should I get a fill?

mss · 05-17-2008, 11:41 AM

Hi all

I thought I would get some feedback from you guys before I talk with my doctor on tuesday when I am booked for my 4th fill. He is very easy to talk to but I thought soe other thoughts would help me.

It was only with the last fill that I felt the first signs of what I imagine restriction is like....I am feeling satisfied for longer in between meals and sometimes when I eat too fast now I get a pain and need to wait for this to go away. This only happens very rarely, maybe 4 times in the past month. I can still eat quite a lot for a meal eg. 2 large grilled sausages last night and vegies.

In the past month I have probably lost about 1 and a half kilos (approx 3 pounds) which is nice after being on a plateau for three months so I am pleased about that.

My biggest fear though is of getting food stuck or of pb'ing or sliming. I was thinking of asking my surgeon if he could give me a smaller fill than he usually gives me but maybe I am overthinking this and should get the usual fill. I have no idea how much I have already in my band - it's not something I have ever been interested enough to ask about.

What would you do? Any thoughts welcomed.

Queen of Hearts · 05-17-2008, 04:25 PM

Hi mss! Do you have any idea what your band size is? I have a AP12 and my first fill was 5.0cc and my second was .6cc, so I have a total of 5.6 cc and just this past week I had a doctor appt but I asked not to be tightened up because of sliming and other niceities!

I would find out how big your band is and how much he has put in and then make a decision. My weight loss to date (banded 02/08/08) is 39 pounds. My doc told me last week that I am losing twice as fast as I need to so he agreed to let me go for another month without a fill. I had the .6cc put in because I told him I was cheating in the evenings before my last meal..I am also a research study patient and I didn't want to hamper the data by not telling him I was eating extra carbs..now I don't have the urge to cheat with salsa and chips!:biggrin2: Only you will know how much restriction you can tolerate. If he gives you too much you can always have him remove some of the fluid..?? I hope this helps..

sharona · 05-17-2008, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mss

Hi all

I thought I would get some feedback from you guys before I talk with my doctor on tuesday when I am booked for my 4th fill. He is very easy to talk to but I thought soe other thoughts would help me.

It was only with the last fill that I felt the first signs of what I imagine restriction is like....I am feeling satisfied for longer in between meals and sometimes when I eat too fast now I get a pain and need to wait for this to go away. This only happens very rarely, maybe 4 times in the past month. I can still eat quite a lot for a meal eg. 2 large grilled sausages last night and vegies.

In the past month I have probably lost about 1 and a half kilos (approx 3 pounds) which is nice after being on a plateau for three months so I am pleased about that.

My biggest fear though is of getting food stuck or of pb'ing or sliming. I was thinking of asking my surgeon if he could give me a smaller fill than he usually gives me but maybe I am overthinking this and should get the usual fill. I have no idea how much I have already in my band - it's not something I have ever been interested enough to ask about.

What would you do? Any thoughts welcomed.

well I now have 5 cc in my 10 cc band and have finally found restriction. I went every two weeks x 2 after getting my first fill of 2 cc's. It is really up to you and how you feel. That is way too much to eat at one sitting so you may need another fill. I don't think there is any "routine" fill and that it is all individual. Do you know how much you have in there already? and how big your band is??? This is a personal choice when working in collaboration with your physician. My weight loss has been only 1.5 lbs in one month so he was pretty aggressive.
sharon;)

mss · 05-18-2008, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Queen of Hearts

Hi mss! Do you have any idea what your band size is?

Hi Queen of Hearts. Thanks so much for your reply. I just went through all of my papers, I have a 10 ml inamed band. I will talk some more to my doc on tuesday. My weight loss is excruciatingly slow at the moment so I am leaning towards getting another fill.

many thanks

mss · 05-18-2008, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharona

well I now have 5 cc in my 10 cc band and have finally found restriction. I went every two weeks x 2 after getting my first fill of 2 cc's. It is really up to you and how you feel. That is way too much to eat at one sitting so you may need another fill. sharon;)

Hi Sharona

Thanks for replying. I have never asked how much I have in my band but I will ask when I see him on tues. I have the small inamed 10 ml band. I agree that I feel as though I am still able to eat too much at a meal however I also like the fact that I can pretty much eat everything (as in still eat bread and meat) but I will discuss all of this and my concerns about possibly getting over-filled with my doc.

juliegeraci · 05-19-2008, 06:36 PM

I would go up maybe .3. That is a typical fill for my doctor.

