Question:
i can't tell if first lap band fill was successful?
my first fill was very scary. the surgeon did the fill in a regular room, no problem there. he did deaden the injection site, no problem there but it took him 7 attempts to find the Area he was looking for. he did finally locate it i guess. then injected the band with 1cc of saline. i then had to drink a small bottle of water in front of him. i have a return visit in one month. is this procedure in occordance with your knowledge? how does the doctor know he hit the right spot? my band is the larger of the two types of bands. it will hold a total of 10 cc's. any help on these questions would be greatly appreciated......... — stevenzak (posted on August 6, 2008)
August 6, 2008
Steven,
How far out are you from your surgery? I am curious since I am due for my
first fill on 8/25 which is 6 weeks out from surgery. My surgeon explained
that it takes that long for the swelling to diminsh so they can
successfully find the port. Best of luck- Mary
— Beachpaws
August 6, 2008
Hello Friend,
Boy, your surgeon was very conservative with your first fill. I too have
the larger band and was givien 3cc. the first fill and I have just received
the 2nd fill with 1cc yesterday. I spoke wth the doctor and sort of went
over some of the foods I was eating and she told me to eat more
"real" foods and not just the soft, easy stuff like hummus,
cottage cheese, yogurt and oatmeal. So my mission is not to get the
protien requirement through steak, chops, chicken and seafood. With that
comes the responsibility of chewing my food thoroughly or I have
consequences I create, the famous "stuck" feeling and then the
lovely froth that rises from "itsy-bitsy"(small part of my
stomach). I did have that experience when I ate and had a conversation at
the same time. I wasn't paying attention to how much I was chewing because
my focus was really on the person I was talking with.
I must say the doctor wanted to wait another month before giving me my
second fill till I told her I had two slices of pizza. That was the best
pizza in the whole world. A small hawaiian (ham and pineapple).
Best of luck on your weight loss journery. We are all winners here, we
made the committment to ourselves.
Mary-Anne
— mannecote
August 6, 2008
I just had my 3rd fill today, and I'm 5 1/2 months out. I was wondering
the same thing after my first fill, thinking it could not have been
successful because I did not have any restriction at all afterwards. I
received 3cc of saline the first time, 1 1/2 the 2nd fill, and 1 1/2 today.
My doctor did the fill in a regular room also. He felt for the port, but
asked me to act like I was doing a sit-up, and stick my belly out, so he
could locate it. He did not deaden the injection site. I too drank some
water to make sure it went down o.k. The next time I had a fill, he had no
problem locating the port, but I still had to stick my belly out. Today,
(70 lbs. lighter) it was even easier, just a quick stick, and it was over.
So, our experiences are similar, and I just wanted you to know, it gets
better.
— Dro
August 6, 2008
I had my first fill of 2.5 cc. It was easy, my doctor uses a device that
scans the area for the port. It is a ultra sound machine that he can see
exactly where the port is just by holding a small device over the area, and
then he marks it. I am looking forward to my next fill in a few weeks,
becuase so far I am not getting that full sensation after eating. I am
sticking to eating fish and turkey, lunchmeat, cottage cheese, and you can
buy these great frozen breakfast omlets for a great quick easy breakfast,
if you get up early and have to run out the door. I usually drink water
mixed with Crystal light lemon, which helps you drink water easier. NO
CALORIES!
GOOD LUCK. Stay in contact with your support group.
— gulfbeachgal
August 6, 2008
I had my surgery 4/9/08 and had my first fill 4wks later. I have the
realize band 10cc. I do have 5cc so far and I still havent hit my comfort
zone. Im hoping to hit it on my next fill 8/12/08 which will be my 4th
fill. As of today I have lost 32lbs. I have had no problems with my dr.
finding my port, or giving me a fill. You should be able to feel your
port also. I can mine with no problem. I do the same thing have to
drink some water before leaving his office. So your procedure is the same
way, but I would ask your dr about why it is so hard to find your port. I
can tell when he hits my port with a fill cause for a day or 2 you feel
like your full and you dont swallow anything fast or 2 big. Hope this has
helped in some way, and good luck....
— moosey52
August 6, 2008
I got my band 1/07 and I have had fills both ways (with x ray and
without).I did notice that early on in my weight loss journey, it took them
a little longer to find the port under all my fat. Now, it's pretty easy
and quick. I'm not sure if you mean that your Dr stuck you with the needle
7X? Now that would seem a little odd. They just have to make sure that they
get the needle in the right place because they could accidentally pierce
the tubing, the saline would leak and part of the port would have to be
replaced. Be patient, take your time with the fills.You need to adjust to
the new food choices.You don't want to go back to the old, bad, food
choices. Lastly, don't worry about how many cc's are in your band, everyone
is different.At this point, I have had so many fills and some unfills even
the Dr does not know how much I have in there.I does not matter, it is what
feels comfortable for you. Good Luck. I love my band and don't regret a
thing about it. Well, gotta go, I'm walking 60 miles for breast cancer this
weekend in Chicago!(I wouldn't have been able to do that without my band-I
could barely walk around the block):)
— pattyann
August 7, 2008
For a first fill, that sounds pretty standard operating procedure to me.
I'm sorry that it was a scary experience for you.
— Mary H.
August 7, 2008
ps. Patty - Good for you marching for breast cancer in Chicago. Tomorrow
I will be marching for Tibet from Water Tower Place to the Chinese
Consulate.
— Mary H.
August 15, 2008
I completely understand what you went through. I am my surgeon's most
difficult stick... his words not mine. I have a 12cc band that is rotated
upwards facing my head instead of facing straight out. Being pretty
"fluffy" still with a lot of fat to go through, it takes him
multiple sticks to access my port. Never fun.
The surgeon knows he is in by the way it feels and when he draws back on
the syringe, the primer saline that was in your band was drawn back and was
visible. If there was no saline when he drew back on the syringe, he would
know he wasn't in. Being a nurse who has accessed many ports (port a
caths, not WLS ports), there is a certain feel to it that comes with
practice.
The doc will then put some saline in and have me drink some water and then
count how long it takes for it to go down. If it goes down quickly, he
will put a little more saline in, if it goes down slowly, he knows it is
the right amount for that fill.
It is best that fills are done conservatively over a period of time as your
stoma will swell after each one and needs time to heal. It usually takes
several before you hit "the sweet spot" where you have plenty of
restriction and can become satisfied on very little food.
Remember... satisfied NOT full.
Good luck,
Dawn
— DawnVic
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