I haven't posted in a a while, but I guess I have been enjoying the benefits of the band. I had my fill in the first week of November, and everything seemed fine. I did notice in December that during "that time of month" I was very tight, but I attributed that to bloating. Everything was fine after that. Well, this month "that time" rolled around and it was tighter than it was last month. So much so that I couldn't even swallow water easily. I struggled through the week, sipping gatorade and waiting impatiently for the week to be over. Well, the week has been over for 14 days now and I haven't gotten any less tight. Also during that time I started coughing very hard while I was sleeping... so hard that I would vomit up any liquid I might have gotten down..... I scheduled an appointment with the doctor on Feb 1 for a checkup, but I am not sure if it is a problem with being too tight, acid reflux or a slipped band. Has anyone had a problem like this and how did you resolve it? Did a unfill help?

That is so wierd that you posted this!! I was just coming on to post the same thing!!!

I've been really sick the last week with a cold and I have a really bad cough. Last night while sleeping I PB's three different times from coughing so hard. I too am super tight this week and haven't loosened up like I thought I would. I also got my fill in the beginning of November and thought that it had loosened up some but I'm really tight this week.

Thanks for posting this. Look forward to what others have to say....

I was sick a few weeks ago too... maybe that is the link???

Hi ladies,

Yep, you're having reflux and I think it's a holdover from being sick. I just got over this myself. An unfill could help, but if you really baby your system and stay FAR away from eating or drinking four hours before bed, it will probably resolve on its own.

By baby, I mean eat as gently as you can for a week or more. When this happened to me I'd eat yogurt for Breakfast, Soup or a small amount of cold cuts for lunch, and a very small dinner. If hungry, I'd make sure to eat something more BEFORE dinner, not after. Drink lots of warm drinks through the day, and then have tea or something a couple of hours before bed after you've eaten your last. Do this for days and see where you get.

If your cough is really bad, get something to control it. I went to the doctor and got a prescription cough medicine which was the ONLY thing that got it to stop. During the nights of coughing, though, I had to sleep in a reclining chair just to let my husband sleep and to keep my stomach contents down. (I've got a nice little nest made up with pillows, blankets, books--it's almost like a sanctuary!)

You can get through this, but realize that all the coughing is just keeping you from healing. Get that cough taken care of and then let the rest of yourself heal. Good luck!! I know how miserable it is.

Hi

I had a problem with reflux and coughing when I lay down. I also had a problem of being generally unwell for a couple of months with respitory problems.. My surgeon advised that sometimes the band can be too tight and the coughing and reflux is because the liquid/food can't get through the band. He said that this can cause fluid to get into the lungs which may have been the cause of the respitory distress and infection I had.

I am not sure whether this is true or not... I find I can even cough and wake with fluid in my mouth even when I have not drunk or eaten anything for several hours before bed.....

However, he did loosen the band a bit (to my great distress). I am now a lot better - whether that be to antibiotics or to the loosening of the band - or both. The down side? My band is looser and will power is in short supply. At the moment it is a battle just to try not to increase much. But I am back to the surgeon on 07/02 - hopefully he will decide all is better and will refill. But will the problems return? Will have to wait and see!!!

Cheers,

Kaysha

I have the same problem. There are times when I will awaken during my sleep because suddenly my mouth has filled up with liquid, or worse yet, it comes through my nose and spills out all over my pillow and bed. I don't think it is acid, it appears to just be liquid... spit I assume, but that sure is a LOT of spit! The doctor removed my fill completely for about a week or two, then filled it again with 2/10cc's less than I had before. I wasn't gaining weight, but I wasn't losing weight anymore either. After a few months I returned for him to put in the other 2/10cc's. Since that time I have returned to the same problems as before... deep coughing during the night, waking up strangling, suddenly vomiting up liquid in my sleep. The nurse told me not to eat or drink 4 hours before bedtime. I'm even having problems with my food not staying down... it comes back up, sometimes even the liquids come back up. It might be ok if I was still losing weight, but all this throwing up is like being bullemic... but no weight loss. My husband says this can't be healthy, and I need to have the doctor remove part of the fill. Anybody else experiencing this?

