Gurgling discomfort

mariecarmen · July 12, 2007

I'm not new to this whole band thing, but something different is happening right now.

I had a small fill about two weeks ago and everything was fine. Did my days of liquids-->mushies-->solids as usual following a fill.

Tuesday afternoon I ate a few Pepperidge Farm goldfish at work and started feeling uncomfortable, a slight golfball feeling.

That night for dinner I was preparing chicken patties (soft, homemade) for dinner and took a bite while cooking. The golfball feeling got worse.

Worse to the point of pain. I tried to drink to wash whatever was in there down and that was a huge mistake. Started 2+ hours of hanging over the sink sliming.

DH took me to the store in search of meat tenderizer and pineapple juice, although I couldn't fathom what could be blocking me so badly. Neither worked and the meat tenderizer made me vomit immediately. Still no relief.

That night I woke up with pain in my back and a feeling of being full of stomach gas. I even came on here to look up symptoms of band slippage.

I put myself on liquids only with some relief. However, every time I swallow something my stomach starts to gurgle. I have this constant feeling that if I could just give up a really good burp, there would be immediate relief. No pain, just this full, gassy feeling. No matter how I bend, turn or press, I can only burp a tiny bit, with a tiny relief each time.

I know I can't be blocked at this point. Think I need an unfill? Some GasX?

Any ideas?

mariecarmen · July 13, 2007

Warning--this is gross:

Last night I had a massive PB and brought up 2 intact wedge-shaped chunks of what looked like pineapple. Each 3/4" long by about 3/8" wide at the widest part. Oh, my God, the last time I ate fruit was several weeks ago and I just can't imagine that I could have swallowed them at that size without chewing. They were fully formed, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't see it with my own eyes.

My husband explained that they could indeed be sitting in there a long time because above the band is just my esophogus with no hydrocloric acid to digest food up there. I felt immediate relief, but not 100% and I wonder if there's anymore still in there.

Could this be possible? Having chunks of food just laying in the pouch, blocking everything depending on their position?

I'm going to call my doctor, ask for a complete unfill and drink Water to flush out the pouch. I'm still gurlgling (not as badly) when I drink.

pinky12202 · July 13, 2007

I can't give you any advice, but i do hope that you feel 100% better soon. Good Luck.

mariecarmen · July 14, 2007

Here I am again, if anyone's interested or has similar symptoms.

Saw my doctor who said, indeed, the pouch can hold larger pieces of food that can't pass through. He took all the saline out of my band, had me drink several large glasses of Water and refilled me, but only to 2cc total. From the blockage, PBing and vomiting he thinks I'm swollen and need to rest my stomach for awhile.

2 days of liquids only. I feel enormously better, and a little embarrassed. I told him I really couldn't imagine how after 10 months of chewing food to pulp I could manage to get huge pineapple chunks down my throat.

His answer was enormously comforting--eating is mostly an unconscious act. We're taught with the lapband to chew and chew, not drink with meals, etc. All this focuses our attention on eating and swallowing. But every once in awhile we simply throw someting in our mouths without realizing it and swallow like there never was a band inserted. 50 years of unconscious eating doesn't just disappear in 10 months.

He said something similar happened to a patient who was 3 years out. Made me feel less stupid.

I'll really have to watch and make my eating experiences purposeful to avoid a repeat of this little horror show.

Thanks for putting up with my gurgling saga,

MC

warmmorningsun · July 18, 2007

marie carmen,

i read this with quite a bit of interest. did you have any pain at all (like spasm pain, some in the back, towards the left)?

i have an appt with my md this morning and i read this with relief and a bit of concern that i have the same thing. i've been thinking that there's something much more serious wrong...but i honestly think mine might be cheese! (gross huh?)

mariecarmen · July 18, 2007

Warmorningsun: cheese doesn't seem any more gross that thinking you've vomited up a part of your esophagus I suppose. All in all, it was an ugly and painful experience that I hope never to repeat.

I had intense pain where you describe before calling the doctor. So bad it woke me up from a dead sleep. I really thought my band had slipped and was strangling my anatomy.

cheese is funny with me. I imagine it turns to glue in there unless it's chewed within an inch of it's life before swallowing.

Good luck, I feel (really, I do) your pain. Let's hope an unfill and quick flush gives you relief.

MC

warmmorningsun · July 19, 2007

Marie Carmen - just an update....I had to get a total unfill. I had .5 (of 2.0 in a 4.0) removed before my wedding so I could go on my honeymoon and enjoy some of the food in Hawaii. When I went back last Tuesday to have the .5 put back in, I've been so tight since then. I tried to let the swelling go down, but to no avail. Right after this message, I started having severe pain right under my rib cage on my left side. It was in waves - and I really truly thought I was having a heart attack. So after reading here, and praying like crazy, I woke up my husband and told him what was going on and he called my MD. At this point I was having what felt like waves of spasms right at the base of my esophagus and by my stomach - HORRIBLE and PAINFUL. My MD was on vacation, so his partner told me to meet him at his office at once (what a super guy - I was SO thankful). We met him and he did a fluro and I had what he said was some severe swelling and a lot of inflammation. So he took everything out. I'm now 0.0 in a 4.0 band. But did I ever feel relief! I was so scared something horrible had happened. When he removed the last amount, I had to drink some Water and I felt something just *plop* into my stomach. He said I probably had something stuck in the stoma although it didn't show in fluoro. When I told him I thought it was cheese, he laughed. He told me to stay on mushies and liquids for the rest of the week and I have to go in again on Monday to see how things look for another fluoro. I'm just so relived I'm okay. Anyway I just wanted to share (sorry if I scare anyone!)