Queen of Hearts · 05-19-2008, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mss

Hi Queen of Hearts. Thanks so much for your reply. I just went through all of my papers, I have a 10 ml inamed band. I will talk some more to my doc on tuesday. My weight loss is excruciatingly slow at the moment so I am leaning towards getting another fill.

many thanks

Hi Mss! :biggrin2: UR so welcome..but it's true..only you can really make the determination whether you have enough or not.

Once you find out just how much you have then you can have him add more and just see how it feels. If you go to far you will be back in his office in a couple of days to have some removed.

..almost like I did..but I just started chewing more and eating less! If I would have had more put in last Thursday I would have been miserable!!

I think I'm pretty close to my sweet spot because I'm not craving after work and I eat a lot less than I did and really concentrate on my protein! Whew.. it's tough sometimes but I feel better knowing I didn't get that extra umph that I may not have needed!

Good luck and let us know what happens after you see the doc!!

destynee990 · 05-20-2008, 12:32 AM

Hello everyone... I need advice, and although I fear I may know the answer, I am going to ask anyway.
I was banded 3/7/08 and have had 2 fills. I have a 10cc band. Here is my "issue" ever since my last fill (end of April) I have not really been able to eat a "full" meal. Liquids are NOT a problem and oddly stuff thats not good for me.. chips, salsa, graham crackers, anything small which usually ends up being some kind of bad snack food, goes down just fine. "Regular" food is a TOTALLY different story. Almost anything I try to eat gets stuck and I end up Pb'ing!! Today I had some vegtable soup (maybe 3 or 4 spoonfulls) and that was all. Just now for dinner I tried some tuna on crackers I got one down and after the second I had to "barf". I have an appointment on Wed next week to have another fill and I am worried that it may be too much. How much food am I supposed to be eating? as in SOLIDS? I eat alot of soups and my shakes are still no prob. SO is a few bites of solid food okay? I am so confused is this what is meant by eating ALOT less than I used to? or is that not normal? Could I, without thinking about it, not be chewing or taking small enough bites? I am "stuck" between a rock and a hard place. I am worried that another fill may be too much and I am also unsure if I really have 'Good' restriction. Any advice? should I get the fill and see how it goes?? or do I ask for an unfill and HOPE it doesnt cause me to overeat all over again???
HELP!!! any advice or words of wisdom would be soooo much appreciated!
thanks!!
~Destynee~

KarenG. · 05-20-2008, 12:19 PM

Sounds like you almost need an unfill. I would go on liquids for few days and then if you cannot still eat and solid foods have saline taken out. If you arent letting your stomach rest after a stuck episode you may be making the problem worse ( I learned this the hard way). After you rest for a few days try to eat really slowly and carefully and if that fails def. go for un-fill b/c then you are too tight. If you are too tight you will probably start eating soft foods and eventually gain weight so an unfill doesnt neccessarily mean you will be gaining.

Good luck!

Queen of Hearts · 05-20-2008, 06:33 PM

Hey Destynee! Well I have to agree with Karen. After your last fill with just liquids and then trying to start solids and then having those problems you just wrote leads me to believe you are too tight!

I too felt like I didn't want another fill on my third because I was having some real issues with solids as well. I told my doc I'd like to wait and get used to this fill a little better because I couldn't eat my 1/2 cup of food for my meal at one time. I was eating maybe a 1/4 cup and later (about an hour) eating the rest. With this extra time I am adjusting better and believe me your instincts kick in when you get used to how much you can tolerate and what you can tolerate and if you go one step over your hugging the porcelain bowl again!

This is the start of my second week and I'm eating better now but I have noticed that it takes a lot less to give me that full feeling so I may be close to my sweet spot! :biggrin2: My doctor told me not to eat a lot of liquids. He said my body won't get the nutrients it needs because the liquids just pass through so quickly and also that the proteins in my stoma will help keep me with a full feeling longer. If I were you I would first talk to the doc and then decide if you may want to try to get more accustomed to this fill you have and try eating and chewing less food and maybe even stretching the time to eat a bit longer like I am having to do. You might not need another fill and you surely need to be sure to eat solids well before you get another fill..just my opinion. I am so glad I have decided to wait. I don't hug that white throne anymore and I am getting my solids down a bit better.

