Lap band size question..

heyuitsme · April 28, 2007

I had my band placed 5 days ago. So far....now that my gas pains are gone I am better!!! I was told that I had the 20cc band placed......and now I read there is a 4 cc band? IS this true? and if so , what is the difference? My Dr said that I had the "cadillac" of bands placed primarily because I am apple shaped and carry my weight in my belly. Please explain .....:nervous

beachgirl · April 28, 2007

I have the 9.75cm, mini, lowprofile port. I had a BMI of 39 so that's why he used it. I've never heard of one holding 20cc, it must be new. I know there is a bigger band that is 10cm and holds 10cc's where mine only holds 4cc's.

Congrats on your surgery.

JulieNYC · April 28, 2007

I know there is a bigger band that is 10cm and holds 10cc's where mine only holds 4cc's.

Let me clarify for Beachgirl, since I have the larger band.

If you were banded in the US and not through a clinical trial, you should have an Inamed band (Inamed is now owned by Allergan). Inamed bands come in three sizes, referenced by the diameter of the band as well as the amount of saline each holds. The smallest is the 9.75 cm band (diameter), which holds 4 cc's of saline. The middle size is the 10 cm band (diameter), which also holds 4 cc's of saline. It should be noted that most doctors will fill above 4 cc's on either of those bands if the patient needs it. They will actually hold much more than 4 cc's before bursting. I've heard of people having 6 cc's or more in either of these bands. THEN, there's the "VG" or "Vanguard" band. It is 11 cm (diameter) and holds 10 cc's of saline. Like the smaller band, this band can be filled beyond Inamed's recommended capacity (perhaps even to 20 cc's, though I've never heard of anyone needing more than 14 or so). The VG is also a little different in design, as rather than having a smooth ring that holds the saline, it has more of a quilted, or "pillow" design, which was designed to minimize pressure on the stomach and avoid slippage, erosion, etc.

If there is an even larger band by Inamed (or if you were banded outside of the US, in which case there are numerous other bands that hold larger amounts), I can't find it detailed on their website yet. I've heard (on this forum) that there is a brand new band, but I haven't heard much about it yet or now it's different. Find out from your doctor exactly what you have. You'll find that the idiosynchracies of your band experience may line up more with those who have your same band, so it's useful to know. For example, I find that those with the VG have fewer problems with textures of foods (there's no food I can't eat at least a little bit of), but more problems getting to the perfect fill level.

beachgirl · April 28, 2007

Oh sorry,

In my Inamed's handbook given to me by Dr. Sanchez it says, 9.75cm that holds 4cc's and 10cm that holds 10cc's. I had already posted earlier that they sometimes CAN hold up to double but is not recommended.

Sorry