I went in for my 2 week post op-today and found out I have the Allergan 10cm - 4cc band. I mentioned I would prefer the AP as it is newer, but the surgeon seemed to lean towards the older bands. I told the nurse before surgery I wanted the AP as well. Kinda bummed about this. Anyone else have this band? How is it working for you? How much was your first fill?

The 3 doctors I consulted said they see no major differences in each of the bands and wouldn't recommend one over the other. I wouldn't worry about it.

it's your doctors decision as to which band he puts in, since you said you mentioned to them what you wanted but the doc leans toward the older band, you knew that going in and if you were not comfortable with the choice of bands you could have gone to another surgeon. clearly the band is working for you as your ticker says you've lost 22.5lbs, so I would not worry about the band the doc chose.

Actually, my surgeon said he would ultimately put in whatever I wanted and I would never chose my surgeon based on his band preference. He came highly recommended and has many years of experience. My disappointment lies in the fact that someone "forgot" what I chose or maybe it wasn't available at the hospital. Not sure what the reasoning was, but I did want the AP. Bummer.

Did you address with your surgeon?

I don't know much about the different bands. I know that at my initial seminar, they told us that the doctor chooses the band appropriate for each person.

Often the actual band isn't selected until you're cut open. Well, I don't know that this is the current practice. It was when I was banded, but I've heard of a lot more sugeons taking a "one size fits all" and using only one band since then - which I personally don't like to hear.

We're all sized differently inside as well as out. My surgeon anticipated I would get a 10cc band, based on my size/weight pre-op. I had much less internal fat than he expected, and he ended up going with a 4cc band because it was a better fit. I actually wanted the 10cc, but I wouldn't trade my progress with the 4cc to get it.

Don't be bummed, just trust that you got the best fit for you, and enjoy. :tt2:

Same thing happened to me. I expected to get the larger band, being 5ft 10 and used to feeling like a giant. But I didnt have a lot of internal fat and quite small organs, so I got the smaller one, 4cc. Its worked fine for me. And as I've lost weight, I've realised that though tall, I'm rather small framed. You simply cannot tell till they open you up.

A band is a band really. Its not logical to have a preference, you want the one that will work best for YOU, and your surgeon is the best judge of that when he sees what's inside.

my friend and i were both banded the day.

I got a 9.75cc band and she got a 10cc band.

both hold 4 cc of fill. my first fill was 1.4 and hers was 1.5. Your dr can't tell what you need until you are in sugery, and I would trust him to make that decision. You have lost weight and are doing really good. good luck.

At least ya'll know what size or kind of band you have. when i went in for check-up and i asked the Dr what kind he put in he said standard. that was it. I do not know what size it is either. Will they be able to tell when I go for a fill?

Probably one of the AP bands. They come in two sizes, APS (advanced platform standard) and APL (advanced platform large). IIRC the standrd is 10cc and the large is 14cc. I would guess if your surgeon called it a standard he was referring to APS, but I can only guess.

Seriously, just call your surgeon and ask. If he tells you "standard" tell him you want to know the volume in ccs.