Fill Me Up

"Yes it was extreme, but it kept Blythe away from the bloody Jaffa Cakes"

7 Weeks and 2 Days Post-Op
Weight: 13 stone 4lbs
Weight loss: 2 stone 13lbs



Well I am only 1 pound off that 3 stone mark. Isn’t it funny the little arbitrary goals we set ourselves? Anyway, I’ve lost 2lbs this week which I am really pleased with given that I have had a couple of indiscretions. Nothing too major but I there is some definite rule bending going on, LOL. However, I am still walking which I think then allows me a little flexibility with the amount I am eating.

Yesterday I saw the dietician, not the week before as previously mentioned. She was very nice and talked me through the next stage… the first fill. She sent me some information which I am going to quote here as it really helped me understand the differences there seems to be with people’s fill regimes.

Blind Fills

Many centres ask people to come back to clinic for band adjustments from about 4-6 weeks after their operation then every few weeks, possibly up to 8 visits or more. At each visit, a small amount of fluid is injected into the band until a point is reached where the patient feels comfortable with the degree of restriction or there is over restriction and some fluid needs to be removed from the band to allow better eating quality.


X-ray Fills

The consultant radiologist is able to assess the position of the gastric band, the size and shape of the gastric pouch and oesophagus. Fluid is injected into the band to a safe level where restriction is visible on X-ray. The band adjustments achieved in 2 X-ray fills (at 3 and 6 months apart) correspond well with the total fills achieved using the blind fill method.


So that explains why people have such varied experiences. I was told yesterday that I will probably only need 2 fills in total and it is rare that people need 3 when it is done under X-ray. She said that the radiologist measures the width of the stoma (hole at the bottom of the pouch into the rest of the stomach) to within 3 millimetres. The first fill will give some restriction and should assist weight loss but during the next 3 months more of the internal fat around the stomach will have been lost. This means there is less fat to compress underneath the band (i.e. between the stomach wall and the band) and, at the second fill, the radiologist is apparently very skilled at filling the band as close to the stomach wall as possible. This means that the level of restriction will then be permanent as there’s no fat compressing beneath it.

I now understand why people have restriction for a few weeks with their blind fills, lose weight and then seem to lose restriction. In all of the posts and the books I have read nobody seemed to explain why that was. It all makes so much sense.

Clearly the information I have been given is biased towards the X-ray fill method but, to be truthful, I had no prior knowledge or understanding as to the differences. I just assumed I would still need 8 or so fills and that it would cost an arm and a leg. I didn’t choose this surgeon on account of his fill regime and I didn’t even bother to ask about how many fills I would need at the initial consultation. The dietician admitted that there is no evidence to say that one method is preferable to another; in Australia they use the blind fill method exclusively and don’t rate the X-ray method. So I think it is simply down to the individual surgeon’s experience and preference.

I just found all this very interesting and thought I would share it with you. I’m off now to have a walk as it looks like it might rain later.

Onwards and downwards.