Fills

At the time of my lap band surgery, the doctor put 5ccs in my 10cc band. I've since learned that this is A LOT of fluid to have in one's band from the get-go, but at the time I hardly noticed. I remember thinking I'd have a difficult time consuming anything after the surgery based on all that I had read (and at the time, I thought my band was completely empty). A few hours after the surgery I had no trouble whatsoever consuming the stuff they brought me on my "tray of liquids" consisting of (among other things) jello, a lemon sorbet, juice, and cream soup (which I'd also read was a no-no after surgery). I would never have believed that a half full band would allow me to consume all of those things.

Over a period of a couple of weeks, I was gradually permitted to add in mushy food and then solids. I was shocked to find that I could eat most of the same stuff I had eaten prior to the surgery without any real trouble. I was scared to death to "overdo it" as I'd read all sorts of horror stories about stretched pouches and slipped bands, but on rare occasion, I did end up overeating and pretty much had no ill effects. After some time, I began to even wonder if I'd actually had a band installed at all.

It was 2 1/2 months after the surgery that I went in for my first fill. The doctor added 1 cc to the band. This was also when I learned that I already had 5 ccs in my band. I was shocked.

For a day or two after the fill, things seemed a bit tight, but then they loosened up and I could eat normally again. I started wondering if the whole band thing was a sham or if I was a freak case for whom it wasn't going to have any effect. However, I was determined to keep losing weight so I followed all of the band rules carefully despite being hungry and also physically able to eat greater volumes than I was eating.

The scale kept moving so I opted to pass on a fill the following month.

However, loss slowed and I chose to go for another fill the month after that. At first, the doctor added 1 cc to the band. When he gave me my Dixie cup of water to drink, it got hung up. I tried to wait a bit to see if it would go down, but it just sat there on top of the band - making me uncomfortable. As I sat, the doctor pulled 1/2 a cc of fluid out of the band and I felt the water immediately run down into my stomach. What a bizarre sensation! Instant relief.

While I enjoyed the idea of water actually being able to pass through the band (to say nothing of food), I was desperate to reach the elusive level of "restriction" I'd heard so much about so before the doctor pulled out the needle, I asked if he'd consider putting a wee bit back. He was happy to oblige. Doc added back .25 ccs and gave me another cup of water to drink. This time, it went through - but slowly. I decided to give that level a try, crossing my fingers that I wouldn't regret it. Doc said I'd know if there was an issue before the next day. Thankfully, there wasn't.

6.75ccs in my 10cc band was perfect for me. I could eat fine if I took my time and chewed well, but generally about 15-20 minutes into a meal, I'd just lose interest and put any remaining food away. It was a completely new experience for me as I'd previously been a "plate cleaner". On occasion, I did eat too fast or fail to chew adequately (resulting in hiccups or a spewing episode or both), but these were fairly rare occurrences. I was amazed that I could be satisfied on so much less food and I had to be careful to choose what I was going to eat to make sure I was getting adequate protein.

In the mornings, I was quite tight and could only reliably get liquids down, but it didn't really bother me and I developed a routine of having a protein shake for breakfast every day, which gave me a good jump-start to reaching my protein goal each day of 60-80 grams.

I was content and planned to stay at that fill level for a while.