Be honest....

Have you ever done your own fill/unfill? Even in a pinch?

Scenario; it's late at night, your fill is too much, you are barfing your guts out, you can't even keep saliva down. You can't reach your doc (maybe he's not returning phone calls, perhaps he's in Mexico, etc.) and you are getting dehydrated. Many ER's don't have docs working that have a clue about a band.

What do you do? Or, what have you done?

BTW, this is a private poll, nobody will be able to see your response.

I'm an RN who was also an infertility patient who did IVF for years and gave myself shots in the stomach. My hubby who is a nursing student, has given me most of my IM fertility shots and if he could do that, he could give me an unfill if reaching my port was too difficult for me to do. If I had the right equipment and couldn't keep anything down, I would definitely unfill myself...however, I would let my doctor know what I did and would never do my own fills. Now that I know this could be a dilemma, I plan to ask the surgeon if I can have the proper equipment for an unfill in an emergency.

Blessings, Michelle

I am an RN---and with the right supplies and instructions, I am sure I could do it. I suppose if I were traveling to a part of the world where there might be a need for an emergency unfill and there would be no access to appropriate care, I might ask my doctor for these supplies and instructions.

However, I really can't envision a scenario in which using them would become necessary. It's not likely, while I'm in darkest Africa, that my band will suddenly become too full and require emergency intervention.

The city to which I travel most frequently has abundant resources for banded patients.

Until I came across this thread the possibility never even occurred to me. Now that it has occurred, my answer is not just no, but hell no.

I guess the ladies and gents who are RNs or MDs could do this for themselves. I can't imagine any circumstance that would put me in a place that I would have to consider doing a fill/unfill for myself. I trust my surgeon and he is the only one that does fills in his office.

I too am a registered nurse, I cannot imagine adjusting my lap band myself. My best advice is if in need of an emergency adjustment, go to the ER of the hospital where you had your lap band surgery if possible. Also discuss the possibility of this situation with your surgeon to get his/her advice.

i just had surgery on the 28th. at my pre-op appt my surgeon specifically said he doesn't believe in making band too restrictive so that it causes problems. his feeling is that if you want to lose weight quickly and more easily, then have a gastric bypass. i have not had any problem since my surgery and am wondering how a doc and a patient could allow a fill so tight that you can't swallopw saliva!!! wouldn't you know that before you left the doctor's office??? again, i am a very new bandster so maybe i am naive?? also, the thought of fill parties is just disgusting. without passing judgement, do-it -yourself fills sounds as abusive to the body as the overeating that caused you to need the band in the first place. additionally, i have read posts where people have gotten bands with only 40- 50 lbs to lose. my ins company won't even consider it unless you are 100 lbs or more overweight or have a very high bmi. i'm not judging, just wondering-----