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.

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.

Very informative and helpful. Question: what restrictive effect does the fill have (i.e., are you out of commission for any period of time)? Thanks.

No, you aren't out of commission, but you get tighter and can't eat as much. Sometimes you aren't able to eat things you used to be able to eat.

Hi Denise!

I had my second fill today...as Wendell stated...I could eat more the last week or so since my first fill in July....I hopw now to be closer to my sweet spot...I have to be on clear liquids for 3 days...kind of long I think...but I will do my best!

How are you all doing? Shelley

What is a PB , everybody keeps talking about this . My first fill is on Wednesday and I am a bit anxious.

pb is basically throwing up.

it means productive burping. It is not like throwing up at all...there is no stomach acid, no wretching....it is just a productive burp. Sliming is another word for it. It is just recently chewed food with saliva..that is it

They put the needle in through your scar and it does not hurt. When he (the PA) pushed down on the port to slip the needle in that stung a little but very tolerable. Very easy, don't worry.:tongue_smilie:

My Dr doesn't put the needle through my scar. The scar is where the port site is. He puts the needle below to insert the saline through the tubing. Make sense? He never misses and I am restricted.

it means productive burping. It is not like throwing up at all...there is no stomach acid, no wretching....it is just a productive burp. Sliming is another word for it. It is just recently chewed food with saliva..that is it

Is PB a bad thing? I had my 2nd fill yesterday and have had some issues with it with shakes(not water) I also had some issues with it during my 1st and 2nd fill when I didn't chew enough. I am concerned that I could hurt my band. Does anyone know if it is harmful?

I sent Wendell a PM but did not hear back. Does anyone know how he is. He is so informative. Lets get this forum back up and running! Great info here!

pbing won't hurt you if it's not often and every day.

Sliming and pbing are two different things. sliming is comes before you pb, when you mouth fills up with thick saliva as the body tries to pass what is

stuck through the band.

What if it is often and every day? Also I don't slime. It just rises up and I spit it out????

I sent a friends request to your Myspace page but forgot that I should have sent a request first to let you I'm from Lapband Talk. My Yahoo id is gina4283. Thanks.

Help! Does anyone know the proceedure code the Doctors use to bill the insurance companies? I found V45.86 but don't know if that is corredct. I had surgery in MX so they don't know the code.

Thanks

My Dr doesn't put the needle through my scar. The scar is where the port site is. He puts the needle below to insert the saline through the tubing. Make sense? He never misses and I am restricted.

My port is beneath my largest scar in the middle of my stomach. The needed is inserted into the port which is connected to the tubing, leading to the band. You can't get a fill unless the port is accessed by the needle.

Just subscribing to this thread. I just got my first fill of 3 ccs in an 8 cc band on 8/19. No restriction as yet.

My port is behind a 1-2 inch scar to the right of my navel. The dr has to go through the scar to hit the top of the port, which is where, I believe the fill goes through. If it went into the tubing, why wouldn't it leak out? Just wondering. My dr. kept trying to go at an angle and it turns out that my port is tilted slightly, so I recommended that he try to fill me standing up and he said it made it very easy to find the port.