Is it possible????

At my last visit, they took all my fills out, then put it all back in plus .5cc's. I had been avoiding needed fills because of fear. Can the stomach fold back differently when they refill? Cause I'm thinking, though I can tell I have a band, I still might need a bit of a fill when I go back in 2 weeks. I don't pb, though I do occasionally get briefly stuck (when eating too fast or too big of bites) but nothing a few papaya enzymes won't clear right up quickly. Do you think the skin could have folded differently, thus leaving me a bit more loose than before?

What do you mean about "skin folding?"  I'm not sure what that means, Debbie.

Well, I'm thinking that as the liquid is inserted and the band tightens, that there's got to be some stomach folding under the band.  Am I visualizing this wrong?

There shouldn't be anything folding under the band, from what I understand. The band just tightens up the top portion of the stomach, forming a stoma. But it can cause inflammation and that can affect your restriction level.

The band constricts the stomach... just the top portion... so the food you eat moves more slowly through the stoma. If your stomach were to prolapse, it might "hang" over the top of the band... or the band might slip down to the mid portion of the stomach. Neither is a good thing, of course. There are a million things that can affect the level of inflammation in your stomach, so you might be loose one day and tighter the next. 





Hope this helps. I'm not sure if I'm answering your question or not! 

Thanks for the answer and the pic.  I had in my head the band just a bit lower. And thought there would have to be some stomach (not skin as I had said) folding as the band inflated to make a smaller passage for the food.  From this I can see that probably could never happen.  Thanks again!

No problemo, my lady! 

The stomach does not move or fold when you get a fill.
The saline pillow inside the band ets a little larger and so it puts additional pressure onto the stomach but the stomach does not change.

It is possible that you could use more fill.......I got fills every few weeks because I was losing weight every week and my stomach was shrinking and needed more 'pressure' on it

The fluid amount is an in- exact science ... Half a cc is just a few drops .... And some of the fluid stays in the tubing, so you might Ned another quarter or half cc if you don't feel restricted with your current level.

Thanks!  I became afraid of fills about 4 months ago when we had a support group meeting, with a power point, of what could happen if you kept your band too tight.  Then I got a .2cc fill, and one week later a .5cc fill.  That is when they withdrew it all to be sure it was all there and there wasn't a leak.  No leak.  I guess I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the apparent fact that I think I still need more because I'm hungry, not losing, and doing Zumba 4 to 6 times a week.  Guess I'll go for that fill and see if I can get back to that "green" zone where I've been before and know how it should feel.  I appreciate the info and support.

Are you keeping track of your eating?  Are you writing down when you eat and measuring your food?  When my doctor used to assess whether you needed a fill or not, these were the questions he would ask.  How much are you eating at one sitting, how long are you satiated and are you able to eat solid proteins?  if I am drinking my meals, i.e. protein shakes, soups or others liquid meals, I get hungry in a few hours.  the band does nothing for those type of meals, if I am eating solid protein meals, I am satiated for 5 hrs or more.  I measure all of my food, never eat more than 6 oz at one sitting - I am 4 years out tomorrow and I've learned to watch those things to know whether or not I need a fill.  I log all of my intake in on www.fitday.com and it helps keep my mind on what I am eating and my protein and cals.

Maybe you don't need another fill.  I am like you, I have really worked hard to not have my band too tight!  I want to keep it forever and I know that problems can arise if you keep it too tight!  I've lost slower, but I haven't ever had one problem and no unfills.

I wish I was and plan to be better at writing down my food.  I am not sure if I need a fill or not, but should be able to figure it out in the week and a half I have before my appt.  I'm stuck somwhere between fear of being overfilled and fear of running out of my prepaid fills in about 5 months.  I have done this slowly, and I'm OK with that but...  Gotta work this band correctly and lose the last 35lbs.