Reflux Poll

[angiedawson 0]

hi i am new here. i have been had the lap band for it will be 5 years in march of 2009. i have had acid reflux for the past year i am on nexium but i also feel like i am throwing up in my sleep. i have been reading these post the only thing is is i have no fills none. i have lost 170 pounds with no fills. i had one about a month after the surgery but it was to tight and he took it out told me to wait a month and come back but at that time i was going thru a break up and later a divorce so i never went back. i am also fine during the day mine is at night not every nite and i also triggers my asthma. some nights get bad i have to get up and sleep in the chair because it just keeps coming up most of the time if i throw up get whatever is in my stomach out of there i will be ok. i am just sick of this sometimes i don't sleep for a week if its really bad and stress doesn't help. sorry this is long i am just so excited to see that i am not the only one with this i know of none else around here that has had the band with this trouble. thanks for listening and all the great info

angie

So if you have reflux at night, the test to ask for is an upper GI?

I am fine in the day time. no heartburn, I can eat small portions. It's just at night and not every night, I feel like I am throwing up in my sleep.

I am not sure what to do . The dr gave me nexium but that doesn't really stop the night time throwing up.

[angiedawson 0]

wow i am reading these and i am getting scared. i don't know what band size i have. but it's good to know that if something happens with this one they can put a new one on. my insurance i have now does pay for lap band and the gastric. i have worked so hard to lose this weight if something happens and they can't put a band on they will do gastric i am not gaining this weight back and i know i would because i still love to eat. how do you know if you have a slippage?? do you have to get an upper gi to find out. see i don't know about any of this. i really have never went back to the doctor i was going thru a divorce and couldn't afford the fills and all that and really still can't being a single mom but i was fixing to ask my regular doctor to do something about the acid reflux it's not as bad as it was but i just want to make sure my throat and stomach are ok. again thanks for listening.

[PamFP 0]

Some people, after about a year, develop a stretched esophagus, this leads to a reflux condition when you lie down at night. The best defense is to be sure your last ingestion of food, or even liquid is past the "little stomach" by the time you go to bed. I take medication sometimes to block acid production. Between that & not eating within 4 hours of bedtime, I do okay.

[makana 0]

I was banded 5 years ago and have had serious problems with reflux which has resulted in ulcers. These are very painful and continually exacerbated by the acid reflux.

I am on medication for reflux and ulcers but the ulcers are not healing due the acid reflux.

Not easy...

[PamFP 0]

I've been banded for two years, and have problems with reflux if I eat within 4 hours before bedtime.

[makana 0]

I've been banded for two years, and have problems with reflux if I eat within 4 hours before bedtime.

That must be hard!! I would get hungry , 4 hours before bed without eating anything? Because of the small portions of food, I need to eat more frequently... and feel hungry in the evening...

I also wake up in the middle of the night with severe left shoulder pain. Do you experience that?

[chrbrowning 0]

I was banded in May 08 and prior to surgery had really bad gerd and reflux, but after surgery those have went away completley. I think the band keeps everything in the stomache. I think people who have never had gerd or reflux may be getting the pbing confused with gerd or reflux.

[makana 0]

What is pbing? is that vomiting?

[gardengrl 0]

I have been banded for 6 months but prior to being banded I had severe reflux (Upper GI's, testing, etc.) so I can't blame it on the band. My surgeon is surprised when I tell him it hasn't diminished at all and even to this day, I still have it daily. I'm on Nexium (have been for YEARS!) and that helps drastically and I also eat Tums everyday. That has been helping, esp. before bedtime. I personally have had it since I was a healthy weight so I don't think it's going to disappear due to any more weight loss. :thumbup:

[Tyanna 0]

I have been banded for 1 and1/2 yrs now and I am now just starting to have bad reflux. I agree I think it is because my esophagus had streched. I only get it at night and as long as

I take OTC prilosec it dosen't bother me at all. I had mild reflux before the band and it went completely away until now. I feel it is better to deal with this than High blood pressure and hypoglycemic attacks. At least it is something I can control with over the counter meds.

[mdezayas 0]

I am so grateful for this community. It is the best I have seen. I had lap band 2006 and sailed thru it beautifully. I never had heartburn or reflux prior to surgery. Now I can't sleep, I wake up with that choking feeling and gasping for air and there is spit up on my pillow. My intestinal DR put me on Omeprazole and I took 6 Zantac a day. Stopped coffee, cigs, and basically all food, drink only Water.

Went to Urgent Care due to a cough on Christmas Eve--I had broncitis. I explained the GERD/ acid reflux story with him and he upped the dose of Omesprazole to 40mg and mentioned it could be the band.

COuld it be an overfill? I am lost and desperate for sleep! I saw the Aloe Vera solution and I will get asap. Any other ideas??

many thanks!

[mdezayas 0]

Angie,

I am thrilled to hear you have the same issues. Day time is tolerable,but night I am in the chair and when I do fall asleep I awake to throw up. I can't take this anymore. I am scared my bad slipped.

Margaret

[jms462001 9]

No Water at bedtime either? I don't have acid reflux, but feel phlegm in my throat at night. And, I don't want a stretched esophagus. I just have a difficult time not drinking water!

[HeatherO 7]

I am so grateful for this community. It is the best I have seen. I had lap band 2006 and sailed thru it beautifully. I never had heartburn or reflux prior to surgery. Now I can't sleep, I wake up with that choking feeling and gasping for air and there is spit up on my pillow. My intestinal DR put me on Omeprazole and I took 6 Zantac a day. Stopped coffee, cigs, and basically all food, drink only Water.

Went to Urgent Care due to a cough on Christmas Eve--I had broncitis. I explained the GERD/ acid reflux story with him and he upped the dose of Omesprazole to 40mg and mentioned it could be the band.

COuld it be an overfill? I am lost and desperate for sleep! I saw the Aloe Vera solution and I will get asap. Any other ideas??

many thanks!

The only thing that helped me was a slight unfill. Changing eating habits and taking meds only lessoned it a little . . . but the unfill made it dissapear completely. If you are not getting sleep, it is definitely worth it.

[mdezayas 0]

thank you, I will call today. I slight unfill, so you still were snug, but no that much? I stayed up last night and went on every website I could find and many had the band removed due to slippage. I don't want that to happen.