I just met with my doctor today for my first follow up since my surgery last week. He told me that my first fill will be on Friday 2/29!!! I was shocked that it's coming up so quick!!! :wink2:

Can anyone please tell me what to expect? What does it feel like? Will I feel it? Will I feel nautious? What's eating like afterwards? OH!! and I am TERRIFIED of needles....it's a terrible phobia of mine!!!! That's what I'm scared of the most!!!! :biggrin:

Please help...........:Dancing_chief:

I just met with my doctor today for my first follow up since my surgery last week. He told me that my first fill will be on Friday 2/29!!! I was shocked that it's coming up so quick!!! :wink2:

Can anyone please tell me what to expect? What does it feel like? Will I feel it? Will I feel nautious? What's eating like afterwards? OH!! and I am TERRIFIED of needles....it's a terrible phobia of mine!!!! That's what I'm scared of the most!!!! :biggrin:

Please help...........:Dancing_chief:

I had my first fill today. The doctor will palpate "feel" the area that your port is in, locate the exact spot and stick the needle in. It didn't hurt....was just a little poke. The weird thing is that they leave the needle in and sit you up so that you can drink water. That is how they can tell if they put in the right amount of fluid. It took about 5 minutes tops. No pain, not uncomfortable at all. Just dont look at it and you will be fine. Be careful eating afterwards....I had my first slime experience tonight...not fun. Good luck to you....fills are a breeze.

Here with your first fill they do it under fluoro guidance (x-ray) and you have to drink that nasty stuff again. I didn't like that more than the needle. Some people's doctors numb them at the port site first--they don't here and I am glad because then that would mean 2 sticks instead of one! Here is how my fill went. I went to radiology and checked in. They called me back and I changed out of everything on top, but I got to leave my pants on. Then I went into the room to wait for the doctor. I laid down on the table and pulled the gown up a little and my pants down a little so the doc could feel the port. She pushed around a little (it tickled) and then she made a dot with a marker and scrubbed the area. She said "Okay, little stick." but honestly I didn't even feel it. Then she said that I had 1.5 cc in my band (she drew all of it out to see) and then put in 1/5 more. They stood the table up a little and I had to drink more of that gross stuff like after surgery--only 2 swallows this time--and that was it. They wiped off my stomach and I was done. I had to take a couple sips of water to make sure it felt ok and then I got to change and leave. I wasn't feeling bad from the fill, but I was pretty nervous, too. It was a piece of cake--hope this helps!

Hello,

I had my first fill on Monday. It really was not bad at all. I was laid down on the table, the dr came in. He asked me a few questions about eating, how I was doing. He then raised up my top a little, and my slacks down a little, and felt for my port. He cleaned the area, told me there was going to be a stick. and like Phowell - I did not really feel the stick. I did feel the fluid go around. I think it was cooler than my body temp. kind of a weird feeling. He put a bandage on it. asked if I had questions, answered them. I sat up, they gave me water to drink. He advised me to eat soft foods for a few days. So that is what I have done. Dont feel alot of restriction yet. He put 3.5 in my 10cc band. no problems as of yet.

Dont stress......

Lois

Many fills are done with a topically injected lidocaine to numb the area. This is a tiny needle that you barely feel. You'll feel pressure as the needle goes in but no real pain... I promise.

I too was scared because I didn't know what to expect. The doc felt around for my port, then had me half lay back in a reclining position. He injected the spot with a numbing agent. It was just a tiny sting. I hardly felt it at all. He then got the fill needle and once numb inserted it into the port. I didn't look. I didn't feel a thing. He put some fluid in, and then had me start drinking water slowly and steadily as he added more. When the water started to back up in my throat, I nodded and he very carefully backed off on the fill amount until the water went down. I rested for a moment and then he had me swallow again just to make sure. It went down fine so he removed the fill needle. I rested again. Then about 15 to 20 minutes later he had me drink water again before he let me go home. It was fine, but had there been a problem, he would have taken care of it right then and there. I did liquids for 24 hours, and it was done.

There are a few ways to do fills (prep for it, to be specific), and countless levels of experience in between, all of which will impact the actual fill experience you will have.

I have had two painful fills. One was when they used lidocaine, and that hurt like a B. Much worse than a lidocaine shot should hurt. And I have a high pain tolerance.

After that I said "no lidocaine" and fills became painless. A tiny, tiny prick, much like getting blood drawn, and then just some pressure. Sometimes a "popping" sensation (maybe like a joint popping) as the port membrane is punctured or as the needle is removed from it. And that's it, really.

My second painful fill was actually an unfill done by someone who had not done one before, so 'nuff said about that.

The "average" experience I have is:

Surgeon or fill person palpitating area to find port.

"Target" marked on the skin.

Needle poked in.

Needle pulled out.

Area cleaned & band-aid applied.

I have never felt anything after a fill (minus the emergency situation, but that's irrelevant) - no immediate tightening sensation, no nausea, etc. Restriction changes I can feel, but nothing around the actual fill.

BTW, I too have (or had, I'm rather desysetized by now) a strong needle phobia. In fact, fear of an IV (never had one before my band surgery) was one of the factors that caused me to wait 5 years to get this surgery done. During a fill, there's no reason for you to even see the needle. You're (usually) laying flat back, so you're looking at the ceiling.

everbodys doctor does fills differently so that would depend on your surgeon. Mine has you do a crunch kinda like a sit up he feels for the port then sticks you with numbing medicine. After the numbing medicine he sticks you with the fill needle which you don't feel. He pulls all the fluid out to make sure what is in there is what he has recorded and then he puts more in there. I do all of this with my eyes closed so I don't see the needle. It does not hurt but it feels weird coming out. My stomach stays tender for a few days and I go on a liquid diet for a few days until the swelling goes down. He never uses exrays or fluroscopes and he is very good at what he does. I have had 4 fills and one slight unfill and I am very happy at the moment

christine

Moving this to the fill forum and merging the duplicate posts.

My doctor just used x-ray on the first fill to be sure that everything (including the band placement) looks ok. I am glad they don't numb (although I know some people that have been asked if they wanted it) because it is just an extra needle stick and sometimes the lidocaine can sting. Otherwise you only have the one stick and it is over. It is really not too bad, and shouldn't make you nervous at all.:cheers2: