Reflux! Help!

[Keemi13 4]

Hello,

I have had the Gastric band fitted on the15th April so it's been 5 days now. I have a follow up appointment with my doc in 3 days. Im now on the two week liquid diet, im suffering from reflux everyday its horrible. Is this normal? My doc has prescribed Nexium to take everyday since the operation.. At times i think what have i done to myself, when i get so exhausted from reflux and vomiting the acid in my stomach.. Im terribly tired and just cant see the light at the end of my tunnel.. Has anyone experienced reflux and vomiting right after surgery? Will it ever get better by time? Im only dreading the day i go back to work next week and start getting those reflux bouts and vomiting at work.. What an embarrassment! Plz help! I need some comfort and motivation from real life stories!

Amy

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

Nope. No acid reflux for me. Can you see if your surgeon can check your band? This isn't normal.

[CTJohn 109]

I have reflux during the night sometimes I don't eat least 5 hours before going to bed.

Asked PA last visit, and he suggested stop drinking any fluids an hour or two before bed. That seems to have worked for me.

[TheProfessor 378]

Before I was banded 4 months ago, I used to have ferocious reflux and heartburn. I was diagnosed with a para-esophogael hiatus hernia, which my surgeon repaired for me laparoscopically at the time of my lap band surgery. WHAT A RELIEF!

I mention this as hiatus hernias are very common in obese people. My surgeon said that a high percentage of patients come into bariatric surgery not even aware they have one (but have been living with the reflex for weeks or even years). So my question - did you have reflux before?

Each time I get a band adjustment ("fill") I am asked by the nurse whether I have reflux or heartburn. This is, apparently, an indicator that the band may be too tight. (Thankfully my answer is a consistent "no" - I have been feeling terrific since my surgery, lucky me). I tell you this because this is how YOU should be feeling, too!. So perhaps this is what has happened for you - that your band was placed and filled with too much Fluid at the get-go?

Here's what I've learned - that when the band is placed, there is only a small amount of Fluid put in it. This is so a) Your swollen oesophagus which is traumatized from the surgery can recover, and so you WON'T get reflux. At this stage you are on liquids, which should pass through the band quite easily. If even liquids are causing you to vomit, I think that band is just too tight, you poor thing!

On the day of my surgery, my band was filled to 4.1 ccs. I have gradual fills of .3ccs over the past few months that have brought me up to where I am now - 5.2ccs. It might be a good idea to ask your surgeon what your band is filled at currently.

I agree with JustWatchMe" - your reflux and vomiting is not normal. I strongly recommend you address this immediately with your surgeon. *Note - I am a newbie here with no medical background, so I'm just speaking from my own experience and what I've learned over the 2 years I spent researching prior to being banded 4 months ago!

You have invested this money in yourself, and have gone through so much to get you to the surgery and into the phase you are in. Congratulations! You deserve to ENJOY it, though, not be suffering. Hopefully this is just a hiccup for you, and that with a band adjustment (de-fill) perhaps you will feel relief, and get on the road - the PROPER road, to recovery.

Rooting for you and wishing you the best! Do keep us all posted.

Edited April 20, 2015 by TheProfessor

[BayougirlMrsS 3,934]

@@Keemi13 Amy, have you called your dr. yet? This doesn't sound normal too me. I didn't have it till about a year ago, which is 4 years out. I found that extra strength Gavascon helped me. Then i wised up and went get 1cc removed from my band.

Did your dr. put any fill in your band at the time of surgery? What size band and if he/she did, how much did they put in? I have the 14cc band and didn't have any put in at time of surgery.

Please don't wait around... Call dr.

[lisacaron 5,075]

@@Keemi13 take a breath. Your doing OK. You are only 5 days into this procedure. Your quite swollen inside which will cause everything to take its sweet time to make it through the opening of your stoma even with NO Fluid in your band. think of the size of your stoma as being as tiny as the eraser on a pencil to the sliver of a thumb nail.

At this point you need to take sips tiny tiny sips of Fluid. Use a medicine cup if you have trouble taking a smaller sip or use a teaspoon. Eat some frozen sugar free ice pops this will help some of the internal swelling and sooth your throat and stomach as well.

This is a process and some heal up in a heart beat and the swelling goes away and your hungry again (that was me) and some will be swollen for some time before it goes away and fills begin (that was my hubby).

Slow and steady, keep breathing through it and your gonna be great. Don't eat before you lie down to sleep, and keep hydrated. Ice pops will help you there as well.

Good luck and let us all know how you are doing in a few days.

[Bandista 7,466]

I also loved my Popsicles during this time -- MinuteMaid frozen lemonade if I recall (okay, I recall perfectly!). GERD is definitely a symptom of being too tight but unless you have a primed band (?) this should not be an issue. (Note some surgeons put some Fluid -- amount varies -- into the band at the time of surgery as some kind of a head-start). I would call it in and maybe they will bump up your appointment. I believe in a very close connection with the doctor post-op -- a key to success. They want you to succeed. Put those medical professionals to work. Above all, keep all those first year appointments. There is no co-pay not worth the success of this endeavor. I liked the accountability and reassurance. Good luck to you! You're going to do beautifully and feel better each day!

[Keemi13 4]

Thanks a lot everyone for your support and feedback.. So it turned out that it's as @@lisacaron had mentioned.. Im a bit swollen from inside and i guess the reflux and vomiting was my body's reaction to the subject on my stomach.. The reflux is getting better day by day, i never had reflux before the surgery..

I dont have my band filled yet!! Dont know how it will feel after my first fill! Which is due in 3 weeks from now after im done with liquids and purée phase.. I still have a long way to go, but im always telling myself i couldn't have done it without the band.. I remember all the different diets that I failed at and yoyo ing all the time, hope this time I keep all the weight off for good!

Thanks again guys! Its good to know there are other ppl out there who know what im going through..