Severe Heartburn

[mrsto 2,925]

I'm 18 days out and having severe heartburn and reflux. Today I thought I might be having a heart attack, but chewed some Tums & felt a little better. Still some chest pain, but not as severe.

I'm a little confused by this, because he was supposed to fix the reflux issue when repairing the hernia, etc. Though I'm taking the Pepcid twice a day, I still get a bad sore throat after eating (from reflux), and today was slammed with heartburn......something I've never had. Has anyone had this issue?

I called my doctor's office & they want me to come in tomorrow morning. The nurse told me that it's not normal with the procedure I had, and the doctor wants to see me. Now I'm nervous. I just hope this isn't a precursor to another surgery, because I'm telling you.....if it is, I'm getting the WHOLE thing reversed. I'm not up for this sh-t. I'm just.....not.

Needless to say, not having a very good day

[Maddysgram 6,159]

Did Dr give you a fill at surgery?

Sorry you are going through this and glad you called the dr first.

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

You need to talk with your doctor because I really don't think he adequately informed you what to expect when you left the hospital. That's not at all your fault, mind you, but if I were you I'd be a bit angry that he sent you on your way without good information.

The heartburn and reflux is very common after gallbladder removal.

Remember, the Lap Band was a minor surgery but the gallbladder wasn't. You had an organ removed.

Talk to your doctor.

[mrsto 2,925]

Did Dr give you a fill at surgery?

Sorry you are going through this and glad you called the dr first.

Not sure.....what is a fill? I had lap band with plication, my gallbladder removed, and a hiatal hernia repair. I think he did something to help with GERD as well, but that may have been part of the hernia repair.

[mrsto 2,925]

You need to talk with your doctor because I really don't think he adequately informed you what to expect when you left the hospital. That's not at all your fault, mind you, but if I were you I'd be a bit angry that he sent you on your way without good information.

The heartburn and reflux is very common after gallbladder removal.

Remember, the Lap Band was a minor surgery but the gallbladder wasn't. You had an organ removed.

Talk to your doctor.

I guess because I know several people who had their gallbladders taken out; all of who had zero issues afterward. My feeling was that it was no more serious than a tonsillectomy. And it seemed to be a no big deal to the surgeon, but surgeons in general tend to be cowboys.

Between the lap band and plication, I just hope nothing is completely stressed inside. My intention NEVER was to fix one issue, while creating others. If the cholecystectomy is what's causing this, and it's temporary, then I'm okay with it. But if this is the tip of the iceberg with ongoing band issues, I'm done. I want to lose weight, but I won't sell the rest of my health to do so.

[Kitt3000 757]

Sorry you are struggling with this. You had ALOT done. Be kind to yourself, and try to relax. Sometimes we just need a little time to let our bodies and our emotions heal before we tackle more challenges. hope you feel better soon.

[mrsto 2,925]

Sorry you are struggling with this. You had ALOT done. Be kind to yourself, and try to relax. Sometimes we just need a little time to let our bodies and our emotions heal before we tackle more challenges. hope you feel better soon.

Thank you :-) I'm just having a day of it. In reading these forums & all the issues, I can't help but wonder if this is just the beginning of many issues to come. I SO want to be one of the people who have had a pretty smooth ride, and don't want continual trips to the operating room to fix, correct, etc. I'm just.....a little nervous.

[mrsto 2,925]

Did Dr give you a fill at surgery?

Sorry you are going through this and glad you called the dr first.

Never mind......just realized that you asked if he filled the BAND at surgery. Duh! I'm not thinking straight today. I'm feeling very overwhelmed by it all.

[mrsto 2,925]

Not sure.....what is a fill? I had lap band with plication, my gallbladder removed, and a hiatal hernia repair. I think he did something to help with GERD as well, but that may have been part of the hernia repair.

DUH......a fill. What was I thinking?? Seriously, I need to go take a hot bath & rest my brain today

[Maddysgram 6,159]

Never mind......just realized that you asked if he filled the BAND at surgery. Duh! I'm not thinking straight today. I'm feeling very overwhelmed by it all.

I'm sure you are. I didn't realize you had so much done at one time.

I hope and pray the Dr can get to the bottom of this and you're soon on the way to recovery.

So sorry for your discomfort!

Keep us posted. We can all learn from this.

[Kitt3000 757]

It's easy to get sucked into the negative, remember, the complications are pretty low. Try to look at it as getting by one more day. Enjoy your bath, and the rest of the evening. It will look better in the morning!

[mrsto 2,925]

It's easy to get sucked into the negative, remember, the complications are pretty low. Try to look at it as getting by one more day. Enjoy your bath, and the rest of the evening. It will look better in the morning!

Thanks again......I really appreciate it :-)

[mrsto 2,925]

I'm sure you are. I didn't realize you had so much done at one time.

I hope and pray the Dr can get to the bottom of this and you're soon on the way to recovery.

So sorry for your discomfort!

Keep us posted. We can all learn from this.

Thank you..... I'm sure I'll be reporting back after my appointment in the morning.

I just remembered, the nurse asked if I took any new medications, etc. I told her no, which is true. However, they told me that I could start back taking Meloxicam (mobic), and I took one last night. It's a pretty strong prescription NSAID; like Celebrex, but not exactly the same. Maybe that could be part of the problem? Stay tuned......

[Kitt3000 757]

FYI, hoping this helps... I woke up with severe heartburn. Call your doc or send them an email to make sure it's ok... But OMG... what a difference Pepcid makes!

[mrsto 2,925]

FYI, hoping this helps... I woke up with severe heartburn. Call your doc or send them an email to make sure it's ok... But OMG... what a difference Pepcid makes!

I feel ya! My doctor has me on Pepcid twice a day, for 30 days post-op. That didn't EVEN touch it yesterday. I went and saw him this morning, and he said that it's too soon after surgery to really know what's going on. He checked me out, asked a ton of questions about my eating; what, when, how much, have I gotten stuck, burped up food, nausea....lots of questions. He said that for the time being, I could switch from Pepcid to Omeprozole (Prilosec). That blocks ALL acid production, and has worked great for me in the past for reflux. Initially he thought that maybe it would help if he took all of the Fluid out of the band. In surgery, his doesn't do a complete fill; only a little bit to start. But after talking with me at length, he didn't feel it necessary to remove whatever was in there. He also said that he would not consider a fill until I'm on solid food for a period of time, and this issue resolves. So, I guess I'm not going to have any fills until a good 6 weeks. We'll see.

SO - in answer to Maddygram's question yesterday, he puts a little bit of Fluid in during surgery, but it's not a complete fill. I forgot to ask him how many cc's, but I think he starts with something like 3.