I was banded Sept 28, 07. I have 10cc band with 3cc now. I have had 3 fills, going for my 4th next week. It seems like my fills last about a month then it is gone. Is this normal?:confused2:

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.

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.

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!