so i got my first fill yesterday... they made the mistake of leaving me in the room alone with all of the needles and stuff on the table... i was staring at it in the packaging thinking "nah.. thats not for me... that is for.... must be for... something else... maybe it isnt a needle... it cant be....maybe thats a.... slightly smaller form of CHOP STICK... or... it could be sitting there because they are doing some sort of cabinet reconstruction and need large metal tools... or something... yeah thats it...."

then the doc comes in and goes over there to unwrap it.. holy crap... i am not usually squeamish about needles.. after all i was an EMT, went to dental school and now i am a med student... needles are my thing... just not when they are being jabbed into my belly!!!!!!!!!!

so i had a minor panic attack when he was hovering over me with this pole looking device.... however i am happy to report that i didnt feel a thing..(i credit my tummy tuck for this... since i have limited feeling in my abdomen after that one)

i could feel the liquid that he injected... i felt it go through the tube and even felt it filling around my tummy.... anybody else feel that?!! then the doc was thumping on my port.. what was that about?

anyway i got 1.5 cc in my 10 cc band.. i didnt realize i had such a huge band.. no wonder i can eat my face off whenever i choose... anyway after the fill i can still eat like a monster... so i am going again next month... bummer.... but it wasnt as bad as it looked...

i recommend do NOT look at the needle.....i almost ran out of the room.

That is pretty shocking the first time, isn't it? My dr. was telling me that Inamed sends one needle with each new band. Then it costs him $10.50 for each one afterwards. He now uses a different noncoring needle from another co. that isn't that long because he says most patients don't have enough belly fat to need a needle that long. The Inamed needle is about 7" long and the other one is about 4 inches long.

Dallasdoll, thanks for sharing. I will now be prepared and won't look. I hate needles anyway. Funny, when I got my tattos in the 70s and 80s, the needles didn't phase me. But don't give me a tetnus shot...

I never look at the needle I am a so scared of them..

It is pretty nerve racking to see that big thing going in your belly. I too was really nervous, and then when I found out he wasn't going to use any numbing meds, I freaked out even more (my band Dr. numbs the area first) Well anyways, I didn't even feel the stick, didn't hurt not one bit, and Dr. Gomez hit the port the first time, and it did not hurt which is very surprising. What relief I felt? He made me sit up, with the needle stuck in my belly, so that I could drink Water and he could adjust my fill, not bad at all. Maybe I was numb from looking at him, he is so good looking, kind of makes a girl nervous to have such a hunk of a man grabbing at my belly fat, LOL...

So dallasdoll, you had a tt?? I don't remember reading about it?? So give me the details, please and I mean details... I am having a tt next month in REynosa, Mx, by Dr. Castellanos, so please give me the scoop.. Pain, recovery, back to work, Pain, scar size, are you pleased w/ it, please tell me all....

My person doesn't use that needle...she says its not necessary.

My doctor never leaves the needle in me when I sit up. How many of you have it done that way? My doctor gives me the fill, puts a bandaid on it and I am done.

I don't know Betty, the fills I have had, have all been done that way. He does that so he can make sure I am not too restricted and can drink water comfortably before leaving his office. That way if I would be too tight, he doesn't have to restick me to remove some fill. Makes sense to me... And it doesn't hurt one bit, which is good, believe me if it would be painful, I'd tell him to get the damn needle out of me quick.

My doctor left the needle there and and had me stand up also. She had me drink a chalky liquid and took x-rays as the liquid went down my stomach so she could see how tight the restriction was. In the end, my fill was 2.8cc and the x-ray showed a very small (like a knitting needle) opening where the fluid was passing.

yes i have had a tummy tuck.. but it was prebanding... i have a tummy that is flat as a washboard now.. and the doctor tightened my ab muscles so i can flex them incredibly.. you would think i did sit ups every day.. nope... here is the graphic details if anybody is interested..

it was the most painful surgery ever... i mean it hurt bad... i wasnt scared going in... i had lip at the same time as well and that was nothing... just bruising..

for the TT they slice you from hip to hip... i actually used to have a flower tattoo on my lower abdomen (it kinda settled on the fat roll that i had gained)... anyway... they removed all of the fat and skin from above my belly button to the top line of my pubic hair so i lost the tattoo.... then he pulled the top all the way down and sewed it together and created a new belly button... i made sure he gave me a "hooded" belly button since i had a belly ring before the surgery and i wanted one again... i didnt get a new one though...

anyway... the frightening part was the drains that were on each end... tubes hanging out of my belly and pink juice draining into these bulbs... but i was in and out of consciousness the day after surgery... i was on the push button meds...and the catheter was evident adn uncomfortable but i wasnt gonna get up to pee to save my life... then they came in to make me get up and walk around.. i can honestly say that i have never felt more excruciating pain in my whole life... i sat there and decided i was freaking nuts to willingly do this to myself.. i was moaning while i slept...

then you have to hunch over for about a week.. it is impossible to stand up straight.. and you kinda shuffle around because you are limited with movement. it was really painful even on full meds...

then the drains came out.. ouch... but... i healed nicely... the scar is evident from hip to hip.. its a big one... but it has healed white... but sooo obvious. and since the surgery i can say that i have limited feeling on my skin in some areas.. which is normal since they not only cut off the skin and fat but also the underlying nerves... so i have some numb spots.. same for the lipod areas.. i just have Patches of skin that i dont feel anything when i pinch..

however.. i have such a flat tummy... i would do it again even with all the pain.. i wore a bikini for the first time in my life that summer... no tummy flab... was incredible.

but be warned.. it HURTS

Ouch, now I'm more scared than I was before, and I'm a wimp when it comes to stuff like that, how can I consciously go and do this to myself. Is it that important that i get rid of this ugly flab handing over my belly??? Even though I am scared too death, I still want to get this done, oh my goodness, its really going to hurt, alot.. How long after your surgery did you go back to work??? I do a desk job, do you think, I will be able to come to work 2 1/2 wks after surgery?? Is that realistic?? Well, I still have some time to back out of this if I change my mind, but I probably won't, us women like to torture ourselves, don't we???