Fills not lasting in Utah

Good morning! I am hoping in posting this message to find out if anyone else may be experiencing this situation or know of anyone who is experiencing this situation. I met a good friend nearly a year ago in TJ Mexico the day before having lap band surgery. She lives in the Utah area and I live in the Vancouver, WA area. We both had surgery on the same day. We've experienced VERY different experiences with the lap band. In 10 months I've lost nearly 120 pounds. I'm within two pounds of goal. My friend has lost 40 pounds and is frustrated with the process. She has flown back to TJ for fills three times. The fills do not appear to last longer than a week or so for her. They've tested the system for leaks and find none. The doctors concur with her that the band is not offering the restriction that the band normally does and they are unsure why. They are now thinking it may have something to do with the altitude difference between TJ and Utah. TJ and WA have very similar altitude levels while Utah is much higher. My first question is has anyone else experienced or heard of a similar situation? Secondly, is anyone aware of a doctor in the Utah area that will perform a fill on a Mexican installed band? My friend is interested in obtaining a fill in the local area and seeing if the fill will last longer if she receives it at or close to the same altitude that she lives in. If anyone has information regarding this situation please post something or email me. Thanks!

Hi Dana! I've heard of a lot of people not being successful with their fills here in Utah but I've never thought about altitude being the culprit. Interesting theory actually but it might make sense. Having grown up on the Gulf Coast I've experienced it. Anytime I've gone home to visit my folks, my feet and hands always swell up but as soon as I get back to Utah, I'm back to normal. Hmmm......Interesting indeeed! Another boost to this theory is that helium contracts in higher altitudes and expands in lower altitudes. Enought of my ramblings. I don't think there's a lot of traffic on this Utah board. Perhaps a better place to address this is on the yahoo group board for Utah Bandsters. They might be able to give you more insight. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/UtahBandsters/ Good Luck!

when she goes for her additional fills, are they able to remove the same amount of fluid they put in? Has she tried asking for help from the lapband message board? Try it, you'll like it! http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/surgtype-forums/LapBand/posts/ Tash 274/198/170 8/11/03 Dr. Alldredge in UT