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My baby girl is now 5 months old, I never got any of my fill removed and I had one in the middle of November and found out I was pregnant in December. I had zero issues my entire pregnancy, I was able to keep food down..My little girl was born very healthy no issues at all..I now breastfeed and my milk supple is perfect..so I think it just all depends on you, my ob told me to get it unfilled but I refused..I don't think there is any reason to get an unfill..but thats my opinion...congrats on your pregnancy happy and healthy 9 months

I am 33 weeks pregnant and have not been unfilled, don't plan on it either. I have had zero issues myself with my band or my port. I have lost roughly 15-20 pounds since I have been pregnant and have gained back 1-2 pounds..my doctor doesn't seem concerned either because my baby is growing and is at a great weight..I was very concerned at first because it seemed like every pregnant woman I spoke with or book I read did not apply to me but then I realized I was different..although I have joined a pregnancy band board a lot of women on that site have had weight gaining issues...so I think it just depends on your body and if you get unfilled or not..I don't see a reason to get unfilled unless of course your band starts to become a problem later in your pregnancy...it seems like most of the women find out they are pregnant and rush out and get unfilled...not such a great idea..I do have to say the only problem I have encountered this entire pregnancy is gallstones...although my doctor does not know if it is from my weight lose or my pregnancy...needless to say I will have to have it removed about 4 weeks after I give birth...I just have to deal with the attacks and if they get bad enough then I will have to have surgery prior to giving birth...I just wanted to say congrats to the women that have struggled to become pregnant and finally after being banded were able too..I was in your shoes too..my husband and I tried for over a year and we were unable to get pregnant we went on fertility drugs for 3 months and I was able to get pregnant...it is a rough road to go down...but congrats to all and have a healthy and happy 9 months!!!

Today I am 191.8 woohoo!!

I received my first fill in April at OCC and I could really tell a difference, it lasted for awhile and I kept the weight off but I wasn't really losing any. I just got my 2nd fill at FCUSA and now I can really feel a difference. I can't speak for a 3rd fill I haven't made it that far. I think each person is different and you will start getting used to your band and figure out what is right for you. Good luck!!

Well what she did was she put the needle in and sat me up and had me drink water while she filled it little by little asking if I could tell a difference. Well honestly I've had one fill prior to this one and that was a long time ago (back in April) so I had a hard time trying to figure out the difference between the water going straight down or slower then usual. But as she added the fill you could kind of tell, you just have to keep swallowing water as they fill you. Hope this helps.

I have been banded for almost a year and even before the band I had problems with hair loss. I went to the Dermatologist and he recommended taking Biotin. It seems to have worked a bit and slowed it down.

I don't think it matters, from what I understood they just wanted you to try. I mean of course they want you to lose the weight but if you don't they will still do the surgery. I lost 8 lbs and the lady I was with actually gained 10 pounds lol so you will be fine..

Well it has been a long time since I have posted so I just wanted to come here and say "hi" again!! I got my first fill today since April, I went to Fill Center USA. I was sooo nervous because they don't use fluoroscopy and I thought "OMG" how are they going to find my port, I don't even know where it is..But the doctor did and she was super nice. Everyone at the clinic was really nice, and helpful. I just wanted to come here if anyone was a little hesitant on going to a Fill Center that I had a very good experience. It was different from Dr. Ortiz's first fill but that was only because they used the fluoroscopy and you knew exactly when to stop filling. I had 1 cc in my band and she added 1.8cc's which I am hoping isn't too much. The cost of the first visit is a lot $349 but after that it drops down to $169 I think, which is great. I was afraid they were going to skimp me on the amount of fluid they were going to put in but she kept going til I said stop. So hope this helps someone that might be worried about going or just doesn't have the money to go see Dr. Ortiz. So I am looking forward to losing some more weight woohoo!!

They have tons of the 100 calorie snacks in just about anything now, I also bring a protein shake with me and some veggies or dried fruit. I have granola bars in my purse just in case I get hungry. Just anything to avoid stopping somewhere and picking something up that isn't healthy.

