my_friend_amber

So I had my 2nd fill Thursday (this one under fluoro in Austin) and it went great - felt a great amount of restriction and was on liquids for 48 hours after the fill. But by the time I could eat again, I feel pretty much like I did before the fill. You guys may remember that I had a heinous 1st fill experience where the doc poked around on me for just over an hour and poked me 9 different times...well this time, the fill doc poked me once and the spot is about 1.25 inches LOWER on my belly that the 1st fill...why do you think there is no restriction? I was freaked that fill quack #1 may have poked my tubing the 1st go around and a lot of you comforted me and said not to worry, restriction is tricky, etc...what do you think now? Time to worry yet?? HELP!!

Well, after my harrowing ordeal in Fayetteville, AR, I had a 2nd fill today and it went really well. Slight discomfort is the best way to describe it. It was under fluoro and the doctor was extremely careful and kind and she took as long as I needed to get a fill amount that she thought was best. I now have 2.25 cc's in my 10mm band. I'm on liquids for 48 hours...here's hoping that 49 hours from now I have a great amount of restriction!!

If you guys remember, my first fill was a bad, bad experience ( http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?showtopic=7786 ) and I have another one scheduled for tomorrow adn I'm starting to freak. This time, I'm going to a Fill Centers USA in Austin, and I'm going to have it done under fluoro, so I'm hopeful that this will be a better experience, but I can feel myself getting really nervous! Does anyone have any advice for me? Has anyone had fills in Austin before that can tell me about the docs there? Thanks ahead of time guys!

Well, this is not for the faint of heart, but here's me after a 50 lb virtual weigth loss: http://www.weightview.com/new/resultsshown...mmingSquashy299

HOLY $*#^!!! I saw you just 3 short months ago and you look amazingly thinner now!!!!!! YAY MICHELLE!!!

I'm taking Evette's advice and posting this information so that my fellow bandsters do not have to go through the terrible experience I went through. I've copied and pasted my original post below for the information of anyone who may not have read it the 1st time around on the 'general discussion' board: Doctor's name: John Kendrick Location: Willow Creek Drive, Fayetteville, AR Original Post: Last Thursday (the 31st) was my 1st fill. The facility was nice and clean and I went in and laid down on the table and felt like everything would go just fine...but it really didn't go too fine. The doctor had a horrible time accessing my port - he kept "slipping off" as he called it - which would cause that pretty big needle to just jab into my guts. Well after about 30 minutes of tries (and pain) he hit the port, put in 2cc's and told me to drink liquids that day and come back if breakfast went down too easily in the morning. So the morning came and I could have just eaten and eaten and eaten...no restriction. So I went back like the doctor said and he decided to put in one more cc. Again, it was such a struggle for me to lay still while he stabbed around on me to find the port. I kept telling him I thought he was too high up (he was poking right below my scar and when I feel my port, it feels like it's about an inch below my scar and a bit to the left) but he just kept jabbing in the same area. Finally, he hit the port again and put in one more cc. Immediately I could feel the tightness in my chest and knew he had hit the port. I sat up to try a sip of water and...it stuck! I was like oh no...I'm way too tight now. I was so sad because I knew he would have to go in AGAIN to get some out! So again I go back to the table, and this time I can physically see how swolen my belly is where he's been poking me over and over again. He says he's having a hard time because I am really swolen inside too. So he's poking and stabbing and "slipping off" the port over and over and over. He keeps smacking the port but cannot seem to penetrate it. And then he gets to pressing down on the needle really hard to make it go through the port and keeps "slipping off" and stabbing me so hard in the stomach muscles down there. Finally, after trying for what felt like a very long time, he pulled the needle out and it was "malfunctioning" and wouldn't draw any liquid. I was so mad because I knew I had to get some of this fill out of me! I knew he had to go back in and try some more!! To add to it alll, I was still stuck on the water I'd tried to drink and it made me feel like I was choking to death while lying flat on my back. To make a long story short, it took a little over an hour to get it done and I ended up with NINE needle holes in me - and each needle hole represented quite a few minutes being stabbed, and having him "slip off" my port. The pain was so bad that I was physically shaking - just out of control of the shaking no matter how much I tried and tired to calm my mind down and breathe deep. I tried to take a break and just walk and breathe for a minute and try to let that stuck water go down, but I was so shook up by that time that I couldn't stop myself from crying. I honestly though I might pass out really. In the end, I just said I can't take this anymore and went home. A day later, I can eat again and don't feel too much restriction, but it was a horrible, horrible experience. I honestly feel a little traumatized from it to tell the truth. I have heard so many of your stories about your fills where the words "virtually painless" or "hardly felt a thing" were used and I kept thinking "this cannot be normal!" I feel terrified at the thought of having to go back for more fills and I know I will have to! For you newbies out there, please do not freak out after reading this - I know this cannot be right!! Please, please learn from me and make sure to ask how many fills your fill doctor has done. Make sure they have been uber trained and have done hundreds and hundreds before you let them "practice" on you. Consider making the trip back to the OCC or going to a Fill Centers USA location - even if it's a longer drive or more expensive. Believe me, I would have traded the money and time in a heartbeat to have not had to go through the horrible experience I went through. For you veteran bandsters out there, please tell me I'm right - this is not normal and I should never have to have an experience like this again if I go to a Fill Centers USA location...right!?

