Fills done by patient at home

[Brandy~ 2]

This is ridiculous... I hope people aren't really doing this.

[BethFromVA 5]

This is ridiculous... I hope people aren't really doing this.

When you watch and hear about the stupidity of people in the news and from other sources, believe this is also happening. :smile2:

[Brandy~ 2]

When you watch and hear about the stupidity of people in the news and from other sources, believe this is also happening. :smile2:

It's like watching americas dumbest criminals... once they do it they are like omg for real?? I did that LOL

[BethFromVA 5]

To tell you the truth, I worry more about any doctor these self-fill people might go to after having done their own fills. If people want to be stupid, that's on them, but with how sue-happy everybody is these days, could you imagine a self-filler going to a doctor afterwards with a problem or issue and the doc gets the blame for having done something wrong and being sued??? Who would know, unless the self-filler was honest about doing the work themselves? :smile2:

[ScrapKarla 0]

Now see I don't see why this is so far fetched of an idea... people HAVE to preform medical things on themselves all the time...

diabetics inject insuln

fertility patients inject all kinds of drug (been there done that)

people with bladder problems cath themselves (we have to start doing this with my 5 YEAR OLD daughter and this seems much harder than inject saline into my band port which is very easy to find)

people give themselves b-12 shots

my one son had a Nasal feeding tube that I had to insert and make sure it made it into his stomach AND NOT HIS LUNG.....

clearly not as stupid as some of you are saying...

have I done it... No... would I ... yes.. don't know why I didn't think of it before....

[shelley1057 0]

You know... I kinda have to agree it might be beneficial to have people do their own fills. But then the Drs. and fill centers would lose out on all that money! Firstly I am a RN and ports are some of the easiest things to work with. It's a small metal disc with a small rubber center smack dab in the middle. If you can feel the port you can find the middle of it. A huber needle is just a small bent needle. When you stick it in it will hit the back of the disc which is metal so I highly doubt anyone could "nick" the line unless you're way off base! I have inserted them and drawn blood off of them (the ones connected to vessels). We train pts. and their families how to do all kinds of invasive procedures whether they want to or not. Many are very scared and resistant. But if people learned to do their own it might cut down on emergency room visits. As far as infection aseptic techniquie can be taught as well. It's just Betadine on the skin and sterile needles. All in all it might cut down on the cost of LapBands and maybe the insurance companies would be more willing to approve them in the first place!

[SwissMiss 1]

I dont see what the big hoopla is over wanting to do your own fills as well!! I have a very close friend who's been banded for 4 yrs now and she does her own fills with ease!! She hasnt had any problems, infections, or any issues with doing this and her body looks awesome. When she's "stuck" she unfills herself, if she doesnt feel restricted enough she refills herself. Its not that big of a deal seeing as though her insurance coverage has changed and no longer pays for her fills so I dont blame her for doing them herself. BTW you dont have to order the products online, you can just drive to your local CVS and buy the sterile products over the counter from the pharmacy. Now have I attempted to do my own?... No I havent... Will I try to do my own fills or allow her to do them for me?.... In a heartbeat if I had no other choice.. To me it doesnt make sense to pay all this money for a tool to be installed and its just sitting in your body pretty much useless if your insurance no longer covers it... Just my opinion.

[shelley1057 0]

Lots of people out there think this is a crazy idea to do your own fills but it really does make sense. Hospitals now train pts. and their families to do feeding tubes, tracheostomy care and suctioning, bladder catherizations, peritoneal dialysis, ostomy care, insulin pumps and god knows all kinds of wound care so why couldn't someone be trained to inject their own saline through a port? The huber needle could be placed by a health care professional and left in place and dressed just like they do now with folks that have ports. Think how much money the insurance companies would save. No emergency room visits when someone gets stuck or can't keep anything down. After you achieve your "sweet spot" the needle could be removed. But then the Drs and the bariatric industry would lose out on all that money wouldn't they!

[IAmJacksLapBand 5]

I suppose if I had a training class and that gigantic needle that I could have my partner help me with it. My port was easy to find.

My surgeon emailed me what my next fill is going to be for tomorrow. I see how they could take your info and provide you the suggested fill amount and then after taking your training class you can do it yourself.

I won't be doing it myself unless this became an option.

[laurieanns 0]

Interesting discussion.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

Anyone consider the idea you would need to keep track on how much fill is in your band? It's probably pretty important to know, seeing as having more than the tubing could hold could be pretty dangerous.

I do not like this idea at all, and the fact it just seems like anyone who would do this without proper training is treating their band as some willy nilly rubber thing floating around in their innerds.

I wouldn't dream of doing this. Ever.

[kimaly 57]

I really hate these types of threads and they are always made by some fool with only 1 or 2 post. I think it's a really stupid idea.

Edited July 16, 2010 by kimaly

[mommakatx2 0]

So some people think it's isn't that big of a deal and some think those people are stupid? Actually it's not that big of a deal at all...usually. All I can say is you better know d*mn well what you're doing if you attempt to fill/unfill your port, and that only a specialized needle can be used to fill it.

Someone claiming to be an RN above said the only difference in the Huber needle is that it's bent. That's not the only thing or even the most important thing. The Huber needle is specially designed for accessing ports without coring the rubber entry disk. While coring the Lap-band would not prove fatal, it could cause a leak.

Keeping track of what is in your band is not hard to do.

I've been an RN for 6 years and while I've considered it in the past, I never had the guts to try it. And no, not every surgeon is a supa smaht expert when it comes to filling the band. My previous surgeon would take sometimes 30 minutes and and then an ultrasound to just find my port, let alone fill it. The surgeon I had after she left the practice got in on the first try, no difference in my size or position of the port.

Would I recommend it to the average Joe? NO. To someone with medical knowledge and background? I don't see the big deal.

[barneygirl 0]

when I had menengitis(sp)? I had to do my own pick line and that went to my heart. I would do my own fill in a sec. if I had the right supplies. It takes me 3.5 hrs. time and $65.00 each fill.

[jabell76 0]

ON the needle debate. My dr. doesnt even use a huber, just a regular needle. I am an RN so i do know the difference. I am a home health nurse and many of you would be shocked to know what complicated procedures we teach people to do at home. Accessing a port is actually quite simple. And as far as the question do people keep saline lying around their house? Saline is really easy to get your hands on, especially if you know someone in the medical profession.

Edited August 3, 2010 by jabell76