My 1st fill & they told me I can only get 3cc's

Ok, so I had a lap band April 28th...I went to get a fill about 10 days ago & the fill nurse told me I can only get 3cc's in my band!? yet I hear a lot of you bandsters saying you have 7cc's or more...what happened to me? Why do I have this one? And can I still lose well with it? I am stuck...I've lost 16 pounds so far and haven't lost anything since week 3 post op..what can I do? I'm getting discouraged.

3ccs for a first fill is quite a lot, actually.  I'm only at 4.5 after 4 fills.  It's a progressive thing, to see how your body reacts and where your optimal fill level is.  Your doc should have scheduled you to come back in about 4-6 weeks to see how you are progressing, and possibly do your next fill if needed.

My doc would never put that much in for a fill. He will only do a half to maybe 2 but that is pushing it .  He isn't a aggressive filler he likes to take things slow and go from there.

Yes you can lose with just 3cc's I dont have anything in my band and I lose around 6-8 pounds per month.

As long as you watch your calories, your carbs, your sodium and exercise every day you will lose weight.

And get use to not losing anything.  You can stall on weight loss for a week to months at a time . I have went as long as six weeks not losing anything .

I'm sorry...I should have been more clear... My fill was only 1cc or a bit less...I mean my band will only hold a total of 3cc's

Depending on the size of your band, most docs usually start with around 2 CC's and go from there.  Everyone's body is different, shaped different, reacts differently to having a band fitting snugly around some of it, and so forth.  I felt a difference at 2 CC's, but not optimal restriction.  At 3 CC's, I felt even more, but still not enough to keep my hunger at bay.  Once I hit 5 CC's, I finally felt what true band restriction is all about.  

Going a bit slow on the fills allows time for your body to adjust and time for YOU to adjust.  Learning to eat slow, and take small bites is something I STILL struggle with, 3 years out!  Hang in there.....this is a journey, not a race! 

3ccs sounds rather high for an initial fill.  Yes, some of the bandsters have 7cc's in their bands, but it takes a while to build it up to that point.  My surgeon takes a different approach to avoid many UNfills for being too tight.

He gives 1cc per fill but will see you every 3 weeks (instead of some of the other surgeons that make you wait 4-8 weeks) and give 1c****il you reach optimum restriction.

I LOVED that approach because it allowed me to adjust to each small fill and the gradual feeling of restriction, yet not have to wait the dreaded 6 or 8 weeks or whatever for the next one.  It made the process happen rather quickly without any discomfort  from constantly being filled too much.  My last fill of 1cc was a *little* bit too much and so he did a *slight* unfill.  That was 20+ months ago and I have been at my sweet spot ever since.

Good luck!

Do you have a 4cc band?   That is the only thing that makes sense that you could only get 3cc's total.

I agree.  If I understand correctly you are saying that 3cc is what your Dr. says is the maximum your band will hold.  I only know of them making a 10 and 14 cc band.  I know that they once made a 4cc band, but I have read that the 4cc is no longer used.  I don't know it that is the truth or not.  My surgeon gave me a card that I mailed in to the band manufactor and I was sent back a hard card (like a credit card) that listed my surgeons name, date of surgery and the size of my band (10cc).  I would call the office and ask the nurse to tell me the size of my band.  Do you know of others that use your surgeon that also say that is all that their band will hold.  The information I have given is what has been told to me so if other OH readers know additional info. or need to correct me I would appreciate it as I am always interested in learning more about WLS so that I can help others as well as my weight loss support group members.  Remember that no matter the size of the band that it is only part of the plan and that you must do your part for the band to work.  I am 19 months out and down 125 pounds and I have worked to lose every pound, but my band made it much easier.  Best of luck to you.

I am surprised that your surgeon would give you a 4cc band with the newer ones available, however, yes, you can lose weight with it. The restriction (though that is not a good term) would be the same with 4cc as someone with 10cc in a 10cc band.

At this point my suggestion is to let this fill settle in. It can take up to 3 weeks or so. Then, schedule another fill, if needed. If you have a 4cc band you will want to go carefully from here..10-.25cc can make a huge difference. You just don't want to get too tight. That will cause you to risk losing your band and even stop the weight loss. I only have 3.5 cc in my 10cc band and have never been able to tolerate more than 4.5 cc.

As for your plateau it is rather normal at this point. You have lost more than the average of 1-2 pounds a week and your body needs to catch up with itself. Take your measurements you may still be losing inches rather than pounds. To me that is even better. Try changing out your exercise routine, check to be sure you are getting in all your fluids and protein, lower your carb level, check for any foods that have slipped in that may hinder you. Allof those things will affect your loss. In the meantime, keep on keeping on because it will take off again one of these days and you will probably see a good drop then. BTW I never lost an oz. for over 3 weeks after surgery instead of a plateau a bit later but what I heard before surgery was that a plateau early on was just about expected.

Good luck, you can succeed with whatever tool you are working with. One of our band vets, Kate, has a 4cc band, too, and has not only lost but maintained for several years.

Sue

Did you have your surgery in Mexico?  I thought that they were the only ones using the older, 4cc bands.

If you have a 4cc band, and your surgeon will fill it to 3cc, that is 75% full.

At 75% full, my 11cc band would be at 8.25 -- I don't have that much fluid in it.
I think that I have somewhere near 7 - 7.5cc ---- and for me that was enough to get me to my goal weight and beyond.

Don't stress too much about the numbers -- there are really only 3 fill levels
too little, too much and just right ----- just right might be at 1.5cc for you, and 5cc for someone else --- and it changes as our bodies lose weight.

As far as you not losing weight, maybe you could post what you are eating and let us see where we can offer suggestions.