How many fills does it take to fit an adjustable gastric band?
Posted by Adam Yarbrough on Tue, Mar 30, 2010 @ 01:32 PM
If you've been reading these blog posts for long, you probably realize that adjustable gastric banding surgery is just the first step in your long-term weight loss journey with a LAP-BAND or REALIZE Band device.
Note the term adjustable above. It does require adjustments to get your gastric band to the proper fit for you, which leads to the question: How many fills does it take to get my adjustable gastric band to its sweet spot?
Answer: It depends.
There is no magic number in terms of fills or volume of fluid in the band. It's unique to each adjustable gastric band patient, and it's possible that the appropriate amount of fluid for you can change over time.
First, let's define some terms:
- LAP-BAND Fill: You might hear this term a lot, though it's not necessarily correct. First, you might have a REALIZE Band. Both are good gastric bands and work in similar fashion. Second, it's not always a fill, which is the process of putting a saline fluid into the band through a port located under your skin. Sometime's it's an unfill, or taking fluid out of your band through the same port.
- Port: This is the small device that's attached to your abdominal muscle wall, underneath your fat and skin. You can't see it, though if you push hard you might be able to feel it. It's attached to a tube that leads to your band, so the fluid can fill the soft inner ring of the band. The port has a tough membrane that we can access with a needle.
- Gastric Band: This is the device that creates restriction
around the upper part of the stomach, so food sits at the top longer, making you feel full. It has a firm outer band and a soft inner band. The firm outer part holds the soft band in place, so as we add fluid, the band pushes inward to create restriction.
- Fluoroscopy: a x-ray tool our gastric band adjustment specialists use to see the port so that they ensure the needle hits it properly and safely. Some of our providers also use fluoroscopy with a barium drink to determine how your band is fitting.
- Sweet Spot: a common term for the point where a band is properly adjusted to allow food to move through fairly slowly, without preventing the flow of food entirely. Also known as the LAP BAND's Green Zone or the REALIZE Band's Right Fit.
So back to the question: How many fills does it take to adjust a band?
The anwer: It depends. It can vary greatly, depending on your unique anatomy and other factors.
I have met people who acheived some degree of restriction with only one or two fills and others who needed to keep coming in for quite a few visits before they got the their sweet spots.
Fortunately, even when the band is lightly fitted, most patients begin to lose weight. Weight Loss Surgical Center's adjustable gastric band practitioners work closely with patients at each adjustment visit to help teach the patient about proper nutrition, tips for tolerating food and even excercise advice.
Remember that our practitioner team has helped hundreds of people through their weight loss journies, so they have a lot of knowledge about how the band works and how to overcome setbacks.
Once you have achieved your sweet spot, green zone or right fit, you should lose 1-2 lbs per week as long as you remain faithful to the diet plan - eating the right amount of protein first and following that with vegetables, staying away from carbs and other empty calories. Fortunately, once you get the hang of using the band as a tool, the weight loss will be relatively easy.
After you've lost a good deal of weight, you may notice the restriction isn't as strong, or maybe your weight loss slows. This happens sometimes because as you lose weight, your anatomy may shift, or maybe you might begin falling back into old habits.
That's when it's time to come back to Weight Loss Surgical Center, and talk to your provider. Remember that if you have a setback, you have not necessarily failed - you might just need an adjustment.
And when you come in to visit with your gastric band care provider, he or she will take the time to discuss your situation and learn what is working for you or not, give you tips on how to adjust your behavior, if necessary, and then they'll adjust your band, if necessary.
That's the great part of the adjustability of the adjustable gastric band. It makes it a long-term tool for long-term weight loss success, and not a one-time procedure.
If you're interested in finding about about long-term weight loss success, please download our free materials about the LAP-BAND System or or library of REALIZE Band Solution information.