Changes Over Time?

[LooLooMac 3]

Hi everyone,

It's been two years since I had my surgery, and recently I've experienced some major changes. I started suffering from really bad night coughing a few months ago, and was vomiting a lot during the day as well. I opted to have a substantial defill, and that helped a lot.

The weird thing is, even though I'm at a much lower level of restriction than I have been for a couple of years, I still experience more unpleasant side effects and complications. For example, I have heartburn constantly--and I never did before, even when I was at a higher level of restriction!

I am not sure if I should get another defill, because I feel like if I had any less restriction I'd have no restriction at all. I can already eat a lot more than I could before, and can eat lots of foods like salads that I couldn't before. I'm worried that another defill will leave me with no restriction at all. But on the other hand, I have heartburn all day until after dinner, and then again a couple hours after eating dinner. I take Tums every single night when I go to bed. (Could that be making it worse???)

Any help or suggestions from those who've been banded for a few years now would be greatly appreciated!

[buckeyemomof3girlz 0]

I too am about 2 years out and I just had a very similar experience. went back to my surgeon and she also defilled me. I had been doing great until recently,I was vomiting daily and everything was rough going down or stuck easily. Going for an upper GI soon to see if I had a slippage. Just worried about eating more now that there is less restriction and after 3 weeks of not eating well. I too have had more heartburn not to the degree that you have. really doesn't matter what I eat or how much I have eaten I will get heartburn. Good luck hope you get straightened out. Anyone with any insights?

[LooLooMac 3]

Thanks! Keep me posted and let me know what happens with the upper GI. My fingers are crossed, for both of us!!

[tammyj 15]

Sounds exactly what I went through after my first year. Everything was going great then all of a sudden I started having acid reflux at night which could not have been the result of being too tight (no fill in the previous six months when the problem started). However I did have a slight unfill and the acid reflux stopped but the unfill naturally resulted in weight gain. I also started having occasional heartburn which I took a weekly Prevacid for. Fast forward to year 5, my band slipped. I just had it fixed last week along with a hiatal hernia that I did not know I had. I am convinced that the hiatal hernia caused the acid reflux, heartburn, and eventually the slip.

Do not ignore acid reflux and heartburn it is a sign that something else is wrong other than simply being too tight.

[Emilie1 3]

Hi everyone' date='

It's been two years since I had my surgery, and recently I've experienced some major changes. I started suffering from really bad night coughing a few months ago, and was vomiting a lot during the day as well. I opted to have a substantial defill, and that helped a lot.

The weird thing is, even though I'm at a much lower level of restriction than I have been for a couple of years, I still experience more unpleasant side effects and complications. For example, I have heartburn constantly--and I never did before, even when I was at a higher level of restriction!

I am not sure if I should get another defill, because I feel like if I had any less restriction I'd have no restriction at all. I can already eat a lot more than I could before, and can eat lots of foods like salads that I couldn't before. I'm worried that another defill will leave me with no restriction at all. But on the other hand, I have heartburn all day until after dinner, and then again a couple hours after eating dinner. I take Tums every single night when I go to bed. (Could that be making it worse???)

Any help or suggestions from those who've been banded for a few years now would be greatly appreciated!

[/quote']

Did they check for a slip? If not you should have them look especially if you have vomited, that is what happen to me, I got unfilled but due to the position of the band I still had horrible reflux....good luck!

[Kris150 29]

Hi there,

I'm afraid I'll need to pick a number in this queue....

My last (and second) fill was in September 2011, and it seemed that I hit the "green zone" with that (my doctor does all his fills under flouro, so that might be why I only needed 2 fills to get there). I was living and losing happily - even during my 6 months post-surgery check up in January this year my doc was happy with the fill level (so I was) and with the position of the band. All was rosy.

However, in February I started waking up with stomach reflux in my throat. After it happened three times I went to see my GP who gave me a tablet I have to take before going to bed to stop the generation of stomach acid through the night. That seemed to work. All reflux went away and I stopped taking the med.

I have to say that I always experienced "tighter" days - mostly in relation to general stress levels, my period and what I was trying to eat and how fast. But they never lasted longer than a given meal or a day or two.

About a month ago all these changed suddenly. I honestly cannot remember exactly when or what happened, but I started to struggle with food in general and sometimes even with liquids. It felt like "out of the blue" and I could not point to any of the earlier causes of tightness. And it just kept happening - and even getting worse. I now cannot eat Breakfast (it used to be yoghurt and fruit/granola or some egg based dish) - only liquids go down very-VERY slowly until midday. Then no matter what I try to eat for lunch, I need to brace myself for struggle and inconvenience/pain. EVERY TIME. And it continues into the evening: no matter what dinner is, I'm going to have the "elephant sit on my chest", and several times a week a PB is the result (just like during lunch). I started to dread every meal. And - of course - my food choices are now becoming based on what I think will go down with less struggle, as opposed to what I suppose to put in my mouth as a weightloss patient... Not good.

The nightly reflux re-started, I now go to bed every evening with a Tum and I have to chew one sometimes in the middle of the night too.

The heartburn comes now after EVERY meal - regardless of what I ate. So now Tums are making their way into my daily routine too.