At about day 7 I had to call the OCC because mine was causing my skin to blister up around it...apparently, I'm allergic to long-term exposure to adhesives!! Oops!! I just showered to get it wet and gummy, the peeled it right off...no problems!

Have you had much jello? The thing about jello is that you can actually "chew" it up but then it turns into a liquid when you swallow it. Sometimes the physical sensation of chewing something and eating with a utensil can help the brain out. Your body is used to going through the motions of eating and it sounds like your head hunger is in high gear. Hopefully, the jello can be your friend. All my best, Amber

Thanks so much for a)the support and love and sharing your more sane, less traumatic experiences. I am very, very relieved to hear that I should never have to expect this again as I will certainly NOT be going back to that doctor. By the way, the doc is not a Fill Centers USA doc, but a privte surgeon located in Fayetteville, AR. I will absolutely be making the drive to a Fill Centers USA location next time (I think I will go to the one in Austin, TX next time to get the fill done under fluoroscopy just to make sure everything is okay) and then afterward will use the location in Farmington, MO (they don't do fluoro there, but it's closer for follow-up fills.) I hope everyone learns from my mistake and checks out their fill doc bigtime (AT LEAST make sure he's done a few hundred) before putting yourself through what I did. Thanks so much for your support guys - I'd go crazy without you!!!!!

...or I might have had "the big one" - LOL!! Glad you're back with us Julie!!

I definitely agree - I will never get a fill without seeing the doctor's statistics and talking with him to gain an understanding of his knowledge and practices before-hand. If I had it to do all over again, I would absolutely just save up the $ to fly back to the OCC. In Arkansas, there are not a lot of good options really...most doctors here won't even touch a "Mexican band" - even though they were quite possibly trained by a Mexican doctor and my band is an Inamed - the most used band in the U.S!! *sigh*

If you can do it at all, make yourself eat the yogurt. Your body needs something to work with - it's been so busy losing weight and trying to heal you from the surgery - the calcium will do it some good. Best of luck!!

Last Thursday (the 31st) was my 1st fill. The facility was nice and clean and I went in and laid down on the table and felt like everything would go just fine...but it really didn't go too fine. The doctor had a horrible time accessing my port - he kept "slipping off" as he called it - which would cause that pretty big needle to just jab into my guts. Well after about 30 minutes of tries (and pain) he hit the port, put in 2cc's and told me to drink liquids that day and come back if breakfast went down too easily in the morning. So the morning came and I could have just eaten and eaten and eaten...no restriction. So I went back like the doctor said and he decided to put in one more cc. Again, it was such a struggle for me to lay still while he stabbed around on me to find the port. I kept telling him I thought he was too high up (he was poking right below my scar and when I feel my port, it feels like it's about an inch below my scar and a bit to the left) but he just kept jabbing in the same area. Finally, he hit the port again and put in one more cc. Immediately I could feel the tightness in my chest and knew he had hit the port. I sat up to try a sip of water and...it stuck! I was like oh no...I'm way too tight now. I was so sad because I knew he would have to go in AGAIN to get some out! So again I go back to the table, and this time I can physically see how swolen my belly is where he's been poking me over and over again. He says he's having a hard time because I am really swolen inside too. So he's poking and stabbing and "slipping off" the port over and over and over. He keeps smacking the port but cannot seem to penetrate it. And then he gets to pressing down on the needle really hard to make it go through the port and keeps "slipping off" and stabbing me so hard in the stomach muscles down there. Finally, after trying for what felt like a very long time, he pulled the needle out and it was "malfunctioning" and wouldn't draw any liquid. I was so mad because I knew I had to get some of this fill out of me! I knew he had to go back in and try some more!! To add to it alll, I was still stuck on the water I'd tried to drink and it made me feel like I was choking to death while lying flat on my back. To make a long story short, it took a little over an hour to get it done and I ended up with NINE needle holes in me - and each needle hole represented quite a few minutes being stabbed, and having him "slip off" my port. The pain was so bad that I was physically shaking - just out of control of the shaking no matter how much I tried and tired to calm my mind down and breathe deep. I tried to take a break and just walk and breathe for a minute and try to let that stuck water go down, but I was so shook up by that time that I couldn't stop myself from crying. I honestly though I might pass out really. In the end, I just said I can't take this anymore and went home. A day later, I can eat again and don't feel too much restriction, but it was a horrible, horrible experience. I honestly feel a little traumatized from it to tell the truth. I have heard so many of your stories about your fills where the words "virtually painless" or "hardly felt a thing" were used and I kept thinking "this cannot be normal!" I feel terrified at the thought of having to go back for more fills and I know I will have to! :lb12: For you newbies out there, please do not freak out after reading this - I know this cannot be right!! Please, please learn from me and make sure to ask how many fills your fill doctor has done. Make sure they have been uber trained and have done hundreds and hundreds before you let them "practice" on you. Consider making the trip back to the OCC or going to a Fill Centers USA location - even if it's a longer drive or more expensive. Believe me, I would have traded the money and time in a heartbeat to have not had to go through the horrible experience I went through. For you veteran bandsters out there, please tell me I'm right - this is not normal and I should never have to have an experience like this again if I go to a Fill Centers USA location...right!?

