Well, I went for my fill monday and I suggested to my md that I think we should do my fill differently. The way he does is he fills it with .5 to 1cc then I drink water before I leave to make sure I can swallow and I leave. This was my 4th fill and he put 1cc in it but I STILL dont have hardly any restriction! He had on my chart that I had 5cc in it but he only aspirated a little over 3 out. He said that there was no leak. I hate going back but I guess I'll have to keep going every 2 weeks untill he hits my sweet spot but im scared of gettin an infection. I had my surg june 5 08 and since the surg, not counting the liquid diet weight loss, ive only lost 15# bc I gained 2. I am doing what im suppose to do. Im hungry a lot too. Any suggestions???

Wow, sounds as if your Dr is very conservitive w/his fills. My surgery was 5/27, my Dr put 3cc in at the time of surgery, 7wks later he added 3cc more, 4 weeks later (2nd fill) 2cc's. I now have a total of 8ccs in a 9cc band and have had restriction all along, it eases up by the time I go back for a fill but lastes for at least 3 weeks. I've lost a total of 42lbs. I LOVE MY BAND and my Dr. I was worried at first because of the aggressive rate he does the fills, but like he said are you here to loose weight or tip toe around it all? I'm here to loose. He also said the last 1 to 2 ccs are the icing on the cake and are done more slowly, which makes sense, I am not at my sweet spot but I'm very close to it.

I can relate!! I had my surgery June 12th and since the actuall surgery i have only lost about 7 lbs! It is very frustrating i am dieting, excerising etc... So confusing! I have had two fills and am now up to 6ccs with little restriction. My doc does his fills about the same where he fills then i drink. And i have to wait four weeks untill my next fill. I just feel like im wasting time!! He says it just takes time to find the sweet spot and hopefully my third fill will help!! We just need to keep trying and staying motivated!! We can do this i know forsure!! Goodluck and stay in touch!

I have also noticed that right after a fill i am always tighter and it losens up as the weeks pass. I hear this is normal, but what do we do when we have all the fill can take and it keeps losening up?

My understanding is, as you loose weight, you loose fat around you stomach (inside) which is under the band and that is why the band loosens up as time goes buy. You loose fat, the band loosens. And from what my Dr says, the last few ccs will be the ones that count, so they are given much more slowly. You just have to have trust in your Dr. They have been doing this for years and knows what works.

I am so glad that there are other people that can relate to my same problem. I waited 7 weeks for my first fill and my Dr. makes you wait 6 weeks in between fills. He added 3.5 ccs on my first fill and I have no restriction. I have been trying to do this on my own by just walking away in the middle of meals. I have been exercising very hard every day, and not drinking with my meals. I could have been doing all of this on my own. I don't understand why they make you wait so long.

I have had two fills first 3.6 and had some restriction but the nurse said if I could eat more than 1 cup per meal call and schedule another fill. Had 2.4 on the second. I don't see the dr just the nurse and she is more aggressive on the first few fills. She doesn't have time limits but asks that you wait at least 2-3 weeks before fills.

I would ask the doctor to put you to at least 6 - 6.5. Does he have a reason for small fills? It should be part your decison too.

Edited September 14, 200817 yr by SueAZ

My suggestion to you is DON'T GIVE UP! I was banded 1/18/07, almost 20 months ago. My doctor is NOT conservitive with his fills either, he is very agressive. However, I have had a horrible time with my fills. Let me explain:

I have horrible spasms when I get a fill, so on the flouro, it looks like I have restriction, then a few weeks later I don't. It takes over 4 to 6 weeks to get back in to get another fill, its been a long process and it has taken me 20 months and 11 fills, however, I think I'm finally to my sweet spot.

The point I want to make also is sometimes air gets in with the needle/tube, and when they pull out what they thought was 4 cc's and only gets 2, i believe it was air they put in. I had this happen time and time again.

My last fill was 8/6. Two weeks after my fill, I thought I would be going back for yet another fill (this would be fill #12). Well, on 9/6 I all of a sudden get restriction. I've heard sometimes it can take the fill a few weeks to kick in, I even read on one docs website he feels it can take 4 to 6 weeks for it to kick in. They don't know the reason, but it does happen. This is exactly what happened to me. So give your fill a little time.

Be patient with the fills too, and keep going back. Just a few drops sometimes can make a huge difference, it sure did with me. For the first time in 20 months, I have to slow down while I'm eating, I have to sip on cold drinks, and I have to chew my food. I never thought this day would happen.

The best part is my weight is coming off again. I have not lost weight since November 2007. I've lost a little, but then gain a little. I've been battling with the same 10 lbs since November. I'm finally going back down!

So keep going back for a fill until it is right, no matter how many fills you get and no matter how long it takes, it is so worth it!