Night time complications

[Windfire 1]

I have been having some troubles this past week with my band. I might be paranoid because I am the 1% that had to have a second surgery because my band slipped. I have been having spells at night where I wake up choking. It burns my throat really bad and I usually cough to the point of vomiting. I have made a few changes like changing last time I eat and what I'm eating in the evening verses the day. Now I'm having this feeling where sometimes It REALLY hurts where the band is. It will last a couple of seconds and then seem ok but will come back maybe 10 minutes later. I'm getting Fluid down but only little. I have already put a call into my doctor but what I would like to know is if any of you have experienced the same thing. Sometimes when I'm swollowing fluid it REALLY hurts too. I don't know what to do

[Cindy C 150]

You don't say how much is in your band but from what you describe I would guess that you are too tight.

[ccunnie1 0]

I have been having some troubles this past week with my band. I might be paranoid because I am the 1% that had to have a second surgery because my band slipped. I have been having spells at night where I wake up choking. It burns my throat really bad and I usually cough to the point of vomiting. I have made a few changes like changing last time I eat and what I'm eating in the evening verses the day. Now I'm having this feeling where sometimes It REALLY hurts where the band is. It will last a couple of seconds and then seem ok but will come back maybe 10 minutes later. I'm getting Fluid down but only little. I have already put a call into my doctor but what I would like to know is if any of you have experienced the same thing. Sometimes when I'm swollowing Fluid it REALLY hurts too. I don't know what to do

I have the same symptoms. I have been diagnosed with severe Gerd and was prescribed Dexilant. Try to stay away from

acidic foods, caffeine, fried foods, alcoholic beverages, fruit juices, soda and hot peppers. Also, try not to eat after 8pm.

[Windfire 1]

You don't say how much is in your band but from what you describe I would guess that you are too tight.

Last Fill I had was 2cc and I actually had them take out 1cc because of how tight I felt. That was 4 weeks ago. I was doing just fine and then on July 4th I couldn't keep solids down. I was on liquids for several days. I started to feel better but then all this started. This week has been the hardest week since I originally had surgery in May of 2010. Why now I have no clue? My second Surg was in April and I had a lot of swelling and inflamation. I'm more concerned with how much it hurts when I swollow

[Cindy C 150]

So you only have a total of 1 cc? I think you really need to talk to your dr. I would stay on liquids until you can get in.

[Acadia 20]

Sounds like you are too tight and you should be on something like Prilosec OTC (or generic) that will help limit the amount of acid your stomach produces (you don't need as much now but your stomach may still be overproducing).

Get about 1 cc removed and start on a daily dose of Prilosec OTC (with your Dr's approval) and stay on that for around 6 months to help retrain your stomach.

Clear all of that with your Dr. of course but chances are that will make you feel MUCH better.

[klariade 7]

I sometimes have acid reflux problems when I am either a) too tight or eating too much junk food. My mom is a GI nurse, so she gave me some good advice. Stay away from spicy foods, fried and fatty foods, chocolate (Chocolate is the DEVIL for me and many people with acid reflux!). Stop eating at least 2 hours before you go to bed. Take an over the counter med like Prilosec or Prevacid and see if that helps (it usually does the job for me when I have a flare up, and I only have to take it for a week or so). And her number one recommendation is to elevate the head of your bead. You can get blocks at Wal-mart that will raise your bed 6 inches. It feels weird for a few days, but it makes a HUGE difference! When you sleep, liquids tend to back up and will cause more reflux. When the head of your bed is raised gravity takes its course and keeps the acid from coming back up. This will help with your choking problem too (which I also get sometimes, mostly when I drink liquids too close to bed time). I know it sounds really silly, but trust me...raising the head of your bed is the FIRST thing you should do, and the first thing my mom tells all her patients to do. It will save you a lot of agony and money!

[Cindy C 150]

If you are a lapband patient having nighttime reflux the first thing you should do is get some Fluid removed!

[klariade 7]

Getting a slight unfill will probably give you some relief, but isn't necessarily the cause of the problem. Reflux is very often aggravated by what you are eating, and being too tight can definitely make it worse. Acid reflux can also be a sign of another medical problem, so make sure you get checked out thoroughly. I would of course talk to your doctor ASAP and see what he/she says. In any case, reflux SUCKS! :ack2:

[Michele12 38]

I have the same problem. I have had to have my Fluid totoally removed three times becuase of this. I started to have esophageal spasms which mimic same symptoms of a heart attack. Sever tightness in your chest, shortness of breath, sweating and jaw pain. I talked tomy doctor and they did a upper GI which showed severe relux with gastritis. I also had scope done last year and showed inflammation and redness from my esophagus down into my stomach. They tested me for Barrots esophagus which is caused from long term acid reflux that actually changes the lining of the esophagus and make you high risk for esophageal cancer. The test result came back positive : ( I was placed onto Protonix. I found that my reflux is worse at night if I take my medications and then go to bed. I now try to remember to take my medictions with dinner. You can also buy a wedge pillow that elevates your head at night. I paid under $25 at bed bath and beyond helped a lot. I know the feeling ,truly I have had to sleep sitting up in a chair because the relux was so severe. It helped the most to have al of the fluid removed and then eat "flu food" for about a week. Good luck.