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Welcome home Jennifer! I need to call my surgeon right now and ask him what the flip is up with my insurance approval process. I am miserable!! I want this thing out of me! Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnne!

You are definitely not alone Sunshine! My reflux is getting worse by the day. Even taking my meds at night sets it off. And believe it or not, it is causing gut issues too since the vegal nerve is pinched (It's a nerve that runs from your brain to your heart to you stomach to your gut and if it's as sensitive as mine, a lap band is the last thing you want to do to it!) I had a second surgery too and the stupid surgeon, who didn't believe me about the nerve, wrapped MORE of my stomach and nerve around the band. I got MUCH worse after that. Luckily, my GP found a drug to calm most of it down. But I still have major issues. Waiting to hear from the new surgeon about when I can get this satanic thing out of me!!

I don't have much restriction most of the time, but I get stuck almost every day. I'm getting the band out because I'm sick of barfing all the time. And yes, if I don't get both of my Protonix pills everyday, I have severe reflux. Good luck to you!

Hi Summer! I have to take Protonix twice a day to keep the reflux down. I had to go through many different kinds of medicine (including Nexium) to find the one that worked for me. If you're still having trouble after your unfill, you may consider having it removed.

I'm so sorry Amy. Are you self-pay? Because if not, it sounds like you'd be able to get your insurance to pay to have it out. I'm having mine removed soon and it's because I barf ALL the time! (Though not in my sleep--that sounds horrible!) If your surgeon is being uncooperative, just go elsewhere--that's what I'm doing. No arguments, no hassles. It's wonderful.

Are you having complications, Miss A? Sounds like you need to go to a different surgeon if you can get your insurance to pay for it. I'm not using the same surgeon who put it in to get it out. I hate that guy!

I had major complications too, Tammy. I just saw my GP today and he thinks it's time for the band to come out! WOOOOOOO! But I am having a hard time finding a surgeon to do it. There aren't that many in Denver, I'm not speaking to the one who did it in the first place, the surgeon who I had been going to for constant fills and unfills has moved away, and so far no one I've asked is willing to do it. Waiting to hear back from two other surgeons who's receptionists said they'd call back tomorrow. I hope I can get it done over the summer because I'm on break from school.

Boy can I relate! I had a year of major complications and couldn't eat anything but ice cream! Now I have no fluid in, but still get stuck several times a week and throw up. I wish I could get it taken out!! Good luck to you!

Hello everyone! I am glad I found this sight as I now feel like I have one more tool in my box. I am so happy to find a site where people are honest about "failure". The site I usually use (a very well-known one) is very critical of people who struggle. It's basically a site where success stories get together to congratulate one another. Very frustrating! Anyhow, here's my story in a nutshell (sorry, I know this is going to be long.) I had surgery two years ago, two days before my 35th birthday. I thought I was giving myself the best birthday present ever. At first, I did well and didn't seem to be suffering much in the way of complications, although my GERD never went away (clue #1.) But soon after my first fill, I began experiencing pain at the band site and severe dizziness. One more fill and the nausea started. I had a complete unfill and a scope to see what was up. I had gastritus which cleared up with time, but the pain, nausea, and dizziness didn't go away. My primary care doc decided it was an issue with my vegal nerve being pinched (it's a big nerve that runs from the brain, to the heart, to the stomach.) Before long, the nausea was severe enough that I stopped eating anything but ice cream (it was literally the ONLY thing that would go down and seemed to help a bit.) I also had severe heat sensitivity and couldn't drive due to the constant dizziness. This eventually turned into fainting spells. My surgeon did not believe me or my primary care doc, so would not sever the nerve when he went back in to see what the problem might be. After my second surgery, everything just got worse. Instead of severing the nerve, the surgeon wrapped more of my stomach around the outside of the band to prevent future slippage. This just pinched the nerve worse. For a solid four months, I was bed-bound and utterly dependent on my husband and other family members. My kids didn't have a mom and I didn't have a life. Finally, after one hellish week of no sleep, we reached a crisis point and I ended up in the ER. I was all set to just have the damn thing removed when the primary care doc stumbled upon a medicine that soothed the nerve completely. Now I am nausea free and don't have any other symptoms! Yay, right? Well, during the time I was sick, I lost ten pounds a month (at least) for a total loss of 115 pounds in the first ten months. But when I got better, I started eating again. Now I find myself just as addicted to food as I ever was. I've gained back fifty pounds, but seem to be hovering at the 250 mark so far. At least I've stopped gaining. I am in weekly therapy and see the primary care guy at least once a month. I need to drag myself into the surgeon's office for a fill, but have a hard time making myself go. I know I'll get a lecture and there's always the possibility of running into the surgeon himself. He and I don't exactly get along after all this.:smile2: I am here looking for motivation because at this point I feel like giving up. I'm not exercising and I'm eating too much. I try to eat healthfully and don't believe you need as much Protein as the "other" site says you do. I think 100 grms a day is a bit much. So the plan for now is to eat LOTS of fruits and veggies to fill me up with Fiber. We'll see if I can stick with that. Please feel free to kick my butt about the exercise! I have a stationary bike and many videos as well as Wii Fitness, so I have plenty of fun stuff to do. I just need to get off my butt!! Thanks so much for "listening." It has really helped me focus a bit getting it all down. Glad I'm here now!

I have similar issues. Gummy vitamins are what work for me and chewable calcium can taste really good. I also get stuck a lot even though I don't have great restriction. I have to vomit four or five times a week usually. SO frustrating! There are a lot of foods I just can't eat like chicken and scrambled eggs of all things. You just have to pay attention to what your trouble foods are and avoid them, I guess. Good luck to you! You're not alone!

Thank you thank you for this post! I have a huge post up called "My Story" that explains my tale of woe, but the upshot is that I had surgery, was sick for a year and lost a ton of weight, then got better and gained fifty pounds. Now I am stable and was thinking of giving up until I found this site. I am so inspired! I've been putting off getting a fill because I was humiliated, but to heck with that! I don't have to impress anyone but myself!!