I am getting banded on 10/28/08 by Dr. Edward Lin with Emory Bariatrics. Emory is also a medical school and are on the leading edge of alot of things. At my pre-op appt my doctor advised that I would get a fill 6 weeks post-op under flouroscopy (sp?), which is some kind of x-ray. At this fill he will get me to the sweet spot or as close to it as possible. The research has shown that patients are much more successfull the sooner they get to restriction after being banded. I guess they do not get as discouraged and it is less costly and time consuming than constantly going back for fills. I do not know if this is a brand new thing or what, but I was VERY EXCITED to hear about it. I am almost 2 hours away from my doctor, so that will save me a lot of time and money!! :tt2: I just wanted to let ya'll know, because this may be something that people may be interested in. The cost to have the fill under x-ray is a little more, but if it save you money and time in the long run, I think that it will be worth it!!

I have gotten so much information from this forum and am really glad that it is hear to help guide me as I venture on my band journey.

I am truly glad you are happy and I'm sure this will work for you!

I read that aggressive fills at the start give a person a higher chance of esophageal spasms and subsequent slippage and/or erosion

SO what they are trying isn't new and it didn't work in the past; but I'm sure they are trying it differently. I'd be scared to do what they say but you are apparently a pathbreaker! good luck. Let us know how you do!

I never heard of that before. Since some people only need one or two fills and some need many more before they get to their sweet spot, I wonder how they can tell right off the bat what a person's perfect amount would be. I hope it works for you. Yes... please keep us posted. Becky

Hi Becky! Good point! Plus, lots of surgeons/fill centers use fluoroscopy... it helps hit the port right away and you can see how much fill is in there (which you could measure anyway) but not sure how it will help with "sweet spot" because everyone is very different. Depending on how well we chew and how strong our swallow reflex there would be some variance. So I'd think you can't go just on "stoma size" which is optimum all a fluoro will tell them. They can't know psychologically how well the patient will tolerate BAM being that restricted etc.

Can you tell I'm a student in a medical field? I'd love to know the answers to all this!

I have to agree, I'm skeptical too. I was in my doctor's office a couple weeks ago with two women receiving their first fills in 4 cc bands. Both of them were given 2 cc. Well, I've had my band a year, and only have 1.9 cc in it, and I still pb from time to time and have done so ever since my second fill last January. I had fluoro with my second fill and everything looked fine, but after sitting in the doctor's reception area for 15 minutes I realized I was way too tight and went back in to get some taken out, down to my 1.9 level. Point is, the doctor can't tell how much is right for you; the fluoro can't tell how much is perfect; only you can tell, and only after the fact. Experience helps the doctor make an informed guess, but it's still a guess.

All I can think is that the benefits must out weigh the risks. I did some reading after reading the responses to my post and it sounds like I will just have to be careful after getting my fill and may even have to go back thru the phase of liquids, to mushies, to soft foods and then to solids to make sure that I do not over do it after my fill. I am sure that the doctor will give recommendations once I have the procedure done. I will post an update once I have the fill done.

I just don't think you should consider a single fill to be the norm. That would only disappoint you if it doesn't work for you, and make you, or at least some people, feel like they have failed for some reason.

My husband has had five fills, while I've had two. It is far more dangerous to be overfilled than underfilled, so there is nothing wrong with taking it slow and easy.

If your doctor has a way of knowing how much it takes you to get to your sweet spot with just one fill, I think he could be a very famous and popular man. Boy would that save me/us a lot of time and money. I have always thought, and read, that it takes some time (too little.... too much) to get people to that exact amount that works for them. I can't wait to see how it goes for you. Be sure to let us know. Good luck to you!!! Becky

Wow im floored.....one fill to restriction. If i could offer one piece of advice it would be to make sure you can drink water before you leave your fill center. Not just a few sips either, make sure u can get down a full glass before you leave and do so without being in pain or feeling like you have to bring some of it back up. Being overfilled is not worth the host of problems it can bring on. Also bear in mind that you may not actually feel the full effects of your fill for a few days. Proceed with caution on an extreme caution.