Full to capacity and no evidence!

 Well I was banded back in Nov 2007, I started my journey for a few months with my doc in Denver.  Since then I've been tossed around to a handful of doctors because I have moved so much.  Now my last visit my doc said I was full 10+cc in my 10cc band.  No more could be put in and I have absolutely no restriction.  So recently I went to a new doc (at our new duty station in portugal) and told him about this issue and mentioned the heartburn.  He whisked me off for an endoscopy that revealed no erosion (thank goodness), BUT the gastro doc said she could pass the scope very easily through the lapband and there is something not right, but she didn't know what.  None of this makes any sense!  
I have really felt like I get a run around sometimes.
So anyway, she referred me to a bariatric specialist and now I'm waiting on Tricare the approve it (hopefully), and then off to Germany I go to see if they can fix the issue.  
Has anyone had this sort of problem?  I mean NO restriction.  The only time I get the faintest bit of discomfort is if I eat bread in a sure fire hurry.  That is it.  
Are there people that the band just doesn't restrict for?
I'm so bummed right now.  I've lost a lot of time with this and could really use a kickstart again!

Any advice is welcomed. :)

Have you had a fill under fluoroscope?  That's how my doctor checks my band every visit...to see how well the barium flows through the band. It really sounds like a leak. And it really annoys me that they aren't being more helpful to you to get this corrected!

 I am not a lap band patient but a support group leader.   I do have many lap band members in my group and many friends who have the band.    It sounds like to me that you may have a hole in the band.     Even the slightest fill if the band was still in good working order should give you some restriction.     Sounds to me like you may be looking at getting the band replaced or removed.    Hope that isn't the case and as I said I am not a lap band patient but have heard of this happening quite a bit by someone who isn't real experienced with doing fill*****turing the tubing in the band with a needle.     Good luck to you sweetie and hope that they will get to the bottom of what is going on with you and get it back in working order soon.    Hang in there....I know they will come up with a solution for you.


Hugs and blessings ~~~ Vivian

seriously..to have no restriction at all with the band that full..there HAS to be a hole or leak somewhere. IMO!

You might be unclipped. It is very rare but I had this happened to me. I had a slip that was fixed, then after surgery I could not get ANY restriction! And they could not really see the unclip but they came to that conclusion. Mention it to the next doc you see and ask them for their opinion...
Good luck..

 When they do the fills, do they pull all the fluid back out to make sure it's there?

You've gotten some good suggestions 1) could be a leak in the tubing, 2) band could've come unbuckled (unclipped) 3) have fills done under fluoro.

If they do pull all 10cc's back out, you probably don't have a leak.  But, if they can't get all 10cc's back.. there's your answer, a leak somewhere in the system.

I've heard of using omnipaque (a type of contrast) to do fills with leaking tubing.  The omnipaque is a bit thicker than saline and can sometimes "patch" a leak.

If it's just the tubing that's leaking and if they decide to replace it, I hear that it's a minor surgery and can be done in the office.  If the band is unbuckled, that's more major surgery.

I hope you find an answer soon.

I have much of the same prob. I was banded in Dec. 2010, have had three fills and am at 6cc in a 10cc band and have had no complications but also feel that i should have some sort of restriction but i don't have any. I can eat large amounts of all foods quickly and some times don't chew (by mistake) and swallow and have had no problems, or restriction until i eat a regular amount of food. I am already almost 1 year out and almost to my 10cc captivity:( and still nothing. I have been the same weight scence April 2011, and am now getting discouraged.....to the point that i wished i would have gotten the bypass. Hope that i havn't been discourageing to u....maybe i just needed a band that gets tighter.....I know for sure my band isn't leaking cuz my surgon pulls all my fluid out at each fill but i feel its just not enough, i am afraid that 10cc just wont be enough.....I hope everything works out for u and that my info was helpful:) Good Luck!!!!!

Something is definitely wrong somewhere. You need your surgeon to do every test out there to find the problem. When I was first banded I was like you,but I had 13cc in my 10cc band. I finally found a new surgeon and he discovered that the band wasn't even around my stomach.

Good Luck and Hugs

Debbie