i had my last fill on feb 26 and havent lost any weight since then. i do lose 5 pounds then gain it back. when i went in today she said well i see you havent had any progress. as she unfilled my band to see if there was any leakage she added .5cc which now i have 1.5 in a 4cc band. she said i dont know why you dont have much restriction because as im putting the saline in it wants to push it right back out because its tight. you should have some restriction your tight.

somedays i am tight but others i can eat a whole sandwich. i dont understand how she thinks that im tight when i only have 1.5 cc in a 4cc band. what if this doesnt work what will she think? i guess she is going to start doing clinics once a month and she told me i cant come back until june 24. wow thats over 2 months away. if this fill doesnt work how am i going to get through until then. hopefully shell see me if i need to before then.

andrea

Andrea, unfortunately sometimes we need to be our best advocate. I would push the envelope with her. If this fill isn't enough in the next week I would call and get in asap. It is you who has to push your doctor. 1.5 is not a lot in 4cc band. I would think over 2 might be better. I take 3.2 in my 4cc band and lose 1 lb a week. Right now I am at 2.7 and have gained 5 lbs in a week. I needed my unfill for plastic surgery. So you see, at the wrong restriction level you will gain. Good luck. Julie

Hi There,

Wow I was surprised, I too have the band and Dr Toder did mine, I just love her but i do have to say dissapointed in the way the practice runs like it is si hard to get in then they change your appointment and set them further ahead. I had my band placed on May 15th it too is a 4cc band nd i have like 2cc's in it my last fill was in January and have done well. I think I got too much last time and well any ways when i went back in Feb opted to not get another fill. I really still had good restriction. My next appt was suppose to be may 9th they called last week and moved it till the 16th of may and I know I cant go that long!

Just the past week I have been starving and going hungry cause Iam scared to death to gain. I have never gained always lost good. but I do know Iam kinda at a stand still here and I dont like it! well I called Toder's office today and talked to one of the girls and she said they had noooo way to get me in sooner unless some one cancelled and that would be quick notice I live 2hrs north of her office.

For the love of God why cant they train another one in there to do Fills?

Ticks me off that you can never get in there. And then when you do they change it. They need to do something diffrent.

Well Andrea dont get too upset the bands are finiky they have minds of thier own and each person is diffrent in how it works too. Keep on pluggin its gonna work.

Julie

Really?? That's so strange -- I got 1.5cc in my 4cc band on my first fill. It definitely wasn't enough restriction. I'm at 3.5 now and just right -- still no problems eating bread or steak, or anything like that. I've never PB'd, don't have heartburn, can eat solids for Breakfast...

Every person is different. So her saying 1.5 is a lot in a 4cc band is quite silly, imho. Some people have more than 4cc in their 4cc band and still aren't tight.

I'm a big proponent of food tracking as I think it's extremely useful for seeing in black and white how much I'm eating. I know some people feel like it's too much like dieting. But if you find yourself stalled, it's a great tool to see if it's because you're eating too much. If you target a specific calorie range, like 1400-1500 per day, you can use your band to as a tool to stay satiated between meals rather than as a tool that stops you from eating too much at a particular meal. If that makes sense.

I know it is probably different for everyone. But I am going for my first fill since my surger on March 17, 2008. My first fill will be April 29th. Please tell me how to know what my fill should be.

Hi and congrats on the band, well every surgeon is different in how they do it. My Dr will only do .05cc;s to a time no changing her mind near as I can figure they go by a guide from the compnies that make the lap bands they put in but dont expect much they really must do it slowly building up to a spot thats perfect for you. Good luck keep us updated.

2bhealthy, i to like dr. toder alot. i havent had any problems with her so far. it just seems like she was happier with me when i was losing and this time she didnt say much to me like she usually does. did you hear about her doing clinics now. it is once a month. i noticed that she doesnt like to do fills any sooner than 6-8 weeks. so in the mean time if the fills arent enough we have to try harder with diet and exercise. this is hard for me, this is why i had surgery because diet and exercise isnt easy for me. i want restriction so i eat less. the first 2-3 months i kept getting food stuck and had good restriction and i lost 32 pounds. it was easy for me to stick to what i was suppose to because of the restriction, now i dont have much at all and sometimes i eat to much (testing my band). i wish you luck with your next fill. i am just nervous to go back before im suppose to because she already said that my band is tight. if my band was to tight i would be pbing right now and im not. i am going to try to measure my food out and not overeat for a few weeks , trying not to over due it because i just had my fill yesterday. if you ever want to talk you can email me at andielmt@aol.com . its nice to know that someone else has the same doctor.

andrea