I was just banded on june 23rd. Im about 2 1/2 weeks away from my first fill. does it hurt? do they just jab a needle into the port? Im nervous about the fill.

They do give you a shot first to numb the site and then they poke the big needle in. lol No really the shot stings a bit but the injection needle doesn't hurt after that. You will probably lie on your back and put your fist under your back. That makes the port pop out so it's even easier to find the port.

No, it doesn't hurt but it feels weird. The needle kinda makes a "pop" when it goes into the port, but doesn't hurt. You are laying down when they put the needle in. Then they have you sit up with the needle sticking out of you. They inject some saline into it and then have you take swallows of water to see how long it takes for the water to pass through the band. They add and remove the fill until the amount of time it takes to pass through seems right to the doctor. Then they pop the syringe back out. Nothing to it, but definitely weird sitting there with a big syringe sticking out of you.

Fills, in my opinion, are a piece of cake. A flu shot hurts worse than a fill. A blood draw is way worse than a fill. My doc does not numb the site first because his theory is the lidocaine stings worse than the actual fill needle. And having had 5 fills by him with no numbing, and 1 fill under fluoro by a dumbass radiologist with a lidocaine syringe, I'd have to agree with that. I can feel the band squeezing around my stomach when I get filled, but I honestly barely feel a thing from the needle stick.

Don't worry about the fill, you'll do great!

I was very nervous about my first fill. It didn't hurt at all. I swear!!! I am one of those people that needs to avert my eyes so that I can't see what's going on. The Nurse Practitioner used a numbing agent before doing the fill. He told me that it was going to sting a bit but it didn't at all. You'll do just fine!!!

I was a bit nervous about my first fill, especially after reading a few of the notes on this site. But honestly it was a non-event. My doctor didn't give me any numbing because as others have said he said this needle would hurt as much or more than the fill needle. I didn't even feel a thing.

However, I would preface my comments with the fact that I think it really depends upon the amount of fat one has and their overall size. Some fills require a very large needle to penetrate through to the port, while other people are a different size and their port may be more easily accessible. So I think this is why people have varying experiences especially when it comes to some of the comments in regards to "poking around" or the size of the needle used.

Thanks everyone! that helps so much. I really didnt know what to expect. It sounds pretty easy though. Im mostly excited (just a tiny bit nervous :thumbup: ) to get the first fill and get this thing moving!

Edited July 5, 200818 yr by beautybug

I've had one fill and it didn't hurt at all. They didn't numb me either. The nurse had me lay down on the table, pull up my blouse and breathe in. She felt around for a long time and then put the needle into the port. She pulled out what Fluid was in there to measure how much was already in the band and then reinserted the fluid and added more fluid.

She covered it with a cotton ball and some tape and had me sit up. I drank a Dixie cup of Water and left.

I felt no pain and it couldn't have been easier.

i found out that my doctor does numb you first. he also does it in radiology at the hospital so he can see whats going on. I thought that was cool because he shouldnt have a problem finding the right spot, right. he said he can check right away for reflux also. im excited. july 23rd! i started pureed foods today. Now i can't wait even more for the fill so i don't have to puree any more. seriously something i never want to do again. :thumbs_down: thanks everyone for the information.

my only problem with fills is that the spot where the port is, is very tender. At first it was visibly bruised so i expected it to hurt but it still does when the dr pushes on it. does anyone else have tenderness when the dr is looking for the port? Probibly depends on the amount of stuff between the port and the outside i supose and how hard they have to push.