you fill 10cc,its nominal size, stoma is wider than the other bands that are full, thats why they fill upto 13cc, if required.

They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. "They" could be right.