Hi -

I'm new here and really glad to have found all of you. Have been peeking around, and thought I should introduce myself. I was banded in January, and have lost 41 lbs, but have not really gotten where I think the band should be. Perhaps my idea of the "sweet spot" is wrong. Anyone have that many fills and still feel hungry and find themselves eating too much?

Glad to meet you!

Sherry

Hi Sherry,

What size is your band and how much saline has your doctor filled it with?

I'm sorry but something doesn't sound right here to me --- 13 fills in less than 6 months is way higher than normal. The only guess I have is that he/she is only adding .25 cc's at a time or something?? What have they told you about how much they have put in each fill or the total fill level you have?

I agree with what has been said. How much saline per fill, and how much in total is in your band now?

Also, do they draw out all of the saline at the time of the fill? This is a good way to check and make sure all of the saline that went into the band from your previous fills is still there. If there is a significantly less amount of saline in your band than what should be there based on the fills you have gotten when they draw it out, there may be a leak in your band.

The other, not-so-awesome possibility is that whatever doctor you are going to is trying to make money by filling you with so little saline each time, that you have to come back 13 times (and pay for 13 fills) in 6 months.

But first just tell us how much is in your band, and what your fill schedule has been like.

I'm surprised to see that you all know so much about how much is in your band. My doctor doesn't tell me that. I don't know how much is going in. 2 times ago, he said "we're going for a record here", I think he mentioned that we were going above 10. It is a "large" band. (there was discussion about that, too. originally he wrote "reg" on the little card he gave me, but we looked again and it is a large.

I feel a little silly not to know this stuff - but didn't know it was something I needed to keep track of. I will ask next time I go. Right now, I think it is working pretty well. I still don't have any food sensitivities, though. Can't point to anything that consistently won't go down. I can eat white bread with no problem.

I am as surprised as the other posters about the number of fills you have had. I was banded 3/25/08, had one fill of 3ccs 6 weeks later, discovered I was VERY sensitive to fill restriction and had 2 unfills, one the following day (I met my surgeon at the hospital--water was even giving me indigestion) and another small one 2 weeks later in the office (I was getting liquids and mushies down, but solids were giving me trouble). After that, I was good, losing steadily until 8/08 when I had a small fill of about 1cc. That actually kept me going until about March or April this year, and in May I had another fill of 0.5cc (the doc even let me pick how much). Man, that half cc was plenty! I had to reduce my portion size and everything. I do have a problem with bread so I rarely eat it. Pasta is another (I think I am not chewing it thoroughly). If you can eat bread it should be whole grain well toasted so as not to be chewy. White bread is about the worst kind you can eat. Might as well eat ice cream! The plan is to become healthier as you lose weight. You might want to talk to the dietician as well as the surgeon. If you have had that many fills and can eat stuff like white bread, there is definitely something wrong. You do need to find out how much is going into your band, too, and how much is actually in there.

Its your body and your band most of us know these thngs b/c we ask the Dr would otherwise just move on to the next appointment. Call and ask don't be scared to be educated about what's going on! I just had my 3rd fill I was banded on Jan 30th so I am about over 6 months I have 6.75 in my band now and this is my 3rd fill I had one unfill so far. I am down 30 pounds not at all happy but its 30 pounds less and I know I am not working out like I should so I got a personal trainer and I am getting my self together better. I can't say I have found this magical sweet spot people talk about either its more like I don't really ever get hungry and when I eat I cannot eat as much as before. This last fill may be closer I can stop much sooner. Yesterday 1/2 a turkey meatball and less than 1/2 a cup of veggie Soup and I was full. But really 13 seems like a lot of visits! Keep checking in!

I'm surprised to see that you all know so much about how much is in your band. My doctor doesn't tell me that. I don't know how much is going in. 2 times ago, he said "we're going for a record here", I think he mentioned that we were going above 10. It is a "large" band. (there was discussion about that, too. originally he wrote "reg" on the little card he gave me, but we looked again and it is a large.

I feel a little silly not to know this stuff - but didn't know it was something I needed to keep track of. I will ask next time I go. Right now, I think it is working pretty well. I still don't have any food sensitivities, though. Can't point to anything that consistently won't go down. I can eat white bread with no problem.

Thanks for your replies, everyone. I really feel good knowing you're there for me.

Have you also experienced huge inconsistencies in how your band restricts? For days I will not even feel its presence, then will come a couple of days I can't swallow much of anything! It's so strange! My doctor says that is not really unusual - that the stomach swells just like other parts of the body, more some days than others. Maybe I am there - at the "sweet spot" and don't even know it. food this week has been within the ranges set for me.

I guess there are no absolutes - at least not in this.

Thanks for responding!

Good Luck I hope everything works out for you!