Band removal due to hiatal hernia & reflux

[kalamazoo 1]

Just make absolutely sure you know what the plan is. A hiatal hernia is where a portion of your stomach is protruding upwards above your diaphragm. A hernia repair involves suturing the area near the esophagus to prevent the stomach from going upwards. If your band is slipped that means the band is moved up towards the esophagus instead of being on the stomach. Either way you may need surgery,however, it sounds like maybe they can repair the hernia and put the band back in the position it needs to be in. I hear there is a new band that is wider that is less likely to slip. Have him show you the xrays and explain exactly what he intends to do. Good luck to you!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Just make absolutely sure you know what the plan is. A hiatal hernia is where a portion of your stomach is protruding upwards above your diaphragm. A hernia repair involves suturing the area near the esophagus to prevent the stomach from going upwards. If your band is slipped that means the band is moved up towards the esophagus instead of being on the stomach. Either way you may need surgery,however, it sounds like maybe they can repair the hernia and put the band back in the position it needs to be in. I hear there is a new band that is wider that is less likely to slip. Have him show you the xrays and explain exactly what he intends to do. Good luck to you! :thumbup:

Not quite, when someone slips the band does not move, the stomach does. The lower stomach slides up through the band and the pouch is much bigger.

[amywin12 0]

Thank you for sharing that information. He did show me in the xray how the stomach was coming up through the band and what was there was too big. I go on Friday to find out if the unfill worked. I am not throwing up daily like I was before, but still am throwing up. I don't know if it means the unfill did the trick or not!

[MellBell 0]

OMG Im so worried to get this done.....i have a Hiatal Hernia and worry about complications... this is something to think about bc im self pay

[jvalve 0]

angie, i am much like you. the doctor just put me on aciphex because i have gerd which i never had before the lapband (3 years ago). the hearburn started probably about a year ago on and off but as of late has been worse. but, i notice, sometimes i eat too fast still, and i graze likey ou and then go for one meal. that one meal can only occur in the evening when i am open the most, but, because it is late it causes gerd and heartburn. sometimes i want to have the band removed but i dont want to gain weight. then, i dont want to do damage to my esophagus and have a worse health problem. dont know what to do. and i dotn want to stay on mediceine either. i am going to stay away from the foods that trigger the gerd, just do the medicine till i am healed and then go off it. the medicine alters your stomach acid and that cannot be good wither. i feel i wouldnt have gerd if i didnt have the lapband. but then i would be fat!! lol. help

[shanit 0]

So, what exactly are the symptoms of a hiatal hernia if you have a lap band? I have had my band for almost two years. Since last November I have been having problems with it all of sudden becoming too tight. I have had Fluid taken out once then put back in. then it all of a sudden got too tight again so I had fluid taken out a second time and not put back in. But I've never had more than .5 taken out. I have been under a great deal of stress for the last 18 months due to loosing my job. Last Thursday I got extremely tight when I had to fly to Denver for a job interview. I believe it was from the stress. By Saturday afternoon my band appeared to be opening back up. that night before dinner I had coffee and then salsa at dinner which caused heartburn. Then that night i had acid reflux when I slept. I never had acid reflux since I had the band. Sunday my band wasn't tight but I had a burning in my stomach for about 20-30 min after I ate. I had no acid reflux Sunday night but I did have to take Milk of Magnsia due to Constipation. Today I was real tight in the morning and i had this discomfort when I swallowed and drank my Breakfast. The pain stopped at about 1pm. Yesterday and this morning i was convinced i had an ulcer, but now I'm worried that I may have a hiatal hernia. It's confusing because it seems the symptoms are the same. It should be noted that I've only had a smoothie today and 4 pretzels. the smoothie didn't go down so well but the pretzels did. I'm going to try to have dinner. What does everyone think I should do? I'm going tomorrow to see my GP about the ulcer I think I have. Should I also see my surgeon about a possible hernia? I'm really afraid of having them take alot of fluid out and gaining weight.

[SharonByTheSea 0]

Hi Everyone...I had my Band in 2004, by Dr. Ortiz, in Mexico.....and lost about 85lbs, had that Band removed in 2009, and new Band inserted at same time by Dr. here in the States, but am now having issues with acid reflux and a hiatal hernia. Have removed all Fluid from my Band, have gained back 28lbs, and have total fear of gaining it all back! My Dr. has suggested I have the Band removed and have gastric-bypass at the same time. I am on Medicare, and they paid for the removal of old Band and insertion of new Band two years ago, but now fear that they will not pay for it removal again and a GP surgery.

Has anyone out there had the same problem? And did Medicare pay for it?

Just don't know if I want to take the risk, siince Medicare does not pre-approve anything!

Wishing everyone out there good luck on this journey..

