Sick constantly!

[Tanyad71 0]

Hi everyone..I have been having problems with keeping anything down for the past week. Ive been back to my doctor a few weeks ago because i was having alot of acid reflux. Especially at night and he suggested i take Prilosec which i have been but lately ive been unable to hold anything down to include Water. I did have 1/2 cc of Fluid removed at my last visit and for the first few weeks it was all well. I was able to sleep at night again! God that was great and now here i am back to square one..Im so tired of feeling this way. I just want to eat again. Any suggestions? Please help me if you know of anything i can do.

[anewlife10 0]

Hi everyone..I have been having problems with keeping anything down for the past week. Ive been back to my doctor a few weeks ago because i was having alot of acid reflux. Especially at night and he suggested i take Prilosec which i have been but lately ive been unable to hold anything down to include Water. I did have 1/2 cc of Fluid removed at my last visit and for the first few weeks it was all well. I was able to sleep at night again! God that was great and now here i am back to square one..Im so tired of feeling this way. I just want to eat again. Any suggestions? Please help me if you know of anything i can do.

How long has it been since you got your band? Regardless, you really need to call your doctor, you shouldn't be constantly sick.

[djt10 0]

I can't speak for anyone else, but this is the way it works for me. Certain foods won't go through the band. That triggers a gag reflex, the way my fill doctor described it, so I just go in and vomit it up. If it goes down, there's no discomfort, but once it goes down to the lower level, it won't come back up. I can feel when solid food drops down, but if it doesn't it feels awful until I get rid of it. There are a lot of things that don't pass through the band. Anything that balls up like bread products or food I haven't chewed up enough. I've given up trying to eat spagetti, Buns, and things like that. It was hard getting used to--but now I pretty much know what I can handle and what gets stuck. I don't mind--it keeps me from eating things I used to be addicted to. No more pastry, bread, etc. There are times I've tried to throw up something that was in my lower stomach area if it upset my stomach or I felt like I ate too much--forget that. It just won't come up through the band, so I'm guessing that what you're vomiting up is still in the upper pouch and won't pass down and it's triggering that same vomiting reflex, rather than being "acid reflux". The MD's have that all wrong anyway. My old doctor was a naturopath and said the whole concept was bogus--that the "acid" part is food that hasn't digested because of weak stomach acid. It turns into something like vinegar, or it rots--the process depends on the kind of food. Fats that don't digest become rancid. Proteins putrefy and fruits ferment. THAT is the "acid" associated with reflux, not an excess of digestive acids, which few people have and more lose as they age. That's why the "little purple pill" is a killer. It further reduces the stomach acid needed for digestion, and just temporarily works on acids while compounding the problem long term. Low stomach acid is, among other things, a symptom of adrenal exhaustion, and in these high stress times, that is far more prevalent than people realize. Also, once something is "stuck" and won't pass through, nothing else does. I've tried to help it down with fluids, and even Water won't pass when that happens.

[Tanyad71 0]

I have been banded since the 20th Oct 2009.. I do have an appt but unfortunately i dont reside in the same town as i did when i got the surgery so my appt isnt til the 6th of Sept. Im hoping ill start feeling better. If i could just keep down the food i eat : (

[djt10 0]

How long has it been since you got your band? Regardless, you really need to call your doctor, you shouldn't be constantly sick.

[djt10 0]

I've had my band for 3 years. I'm not constantly sick. In fact, very seldom. It's only when I eat something that won't pass through easily, that balls up, like Pasta or bread products, that I have problems. If it doesn't go through, I have to vomit it back up. My first fill doctor was a quack--I live in Eastern WA and had the surgery in Detroit, because that's where they accept Medicare and my military insurance for payment, so I came home and got a doctor who specializes in fills. He couldn't hit it, then did the fluroscope and insisted my port was turned or misplaced and that I had to go back to Detroit to have it surgically replaced. I did that at great expense (for my budget it was terrible) only to find out he simply missed the port and misread the fluroscope. It was perfectly positioned. They gave me a small fill in Detroit and and got a different doctor who actually does the surgery and he had no problem. He's so good that it only took 2 fills to get it right on. I feel like it's perfect, but there are simply some things that won't pass through the band and if I eat them, or don't chew food well enough, it comes back up. For example, in the last week it's happened once, when I tried to eat a hamburger. Hamburger Buns are a no-no for me, but I did it anyway and then had to get rid of it. Otherwise, if I stick to what I know I can eat, it's fine. That very good doctor, who was on the ground floor of developing lap band procedures, is the one who explained that the vomiting is caused by food that gets stuck and triggers the gag mechanism. It feels awful when that happens. Pain, discomfort, and then I know what's going on. I think people have to accept that somethings are just not good to eat, but they don't want to deal with limitations. I could go back and have some saline solution removed so I could eat more, but that's the last thing i want to do. I can eat a lot if it's food that passes easily, but I want these restrictions on my former addictions. I can eat too much as it is. In 3 years I've only lost 60 lbs when the goal weight is twice that much, so I don't want to make it easier. I don't want to eat whatever I desire. Only what's healthy and filling. What gives me problems are exactly the foods I want to avoid but in the past lacked the will power to resist. Now, I don't have to rely on poor will power.

[anewlife10 0]

I have been banded since the 20th Oct 2009.. I do have an appt but unfortunately i dont reside in the same town as i did when i got the surgery so my appt isnt til the 6th of Sept. Im hoping ill start feeling better. If i could just keep down the food i eat : (

You have been banded since 2009? Oh my goodness, I hope you havent been sick that whole time! I pray you start feeling better soon, not sure if I would want to wait until the 6th to be seen ~ sounds like you should be seen sooner. What kind of foods are you eating? I am so sorry you are going through this!

[Tanyad71 0]

Thanks djt10..i too know the feeling of something being stuck and having to throw it up to get rid of it but for the past few months ive been having acid reflux. Ive never had this before but i know thats what it is because my stomach feels lke its on fire and when i throw up i can taste the acid. I am at my goal weight now so i am going to have all the Fluid taken out to see how i can manage my food intake on my own. I think i can do it..i should say i know i can do it!

[Tanyad71 0]

Thank you for your concern Anewlife10. No i havent been sick the whole time but i have been for the past several months..I really hope that its just my band is too tight and once the band is loosened i'll resume normalcy again I eat fairly healthy although not always..i am not perfect but i do try to eat healthier. Yesterday for Breakfast i made soft scrambled eggs and it was going down well but then after about 20 mins i started feelin the need to vomit and so there i went..to the almighty porclein throne! Again!

My appt is set kinda far into the future but its the best i could do as my daughter is in school and its a 3 1/2 hr drive from where i live. Unfortunately here in the town i live in there are no lapband docs. : (