Amber that is AMAZING!!!! Thanks for doing the name proud!!

I'll add: a sports bra (for me anyway - going braless is just not an option ) A crossword puzzle or something to do that doesn't require too much long-time concentration shoes you do not have to tie laces on (bending = ouch at first) chapstick! plenty of $1 and $5 bills for tips and taxi rides Enjoy yourself - it will be a great experience!

I persoanlly looked to the OCC for my band b/c as a state employee of Arkansas, no bariatric surgery at all is covered. However, while I was there, I visitied with a medical doctor from southern California who was there for a fill and had had his surgery there a year or so ago. I asked him why he came to Dr. Ortiz if he himself was a physician in CA and he told me that he wanted to go to the best...so he came to the OCC. Dr. Ortiz has been the trainer for many US surgeons, so why go to the trainee when you can go to the trainer - for cheaper!!

AWESOME!!! Congrats!

Oh man guys, thank you so much for your responses and I SO hope you are right!! I just don't see how after haveing 3cc's (in a 4cc band) and having immedately been so tight I could barely get water down, I could go to feeling no restriction the next day. Knowing this, do you still think there is a chance that I could still just have a normally functioning band? Thank you guys SO MUCH for your imput!

So Thursday I got my 1st fill...2cc's. I did liquids for the rest of the day and then early Friday morning I had breakfast and had no restriction what-so-ever. So I went back Friday mid-morning and the doc added 1 more cc and had me sit up and drink some water and I could tell I definitely had restriction. I did liquids for the rest of that day and this morning I got up and had breakfast...nothing. I could just eat and eat and eat if I wanted to. I know I was tight yesterday - I could physically feel the restriction on liquids. Now just hours later - not a thing. I am so sad and so mad. It seems I got a faulty band. Please someone tell me that the OCC will fix this and give me a new band for no charge (aside from the cost of the flight I will have to of course pay for myself and the time I will once again have to take off work.) I have emailed Carolyn and am waiting for her reply. I am just beside myself. I am so bummed because I have had such a wonderful experience with my band and the OCC in general up until now. You alwasy hear there is a chance that you could get a faulty band (anything could be faulty of course - no matter what it is there are mistakes in everything sometimes) but you never think it will be you. If anyone out there has ever experienced this, or knows someone who had, please share with me what measures were taken to get it fixed. Any help/encouragement is appreciated. Beyond bummed, Amber

That is exactly what the band is all about - still alowing you to live a "normal" life while making smart modifications. Way to go!

So my first fill is (finally!) coming up next week and I'm getting nervous because I cannot feel my port at all. I'm still a fattie for sure - is this normal!? Will the doc be able to find it if I can't?

Can we hook up a fill-giving session as part of Band Camp!?

I ordered 2 of these - one for me and one for a friend! This company should give you a commission!!

I want to be able to have sex with my husband without once thinking "oh no...is hand touching fat there?!"

I miss the bacon, egg, and cheese bagels from McDonalds. Can you even BELIEVE how we used to eat!!?? Puke! (but i sure do miss that bagely goodness sometimes!!)