Help!!!!

angelatn2001 · February 19, 2005

Hey guys! I hope this finds everyone doing great! I have ran into a major problem and need some advice. At the beginning of January I came down with the stomach bug. I thought that I was getting better so I decided to eat a little something for dinner. Well I ended up spending the rest of the night hugging the toilet. I woke up the next morning, Friday, and could not get any liquids down so I decided to call the doctor. His nurse told me to drink hot liquids to see if the swelling would go down on its own. I tried to do this but of course it did not work. On Saturday morning I woke up unable to swollow my own saliva (and keep it down). By that afternoon I had gotten so weak that I could barely hold my head up. My husband starts freaking out and rushes me to the emergency room. There they did a barium swallow and that showed that my pouch had completely closed up. They ended up taking my saline out of my band and sent me on my way telling me to do liquids for two weeks and then slowly progress to solid food for 4 weeks. Well all went well I was able to eat everything and the kitchen table and gained so much weight that my clothes dont fit anymore. I went for my fill Thursday and did well Thursday night. Then the next day I tried to drink some coffee and it hurt. Not the same feeling you get when you get stuck. This feels like something I have never felt, maybe like someone is pushing as hard as they can against my band. I can even feel this pain in my back with certain movements. It is very painful and now I keep getting the hic-ups. I really dont have a clue what is going on with my band. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this before? Will I ever get to get back on my weight loss journey!!??!!

New Hope · February 19, 2005

How much of a fill did they give you? Sounds like you need to contact your band surgeon and see what he/she advises. They may want to do an endoscope to see what's going on. Best of luck to you!

angelatn2001 · February 19, 2005

That is a very good question!! But my fill doctor does not tell me what my fill is. Which really pisses me off. And this is also the reason I am trying to find another fill doctor in the Nashville area. I have asked her why she feels the way she does and she told me that the patients tend to let that determine whether or not to get a fill! I dont know if she just does me that way because I use to worry about my fill being at 4.2 cc. But the only reason I worried about that was because when I first got the band they were saying that your band can only hold up to 4 cc. I think that my fill is around 3.6cc but I am not sure.

leatha_g · February 19, 2005

The band had completely closed up, but how was the position? How experienced is your doc or the person reading the xrays in identifying slippage? A bout with the stomach flu like that can certainly cause a slippage. I hope this is not the case with you, but it sure sounds possible.

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For those reading, at the first sign of stomach flu PLEASE call your doctor for anti-nausea meds, such as phenergran. The pills are very small and work wonders in keeping you from vomiting. We really should keep these on hand at all times, in the event of food poisoning, viruses, etc. Also, if it very severe, it is recommended to get an unfill for the duration so as not to damage your band placement.

leatha_g · February 19, 2005

That is a very good question!! But my fill doctor does not tell me what my fill is. Which really pisses me off. And this is also the reason I am trying to find another fill doctor in the Nashville area. I have asked her why she feels the way she does and she told me that the patients tend to let that determine whether or not to get a fill! I dont know if she just does me that way because I use to worry about my fill being at 4.2 cc. But the only reason I worried about that was because when I first got the band they were saying that your band can only hold up to 4 cc. I think that my fill is around 3.6cc but I am not sure.

You NEED to know this information so that YOU can monitor whether you seem to be retaining your fill or not. In the event that you had leakage, you'd have nothing to compare to.

angelatn2001 · February 19, 2005

The doctor does keep everything wrote down in my chart. At the beginning I was losing about .2 cc between fills, but she said that was nothing to worry about. I did have a barium swallow and that showed the placement of my band and from that everything looked fine.

claraluz · February 19, 2005

I certainly don't know what is going on with your band and I would contact your surgeon. It sounds like you may need some imaging done. But I can tell you that if my pouch gets overstretched (usually with gas in my case), it is very painful and I can feel the pain in my back. If I get heartburn, I can also feel that in my back. I hope you find out what is going on very soon. Good luck and keep us posted!

Nancy

Alexandra · February 19, 2005

Angela, I'm so sorry you're having this problem. My doctor is like yours, reluctant to share the actual amount of fill since it is a meaningless number for most purposes. He does keep track of MY fill in MY chart, but there's no reason for me to know it unless I'll be somewhere getting a fill with someone who doesn't have access to my chart. Highly unlikely.

Take it really slowly and be careful. I know that a new fill can definitely result in unusual feelings even when everything is normal. You've been through a lot and so has your band, so it is a good idea to keep a very close eye on it. Good luck!!

New Hope · February 19, 2005

The phenegran is a suppository (for the other end)... nips nausea right in the bud. For real throwing up, not just pbs. Store in the refrigerator.

New Hope · February 19, 2005

Angela, I was mainly concerned if you had a large fill or a conservative fill. I would hope your dr. is logging the actual amounts each time.

Jammin & Losin · February 19, 2005

I sure can't give you any advice but just check with Dr. and do what he tells you ! I hope things get easier for you!

angelatn2001 · February 20, 2005

Thank you everyone for your replies. I will definately be calling my doc for the Phenergan Monday for those last minute bugs that decide to pop up. I will also see what he says about all of this pain. My husband had a really good idea, he thought that since it had been so long since a fill I might have some bruising. I sure hope that's all it is. Thanks again!