lacalzada

Wow, I am sorry to hear of your troubles. I have been having problems with my lapband for the last few years. I had it put in 4.5 years ago and am down about 100 pounds, but for the last 3 years have really struggled. I have some erosion in my esophagus and major reflux issues. I just went in for an emergency deflation yesterday. It gets really tight every few months and then I wake up throwing up and I have to go in for deflation. I have been worried that it could turn in to something more serious.

I have had three instances of extreme stress that caused my band to tighten to the point of not being able to consume even Water a few weeks after the stressful incidents. It wouls start off feeling really tight and then progress to tighter and tighter and tighter which led me to need an unfill. My doctor says it's impossible, but I know my body. Time of stress #1- Dad had major stroke leaving him paralyed and in nursing home. Could barely eat anything for weeks and then it became so bad I couldn't even drink water and couldn't even lay down without gagging on phlegm. Time #2- Went back to work after dad's stroke, kids started school, and several other small stresses. #3- Dad died after a year in the nursing home and a few weeks later my 6 year old was very badly injured in an accident where a concrete fountain fell on him. He ended up with only minor injuries, but was transported to the hospital via ambulance with eyes rolling into the back of his head and blood eveerywhere. I have had other times of stress that caused discomfort and I just went on liquids for a while and it went away.

I am going in to see if I have the same problem. I couldn't get into the radiologist for another 10 days. I hope I don't have damage. I had been loose for a while and made an appt. for a fill and then all of a sudden it started tightening on its own. It coincided with a stressful event and over the course of a couple weeks it became so bad that I couldn't drink Water. Instead of getting a fill they had to deflate it. Now I have to get a few tests to try to figure out what's going on. My Dr. said I may have just had something lodged in there and it became worse and worse. I've never heard of that. Any time I have had something stuck it comes up within a short time. I am hoping it was this theory and not a messed up esophagus or stretching of the pouch.

It takes time to go away. I had the really bloated gassy feeling too. It's from the surgery process. I was on Clear liquids for two weeks after surgery which helped a lot. I also used GasX strips. They helped quite a bit.

I actually had an argument with my dr. about ths yesterday. I went in for a deflation and was treated badly by him. He insinuated that I just wanted an unfill to eat. I had mentioned to him that a few weeks ago I had actually made my appt. for a fill, but a very stressful event happened that coincided with PMS and all of the sudden my band became tighter and tighter to the point of not even being able to drink water comfortably the last few days! He told me that it couldn't be stress. He said it would be like saying that my head is talking to my lapband. I was very offended by his attitude. I had even just spoken to a female employee at his office who has the lapband and before I even said anything about my stress, she asked my if something stressful had happened that upset me. It wasn' even the first time that a terrible tightening happened along side great stress for me.