At my eight-week post-op check I was finally able to get the first fill in my band. Fills are the key to the lapband. The doctor injects saline into the band through a small port stitched into the abdominal muscle. The saline causes the band to tighten, making the opening into the stomach smaller and creating two pouches, instead of the normal stomach pouch. The nerves that tell the brain the stomach is full are located at the top of the stomach, the band creates a small pouch at the top of the stomach that food stays in longer, tricking those nerves into feeling full on much less food. If the band is not tight enough, the food travels through that pouch too fast and a patient can eat normally. So fills are used to help people feel full longer and keep them from overeating. Finding the proper fill level is tricky and can take many fills and unfills.
I was pretty nervous about the fill process as I have really do not like needles. As I was waiting for the doctor to come in, I snuck a peek at the needle. Holy mother of needles that one is huge!! As soon as I saw it I started sweating and freaking out. After talking to the doctor, I hopped up on the table and tried to hide my fears, but I think he could tell how nervous I was. The nurse tried to distract me, but asking about my kids wasn't enough to get my mind off the needle, which had grown to monumental proportions in my mind, that they were about to stab into my stomach.
"Close your eyes, take a deep breath and hold it" the doctor instructed me. Bam, I felt a little pinch and before I knew it the doctor told me I was done. That was it?! If this is what a fill is I'll have no problem! I didn't feel any different, but the doctor reassured me I was now the proud owner of a 1 cc fill in my band. Hurray! I felt like I was finally on the weight loss track. After those first initial weeks of dropping weight like crazy, I'd slowed down and was only losing about a half a pound a week, so I hoped the fill would help me. After all, that's what I'd paid all this money for, right? To start eating less without feeling so hungry, to get my weight under control, and to take charge of my health.
Per the doctor's instructions, I stayed on liquids for the first couple days to let my stomach adjust to the new fill. That's a quick way to drop a couple pounds! My first real food attempt after the fill was scrambled eggs. I took the tiniest bite, chewed it to mulch, and swallowed. Hey, no pain, no gagging, and no puking! Looks like I was not overfilled, which is any lapband patient's worst nightmare. But, after a few bites, I noticed I wasn't feeling at all full like I should have been. And I was still hungry about an hour after my small meal. Looks like I still hadn't found the proper restriction, which didn't surprise me as it usually takes a few fills to hit the "sweet spot" for a lapband. I knew this journey wouldn't be easy, but little did I know how challenging it would turn out to be.
