post-ob day 45, NO RESTRICTON since day 14.2nd xray fill

If there is ANYONE that has gone threw this please share with me. I have not had ANY restriction for about 30 days... It has been 49 days since getting Lap Band. My 1st fill my Dr. Really had to FIND my port...asking me question like what side do I sleep on, answer "whatever side I can sleep on" got that 1st fill, got home 0 restriction...2nd fill, 5 days after 1st fill, he could not find the port, after the 4th try he stated I would have to do the fill under an x-ray. 2nd fill, 2nd try under x-ray he sated now you have 4.2 cc now... This happens Friday about 1:30pm . 10:30pm I could eat...I am praying that nothing is wrong with my band. I have an apt. on Wed. 11/9/11 to do another my 3rd fill. My 3rd fill. I feel like crying, I have put on 5pds since getting the band. I am walking 4 x a week 2miles each time. FOOD IS CALLING ME LIKE CRAZY...& I am listening more than I want to to that call. I feel depressed about not having any restriction since 14 days post-op. Please share any thoughts

Thanks, IAM1SPECNUM

Calm down. First of all, it's really normal not to feel restriction from the time your swelling goes down after surgery till your first fill. It's even normal not to feel restriction till several fills later. How many CCs did he put into your band the first time? It is REALLY alarming to me that you're getting a second fill 5 days after your first. Did I read that correctly? Ok, just read you're getting a 3rd fill now? No, stop, do not do it. Seriously, cancel the appointment. With 4.2 CCs in your band you already have as much as it took me 3 fills over about a year to get. There is no reason you should have this much filled so soon after surgery and you're going to get complications if you keep this up. 

Now, backing up, sometimes fills can take a couple of weeks to settle in (who knows why but they do) so you can end up way too tight by doing this. I am sorry to badmouth your doctor but the fact that he's having trouble finding your port and giving you 2 fills within 6 days makes me question his abilities.  To give you an example of what is normal, I got my first fill 6 weeks after surgery, I was on liquids for 2 days and pureed foods for 2 more days, finally started eating solid food 5 days after the first fill, and I felt a bit of restriction and spent the next month getting used to this before getting a 2nd fill. I have only had 4 fills (I think) over the course of 18 months. I can't even remember, 3 or 4, not many. You have to do it gradually enough that you will get used to the difference and be able to detect when you have restriction. It's a really subtle feeling. There is a FINE LINE between being too loose, just right, and too tight. It can be a fraction of a CC of saline difference. You don't wake up from surgery knowing how to feel what restriction is.

In terms of gaining weight, well, you said it yourself, the problem is you're hungry and you're giving in to food you know you shouldn't have.  The hunger won't be solved right away but you cannot just throw away everything you know you should be doing. Go back to the beginning and follow all the rules. Measure out your food. Eat only 1/2 cup solid lean protein and 1/2 cup vegetables at each meal. Try to stay at 1300 calories a day while getting in 60+ grams of protein. Drink more water than you think you need (1/2 oz for every pound of body weight you currently are is a good rule of thumb.) Keep up with the walking. Abstain from junk food altogether until you can get to a place where you can work back some of your must-haves into your diet in a way that won't throw you off track for weeks.

If you do this, I promise you, you'll see results and over time the fills will work and you'll be satisfied on a lot less food than you are used to. It's a really slow and gradual process and it's as much mental effort as physical.

Please though, do not get any more fluid in your band right now.

I didnt realize that it was a double post but I am so glad to see your response is somewhat like mine. Posts like this worry the crap out of me! 

I am with Thundergirl. I cant believe you have had two fills already, My question is, is he really getting the needle into the port to tighten the band if your still feeling hungry. My Doctor ALWAYS does band fills under Xray that way he can make sure the band is getting adjusted properly. I have had my band for two years now. My Doctor said it would take between 3-5 years to get down to the weight I want to get at. I have lost over 100lbs and still have 85lbs to go. So understand its a slow steady pace. I would talk to your Doctor about your concerns and if you still get warning flags, go to another Physician for an opinion. Hang in there and keep walking.

