Irritated stomach and esophagus

cathmo · July 16, 2006

I don't know if anyone else has had the same problems as I have had, but I have looked through the messages and found some complications similar but not exactly the same.

Here's my story:

I was banded on May 17, 2006, and 4 days after I was banded, I started coughing. I ended up with bronchitis. It was some virus that I must have picked up before my surgery. I had bronchitis for about 5 weeks. I was on antibiotics for about a week after my surgery, and then I went to my PCP to get treated for the bronchitis after the antibiotics ran out. He put me on another antibiotic for the cough.

My question is..... can antibiotics irritate the stomach? After I started eating solid foods, I ate too much, too fast and didn't chew enough..... and started sliming and PB'd a couple of times. For about a month now, I've been having a lot of restriction, even with Water. I still have to belch a lot to get even Water down. I first had pain in my back and radiating up to my collar bone, but that's gone now. I still have a little dull pain when I wake up in the morning and try to drink water. That pretty much goes away after I've had something warm to drink. But I'm having some stomach pain also. My biggest problem is not being able to eat solid food. I can only take in liquids and very soft mushies.

I went to my fill nurse practitioner (I haven't had a fill yet) and she said that my band and port look like they are in the correct place, so I don't have a slipped band. She thinks I might have an ulcer and lots of swelling at the stoma. I'm taking Previcid and another med for healing the stomach.

Has anyone else had a problem like this so soon after being banded? And my earlier question, can antibiotics cause irritation in the stomach? Just wondering.

The only good thing that came out of this is that I finally got through my weightloss stall and started going down again. I've now lost 28 lbs since my surgery! I'm happy about that. :clap2:

Thanks,

Cathy in Arkansas

paula · July 17, 2006

Hi Cathy!

So sorry youve had a rough start. But taking the prevacid should help. If your symptoms are not improving by a week or 2, please call your doctor back and ask for something else for your tummy. Its not uncommen to have to switch around meds (any meds) to find the right one for you. The stomach meds are no different!

About the antibiotic - YES! some DO irritate the stomach. Try sticking to mild foods for a while - just until things heal. Stay away from stomach irritants like alcohol, coffee, Tomato based foods, spicy things, etc.

A stomach ulcer WITH our band is not something to take lightly. So please be careful!!!!

Also, just as a personal rule, when I MUST visit my PCP, I *always* remind him of my band and the need to have scripts written that are gentle for the stomach and preferbly something in liquid form.

(((hugs))) Hang in there, you should be on the road to recovery!

cathmo · July 18, 2006

Thanks, Paula!

Cathy

wanttobethin1 · July 30, 2006

I am having a lot of the same problems and have since surgery almost a year ago. I final went to a Doctor that agreed to do fill under floro and found that I had a swollen esophagus which either came from the antibiotics or eat to much to fast I am liquid and pureed food for two more weeks. I hope this fixes my problem. Good luck