I was banded May 11 and will have 1st fill on July 3rd. I hope it brings some restriction, but I know it may not. I am wondering how it is decided to do another fill, how much to put in, whether there needs to be more, or if any needs taken out. Do our doctors simply depend on us to let them know what we are feeling as far as restriction? Can you tell within 24 hours that there is not quite enough saline in there? Do some doctors have a straight protocol/formula that they follow? Thanks for answers! Beth

usually you and your doc will discuss how things are going and that will decide how much of a fill you recieve. My surgeon has you wait at least two weeks after a fill to see if you need another one. You will also be able to tell the difference in your restriction. Good luck to you

My surgeon is great about discussing with me before deciding on how much to fill! He does make me wait a minimum of 2 weeks between fills. The only protocol he definitely follows is the fuller your band gets, the smaller the fills.

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I haven't had a fill yet (I was banded May 12th) but I HOPE to get a fill at my next appt. which is June 18th. That will be 5 1/2 weeks for me. It seems that my doctor bases it off of weight loss (like if you're losing really well he won't fill) because he wants weight loss to be reasonable, not too fast. He also mentions that if we don't lose any weight for 2 straight weeks that we should call for the next fill. That's just something I read in the info packet he gave me-- like I said, I haven't had my first fill yet, though my band does have some Fluid in it, I'm not sure how much. The doc said he puts some in during surgery. I realize not all doctors do it this way though.

Lisa

My doctor talks to me quite a bit about how things are going with my appetite, how fast and how much I can eat. He also monitors my weight loss. If I am losing 1-2 pounds a week, no fill is needed. He does make me wait 6 weeks between fills though.