Severe Acid Reflux

[Jachut 487]

The hard fact to swallow - pardon the pun - is that "too tight" doesnt always mean lots of restriction. Too tight for YOU could still be loose enough to let you eat bread and steak and might still be loose enough so that weight loss is a tough ask. Sometimes your body just handle the restriction you think you want and there's unfortunately no way to make excuses or beat around the bush with this, acid reflux will damage your band AND your body over time.

I've been as guilty of this as anyone, putting up with the burning pain for five whole months before I really just told myself, I had to face the unfill. But it turns out it was a different issue altogether.

Like my doc said to me though, its lovely to be maintaining a weight of 140lb at my 5ft 10, but if I had acid reflux to do it, then I just had to face the fact that I might have to be 10lb heavier. I didnt much like hearing that but its true. You cant beat this one, if you have reflux that you cant control with medication you are going to have to try unfilling.

[losethemess 14]

A little about me. I've been banded for almost 2 years. I've lost 115 lbs. I'm at goal I haven't had a fill in about a year and have acid reflux for about a year. It started after I got pregnant. I miscarried at 20 weeks and the acid reflux continued. I had an upper GI and nothing. I actually wanted another fill and my dr ordered the upper GI? She thought something was wrong and nothing. Anyway please please please try OMPRAZOLE. I've seen it at Walmart and Sam's Club for a while and never thought to try it. I've been using it for the past two days and WOW. What a difference. I used to wake up in the middle of the night choking on vomit or acid. I suffered from it throughout the day, particularly when I was hungry. The worst was at night when I lay down. I tried to sleep on several pillows to keep my head elevated and nothing. I tried to stop eating at least an hour before i slept and nothing. I troed Tums, that provided temporary reluef. This OMPRAZOLE is the ONLY thing that has worked. I know I'm not too tight and I know there is nothing wrong with my band. I refuse to get an unfill. I'm crazy and refuse to mess up a good thing. I'm comfortable with my restriction and wouldn't change a thing except for this darn acid reflux. I'm and going to post a pic of this medicine and keep you posted about my success or unsuccess with it. So far so good. You use it for 14 days straight. You take it if you suffer from heartburn/acid reflux at least twice a week. I feel like screaming I'm so relieved. Good luck and God Bless you.

[Jachut 487]

That's great - because you've had the investigations and know that there's nothing wrong with your band causing the reflux. So medication is totally appropriate - and there's good medications out there to handle reflux.

But medication is not appropriate when a slip or overfill has not been ruled out. Because despite the symptoms being controlled the reason may be causing permanent damage to your band.

By all means people should take medication that makes them more comfortable, but they should not take it, figure out it controls their symptoms and then fail to investigate the cause.

[Bardy 6]

Update again ... I ended up going back to the doc, had an upper GI series to see if the band had slilpped, but no, it was right in place ... went and had the last bit of Fluid removed, and since there was irritation tood a while to ease into eating solids again, but doing well now. Still sometimes get the acid reflux at night, but have prilosec OTC and Zantac to take as well as tums and if I pay attention to when and what I eat -- like not eating too late, I can manage it ok ... It definitely is a balancing act. But I'm happy I can eat again without things coming back up -- I'm still maintaining at 140 and pay attention to portions and healthy eating habits. Thanks for all the input -- I will try the Omprazole too -- Hang in there everyone!

[Mom2many 33]

Deb how are you maintaining with no Fluid in your band? I'm at the surgeons office now waiting to get some fluid out. Have had the reflux issues for about a week and I can't take it!

[Bardy 6]

I'm doing well - I try to just really pay attention to portions and have been maintaining. Regarding the acid reflux, I still have to manage it - take Prilosec OTC in the morning and Zantac in the evening and sometimes also chew Tums -- seems to be working. I feel a lot better but it is an ongoing balancing act for sure. I hope you feel better soon!

[knjacobs 0]

I got my lapband in Dec 2008 and i'm 2/3 of the way toward my goal weight. I got stalled about 2 years ago when i started having really bad acid reflux. i had Fluid removed from my band and it didn't really help. As time went on, I got worse to the point where I had to sleep sitting up, had very little fill in my band and was vomiting acid with a constant burning in the back of my throat. I managed to maintain my weight but I wasn't losing anything because the easiest things to eat for me were bad things.

I had to have hernia surgery in June this year and my doctor did an EGD and said everything is fine. But I wasn't fine. So I asked for the upper GI / barium swallow and that showed my band had slipped! So in August I had my band removed and instantly was cured. The doctor originally went in to just "fix" my band but it had slipped so badly and for so long...that it had to come out. I was able to eat lots of different things...the only big symptom I had was the acid reflux. The doctor did not understand how I was eating as well as I was.

I am going back in this Wednesday to have the new band put on. I had the realize band in 2008. Hopefully the new "improved" band will stay put and I can resume my weight loss. I feel like I've lost 2 years in this process fiddling around with acid reflux.

