Hi everyone,

I got banded on June 18, I was wondering if anyone has the Realize 9cc band ?

What was your first fill ? At what point did you reach your sweet spot? And did you have any complications?

I appreciate any response

Thanks

Your topic is a long shot. If you run a search in the forums and use the search word "realize" or "realize band" you may find others who have your type of band?

I hear ya. I will definitely try that.

Thanks

I've been reading here for years so let me take a shot at your questions?

Every doctor has different protocols and some prime the band during surgery. Some don't prime at all. Every doctor has different protocols for fills. We have some here who only get .5 CCs per fill. Some fill with 5 CCs and ask the patient to swallow some Water to make sure it goes down OK.

Allergan or Realize bands aren't that much different. Some of us got to the green zone with no fills and some with 13. I'd say the average is around 5. Usually it takes 2-3 before we feel the first satiety signals. Some doctors fill with fluoroscopy. It's an X-Ray so the doctor can see how fast Fluid flows through the band. This way they can fill the band only once or twice to get you to some kind of restriction?

Most of us have no complications with fills? Sometimes the port can flip but it's rare. Occasionally some nurses or nurse practitioners may have a hard time finding the port. Hope this helps till someone more specific answers your questions?

I really appreciate your detailed response. My dr didn't prime it so it's completely empty. But even without any fill if I don't chew well or if I eat to fast then I get that full filling till my throat, it takes a few minutes and it goes away. Is that normal?

I have a friend that has the allergen 14 cc and till he got filled 6 cc he had zero restriction, is it possible that the less the band can take the tighter it's on stomach even before a fill?

Landz, it really depends only on your anatomy. There are a few people in my surgeon's office who have no fill in their bands, and have reached goal. I have about 3.6 or 3.8 (can't remember which), in a 10 cc Allergan band and I am also at goal. The goal is not so much to feel restriction while eating, as it is to feel satisfied after eating much smaller amounts. Right after surgery, I remember feeling like you, but that went away after about 6 weeks for me as the stoma swelling went down with healing.. Then I got a fill. I believe it has much more to do with the nerves the band presses on, than it does with making the stoma hole smaller so that food can't pass through. It is the signal that the nerves send to you brain -- as food passes through and puts pressure on the band -- that makes you feel satisfied. That's how I see it, anyway, and it has worked for me.

Thanks for sharing your experience.