How does it taste? I am trying to conceive right now and I am taking 2 Flintstone vitamins because my Obgyn said he didn't know of any prenatal vitamins that tasted good. I have tried taking the Centrum ones and OMG they taste like crap, they literally make me throw up. So I don't mind the price as long as it taste good. Thanks

I have been banded for almost 7 months now, I just started getting really really bad gas pains everytime I eat anything gassy. Well needless to say my mom did a bit of research and discovered that a lot of banders get gas pains after 7-9 months. Some complain about just having very bad stomach aches (which is what I have) to the more serious pains in the shoulder and chest area. This might not be gas pains but I would try some Gas-X, try taking 2 pills (that is what I use) and it usually goes away after 20 minutes. When I got my band done there was a girl there that had a very horrible pain in her shoulder and she talked to Dr. O and he said it was gas that it will go away. I remember her saying she had it for about 3 weeks and it hurt like hell. I would def give Gas-x a try and see if it helps, when I had these really bad stomach aches before I started taking gas-x I thought there is no way these pains are from gas but sure enough 20 minutes later the stomach aches was gone. Hope this helps, good luck =)

Congrads!! I have zero advice but I am 6 months post op and my husband and I have been thinking about trying to get pregnant at the end of Jan. So it is nice to be able to read the advice from everyone.

Just curious, I a trying to schedule an appointment but I am wondering if anyone else has used them..or any other Fill Center USA in Virginia Thanks

Well I just called Fill Center USA here in Virginia Beach, VA and they want $375 for the first visit, which includes the fill and consultation. After that the fills are $165...I forgot to ask about fluroscope so I will call them tomorrow. I would love to go back to OCC, they are awesome down there and my first fill didn't hurt a bit. But with airfare as expensive as it is would cost a lot more then $375 by the time I got the plane ticket and paid for the fill. No other doctor here in Virginia will touch me, they say they don't know what th doctor in Mexico has done and they don't want to be responsible. What a bunch of idiots!!!

Just wanted to wish everyone good luck to all the upcoming surgeies in Feb. I just had mine done yesterday 1/28/09, so far so good.

Does the gas pains go away while taking gas-x in the first couple of days after your surgery? I just had my surgery done yesterday and I can feel my chest hurting, so I get up and walk around but it always comes back very soon. Any ideas? Thanks, Tane

1. Name: Tane 2. Location: Virginia Beach, VA 3. Age: 32 yikes 33 is just around the corner.. 4. Band Date: Soon!! Jan. 29, 2009 5. Married: Will be 2 years V-day 6. Children of the human or furry kind: 2 sphynx (the hairless kind) 7. Hobby(ies): Reading like crazy, watching movies and reading some more 8. Work: Sales and Marketing 9. What was the deciding factor(s) on getting banded: I was tired of being fat and I had an accident a few years ago and messed up my back and I am tired of it hurting, so figured if I lost a ton it would not hurt so bad... 10. Interesting factoid: I am a huge Twilight fan..

Hello Everyone, I am pretty new to the board. I have been reading posts now for about a month but I never respond. Well I figured I would make a post. I just started day 1 of my pre op diet, it was a little hard. My surgery isn't til Jan 29th but I figured I have 12 pounds to loose (at least) and I would give myself a little bit more time. I am really excited about getting banded, I decided to do it over Christmas time when my mother-in-law told me about it. Well my pre op diet so far on the first day was a little hard, I found myself trying not to look for food. I have bought the Slim Fast shakes and had one for breakfast and lunch. For dinner I had a lean chicken breast with steamed asparagus on the side. So far so good, I don't feel hungry I just have a really bad headache but I am assuming it is normal. Any suggestions on anything I need to do or change? I do plan on eating the Lean Cuisines too, but my husband layed out chicken. Thanks for any information, I am excited about meeting some of you and getting my band!! ~ Tane

I just set my date for Jan 29th =) I am very excited..If anyone else is on that day please msg me..Hope to hear from some of you.