Do you need to get fills for the rest of your life after getting the band? or is it just for a certain time period after the surgery? I will most likely be self-pay in MX and want to budget for the fills. Then again, if you have that expense for the rest of your life it makes me question if it is worth it? I think it just might be.

Once you are at your goal weight, I believe that MOST peoples' fills remain more or less stable. There is some talk out there about osmosis, and the band gradually losing its fill due to that. Then there's the talk about self-filling bands, that gain Fluid all by themselves - those tend to be more the ones filled with iso-osmolar (?) fluid (mid-band), although there are some claims that the lap-band can also gain fluid.

I think most people with the lapband filled with saline do not experience these phenomen, although restriction does seem to vary throughout the day, and sometimes on a day to day basis. Most hypothesize this has to due with stress levels and fluid retention, and the general fickleness of the stomach itself.

Until you get to goal, it would not be unexpected that you will need ongoing fills, as losing weight and becoming smaller effects your stomach as well. Some people not so much, others much more. So...

I'm afraid this is a "your milage may vary" (YMMV) type of situation.

Make sure you include how much money you'll be saving on food when you're doing the calculations about money.

The general consensus is that once you reach goal, fills aren't needed very often at all.

Tonia