bowerbird

Hi there I was wondering if people could tell me if I have cause for concern or not....:help: I was banded in Dec 03 and have since lost 55kg! YAY:) . A year later the first band slipped and I had a new one put in. My problem is that since I had the first one put in (and it has continued in the second one) I vomit blood - often about 3-4 times a week. It usually only happens at night and can be old blood (dark red) or new blood (less often). I think it is related to vomiting up dinner or some prior irritation but I have noticed this is not always the case. I wake and have to be sick and sure enough it is very very often very bloody. I don't think it can be because the band is too tight as I am now eating quite a lot during the day (compared to what I had been eating. Also I don't think its slippage as I know what that felt like). It doesn't bother me in the sense that there is no pain but surely it can't be good for me.. The doctor just says its nothing to worry about that my two sides of the stomach in the band are rubbing against each other and causing bleeding into the stomach - but could this lead to nasty complications down the track? I am unsure as to what to do leave it (as I can live with it now the super shock value is nil when it happens and it doesn't hurt) but don't want to be foolish either and do nothing ... Does anyone else continually have this experience? Does anyone have any advice? Many thanks

Thanks so much for your advice. It is a real help!

Sorry didn't write everything I wanted down first time.... Two other things I wanted to point out is that I don't think my reflux is necessarily acid and I don't get heatburn or anything. Sometimes it can be mucousy but sometimes it is just liquid but doesn't taste that acidic. I also don't eat and try not to drink for over two hours before I go to bed. I also don't eat acid, spicy or other foods that seem to set it off - I vomit blood even if I just have liquids ( and lie down within half an hour). The vomiting can happen in the middle of the day but generally it is more at night...

Sorry forgot to say - does anyone think this could be a band slippage at all?

Hi everyone, thanks for all the replies to my thread. I thought you all deserved an update. I ended up going back to the doctor and demanding an endoscope as I was beginning to get quite nervous. He said all looked fine (band in the right place etc) but there were ulcers caused by food irritation and these were what was causing the bleeding. He gave me some Nexium and said don't worry about it. Anyway I asked him last week to take some Fluid out even though I wasn't sure I in fact was too tight. I only have 1mill in my band now so its not much at all. It is still happening :confused: The thing is I don't eat spicy, gluggy (like bread), solid (like meat) or scratchy foods. I really eat Soups, sloppy foods as I am getting so so so sick of vomiting. So I can't understand its the food I eat. I wake up vomiting blood and bile into my mouth overnight even if I haven't eaten for hours before I go to bed. Because I am asleep when I vomit I must wake in a shock and take a deep breath as it seems I inhale the vomit and wake up in a spasm of coughing and that feeling its gone down the wrong way and I can't breathe. Should I get yet another second opinion or does this sound like what AM had and just say eat nothing but liquid for two weeks to see if the lesions/ulcers heal? Many thanks in advance Henrietta

Hi there - thanks for all the help. Dr C - no haven't been scoped - I might insist on it next time. Do you think if I don't get this looked into I could cause myself serious damage?