The Hole Has All But Closed

[Missy41 19]

I was banded just over a year ago and am soooooo pleased with the results, I feel like a different person. Basically everything was going really well until just over a month ago.

I have only had 2 fills in my 10ml band: Aug 2011- 7ml & April 2012 -1ml. After the second fill it took a week or so before I really felt the restriction but then I started losing weight again and it was all good. About 5 weeks ago I had a couple of nights where I had some reflux, throwing up etc, so I went back on liquids for a few days then mushies and then it seemed to be ok again.

Then almost 3 weeks ago I had a few nights with terrible refulx, waking up choking on acid and saliva, had to try to sleep sitting up, phoned the clinic for advice and they said it sounded like the stomach under the band was enflamed so I should go onto liquids for at least a week and then mushies for another week, until it all calmed down, plus they advised on some medication and said that if I still had problems to come in to have some Fluid removed from my band.

So I did that but found even liquids hard quite to get down, even Water first thing in the morning, although I could if I sipped slow enough, so no dehydration and the reflux calmed right down, I really stayed mostly on liquids and almost everytime I tried even mushies I was sick or felt sick.

4 days ago I finished the course of tablets and that night I had horrific reflux, I phoned the clinic again and they recommended I get some more of the tablets and again stay on liquids, I asked about a possible de-fill appointment and was told that my dr. is now on holiday until the beginning of August and the practice nurse could possibly do it in an emergency but she could not gurantee sucess! This is also a 12 hours round trip and not one I want to make without a guranteed result.

2 days ago I went to see my local doctor in the village who knows that I have a band but usually will not have anything to do with it. He was very concerned and sent me for an xray with baruim swallow, to see what was going on. I took the results back to him the same day and he confirmed that almost nothing is getting through the band, really just a drop at a time. Also the base of my oesophagus is quite distended, which he said is causing the reflux, basically because the hole is so small the food & liquid are just backing up. But on the plus side it's all still in place, no slip.

Obviously I needed to get some fluild taken out and thankfully he offered to do this for me as an emergency (before becoming a GP in our village he was a consultant of internal medicine, he also said he has consierable experience with ports used for other conditions). So he took 1ml out with no probelms at all. He also advised me to double to dose of the meds.

I do feel quite a lot better now, have no reflux and am finding fluids easier to get down, obviously only fluids at this point.

My concern is that 1ml may not have been enough, I hope that it will all calm down soon and go back to how it was before but I'm really not sure this will happen.

I am almost at my target (helped along by the fact that the weight seems to fall off when I'm on liquids) and was thinking about at some point after I reach target having a small de-fill, but the plan was to keep most of the fluid in, otherwise I'm worried that I will put weight back on and go back to where I started.

Has anyone else had similar issues? If you had a de-fill due to a problem, how much was it? I know we are all different and the band sizes differ too, but I would be interested to know.

I have deceided to go back to my local dr. on Monday because I need to ask him about the medication I'm on anyway and to ask if he thinks he should take a bit more fluid out just to be on the safe side.

I have read about some people having the whole band de-filled or half taken out after a problem and that then they could only have a tiny bit put back at a time, which must be very furstrating, but if that is what is needed then ok.

I actually feel fine at the moment and am getting to sleep fine, no refulx and have not been sick at all. It just feels tight and I'm worried about trying solid food again.

Thank heavens for Slimfast, it's about the only Protein shake available here and I think I would probably starve without it, luckily I quite like it too.

Sorry for my long post. I would love to hear for anyone who has had a similar issue and find out how it was resolved.

What I don't understand is how the hole got so small in the first place since it was 5 weeks after my last fill that I had any problems? I didn't eat do anything different that I know of and it just seems odd.

[ssmsdjs 11]

I just had to get some Fluid out of my band because of the acid reflux I aquired for the first time since surgery 1 year ago and so far so good. I have to take zantac 150 at night and a Proclex in the moring for 2 weeks

[Mayasgram 351]

Looks like you are 4lbs from goal take out a ;ittle more and rest that band. If you gain have a little put back. You have done a great job if it were me I wouldn't risk and more reflux. just saying Good Luck

[1shauna1 129]

I've had....three defills, I believe? I'm currently at 5.25 cc in a 10 cc band. I think the second one was the worst....it seemed to get really tight a few weeks after the fill. I don't know why! But I suffered for about 3 months before going for the defill. If you're that close to your goal, just get the defill. You may have to work a bit harder mentally, but you don't want to go the other way and start eating sliders because you can't get anything down and then gain weight! Congrats, BTW!

[Missy41 19]

Thank you all for the feed back, I will go and get another defill and take it from there.