Some of you have mentioned that you felt full or tight right after surgery - some have mentioned being sure that the doc puts the band exactly on the part of the stomach that secretes the appetite hormone and some have said you need a year of fill adventures before you hit that sweet spot. So - what is the consensus?

How many fills did you need before it worked great?

How many felt tight for weeks after surgery?

How many suffered for weeks, months or a year waiting for the right fill?

My husband didn't have a fill for the first 4 months. I think he's had 4 fills in a year. We think he needs one more - just a little bit.

as of right now I am 7 months out and have not needed a fill. Im sure I will need one or more in the future but so far so good for me

I am just over a year out and on my 8th fill, possibly needing my ninth soon.

I have had 3 fills since surgery and have a 4th scheduled for tomorrow. I think I'm almost there. I struggled with not feeling anything much after surgery. Lucky to have a group who feels after the first 5 weeks of healing you can come back every 2 weeks until you hit your "spot". I have also read that some physicians put in a fill at surgery time. Everyone has a different size band. I have a 10 cc band and hav e 5 cc's in the band right now. weight loss is very slow and i can eat more than I think I should, like a half a grinder????

sharon:)

I am SO envious of those who get one or no fills...I am 14 months post-op and after 7 fills, I am still struggling to find good restriction

I had three ccs put in at surgery and have had no hunger and I do have plenty of restriction.

This thread just points out how individual banding experiences are.

I must be a freak of lap band nature....in three years I've had 3 fills and going in for my 4th fill at the end of June. I know it's time because I'm getting hungry between meals and I haven't before. I have restriction even without a fill so I'm very lucky.

Remember that the number of fills aren't what's needed, it's how much fluid you're given. Using extremes as an example, you could get 100 fills of 1/100th cc and not have restiction, or 1 fill of 10cc and be too tight. Surgeons approach fills with different levels of aggression - some will do big fills, some only do tiny.

I am tight with about 2.75cc in my 4cc band. Right now I have 1.75cc and I have some restriction, but not a whole lot. It happened to take me 3 fills to get good restriction, a combination of large and small fills.

I'm 2 months post op and have never had a fill. I have a realize band and have not had any issues with being hungry between meals. It would be nice if I never need to get a fill, but I'm open to it if I start getting hungry. I also find that when I eat a high protein diet I lose my appetite. So for now, I try to eat as healthy as possible. I also exercise 7 days a week, which helps to suppress my appetite. It must be working because I've lost 41 pounds!

I've had 3 fills and I've been banded 6 months. I have a 10 cc band. The 1st fill was 3.5 cc's and the 2nd and 3rd fills were each .5 cc's bringing me to 4.5 cc's. The last fill was in January and I've been good since. I do believe that I need a small fill now and will be scheduling that very soon.

Yep .. such an individual journey! I am five months out today and have had two fills (currently around 7cc I think). I can certainly eat more than the requisite 4oz, but I have been SO blessed in that my mind has taken over and I may eat 6oz of veggies, chicken or fish instead of 6oz of chips, chocolate or bread I have little restriction in terms of volume, but I am not hungry often at all. I also have no PBs, sliming, stuck food issues, vomiting etc. I think I have found my sweet spot!

This surgery changed my life completely. Once I committed to the surgery, my mind kicked in and kicked my arse! I am training for a 10K, I work out daily and have relearned how to eat healthy foods. Who KNEW I loved sushi this much?

I have decided not to have another fill until my 'diet-brain' fails me and I NEED that volume restriction. I am listening to my body and taking it one day at a time. When I crave a whole cake ... that is when I will consider another fill.

I am a lucky one ... I know this! I have a friend who is two years out who has struggled to lose 20lbs ... but she eats whatever she wants and fights PBs/vomiting/etc. The tool will only work for you if you work for it, right?

We have to listen to what our bodies have to say! Fill when you need it ... don't if you don't!

I must be a freak of lap band nature....in three years I've had 3 fills and going in for my 4th fill at the end of June. I know it's time because I'm getting hungry between meals and I haven't before. I have restriction even without a fill so I'm very lucky.

OMG Becky you're scaring me now, I think we may be twins!! I've only had 3 fills and its been 2 years 7 months for me....i am going to get a fill at the end of the month though!!

I'm 10 lb from goal and have had 2 fills. I don't think I will need another to lose the last 10 lb. If I had more to lose, I might think about another, since my weight loss has slowed down. But I can do the last 10 on what I have.

First fill 1.7 cc in 4 cc band.

Second fill additional .2 cc total 1.9 cc

It really is a completely different journey for everyone. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

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I've only had one fill, at 10 weeks out. 2cc's in a 10cc AP band. I think I got a fill just to experience the fill process. I was never swollen or tight after surgery. <o:p></o:p>

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I can't even tell I have a band. Although, I don't have issues with hunger any more. <o:p></o:p>

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I also work out and eat right.

Getting close to goal :thumbup:<o:p></o:p>