How long should a fill last

julieh · March 6, 2008

I hope your day is going better!! I know I have days where I eat something I shouldn't and I beat myself up for it. But then I look and realize that I am still not eating 1/2 as much as I used to and I am not eating the junk I used to.

I know I am impatient with the weight loss. If I look back at where I started in November 2007, I have lost 45 lbs. So that averages out to 10+ lbs a month, which is great!!!! Sometimes I lose track of this. I only know that now I am only losing 1 to 2 lbs a week and it's too slow!!!!

As far as the Protein. I questioned my Dr. about why he wanted me to eat so much. He told me that I should eat 1/2 my weight in Protein to keep my muscles strong. I just can't seem to get that without drinking Protein drinks, and then that takes the place of my food and I am still hungry!!!!

Hang in there and we will figure this thing out. I am glad I have people in my same situation who understand this whole lap band thing. We will have to help each other!!!!

kbinaz · March 6, 2008

Sorry, Elketta, but I totally disagree with your doctor. That is just not the case. First of all, to say all that anyone ever needs is 3 fills is crazy because it totally depends on how much each of the fills is. My first 3 fills were 1.5 cc's each and trust me, that was not enough to give me any restriction whatsoever. I suppose if each of the fills had been 2.5 cc's I would have done fine with only 3 fills. But the point is that every lap band patient is different anatomically so there is absolutely no way you can determine how many fills is right for everyone. That is the beauty of the band and that is why it is adjustable... because everyone is different. My doctor says that needing a fill should never give anyone a feeling of failure. If you need a fill, get a fill. Take the help that the band is designed to offer.People who only need two fills are not better or stronger than people who need five fills. Every person is different because every stomach is different. We all go into surgery with different BMI's and different anatomy's. The whole purpose of the band is to give you restriction and I did not feel ANY restriction whatsoever until my 4th fill. It was not a psychological problem, it was that I didn't have restriction. As soon as I had my 5th fill, I knew I was finally, after 4 months, where I needed to be. I am thrilled that some people get that restriction after no fills or one or two fills, but I just wasn't one of them. I lost absolutely no weight until after my 4th fill. I am happy with my restriction after fill #6 but as soon as I feel the restriction leaving I will get fill #7.

shortgal · March 6, 2008

I agree Kbinaz, but I think her Dr. use Floro to do the fills, so he will probably get closer on the first fill, than Dr's that do fills without floro.

But even with floro, there can be variables, so if the Dr. really won't give people that might need more than 3 fills, he is doing them a dis-service.

Jennie1976 · March 6, 2008

I was banded September 6, 2007. I just got my fourth fill yesterday. My third fill was the day before Thanksgiving and lasted me until yesterday. I noticed that I was feeling hungry all the time, and that I could eat a bit more (not much, but I was making a difference in my weight loss). I got a fill of .3 yesterday to make a total of 2.4 in my 4ml band. My band may now be slightly overfull, but I know that in a month or two it will be fine, and I don't mind eating only 3-4 bites of something before I'm full. But, I also know that my band tends to tighten about 2 weeks after a fill, so I may have to re-evaluate then. :-)

Hope that helps!