Let us know how you're doing!

destynee990 · 05-20-2008, 07:51 PM

Okay "Queen" so you have only had 2 fills? I think I was a bit discouraged because I thought 2 fills just could NOT be enough. I decided last night...after countless excuses as to why my food would get stuck, that TODAY I would really pay attention to my eating habits. Did I take small bites? did I chew enough? Well this morning I couldnt get my soggy cereal down. THEN for lunch the only thing I could think to eat was soup, that was NO problem. Even Jello was kind of making me gag but I got that down. Now its late afternoon/early evening and I could BARELY get the inside of a bean burrito down. SO I have concluded this... I am too tight! lol.. I will tell my doctor at my appt next Wednesday that I was not tight enough before and that I am too tight now. That way he can remove saline as he sees fit. Worse case he removes too much and we have to try again. Right?! Thank you for your reply I really had a list of reasons why this was happening.. including "well maybe I am just putting too much in my mouth" lol today confirmed it for me!
thanks again!!

mss · 05-21-2008, 05:56 AM

Thanks everyone. I saw the surgeon yesterday and we agreed that he would put 0.5ml's in my band. this was my 4th fill and I now have 6.5ml in a 10 ml band. I am on mushies today and have been managing to eat them without any problems so I am feeling happy with my decision. :)

Queen of Hearts · 05-21-2008, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by destynee990

Okay "Queen" so you have only had 2 fills? I think I was a bit discouraged because I thought 2 fills just could NOT be enough. I decided last night...after countless excuses as to why my food would get stuck, that TODAY I would really pay attention to my eating habits. Did I take small bites? did I chew enough? Well this morning I couldnt get my soggy cereal down. THEN for lunch the only thing I could think to eat was soup, that was NO problem. Even Jello was kind of making me gag but I got that down. Now its late afternoon/early evening and I could BARELY get the inside of a bean burrito down. SO I have concluded this... I am too tight! lol.. I will tell my doctor at my appt next Wednesday that I was not tight enough before and that I am too tight now. That way he can remove saline as he sees fit. Worse case he removes too much and we have to try again. Right?! Thank you for your reply I really had a list of reasons why this was happening.. including "well maybe I am just putting too much in my mouth" lol today confirmed it for me!
thanks again!!

Hi destynee! Well I'm glad to hear you tried to really be conscientious of what you were eating and how much. My doc said for me to use a baby spoon and that's how small my bites should be!

I started laughing and told him history repeats itself..now I'm back to the baby stage with the spoons!

I don't use a baby spoon but I do take tiny bites and chew till it's almost like a paste! I am scheduled to go back in June for another adjustment but if I get any at all it will be a very tiny bit!

I really think with the 5.6cc in this 12 AP band that I am really close to my ideal tightness. I'm a pretty big girl so maybe my stoma is bigger than yours and you may need more or less. Ask your doc how much you have total and if he does remove some have him take maybe just 1/4 or 1/2 of what he put in you on the LAST fill and that may end up being your sweet spot..where you're eating but not so much that you can't lose the weight and still keep all the food down without any bad side effects!

You will know pretty quick if he removed too much..you'll feel like you could eat anything!

Keep us posted on your progress! Good luck!!

Queen of Hearts · 05-21-2008, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mss

Thanks everyone. I saw the surgeon yesterday and we agreed that he would put 0.5ml's in my band. this was my 4th fill and I now have 6.5ml in a 10 ml band. I am on mushies today and have been managing to eat them without any problems so I am feeling happy with my decision. :)

Hey Mss! That's great.

Only you will really know how much you can take and now you know just how much you have, that's good to know. My doc gave me 5 cc on my first fill and I have a friend that goes to him and he gave her only 3cc so I can only assume his reason is because we are all different in our own way and he felt I could handle the 5cc where my friend (who is a smaller woman than myself) could only have 3 cc. She may even have a different size band too. Mine is for a research study and it could be totally different from hers?? I hope once you get over your mushies you can eat solids with no problems!! Hang in there you're doing GREAT!!