Need important information about fills

 Hi,

I hope you guys don't mind, but I posting this message on both boards. I live and work in Thailand, where I had my Realize band placed. The surgery went well though my post-op care leaves a lot to be desired. The doctors here don't do many WLS (Thais are generally pretty tiny), so I guess there isn't much of a need. Anyway, to make a long story short. I need to learn as much as I can and then pass on the knowledge to my doctors (who by the way thought that just having the band - with no fills - would do the trick).

 

I've gotten so discouraged waiting for my first fill (10 weeks). I even gained 2 kilos back!! Anyway, I finally got one today. I have a 10cc  band, and the doctor initially gave me a 7cc fill, which seemed like a lot for the first time. I remember reading about doing a water test and found that I was regurgitating it. I mentioned it to the doctor who suggested I wait an hour and try to eat something. I ate some papaya (the only non-fattening item I could find in the hospital), and sure enough, I started "burping" it up. I thought I might be too tight(not that I would know - this being my first fill), so I asked him to remove some. He obliged, so I now have 5 cc. It has only been a few hours, and I'm hungry. Is this normal? Should I have kept the 7ccs? Would the regurgitation that I had in the hospital have gone away if I had been more patient (say a few hours or days)? When should I feel some restriction? I just thought that going from 0 to 5 ccs I should feel something right away. I have another appointment in a month. Will I be able to handle 7ccs then when I can't now? Should I make an appointment sooner to put back the other 2 ccs? The doctor didn't mention going back on a liquid or mushy diet after a fill. Should I? I'm so frustrated and depressed....Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 You don't want your band too tight.....that will only cause more problems. Regurgitating isn't good.....You want to be able to get your protein in and keep it in.  I'm assuming you are eating protein first.....that will fill you up for a little longer. I have had my 5th fill and am at 7.9cc's. My doctor doesn't have us do a liquid diet for two days after, but he tells us to be careful. I usually have refried beans and cheese after my fill then back to normal. Remember to eat slow and chew small bites. Do not drink for 1-1.5 hours after eating so your not washing your food thru too quickly.  The burps are from the food trying to get thru the band. Hope this helps!

Hi Carol,

Thank you so so much for confirming my hunch. I'm so glad I followed my gut (LOL) and asked him to remove some of the solution. I think, for me, the hardest part will be not drinking while eating. This is especially hard given how hot Thailand is. I'm so used to be constantly drinking. One can easily get dehydrated with the heat. Anyway, something I'll just have to get used to. My other major hurdle now is distinguishing between head and real hunger. I'm really impressed by your weight loss and hopefully I'll be able to catch up soon

Thanks again,

Cristina