Missing/Lost Fill?

Kimber-lilly · February 1, 2005

Hi All--

I had my first fill in NOvember, had some restriction, but not much. Went back the other day and he looked at my chart and decided to do another fill.

He put in 1 cc the first time.

when he aspirated the "old" fill--only 0.5 cc returned.

He made so comments about that being "unusual" but went on to fill me to 1.8ccs and I have excellent restriction for now.

He made some noise about a leak?

anyone else had this type of experience? Does the first fill just kinda go away? Evaporate/whatever?

Thanks

kimberly

Started at 252, now 209, goal is 140!

Kimber-lilly · February 1, 2005

oops, started at 242.6!

La_madam · February 1, 2005

Did your Dr. extract all of the air out of the lines before your first fill? You would know by the unbelieveable sensation you feel while he is doing this, it is almost like a squeezing of your chest and heart from the inside out as he extracts the air. Most experienced band Dr.'s do this for this exact reason. There is an excerpt about this in Dr. Ortiz's book..if all of the air is not extracted it will give you a flase read . Everytime I have been in for a fill what has been extracted is the exact ammount of what he had put in. Here is a quote from his book

" Most experienced Lap Band surgeons reccomend repurging of the lap band at the ime of the first fill. Even though the band is purged of the air at the time of surgery, Lap Band surgeons usually find air in the band during the first fill. Experienced lap band specialists have found that if there is air in the system. it will leak and part of the fill will be lost. liquid DOES not leak from the band normally, but air does. Therefore, if at the first fill the band was inflated with 2cc's of saline and an additional .5

of air were in the system the total of 2.5 provided a very good restriction,but in a couple of weeks time the air leaks out and that acceptable restriction is now inadequate. If the original

fill volume is not the same in the next visit, the patient should not panic. Usually it means that there was air in the system. Rarely will it be a true leak in the system that needs a repair".

Hope this helps

NancySmiles · February 1, 2005

That is EXACTLY what happened to me!!! See my past posting.....I had a fill on November 8.....1cc...then after Christmas was getting really hungry again.....he extracted the first to measure it and only 1/3 remained....he said it happens occasionally...there was air in the tube....so he gave it back to me....and i think i have 1cc now.....lots of restriction which is probably what i should have had the first time!!!

Michelle sent the same quote to me and she is right!! maybe they will change their protocol......