Gastric Band Fills / Adjustments
As you lose weight, the stomach gets smaller. Just like you have to tighten the belt on your pants when you lose weight, your gastric band may also need tightening. One of the main advantages of the band is its adjustability – the band can conform to the patient rather than requiring the patient to adjust to the band. On average, patients require approximately six adjustments in the first year and then very little after that. Once you reach your goal weight, very little adjusting is typically needed. Some patients will go for years without requiring an adjustment once they reach their goal weight. If you have the right adjustment for you, you will feel full on a small meal, stay full for a long time and easily lose weight without feeling like you are on a diet. If the band is too tight, eating and drinking may be uncomfortable; if it is too loose, you may not lose weight as quickly as desired. A common myth is that the tighter the band, the better the weight loss. The reality is that we see the best weight loss when the band is perfectly adjusted to you.
A band fill is a quick procedure that is performed in our office. Patients may feel anxious about their first adjustment, but they quickly realize that it is less uncomfortable than even a simple blood draw. In most cases, the adjustment is completed in less than fifteen minutes. Using a specially made needle, sterile saline solution is injected into or removed from the band via the injection port that was placed under the skin during surgery. After the adjustment is performed, most patients quickly resume their daily activities without complication or discomfort.
In the beginning, a band patient may require several adjustments before an optimal level of restriction is identified. Once the optimal restriction level is established, adjustments of the band become far less frequent.
Gastric Band Fills / Adjustments
As you lose weight, the stomach gets smaller. Just like you have to tighten the belt on your pants when you lose weight, your gastric band may also need tightening. One of the main advantages of the band is its adjustability – the band can conform to the patient rather than requiring the patient to adjust to the band. On average, patients require approximately six adjustments in the first year and then very little after that. Once you reach your goal weight, very little adjusting is typically needed. Some patients will go for years without requiring an adjustment once they reach their goal weight. If you have the right adjustment for you, you will feel full on a small meal, stay full for a long time and easily lose weight without feeling like you are on a diet. If the band is too tight, eating and drinking may be uncomfortable; if it is too loose, you may not lose weight as quickly as desired. A common myth is that the tighter the band, the better the weight loss. The reality is that we see the best weight loss when the band is perfectly adjusted to you.
A band fill is a quick procedure that is performed in our office. Patients may feel anxious about their first adjustment, but they quickly realize that it is less uncomfortable than even a simple blood draw. In most cases, the adjustment is completed in less than fifteen minutes. Using a specially made needle, sterile saline solution is injected into or removed from the band via the injection port that was placed under the skin during surgery. After the adjustment is performed, most patients quickly resume their daily activities without complication or discomfort.
In the beginning, a band patient may require several adjustments before an optimal level of restriction is identified. Once the optimal restriction level is established, adjustments of the band become far less frequent.