Fill signs... What to look for??

Ok...  So the Dr. fills my little band w/ saline, and tells me to chug some water and tell her when I feel it going down, and when it's done.  So I chug my water and wait...  and wait...  and wait...  and wait.

I'm not sure what I'm waiting for.  My second fill is next week, and I have no idea how to tell if it's too much or too little.

What are YOUR experiences when getting a fill??  How do YOU tell when it's passing through slowly like it's supposed to, stopped up too tight, or loose as a goose?? 

Well --- I know that when I am too tight, that I take that swallow of water, it sits in the back of my throat like a stopped up drain -----

My doc sort of 'times' the process --- he wants to make sure that I can take a big swallow of cold water and that it completely goes down in just a few seconds --- if it goes straight through, he will sometimes add more fluid, if it hangs up, he takes some out

I will say it again (I say it all the time) --- I took every single fill I got as 'enough' --- I convinced my sick little brain that there was more in there -- and that I could lose weight before, so I can lose even more weight now ---- I did not try to eat more, I did not test my band to see how much I could eat --- I have always worked to see how little I needed to eat.

As far as my surgeon is concerned "enough" is when I can eat 3-4oz. of dense protein and some veggies and stay free of hunger pains (real ones) from 3-4 hours. It also means that I can do that and not get stuck unless I am careless, and I do not have any reflux. Reaching that point it is time to stop.

You cannot tell right away if a fill is enough because you need to be on liquids then mushies for a minimum of 48 hours. The band is not designed to work with liquids and soft food. It can also take up to 3 or more weeks for a fill to kick in. If you have paid attention to these things, and get truly hungry sooner than you should on a regular basis then you need further filling.

The point of drinking the water in the office is to be sure you can get liquids down or you need some taken out. If at any point in the process you can't drink you are too full.

It is a lot to learn in a very short time, really. Good luck with the next fill if you need one, Sue

I have never "felt" restriction during or immediately after a fill. I drink water before I leave the surgeon's office to make sure my stoma isn't completely closed, but I don't start feeling my restriction until a day or so later, when I'm eating solid food again.

Just because you don't feel anything different when you drink water doesn't mean that your fill isn't enough. If you're able to eat about 1/2 cup of food at a time and each  meal or snack keeps you satisfied (i.e., not physically hungry) for 4-5 hours, your fill level is enough. If you can't swallow liquids and/or have problems eating even when practicing good band eating skills, your fill level is too much.

Another thing to consider in evaluating your fill - it can take up to 2 weeks for a fill to kick in. I have no idea why, and no bariatric professional has been able to explain it, but that's happened to me several times.

At your next fill appt, ask your doctor what signs to look for to judge the adequacy and efficacy of your fill level.

Jean

I'm not necessarily looking for signs of how to tell when my band is full when I eat...  I'm familiar with those signs.  What I was looking for was signs in the Dr's office as they're actually doing my fill and having me drink water.

Last time she asked me, take a gulp of water, and tell me when you feel like all the water has gone down.

I didn't feel anything, so how do I tell if it's gone down and how long it took??  She said I should feel some sign from inside that the water is passing like it's supposed to.  i'm not sure what signs to look for, so I was trying to get some ideas from others.

Again...  not how to tell my band is full with food...  but how to tell in the Dr's office as she's actually DOING the fill, if I'm good to go. 

The tightness of your band will vary. You might feel like you have too little in your band and then a week or two later, you'll have some restriction or even too much restriction. It doesn't seem to be an instantaneous thing for most people.  Even as your band is being filled in the doctor's office, you probably won't be able to tell if you've reached optimal restriction.

A lot depends on how swollen your stomach tissue gets, too. If it reacts badly to being restricted, you might end up feeling too tight with even a small fill. Or you may never reach a level of restriction. There's no guarantee.

You're better off keeping your band on the loose side, though. It slightly lessens the chance of erosion, at least.

You'll know when the water doesn't go down.  I believe you will be able to feel it pooling above the band.  Once you get more restriction you may start to feel, (or hear) a gurgling sound when liquids go through the band.  It doesn't mean your too tight but that the opening from your stoma is quite restricted.  So the assumption is that if you feel nothing, it's going straight through without hesitation.  That doesn't mean you need more fill however.  Water is not a great test of the band once you get restriction because you have to be REALLY tight for it to not go through.  You're pretty new with only a couple of fills so as time goes on you will start to listen to your band and will know when food and water are passing through.  I can always tell but I've been at this a while...

Drink your water after your fill and sit in the office for 15 minutes.  If it doesn't go through you'll know.  You'll either feel it or it will come back up.

The most important things for you to consider, (IMO), when it comes to getting a fill or not are these three questions:

1.  Are you able to eat more than one cup of SOLID food in on meal?
2.  Has your weight loss stalled?
3.  Are you hungry between meals?  (Real hunger, not emotional or head hunger)

If you can answer yes to two or more of these questions you may need a slight tweak of a fill.  It doesn't take much.  As you get more restriction your fills may be only .2 cc's.

It's a balancing act for sure but you'll learn along the way to listen to what your body and your band are telling you.

Best~
Lisa O. 

I obviously misunderstood you when I first posted so let me try this again. If you are drinking the water and you feel as if it is just sitting there, have pressure in your chest, or feel uncomfortable in any way then it is too much. If it goes down and you feel fine then it is obviously fine. You don't have to feel the water go through. It is more likely that you would feel something if you have too much. If anything about that changes you need to get some out. Hope this helps.

Thats most likely what it is, because I have close to no restriction at all.  If I wanted to, I could still sit down to a regular meal and eat the whole thing.  When I sit down to dinner I have to conciously make sure I only put on my plate exactly what I serve to my 2 yr old.  Lol.  But I'm hungry all the time and I can't wait for that to go away.  *sigh* 

I've had to start removing half my meal from my plate when I go out to eat, even before I eat, because I fini**** before I even realize what I've done if I don't.  The weighters (oops, waiters!  Am I thinking about my weight too much lately?? Lol)  look at me odd when I ask for the doggie box as soon as I get my food.  Lol.  But right now it's just me keeping myself in check and not doing too bad if I do say so myself. 

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!  :)  I'm sure thats my problem, so I guess I'll just be patient.  And Listen.  :)