I have a leak! I need to go in and do the "office procedure" to fix it. Anyone know why it happens? Is it gonna hurt???????

Well it "could" have been a lot of things, but the best person to tell you likely why it feels less restrictive is the Dr. When is your next appointment?

If your port is just sore since the fill, it is probably just irritation, and some people have a minor reaction to the saline itself in the skin.

They do make a thicker liquid they can fill you with if you are indeed losing your fill. It is called Omnipaque.

Let us know what you find out!!!

Good Luck!

Kat

I just ate 6 slices of pizza!!!! Something is not right!!!!!!!!!

OMG I had the EXACT same issue! I was tight for the first few weeks after surgery so I was terrified to have my first fill. He decided to "go easy" and put in .5cc. Well the first two days I felt a little restricted and then it was like the floodgates opened! I could eat anything and I was STARVING all the time. I called him and he said that happens sometimes. He put in another .5cc and I'm much tighter now (I think almost too tight). He also said that it can take 10-14 days for a fill to "settle" into place.

Weird....

This is one of those time that just because you can, does not mean you should. Even with the band, you have to practice self control, that is why everyone refers to it as a tool, and says it is not the easy way out. Next time, if you are still so hungry, have some SF pudding, or snack on some nuts, or jerky---something high protein, to kill the eating urge.

Make a salad to go with the pizza next time, or order hot wings, they are better---with there being no crust. Work with the band, until you find some restriction.

I think you are lucky you were able to get it all down without ity suddenly backing up on you and causing a PB---or begining a pouch dilation. That scares me into behaving usually!!! I am so afraid of messing this thing up!!

Hang in there, restriction will come, this is just a continuation of Bandster Hell---

Kat

Thank you for your replies. What causes pouch dialation? Do they do revision surgery with that. I know I have to be careful with what I eat, it was so much easier though when the band was working corectly!

getting a fill should not cause slipping . i dont think you have to be concerned about that. but to eat more after a fill is not normal. leaks are rare, but could happen. i would try to wait and see since you dont seem to have any pain and the trouble is you can eat too much. maybe you had air in the tubing from the port before your fill and when you where filled the air came out and thus made you less full even with the fill. make sense. i cant eat pizza ever. after my fill i am on liquids for a week. did you do liquids first or try to eat and then realize that you could. i would call the doctor and see what he says to be on the safe side. it takes some of us a few times to get our fills just right. good luck. play it safe and dont rush. but,....6 slices of pizza, that is what i used to eat.......

Consistantly over filling the pouch will cause it to stretch, and can also stretch the esophagus, to where it is used like a stomach itself.

I too think a call to the Dr. sounds like the way to go. When they did your fill, did they remove the previous fill, and see if it was still in the range of what they had already put in? When I had my 2nd fill, he inserted the needle and withdrew all the Fluid that come up easily. My first fill was 1.25, and he pulled out just over 1 cc. He told his nurse how much he removed, and she added that much to my scheduled .50cc. and he put it all back in.

Has the soreness at the port eased? Is there any swelling or heat?

I think I'd call.

Kat

I did call the Dr. He hasn't gotten back to me yet. I am pretty sure he checked and pulled out all the liquid cause he was in there a while. Could he have not putten it all back I wonder? Could be a leak or could be dialation. I am worried though so I am sitting by the phone WAITING!!!!

First of all I would say don't panic. It is VERY likely that this is just one of the idiosycrisies of the band itself. I have read posts where the Fluid simply takes longer to get from the port through the tubing into the band sometimes. I have heard some people say they didn't get good restriction from a fill until days even weeks following.

In your case, the very worst scenario, is that your fill has leaked out. In that case, I would expect the Dr. to check the amount of your fill, and possibly try the Omnipaque.

You are not ill, not running a high fever, not having such severe restriction you cannot swallow your own saliva....these are the emergency response things your Dr. is watching for. The loss of restriction is something they will check into, but not maybe in a emergency setting. So you may have to wait until after his office hours to hear from him.

In the meantime, try to get your hunger satiated with Proteins, and just watch how you eat, eat carefully, keep a diary of what all you ate so you have all the pertinent info when he does call.

I am sorry you are having a freak out and the Dr. hasn't called. I have been there many a time with the kids, not with the band---but I know the fears, and how you are willing the phone to ring.

Let us know when you hear from him!

Kat

Thank you for your help. I am just such an anxious person, so anything gets me worried. I've calmed down, and I am writing down what I eat. I know its nothing serious now, so I am just waiting out of pure curiousity now. At least I have my appt in 1 1/2 weeks. Thanks for all your replys and I will update when the doc calls!

Just checking in to see if you heard from your Dr.?

Kat

I went yesterday for my second fill and I asked them is it common for you to have less restriction after the first fill than before....and they said they see it all the time......and did not have a totally accurate answer to why it happens so frequently.

This as the Nurse Practitioner and the X-Ray tech for fluoroscopy!

Thanks for checking in! No, I haven't heard from him, I am gonna have to call again on Monday. They aren't there on Friday afternoons...uhh!

Thanks ladies!

<p>I went for a fill last week and he put 1 more cc in. I now feel like I can eat more!!!!!!! It feels like he loosened it, not tightened it! I made another appointment with him, but now I am concerned. Is it leaking, could it have slipped? Has this ever happened to anyone else?</p> <p> </p> <p>Thanks for your help, Jackie</p>

Oh, and I am having some port pain also which has never happened before.

I went for a fill on july 25th and had 3ccs added for a total of 6 this was my second fill now i do have the vg 10 so it is the larger of the bands but any how. I also feel as if i can eat more after the fill. So i did call the Dr. today and the nurse just returned my call and she said she would talk to the Dr. on Monday and see if he wants to give me another fill. So i ask her is it true that it can sometimes take a few days to feel the fill and she said that was true in some people But she did also make it very clear not to eat more than i was before because it can lead to damage .So just watch what you are eating. Hope this helps.

Your lapband buddy

Stacy

sort of an update:

I kept calling the doctors office to speak to a nurse. The last time I called I got this nasty lady who yelled at me, saying I don't have a problem, the nurse is too busy to call me and that I should just eat Proteins. First of all, she is the receptionist, and it is ILLEGAL to give me medical advice. Second of all, the nurse can't spare 1 minute talking to me? I am concerned about my band! This has gotten me really upset with them. I see my doctor on Monday, and I will talk to him. Thanks for all your support.