Fill

Question
I had only lost 5 lbs in 6 months with my lap band (50lbs the first 6 months).
So last week I went for a fill.  I left feeling hungrier than before.  I went back
one week later and informed my surgeon of my increased hunger and ability
to eat anything.  He then took more time to find my port and we both heard a
POP when he found the port.  He said to me "we have to make sure we go
through the membrane to get to titatium port".  Doesn't this mean the FIRST
fill he DID not find the right place and basically just put saline in my system,
without filling my band?

Answer
Hi Michelle:

I think what you're saying from your post is that you lost 50 pounds in your first 6 months with the Band, and then only an additional 5 pounds in the next 6 months?  

It's possibly his first fill was a miss.  If he isn't doing your fill under fluoroscopy... and then watching barium go down... he can miss.  To avoid this, most surgeons will withdraw a little bit or all of the saline after the inject the fill (without moving the fill needle) to make sure that it's gone into the port.  So, if it's really going into the port, he should be able to withdraw 2.5 ccs or whatever amount he's put in.  Also, usually following a fill, a surgeon will have you drink some water to see how it goes down.  This is usually to avoid making a fill too tight, rather than worrying about a too loose fill, although it works both ways.

Even if your surgeon doesn't suggest this, I recommend bringing a bottle of water with you to "test" your fill yourself.  After a good tight fill, water should go down... but it won't be without some resistance.

Even if you had a perfect fill, it is still possible to need a lot of tweaking...especially the further you get post-op.  Often adding only 0.1 or 0.2 ccs can make all the difference.  Hopefully you'll find your sweet spot soon, and then weight will begin to drop-off again.  I know with me, I went through 8 fills in about 12 months with very little success.  I then bit the bullet and went back to my surgeon in Mexico... got a great fill under fluro... and lost 30 pounds in the next 2 months.

Hope this helps,
Karla

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