I cannot help but wonder: why? Why after 7 months after a good, working fill do I experience all these? What happened? Is it dilation? But how did that happen? Can it be the result of just one possible overeating which I didn't even feel? (We had a trip to Rome, which involved some pizza and pastry, but never got stuck or felt as I overdone it...) Hand-on-heart, I cannot think of anything else.

My one year check up is scheduled for mid July, and I emailed my doctor with my current symptoms. He's in my home country and I live in UK, so I cannot just "pop in" for a consultation. But he always responds to my emails so I'm looking forward reading his take on this.

I'm dreading an unfill - but recently the pain I've been in is making me think that even for a couple of months and with the risk of putting weight back on would make it better. I want to go back to where I was in last October-November: making good and sensible choices, keeping the portions under controll, and NOT feeling pain every time I eat or drink something. Is there hope? And what's going on here?

Any insight will be MUCH appreciated!

[buckeyemomof3girlz 0]

Kris150... sounds very similar to my experience...yuk! Hopefully your doctor will be able to help you. I do have to say that after my defill I felt so much better and could get out of the mindset of dreading the next meal, being hungry,and eating whatever I thought would go down easy.

so that being said I have gained a few pounds back but I am feeling better and am hoping to get out and move more with the summer coming to OHIO finally! I had my band checked under flouroscopy and the radiologist felt like everything looked fine, dye moved through good, my pouch was the right size and band was in right place. so that is all good news but why I was having so many issues is still a mystery? now I am scheduled to go back and refill slowly.

wish you well and hope it get resolved quickly! hopefully if you need a defill he can refer you to someone that can do it where you are at now. I know here in the states most of the emergency departments are trained to defill, especially if the hospital has a bariatric program that does band surgery. let us know how you are doing.

[elcee 3,341]

It sounds as though you could have a slip

[DizzyLizzy 21]

Be sure to have them check under xray if you have not already. I stretched my pouch which created a buldge that tilted my band and caused me to have bad reflux and some vomiting. They took all the Fluid out and I go back in a couple of weeks to see if my pouch and band are back in place and I can get small fills again.

I attribute the stretch to my eating too much and too fast... thinking I could eat more, but was really just stuffing myself!!!

[adorkbl 156]

I have similar symptoms and was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia. Everything looked fine when I had an upper GI. I had an EGD which showed the hiatal hernia. I am having it repaired next month and the band will be repositioned at that time.

[tammyj 15]

Why is the sudden acid reflux a problem for so many of us? I had revision surgery 6 weeks ago and will be going in on Thursday for my first fill after a hernia repair and repositioning of the band. I am so nervous and really hoping that I am able to feel the restriction like I did in the beginning without any other problems. I can eat a whole plate of food and then some if I wanted to. I have gained 10lbs since the revision surgery and I don't like it! I am ready for some restriction!!!

[Krussell19 217]

Truly in the same situation im livinh on tums and the hope i get enough Water down to survive i went for an unfill last week and its just as bad now.. Idk what to do im at a point where i literally just want it removed im tired of all the chest n back pain and constant heartburm and night cough from reflux i almost choked to death on it a few times not to mention ive had two port revisions

[DizzyLizzy 21]

They repaired my hiatal (sp) hernia when they put my band in.

[Jachut 487]

I'm there, I just havent admitted it to myself fully. My problems began after an unfill for surgery. It was never the same, although trouble free, I just had little restriction. Finally my doctor gave me a big fill (which worked) and sent me off for a barium swallow. This showed a slight dilation of the pouch but he wasnt concerned because I was symptom free. Well within weeks the heartburn started. I had a small unfill two weeks ago, but it hasnt helped, I need more out. I just want to lose some weigh first! I havent gained serious weight but I'm at the top of my wriggle room and I just dont want to unfill without the scope to bounce around a little. I know this is faulty thinking, but I'm giving myself four weeks - i have to go and see a dietician then anyway about my bowel issues, so its kind of a cut off in my head. Symptoms are merely heartburn - no reflux, no night coughing, no vomiting, so I can afford to wait and just take a Zantac most days.

I am also really pulling myself up by the bootstraps foodwise. Eating 1200 a day in three sensible meals and a snack. And I feel loads better for it. I really had allowed the whole chemotherapy, menopause, depression thing to take hold and I was eating junk and loads of it - slider stuff, but junk nonetheless - and it has been playing havoc with both my stomach and my bowels. Just three days already has me feeling loads better.

I will feel confident to unfill completely as I've done it before and not gained - but I just want to lose 10lb. I think its safe enough to wait a few weeks in my case. I would not be in the least surprised to find that that last big fill gave the final push to a small slip. And its been so long since my band truly "worked" that I would almost welcome revision surgery just to have that effortless, hungerless sensible eating going on again. The last eighteen months has been a huge struggle, I'm amazed I have not gained weight.

[Krussell19 217]

Im going in tommorrow for another unfill I want to lose more weight so bad but not like this im weak miserable and on the verge of dehydration.. Ive literally got nothing down in three days ive lost 57 pounds in the last three months and I feel awful I cant do anymore reflux its killin me.. Last week when i went in for my first unfill tje saline actually pushed itsself out thats how tight my band was.. For no reason! I havent had a fill since september... Crazy stuff this has truly been a terrible year I lost two babies and my job and our house and I know ive made bad eating choices and drinking choices and its great to be on the losing track but I need it to be in a healthy manner