I found out on Friday that I haven't been given my fills properly (that the needles weren't going into the port) OR I have a leak. I'm leaning more towards the no fills 'cause I rarely had any restriction after a fill - no burping, no slowing down. I was lead to believe that I had 8.25 CC in a 9CC Realize band. I've lost about 47 pounds since I was banded in Feb and have never really had any, or little, restriction.

It happened like this: At my appt on Friday I asked the NP how is it possible for me to be a 8.25CC and still be able to eat a good sized steak, a cup of veggies and a banana with no problems (now since my last appt I lost 4.5 pounds of fat and gained 2 pounds of muscle so I wasn't overeating). The NP said that there must be something wrong with the band. Not telling me what was going on, the NP withdrew all of the liquid and told me later that I didn't have as much Fluid as first thought (tho he said he couldn't remember how much fluid she pulled out).

I'm now at 5.25CC and have NEVER had ANYWHERE NEAR this type of restriction! Lots of the swelling has gone down and I'm not having a problem eating, wish I can hold onto that real tight feelling longer. However, if i get really lose I'll go in again real soon for a fill.

I angry finding this out, but my wonderful 11 year old son said, "mom, you should be proud of yourself you've lost most of your weight by yourself!" Isn't that wonderful?

I finally feel like I'm back on track.

I've also noticed that I have restriction for a few days after a fill, then it goes away. I've been exercising a LOT 5 days a week and have been losing about .5 lb a week. Considering the level of exercise I am getting .5lb seems right with out band help. I should be doing better than that?

Hi Emily'sDad, I think its natural to lose some restriction. Don't know when you were banded but sometimes it takes a while to get to a decent restriction point. But I was sitting at over 8ccs (or so I thought) and had so very little restriction. I have more restriction now so I think I had much less before she pulled it out and I DON'T think there's a leak. If you think there's a problem, tho, I'd ask them to take it one step further and take out the fluid (if you've been banded for a while). If you just got banded give yourself some time. However, if you've been banded for a while I'd insist on action. I think most Drs go with the flow and won't act unless we ask them to. The NP said that with my effort and at where I was suppose to be with the fills it didn't make sense that I wasn't really losing much. Good luck!

Same thing happened to me. My doctor was very agressive with fills and so when I went in for my 3rd fill(after not losing anything in 6 months and having very little restriction) I thought I was at 8cc in an 11cc band...i was so frustrated and thought I made the wrong decision...turns out I only had about 5cc in there...haha! so they put like 2cc in...so I am now at 7cc and I've never had this much restriction...it's awesome! lol...think I need to go back in for a slight adjustment though....My doctor has a hard time with fills under 2cc's though...he's crazy...

Just a thought for all of you slow losers. In 1986 I had thyroid cancer and dr.'s had to remove all but 1/10 of one lobe. In research of my thyroid it has taken me many directions but one of the important things I've learned is that Iodine makes the thyroid function much better! Iodine is a mineral found in your body and sometimes goiters are formed when you have deficient amounts.That's the reason for adding iodine to salt. I was banded on 12-23-08 and have lost 56 pounds so far. I'm extremely happy with that!!!! Research it yourself and ask your dr. if it's ok before you do. Almost all Americans need Iodine because we do not eat sufficient amounts of seafood. I buy my Iodoral here https://vvv9.com/iodoral/?gclid=COvOi5G20pYCFRMvHgodinqE3Q

if you're interested. Also you can order the book Iodine Why You Need it and Why You Can't Live Without it.

Amazon.com: Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It (4th Edition By David Brownstein, M.d. and a Bottle of Old Fashioned Lugol's Iodine (2 Fl. Oz.): Health & Personal Care

My doctors always withdraw all the fluid when doing a fill, to see what is in there. Don't all doctors do that? He also fills by feel of the plunger pushing back from the pressure of the fluid in the band. I don't really like that part of it though. I would prefer he just put in .5 and call it good. It seems my stomach is very sensitive. When they mess around loosening and tightening, I'm swollen for days and can't eat anything. It does go away eventually, but for a day or two after a fill I am so sick. I've had them take some out twice now, before I even leave the office, because I couldn't get a sip of water down. I'm debating whether or not I need another fill. I haven't lost any weight this summer, and it is my fault. Eating what I shouldn't and no steady excersize. I sometimes get stuck and slime, and those are the times I dont' think I need a fill, but other days I can eat anything I want, and want to go for a fill to control myself. I have decided that starting Saturday on my long weekend off of work, I am going to get back on the treadmill on my days off of work, and eating smaller meals. My eyes are much bigger than my stomach, even after more than a year being banded.

My doctors always withdraw all the Fluid when doing a fill, to see what is in there. Don't all doctors do that? It seems my stomach is very sensitive. When they mess around loosening and tightening, I'm swollen for days and can't eat anything. It does go away eventually, but for a day or two after a fill I am so sick.

A lot of Docs dont pull out the fluid just for this reason. It tends to upset the stomach with the loosening and tightening that happens when they do this. It also can mess with the elasticity of the band is what Ive been told. So many docs only pull out if necessary to see if there is a leak or a discrepancy in the amount that should be in there.