"Also during that time I started coughing very hard while I was sleeping... so hard that I would vomit up any liquid I might have gotten down"

I had the very same thing a couple of weeks ago. An unfill of my last fill cleared it up. I was happy with my level of restriction during the day but at night it was just too much restriction for sleep. I'm hoping my doc will give me some itty bitty fills so i find a decent level of restriction during the day with out night time problems.

You gals have reflux. You need an unfill or slight unfill. Please don't let this go on. It can lead to aspiration pneumonia because the reflux might go into your lungs.

I've had the same problem -- coughing with liquid "refluxing" out of my nose/throat. Soooo miserable. An unfill didn't remedy my situation, although I know it does most people. Alexandra offers great advice. That has helped me in the past. Sadly, I am going to have to have my band removed because these episodes are so bad and miserable that they are not worth it. I'll have about 10 good days a month, on average. And one week is typically really bad, with difficulty getting liquids down...or fluids get so "stuck" that I have to induce vomiting. My best guess is it's related to my monthly cycle and Water weight?? I'm so tired half the time that it's affecting the rest of my life.

I had a slipped band once before that was re-positioned and I'm guessing it has slipped again. Did a barium swallow, but Dr. couldn't tell from that if it had slipped.

Anyway, I'm sure everyone's situation isn't as dire as mine... especially since I think you have fills that can be reduced.

Again, see Alexandra's advice above and hang in there... so often it does get better.

Elizabeth

8-28-03

-60

Hi all, well same here.. now I am worried... I wish I had never been fat. This is such a struggle. Every female in my family has diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes... so far i have been lucky and avoided all, hence the surgery.. but this vomiting and dying of thirst is killing me.... I wish you all luck and wish myself healthy... i just don't want to throw up anymore or wake up with vomit in my throat or on my pillow. I want to eat a tiny meal and not have pain afterward because it won't go down....

If any of you have allergies or colds, part of the problem is the congestion doesn't have as wide a "pipe" as before. If drinking hot tea/hot Soup does not help, you may have to be unfilled a bit until you get over the cold, sinus, etc.

Banded 6/29/05

262195.5115

I have had a bad cough during the nights after my last fill. Went back to Dr J and they took out 2 cc's. Now I cough during the day! Getting really tired of this cough. Sometimes it is a small cough other times I feel like my stomach is going to come out!!

I too have the same problem at night especially if i eat to late, i will cough and have sharp pains in my left upper back side, infact it happend last night a piece of bread wouldn't go down for hours, i finally had to induce vomiting and that didn't help and then an hour later it all came up w/ alot of coughing. This has happend b4, yes it could be acid reflux, i was also told that my allergies drain at night and that it sits on your tummy and comes back up. I've been banded 3years, and i have no fill right now because of this, the doctor told me that i have no cold and that my stoma and stomach gets swollen and it tightens up and nothing will go down, except ice chips. They took all my fill out to let it settle and relax, i was told to drink ice chips and cold water for the swelling.

I have been banded for about a year and a half and I just started having the problem where I wake up in the middle of the night coughing and then I vomit a little no matter if I ate 1 or 4 hours before I went to bed.

I never had this problem the first year I had the band and always used to sleep on my stomach, butn ow I cant do that anymore. It doesnt matter if I am sick or not it just happens when I sleep on my stomach or if I laugh really hard. I hope this doesnt mean I need to have my band removed or all of my fill removed because even though the weight loss has slowed way down I havent gained back any of the weight I lost and that is a miracle! I have an appointment with my doc in two weeks so we'll see what he says.

Don't panic it could be a number of things, like acid reflux or allergies draining, When you go to the Dr. have him do a barium to make sure it hasn't slipped. It's probably nothing.

If any of you have allergies or colds, part of the problem is the congestion doesn't have as wide a "pipe" as before. If drinking hot tea/hot soup does not help, you may have to be unfilled a bit until you get over the cold, sinus, etc.

Banded 6/29/05

262195.5115

Hot tea and coffee use to work for me but now a cup of ice and a small bit of cold Water at first helps the swelling and loosens you up too, and i didn't know that until a few months ago. I've been on green tea now for almost 3years, just a suggestion