Your Friend,

Steve in Michigan

I too am very concerned that you had a fill so soon after surgery. My doc waits 6 weeks before the first fill. I just had my third fill and I am 5 months out from surgery. I have about 3 cc in my band. I would start asking questions and be pro active in your care. I would ask if he is sure the fill went in. He can take all the fluid out to make sure it is indeed in or that you don't have a leak.

I too would be concerned that a dr is giving fills too soon after surgery and 2 within 5 days thats crazy.  this thursday is my 2nd week post-op and I dont go back till my 1 mo visit which will be 1 mo and 5 days due to it falling on thanksgiving. at that point If needed Ill receive my first fill.  how long exactly after surgery was your first fill?

If I read her post correctly 14 days after surgery.

 
I have not had any restricion for about 2 years. I had restricion the first 2 weeks b/c of the swelling from the surgery, but since then I have had 16 fills and never got restriction.

Good luck!

Dont' make your journey all about fills.  There is more to it than that so now would be the time to decide how you're going to approach your diet.  What are you tracking?  Have you decided to give up any types of foods that you know are unhealthy?  Are you measuring portions, limiting yourself to no more than 6 small meals a day?  Are you exercising?

My main concern, (aside from the fact that you're getting ready to have your 3rd fill only 45 days post op), is that you know you can eat the night that you've had a fill.  You should do liquids AT LEAST for 24 hours post op so you don't agrivate the area that will already be swollen.  It usually takes 3 days for a fill to fully kick in, so be patient.

Like others have posted my surgeon did my first fill at 6 weeks and will never do a fill less than 4 weeks apart.  Fills do put stress on your band so you need to make sure you are fully healed between fills.

Hang in there, but if I were you, I'd work on figuring out what I'm willing to eat and not willing to eat as part of your new healthier life style.  It's time to come up with your plan and give your band some time to do what it's supposed to do.  Check out Kate P's post from earlier today.  She's dead on accurate.

You can do this!  Take care!

Lisa O.

Okay U guys, I have read all the replays...Thank u so much for taking the time to share. I am now 6wks post-ob. I have put on 5 Pd's, I am going in tomorrow for my 5th...well 4th fill. My 2nd fill did not happen b/c my Dr. could not find my port... I say my 2nd b/c he poked me about 5x trying to find my port. I am now 5cc in a 10cc band. I do understand what u guys r saying about having too many fills in such a short period of time. I TRULY feel like my band is not working for me. Every fill that I have gotten Dr.A has made SURE what cc r in my band to rule out the band maybe leaking ...I would think 5cc should give me some restriction other than 2 or 3 times. & ALL of us r different in the way our band react to our body. I told my DR. that I did not have this band put in me to have to fight my hunger by myself... after getting a fill I doing liquids for 24hrs, than soft food for 24hrs, than whatever I want to eat. I do stay away from fatty food the best I can. I am walking 2 miles 4x a week. I just want this band to help me out too. I am a positive person most of the time but this is really getting the best of me. I understand that u guys say I have had too many fills in a short period of time but to tell u the truth I feel that I should get as many fills as it take to give me that restriction. The lady that said she has not had restriction in 2yrs... all I can say is WHAT KIND OF CRAP is that !!! Is that not the reason for getting the band. "THE TOOL"... I hear the judgmental statements about my Dr. b/c he is giving me these fills, but I am glad that he is willing to listen to my body vs. what the norm is. what I am hearing from the replays is wait 4,5,or 6 weeks before getting a fill, that would mean tomorrow would be my 1st fill...Hell to the NO!!! He may have to go back in to change the band, I have max my deductible so my insurance will have to take care of this...if we go in before 01/01/12. & i say lets do whatever we have to do NOW! I will let u guys know about the fill tomorrow. My 2nd fill was 3 1/2wks post-ob.

Thanks, IAMSPECNUM