I had my first fill today.........

......and it all went very smoothly.

The nurse took me through to the treatment room and asked me what I had been eating. She said I would need to eat "better" with more in the band. When I asked her in what way "better" she said I should eat more regularly than twice per day and that I should be eating breakfast. I said I was confused because I thought I was not supposed to eat unless I was hungry. The nurse said that tends to be what the surgeons say but "they" (I guess she meant nurses and dieticians) know it is not good to leave too long between meals. When I asked her why she advised that she said that there can be 'problems' if don't eat regularly. I asked what problems there could be and she faltered and seemed stuck for words then said "erm you might get hungry and wind and stuff........" as she trailed off I made my decision that I will continue to do what 'feels' right for me and my body. She certainly didn't put up a convincing enough argument to sway me toward her way of thinking.

The actual fill was straightforward I lay on the bed and pulled my dress up to expose my tummy (the nurse said how neat my incisions looked compared to many she sees). She pressed on my stomach and asked if the bit she was pushing felt "tender". She put the needle in, at which point I felt a tiny pin prick, and then 15 seconds later removed the needle and said "there that's done". I was surprised. I had thought it would take longer and that there would be more 'fiddling around'. She popped a plaster on the site (I didn't realise that until later - I am allergic to the adhesive) and I jumped down from the table.

I had to ask her how much saline was now in the band. She said that there had already been 4.5ml in there and that she had added another 1ml taking my total to 5.5mls in a 10ml band.

She said for me to have a drink before I went home and that I would need some taking back out if there was any gurgling etc. She stressed that gurgling and bubbling, as I tried to drink, would be bad and would indicate that the band was too tight. I said I understood and that I did not want a band that was too tight. She said in her experience most people wanted an over-tight band!

I don't think she liked me much. She certainly wasn't at all friendly - she didn't even introduce herself (I only know her as 'nurse'). After she dismissed me I sat in the waiting room for 20 minutes, drinking a cup of water, and she walked past 6 times (the treatment room is off the waiting room) and she did not acknowledge my presence at all. Odd since I was only sitting there, at her request, checking for bubbling and gurgling.

I'm now back on fluids to allow any stomach swelling, caused by increasing the bands' restriction, to settle.