After I eat a bite of food, or sip a drink of Water I get the "water-cooler effect" and gurgley air/silent burp or bubble noises that travel up my esophagus/throat from the food funneling downward into my stomach. {If you don't know what i mean by water cooler effect it's like when you press down on a water cooler noossle so the water can pour out, and then bubbles float to the top of the cooler}

1. Is this the same thing as reflux? When the food is funneling down into my stomach, the water cooler effect happens, sometimes with mini mini burps.

2. Is this just minor reflux?

3. Anyone else deal with this water-cooler action or gurgley air bubble noises/silent burp in the esophagus?

-I dont have burning acid feeling or heartburn fyi. I dont have bad cough at night or wake up with sore burning throat.

-I do sometimes get really loud hiccups. (My Dr. said it could maybe be from the tube of band tickling diaphragm)

-Sometimes (very infrequently) I feel a throbbing pain at the site of my actual band after I eat. But then when I sit up with posture the throbbing goes away. I called into the Dr. office, they said it could be irritation because I take a birth control pill every night before I go to sleep and it probably sits and doesn't funnel down all night long, so it's just irritating. Or they said it could be from bad sleep schedule/stress.

-Since I've gotten my band, I cant force a big burp like pre-band life burping. I get little mini inside body burps all day long, they just happen on their own (silent air burps)

Fun Fact: The nurse that fills me at my Dr office has a band too. He said CC amounts are really different for each body. He said at 9.2 CC he can eat 2 Big Mac McDonalds burgers, but at 9.3 CC he can barely swallow water. So weird, anyone else like this?!

Random Question: How come one day I can eat a large piece of pizza no problem, and another day I cant get down 1 bite of pizza? Besides flying, why do bands do this?

Wow. All of your symptoms describe me to a TEE! That being said I am going to give you my theories on each of these issues.

First, I have been banded for a year on August 11. When I first got banded I was the lapband poster child! I was so adamanant about measuring all my food out to the exact portion sizes that we are supposed to eat and was phanantical about eating only healthy foods that are good for me. I lost 90 pounds pretty quickly getting me to a low of 163. I exerized religiously at the Y without missing a day! I never had a single issue. My only "stuck" experience was when i first got a fill and ate something too fast and it hung up for just a moment.

Then IT happened. I started becoming complacent.. I stopped measuring the foods, started overeating and eating junk that i know is not good for me. I would miss a day or two at the Y, then next thing you know I was missing a week or two. I was full of excuses as to why I couldnt keep up my healthy living regime. I weigh every day so I would get on the scale and say to myself "Well, a couple of pounds is ok. The next thing you know that couple of pounds turned into 20. That is also when I started having those symptoms that you describe. I know exactly what you mean by the "Water cooer effect". Also I experience more of what I refer to as "semi-stuck" situations than I ever did before.

I tell you all that to get to my theory of what is going on with my body. When i am back on track and following my healty regime, i dont have these symptoms. I believe the biggest factor is the water intake. When I am drinking plenty of water and eating healthier, I do not experience these symptoms. So the very best thing I can do to prevent it all is to stay strong on my routine.

To answer question #1- My doc also stitched around the band, so yes other docs do this.

Question #2- I also experience that same phenomenom of being able to eat certain foods and quantities of foods more so on some days than others. I think the biggest contributor to that is my Fluid level. If I drink plenty of water and keep the fluid moving out of my body, my band seems to do so much better. This may sound crazy but I have tested it and found it to be true. I make sure I drink a couple of glasses of water or some hot tea before I go to bed every night. Yes this does make me have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the nite usually but when I do this the next morning I can eat Breakfast more comfortably than if I didnt. My band seems to be tight in the morning but keeping that fluid moving seems to really help.

Thanks for posting this. Seeing your post made me realize that I am not abnormal. Others have the same issues. It also made me really analyze my situation and come to the conclusion that i can control my own destiny on this. If I want to continue to experience all these symptoms that you speak of, I will keep overeating, not exercizing, and not getting my fluids in. If I want to be comfortable, and feel good I will stick to my healthy lifestyle.

I guess the band is doing what it is supposed to be doing. I think I will stick with the healthy and happy and keep myself on track now.