[marketingdude 79]

I have had my lapband for almost 2 years (june 3rd will make 2 years) I have lost 75lbs. I love my band. However, I am having issues. Now, when people see "acid reflux" they automatically say... "band is too tight, go see the dr." etc. Well. about a year ago, i started having severe acid reflux, where i am actually waking up at night choking on it. Even sitting straight up to sleep. I went to my doctor, he unfilled me. I still had acid reflux, but it was taken care of by pepcid. I got a great fill and wham... the severe acid reflux is back. So he unfilled me again, did the barrium swallow... and seen i did have acid reflux even with out a fill. So he put me on protonix for 2 months, which worked amazing. Gave me a great fill... and kept me on the protonix. Which worked great for the first 3 weeks. Now... 1.5 months later i am taking protonix in the am 30 mins before i eat, then around 4pm i take pepcid and around 8pm im throwing up my food just to get relief from the acid reflux... not bc im stuck. Then i chew some tums, go to bed sitting up. I really dont know what to do. I made a dr appt to see my dr on the 4th to discuss this... but all he will want to do is unfill me. But my fill is fine. I never get stuck. And the thing is, my acid reflux flares up 1-2 hours AFTER i eat. I get that "stuck" feeling 2 hours later. I think whats happening is ... the food i eat is sitting in my pouch and slowly going through to my stomach. The acid is coming up and getting stuck in the pouch with the left over food. And i end up throwing up the food in the pouch.

Im at a loss... scared. I dont want an unfill nor do i want anything to mess up my throat, or band slippage. With all the fills and unfills... ive gained 16lbs. I recently lost 9 lbs with this last fill. So the fill is great. This acid reflux is killing me. Is anyone else dealing with this? I feel so .. blah! Any words are welcomed.

I'm curious if you had Acid Reflux before you got the lapband.

Thoughts?

[Baba Wawa 543]

I too am suffering from severe regurgitative reflux. I have no Fluid in my band, NEVER kept it tight...I had 2 fills total, 3cc and .5cc. My history with the band is that I've been compliant, chewed, cut my food into tiny bites, etc, etc. I've lost 15 lb since my unfill mid-June. I've been on Prilosec for a year, increasing doses to 60 mg per day. Since I'm still having issues with nighttime reflux, I'm trying some holistic remedies with my docs permission. I'm taking 2oz aloe vera juice first thing in the am, then again mid-afternoon. I'm also taking artichoke extract after meals twice per day and essential enzymes to help with digestion and stomach emptying. I'm suspicious that food is sitting in my stomach, fermenting and causing gas. This could be causing the reflux at night. I'm on day 2 of this regimine.

PPIs can cause food to be "under processed" before entering the intestines and slow emptying of the stomach. I'm going to try to wean myself off the Prilosec, slowly...will let you know how it goes.

[Krussell19 217]

I too am suffering from severe regurgitative reflux. I have no Fluid in my band' date=' NEVER kept it tight...I had 2 fills total, 3cc and .5cc. My history with the band is that I've been compliant, chewed, cut my food into tiny bites, etc, etc. I've lost 15 lb since my unfill mid-June. I've been on Prilosec for a year, increasing doses to 60 mg per day. Since I'm still having issues with nighttime reflux, I'm trying some holistic remedies with my docs permission. I'm taking 2oz aloe vera juice first thing in the am, then again mid-afternoon. I'm also taking artichoke extract after meals twice per day and essential enzymes to help with digestion and stomach emptying. I'm suspicious that food is sitting in my stomach, fermenting and causing gas. This could be causing the reflux at night. I'm on day 2 of this regimine.

PPIs can cause food to be "under processed" before entering the intestines and slow emptying of the stomach. I'm going to try to wean myself off the Prilosec, slowly...will let you know how it goes.[/quote']

Did your doc check for slippage? You should not be suffering so badly with no Fluid in the band.

[Baba Wawa 543]

As I said in my post, I'm under a doctors care. I've been checked for a slip and that's not the problem...believe it or not, many people suffer without a slip, erosion, etc while they are waiting for ins auth for removal. My situation is becoming the norm rather than the exception. I belong to a couple of online groups of people who overwhelmingly agree this is becoming the expected outcome of banding.

However, I have lost 82+ lb and feel great other than my tummy issues. I'm hoping to revise to sleeve in early 2013, so I need to baby this thing in the mean time.

[Krussell19 217]

Terrible. I've had my fair share of the acid reflux but only when my band became to tight. I hope you receive some relief soon.

[Vikings momma94 2]

I think your reflux may not be a symptom of your lap band..I would talk to your primary about your gallbladder and also maybe possible ulcers......good luck to you and I hope you are feeling better soon...

[434teresa 20]

get the head of your bed up 6 inches higher than the foot. i know that sounds crazy but that is what has made a big differenace in my acid reflux. I have not even had surgery yet and the acid reflux scares me about having it done.

[ebonymc 52]

I had a severe case of it also until most of the Fluid was taken out of the band. I thought that I could sneak a little back in after a few weeks but I was wrong. The fills are so sensitive when filling and taking out that the least 1/2 cc either way (with me ) makes a big difference.