Flu season

hopeful · February 6, 2005

Has anyone that has a band ever had the stomach flu? Just wondering what would happen if you got it while banded. It is going around in this area and I can't picture what would happen if you started barfing with a band on.

Sorry, as if we don't have enough to think about.

hopeful Brenda

Banded Sept 24, 2004

Dr Ortiz and Dr Martinez

1st fill Nov 17, 1.5

New Hope · February 6, 2005

Brenda, you need to keep a filled prescription for Phenergan suppositories on hand (for vomiting). Also, simple hand washing halts a lot of germs (which are on everything we touch). Waterless hand cleaner is also effective. Eat healthy, try to avoid anyone who has the flu, and hope you are lucky.

happyhuc · February 6, 2005

I was banded on December 7, 2004. I had not had the 'throw-up' flu in well over 20 years... so I didn't think I'd ever have to worry about it after banding. WRONG! I got the flu big time on January 17th.... I don't remember vomiting so fierce, it was awful. I was scared to death that something was going to happen to my band.

I called my surgeon ASAP as soon as a started vomiting (actually right before when I knew it was going to be inevitable). He told me that since I did not have any fill in my band yet and he thought I was far enough post-op, that I would be fine. His concern was that if I continously vomited or if I hadn't gotten rid of the bug within 12 hours, that I needed to go to my local hospital and get something for the vomiting and for hydration. It wasn't much more than 12 hours and I felt better. And I had six 'epidodes' of vomiting within that time frame. (I'm a HUGE baby when it comes to throwing up and I thought I was going to die each and every 'episode.')

The vomiting didn't 'hurt' me while it was happening. However, the following day the center of my chest was very sore and I'm sure that was from my stomach being swollen around the band and from all of those muscles being pulled. So it wasn't a terrible experience... one I don't want to go through for another 20 years though! if I had any fill in my band, I think I probably would have had to make a trip to get all the Fluid taken out of it. My surgeon's office was great.. they called me every day for three days just to check on me and make sure I was okay.

vinesqueen · February 6, 2005

It is my understanding that most barfing flus (what the heck is the plural of "flu?") are actually outbreaks of food poisoning. Of course, you can get the actual flu and cought so hard that you vomit. This is one of my concerns...

Vickums · February 6, 2005

My daughter had some sort of bizarre flu bug last week. Within less than 24 hours she became severely dehydrated -- even though she only vomited twice and had no other symptoms except malaise, a sore throat and cough and a headache. She just couldn't bring herself to drink.

I ended up coming home from the Night from Hell working as a pediatric nurse, dropped into bed for an hour, only to be awakened by my 14 year old crying in pain that her belly hurt. (She's a total stoic so this is very unlike her). She looked awful, clearly very "dry". So back to the hospital we went, with me totally bleary eyed, my husband driving because I was in such bad shape. They gave her two bags of Fluid and some phenergan and the difference was phenomenal. She came home with a scrip for more, and only had to take two over that day, then she was fine. (Now I think I'm coming down with it so I'm being very careful to drink a LOT).

That phenergan stuff is magic. I highly recommend keeping it onhand. But I'm not sure if it would help with the vomiting from coughing, though. I have a lot of experience -- unfortunately -- with coughing that hard because of my Sarcoidosis. In fact, that probably happens to me a couple times a month. I think the key with that is getting the *cough* under control.

And yes, true influenza doesn't usually involve the stomach. "Stomach flus" are more often some sort of intestinal virus or food poisoning, which is a whole other thing. OTOH, you can become so dehydrated from influenza that it can throw your electrolytes off to the point where you become nauseous; I think that's what happened to my daughter. It's a vicious cycle at that point because you need to drink, but can't because you're nauseous, which makes it worse. The only real way to get around that is getting fluids in SOMEHOW. IV fluids are probably the best way. I've treated a few kids who came in vomiting whose nausea went away just from the fluids; we didn't even have to use phenergan. Weird, I know, but that's the human body for ya.