Ciao,

Sharon

[dogtooth 0]

wow i am just reading these. i have had the lap band for almost 5 years now and have had acid reflux for a year now have it under control but still bothers me at night. it has not crossed my mind to have my band taken out. i am just amazed some of you have fills. i have no fills none i am wide open and i have restriction my band is tight in the morings but yet i can take a whole pill no breaking it or crushing it so i know my band is open if pills go down. its just wierd sometimes i will take a pill with tea or something and i think maybe the pill is stuck will go throw up and the tea comes up but the pill doesn't wierd. i still have a problem of eating to fast you would think after 5 years i would know better but i usually graze during the day and try and eat one good meal a day. and stress really makes my band tight. i went thru two hurricanes in september and i don't think i ate all month i lost 25 pounds in 3 months because of it. but hey unless something really bad happens i am keeping my band i have lost 170 pounds and even though i hate i have excess skin really bad and i need a body lift to i just live with it i would do it all over again. good luck to all and thanks for all the info i am getting on here.

You may be able to get insurance to pay for the Excess skin removal if your doctor can demonstrate it (the excess skin) is causing another medical problem, which is what a surgeon did for me. Good luck!

[angiedawson 0]

Well 2 years ago i got down to a size 4 altogether i lost 220 pounds. was throwing up everyday and just getting sicker went to er room did blood work my posstess levels were dangerously low they said if i hadn't gone in that night i would have died. had to have the band taken out it was killing me. as a result of the band coming out where the port was i had a massive hernia had to go to houston to get fixed.. yes i have gained some of the weight back but i would rather be fat and alive than skinny and dead i have kids to raise by myself so there was no opition but to take it out..... it sucks but i don't care anymore it does bother me sometimes but it is really nice to go out to eat and not throw up or walk around to make the food go down and i can eat what i want. my health is still trying to get back on track but all my blood work came out excellant and my blood pressure is awesome right now so i will take it one day at a time. i thought about putting another one in or doing something else the doctors ask me if i wanted it but i was skin an bones at the time dying and i have had so many surgery's and bowl obstructions i am scared to mess with any of it. oh well maybe one day but not worried about. good luck to everyone just remember go to the doctor if you have a problem i know believe me i know i didn't want to gain the weight back but my kids needs me and that is all that matters they love me regardless.

angie, i am much like you. the doctor just put me on aciphex because i have gerd which i never had before the lapband (3 years ago). the hearburn started probably about a year ago on and off but as of late has been worse. but, i notice, sometimes i eat too fast still, and i graze likey ou and then go for one meal. that one meal can only occur in the evening when i am open the most, but, because it is late it causes gerd and heartburn. sometimes i want to have the band removed but i dont want to gain weight. then, i dont want to do damage to my esophagus and have a worse health problem. dont know what to do. and i dotn want to stay on mediceine either. i am going to stay away from the foods that trigger the gerd, just do the medicine till i am healed and then go off it. the medicine alters your stomach acid and that cannot be good wither. i feel i wouldnt have gerd if i didnt have the lapband. but then i would be fat!! lol. help

[Julie Northrup 0]

I had my band placed in 2007 and removed last week. In retrospect I had problems with esophageal spasms from the beginning, but I thought it was the band restricting me, because it was always that way. I lost 120# in the first year and have been stable since then. I had ongoing issues with pain in my chest and then reflux which was treated with Nexium. I had an EGD 2 years in for the pain and everything was normal. Fluroscopies were normal too, but they only looked at the band, not the esophagus. For the past year I have been having more reflux at night, despite taking all the measures I could find to prevent it. I had not had a fill in my band for more than 3 years, but I still felt restriction. I had aspiration pneumonia last July and they thought it might be related to the band, but my dad was dying from cancer so I ignored it and didn't follow up. A few weeks ago I got aspiration pneumonia again, this time really bad, and it wouldn't go away, it just kept getting worse, the pulmonologist said we needed to find the source and fix it. The GI did and EGD immediatly and found my esophagus was very dilated and my muscles in my esophagus and the sphincter were not working right. All of the stuff from the esophagus started when I got my band so it was removed immediatly. I follow up next week with the GI doc for more tests to see if the damage is permanent or if I need more treatment. I actually left the first hospital I was admitted to because they just wanted to treat the pneumonia and not find the cause. I deliberatly went to a hospital that I knew did lap band surgery so I would have a qualified surgeon available. I believe that made all the difference in the world.

I feel so much better it is unbelievable. I am so glad the band is gone, I am worried about gaining weight, but I am more concerned about being healthy enough to live. I remember the feelings of low self esteem and the reference to a fat pig really makes me hurt for you. I remember being mood at in the mall by some kids. Noone has the right to make you feel like that, not even you! Hold your head up, be positive and have faith in yourself. Maybe you have learned more than you think. You are of worth whether you way 100lbs or 500lbs. Don't give up looking for help. I have used self hypnosis tapes for lap band patients since I was banded and I hope they will continue to help me now.

If I had it to do over i would still get my band, it helped me get to a place where I feel good about myself, a manageable weight where I can be active. I am living and active again. I took up running and created good habits. Only time will tell if this is enough. I learned I am so much more than my weight and I can do hard things, including keeping this weight off and I wish the same for all of us that have had to take this path.

If you think you need your band out you probably do, so don't drop it, keep going til you get the healthcare you need, I should have pressed sooner, but I got too busy and it could have created permanent damage. Sorry this is so long, I just needed to say that stuff.

