How the Lap-Band actually works, fills and refills

[Lynn_Marie 0]

I agree that this is a valuable post that should be readily available...so I'm bumping it up! Not sure that is the best answer, but it might help for now.

[Paulax 8]

I'd like this to be a sticky. I refer to this post often Wendell.

Can you tell me the source. I have tried to find it but can't.

Thanks in advance.

Paula

[Wendell Edwards 73]

I'd like this to be a sticky. I refer to this post often Wendell.

Can you tell me the source. I have tried to find it but can't.

Thanks in advance.

Paula

I am the source of this post.

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

I am not even sure where this post appears on the board. I get an email when someone posts on here. I think this post should have a special place on the board so new people see it immediately when they are starting their research. How can we make that happen?

[Mal 0]

I agree, GREAT info, thanks Wendell!

[bmysuccess 0]

Had 4 cc's put in during surgery in a 10 cc's band. surgery 8/29/07

[Paulax 8]

I am the source of this post.

Then I will continue to quote you my dear Wendell Edwards.:clap2:

[sc2va 0]

Thanks for the info. However, after "X" amount of fills, can I stop getting them or will I always need a fill?

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

Eventually, you should get to a spot where if you get any more fills, it will be hard to eat and you will be limited as to what you can eat.

Some people like a very tight band. I had some taken out, because I couldn't stand being so limited as to what I could eat.

Everyone says as long as you are losing, don't get another fill.

[mbanja 1]

Wendell, I just wanted to say thankyou for this post and all your other posts. I enjoy reading you posts because they are so informative and upbeat. I wish you posted more!! You are very elloquent with you advice and I don't thing I have ever read a negative post from you. Keep posting and good luck getting to your goal SIZE!!

[newimage 2]

Wendell,

Thank you for this post. Alot of people can benefit from the information you have provided. You look great!

[peaches9 3]

This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band.

The ALLERGAN protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band.

Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band.

Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week.

The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows:

1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to 4 weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to 4 weeks after the fill. That is why the ALLERGAN protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill.

2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band.

3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food.

4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient.

5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again.

6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food.< /span>

7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again.

Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater.

It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

Thank you so much for posting this information... I had no idea why I'd get a fill and a few weeks later need another after what I thought was "good" restriction.

My eyes are now open!

[Wendell Edwards 73]

Wendell, I just wanted to say thankyou for this post and all your other posts. I enjoy reading you posts because they are so informative and upbeat. I wish you posted more!! You are very elloquent with you advice and I don't thing I have ever read a negative post from you. Keep posting and good luck getting to your goal SIZE!!

Thank you!

My time is somewhat constrained now by the amount of activities that I am able to participate in. That explains my absence from the message board as of late.

[Jeanniepenini 0]

Hi Wendall,

The thread you have posted does explain a lot of things about the Lap band that I was a little unsure about and now is much clearer.

I had my surgery in July 2007, and I lost 4.5 kgs over the following 5 weeks, I then hit a plateau and remained static. I then had my first fill of 4cc in early Sept but still didn't lose any more weight even though I appeared to be eating much less. I had my second fill of 2.7cc mid October and am still static. What I cant get my head round is that if I am eating less than I ever have and assuming it is because of the fills, why am I not losing any more weight?

Any advice would be appreciated

Jeannie

[Wendell Edwards 73]

Hi Wendall,

The thread you have posted does explain a lot of things about the Lap band that I was a little unsure about and now is much clearer.

I had my surgery in July 2007, and I lost 4.5 kgs over the following 5 weeks, I then hit a plateau and remained static. I then had my first fill of 4cc in early Sept but still didn't lose any more weight even though I appeared to be eating much less. I had my second fill of 2.7cc mid October and am still static. What I cant get my head round is that if I am eating less than I ever have and assuming it is because of the fills, why am I not losing any more weight?

Any advice would be appreciated

Jeannie

Hi Jeannie!

Drives you crazy, doesn't it?

Weight loss with a Lap-Band seems to be a "Staircase, not a curve".

It's drop, then stop, drop, then stop, rather than a long downward curve.

There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for it, it just IS.

Two great pieces of advice that I got from my great friend and mentor Christy Means were:

1. Take measurements. Because when the scale weight loss STOPS is when the body seems to shrink. it's a paradox, but in my case it was very true. Whenever the scale weight stayed the same, the inches fell off.

2. Stay off the scales. It seems like a weird concept to almost everyone with a weight issue, because we are trained to judge our success by our scale weight. Unfortunately, that also means that we sometimes will consider ourselves to be a FAILURE when the scale weight stays the same or, (HORRORS!) goes UP instead of DOWN!

The reality of life with a Band is that many times our weight loss WILL "Stall" or "PLATEAU" and when that happens it's HARD to not be DISCOURAGED. That is why I recommend that newbie bandsters only weigh themselves during their normal doctor's appointments for SIX MONTHS after banding.

We have to learn an entire new lifestyle after banding. We have to re-learn how to eat, when to drink, how to exercise, how to DEAL with EMOTIONS WITHOUT food as a CRUTCH....

It's a LOT to LEARN all at once!

During that time most people are SCARED TO DEATH that the band won't work, that they will be the EXCEPTION TO THE RULE, that they will SCREW UP.......

and frankly, seeing a stall on scale weight at that time may make it much harder than it needs to be.

Once I took Christy's advice and STAYED OFF MY SCALE, and learned to CONCENTRATE on the BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION aspect of Lap-Band, a funny thing happened;

I relaxed, it got easy and I lost a LOT of weight and INCHES in a HURRY.

:confused: