2 years out and having gas and pressure

[writegirl 0]

I was banded two years ago and have lost 90 pounds. About six months ago I started having lots of loud stomach noises--gurgling and rumbling--and pressure in my upper stomach, right below the band. It is intermittent and there is no pattern to it. It doesn't seem to be related to what I eat, when I eat or how much I eat. I have tried numerous over-the-counter things (GasX, generic Prilosec, papaya enzymes) and some prescriptions and nothing works. I just saw a gastroenterologist who thinks "something is blocked or twisted" relative to the laparoscopic incisions and the small intestine and the noises and gas are hypermotility--my stomach working overtime to unblock or untwist whatever is going on. Has anyone ever experienced these symptoms or heard of this diagnosis?

[elcee 3,341]

My stomach makes loud noises all the time. So loud sometimes that other people can hear them. As far as i am aware this is fairly normal and doesn't mean that there is anything wrong. Can't comment on the pressure though as I haven't had that.

Did your bariatric surgeon refer you to the gastroenterologist and does the ge have lots of experience with bands? If not would it not be better to go back to your surgeon as maybe what you are experiencing is normal.

[crazycatlady 0]

OMG! I have the same thing except I have no restriction & haven't for a long time since I've experienced this since I was banded in May 2008. I have had numerous tests but nothing shows to be wrong. I'm having the band removed in Dec. since I cannot live like this with all the pain, bloating, growling & embarassing gas! The band doctor assures me it's not the band & the gastro doctors have told me there is nothing they can do since nothing appears wrong to them. I have actually lost all the weight I wanted to but only b/c I have changed the way I eat & started exercising 5 days a week. This stomach issue has made my life hell though so I cannot even enjoy my new body since I feel like crap most of the time not to mention I paid for this myself. Please let me know if you find anything else out.

Thanks!

[writegirl 0]

Good luck! I am still being diagnosed--now it looks like something called gastroparesis, where food stays in your stomach too long. Am having an endoscopy and colonoscopy in two weeks, but based on stomach X-rays, the doctor thinks food is not moving through "normally." Are you concerned about life without the band?

[crazycatlady 0]

Good luck! I am still being diagnosed--now it looks like something called gastroparesis, where food stays in your stomach too long. Am having an endoscopy and colonoscopy in two weeks, but based on stomach X-rays, the doctor thinks food is not moving through "normally." Are you concerned about life without the band?

Hi writegirl,

Did you have these stomach issues b/4 the band? I did but not to this extent. I was not a good candidate for the band & made a big mistake since I was not a volume eater. I just was desperate to lose the weight & didn't want to accept the fact that I had to work for it. I have since adopted the eating habits of bodybuilders & do heavy weight training/cardio 5 days a week & have my best body ever. I'm 52 & get hit on regularly at the gym by 30 somethings, go figure! I tell them I could be their mother to scare them away.

My point in telling this is I have learned that everyone has the power to change if you are willing to accept that it will take hard work & dedication forever, not just until you lose the weight. I am not afraid I will gain the weight back, even though I might, because I know I did it on my own & can do it again if needed. All I care about is feeling better otherwise nothing else matters.

Have have recently tried digestive enzymes & will be going to a natural medicine doctor, which will cost me lots but what other choice do I have?

Good luck to you & if you need any advice on how you too can be your smallest size ever(I'm not selling anything) don't hesitate to ask.

[Julie* 0]

I have been banded since Feb 2006 and started having these same problems that you described a few months ago. I blamed my band as I always do when something doesn't feel right on me and kept ignoring it.

Well, last Wed night I was in severe pain around my upper abdomen and around my back and it would not go away. I paged my band doctor and went in for a barium swallow in the morning. That showed the band was fine. Then I had an office visit with my surgeon who realized right away that it was my gall bladder. He sent me back to the hospital and an u/s revealed that my gall bladder was full of stones and very inflamed. I had gall bladder surgery yesterday (performed by my banding doctor who is also a general surgeon) and I already feel much better. I am very sore from the surgery but the pain, gas etc is already gone.

So, make sure your gall bladder gets checked too- I had no clue that something was so wrong with mine and I had lived with it for months.

Julie

[frankie6 0]

Hi

I am having the same symstoms myself. The gas pains are so bad it is scary. The doctor empitied the band to see if that would help. My stomach feels sore and every move I make I feel it in my stomach. Everything I eat makes my stomach cramp. I do not know what to do. I had an upper GI done today and waiting to get the results back.

[ThinknHealthy 0]

I've been experiencing some of the same symptons. Not severe at all but still they concern me. I've had some of these off and on for months after my lapband surgery. In September, I had my gall bladder (gall stones are VERY painful) removed and I thought that solved this intermittent problem too. But recently, the pain in the upper abdomen has returned. My regular doctor has ordered a colonoscopy (I'm 51 so its about time anyway) to rule out any possible polips or diverticulitis. If all that looks normal, and I still have a problem, I'm going to my surgeon to have the lap-band evaluated. I've learned that some pain medication along with the GAS-X helps. It's never been real severe with me, just enough to know that something is not right. Gall stones, that's another story. Ouch!!!

Writegirl --- I sure would like an update on how you are doing and what happened.

[writegirl 0]

I had my gall bladder removed when I had the band put in, so it's not my gall bladder. The colonoscopy I had showed nothing; the endoscopy showed gastritis. My gastroenterologist thinks food is not moving through my stomach fast enough, possibly due to vagus nerve The nerve that controls the stomach) damage related to the band. I have tried a course of a reflux drug and a drug to increase motility (move the food through faster). No results. Now I am doing nothing for two weeks (sort of a clean slate approach), then we'll see. But in the meantime, even before I finished taking the prescribed drugs, I have developed reflux--a new condition for me. Now I sleep propped up and experience it even during the day--a sensation of liquid coming up my esophagus. Delightful. I am thinking of talking with my bariatric surgeon to see what he thinks, but all the tests--barium X-ray and endoscopy -- show the band as being well-positioned with no mechanical problems, hence the vagus nerve theory. Giving up the band is not an option for me, at least not now. I cannot imagine going back to life the way it was. I just hope I can get all these stomach issues under control. Maybe some of this information will help you. Good luck to you.

[ThinknHealthy 0]

Thanks for the update. I go for a colonoscopy on Wednesday. I think it may be stress related for me. My sister-in-law (genetically skinny so not banded) said she has had some of the same problems and gave me that idea. She asked me if I also had back pain and I started relating the two. I know my back pain is muscular and stress related. So, we'll see.

[writegirl 0]

How did your colonoscopy go? I saw my durgeon this morning and he thinks I may have a slippage, even though nothing has shown up on the tests. He says the band can be in place one minute and slip the next. I am going for another barium swallow on Monday. This is very distressing to me, for financial reasons, in particular, since my surgeon is not in my insurance network. But also time off from work, recover, etc. It's like doing it all over again!