[AWright 1]

@ Julie...would you please tell me more about your esophageal symptoms? How long before you were able to swallow again? Are you still having problems? I haven't eaten solids in almost a week because swallowing is such a task. Eating anything of sibstance is like sand going down my throught. I am only eating soft foods. I really need advice...I just want the band out.

[Julie Northrup 0]

I followed up with my GI doc a couple weeks after surgery and I was able to swallow pretty well by then but at that time I was still chewing everything incredibly well because I was afraid not to. He told me I had developed a band of scar tissue around my esophagus that was constricting it, and he said that was most likely the cause of the reflux. The band doctor didn't tell me that, he just told me "the band was just fine, it wasn't causing your problems" . I just know I didn't have problems before the band and I did after, and the problems stopped when it was removed. I say the problems stopped, but I do still have some problems where I can feel the food not moving, I feel it sitting in my chest and when the sphincter at the bottom of the esophagus opens I feel the food move through, so the sphinter isn't working right. Also I sometimes have to "tell" myself to swallow more than once, because it just doesn't work initially. The doc is waiting to see how much is going to resolve on it's own before he does further testing.

FYI on the costs r/t removing the band, if you havn't checked with your insurance lately check again, rules are changing all the time. Removal/placement was not initially covered on my plan, which is why I initially went to Mexico, however rules changed, and they now cover one bariatric surgery (placement OR removal). The costs related to the removal were about 10,000 dollars, but the costs related to the aspiration pneumonia caused by the band were over 76,000 dollars, not to mention all the time off work. so if you are worried about the cost of removing the band you need to look at the cost of NOT removing it too. Thankfully it looks like my insurance company will cover almost all of it. I fequently get asked if I am going to have another band placed, that is not an option for me given my residual swallowing problems, it's not worth the risk.

I have gained 10lbs since the band was removed (it was removed the first week in february, so about 6 weeks). I haven't been able to get back in to a regular running pattern yet as I have still been recovering, but I am feeling much stronger and I am working on that. (I know from last time it takes a while before you can run again after a bout of pneumonia, let alone surgery). I am thinking positive, but nervous. i hope all goes well with you.

Julie

[Julie Northrup 0]

I followed up with my GI doc a couple weeks after surgery and I was able to swallow pretty well by then but at that time I was still chewing everything incredibly well because I was afraid not to. He told me I had developed a band of scar tissue around my esophagus that was constricting it, and he said that was most likely the cause of the reflux. The band doctor didn't tell me that, he just told me "the band was just fine, it wasn't causing your problems" . I just know I didn't have problems before the band and I did after, and the problems stopped when it was removed. I say the problems stopped, but I do still have some problems where I can feel the food not moving, I feel it sitting in my chest and when the sphincter at the bottom of the esophagus opens I feel the food move through, so the sphinter isn't working right. Also I sometimes have to "tell" myself to swallow more than once, because it just doesn't work initially. The doc is waiting to see how much is going to resolve on it's own before he does further testing.

FYI on the costs r/t removing the band, if you havn't checked with your insurance lately check again, rules are changing all the time. Removal/placement was not initially covered on my plan, which is why I initially went to Mexico, however rules changed, and they now cover one bariatric surgery (placement OR removal). The costs related to the removal were about 10,000 dollars, but the costs related to the aspiration pneumonia caused by the band were over 76,000 dollars, not to mention all the time off work. so if you are worried about the cost of removing the band you need to look at the cost of NOT removing it too. Thankfully it looks like my insurance company will cover almost all of it. I fequently get asked if I am going to have another band placed, that is not an option for me given my residual swallowing problems, it's not worth the risk.

I have gained 10lbs since the band was removed (it was removed the first week in february, so about 6 weeks). I haven't been able to get back in to a regular running pattern yet as I have still been recovering, but I am feeling much stronger and I am working on that. (I know from last time it takes a while before you can run again after a bout of pneumonia, let alone surgery). I am thinking positive, but nervous. i hope all goes well with you.

Julie

[angelw36 0]

I also march 26 am having my band removed due to relux and gurd.. I have had nothing but problems for the last 3 years with the band. Nothing like actually getting sick while you are sleeping and waking up doing it. If I knew this and had to chose all over again I would have done the by-pass. It was the worse 3 years I ever had. I spent more on doctor co-pays for as much as I was there and getting swallow test done several times finally I got sick of it all told them I want it out. Your doctor will will know what to say to the insurance company for them to pay for it.

[ebonymc 52]

Aviatrix, I can understand your feelings of being down, but please try not to let it get you too down. You seem to have a lot of support here and I wish you the best. I'm struggling with the feeling of being too tight and losing no weight. I've had fills and unfills to the point that I feel hopeless. I want to see another Dr. to have myself fully checked out because as it's been said, Sometimes your Dr. can give you a hard time and make things seem as if it's your fault. I often wonder if my band was placed correcly. I only want the problem to be corrected if so. I love my band but hate the reflux at night when laying down. I don't know if this is a symptom of a hiatal hernia or not, but I have a large upper belly that protrudes and this is another reason why I think I need an endoscopy. Anyone else have this going on? Could it be a hiatal hernia?