First things first: NO EROSION! :biggrin1: :bounce: :rockon:

Next: The verdict of the gastroenterologist was that my band is too tight and my esophagus is dilated. My surgeon says that the protocol for that is a complete unfill (which I am FINE with) and see where things stand in a few months. He put a dark spin on it, as he is wont to do, by saying that the band will have to come out if in a few months my esophagus hasn't recovered. His take of how this happened doesn't quite jibe with my experience of the way symptoms progressed, so I'm just going to see how things go.

He took out as much of my fill as he could, about 1cc, and sent me on my way. Clears for a day, fulls tomorrow and then on to mushies. I'm going to continue taking Prevacid for a while since that really helped with the heartburn, and I'm going to have a fluoroscopy in early April to check the position of the band. By then my symptoms, or lack of them, will probably tell me if there's anything to worry about.

Thanks for everyone's good thoughts. Keep 'em coming! I could really use a good night's sleep in my own bed.

Good. Or at least, MOSTLY good.

Glad to hear no big E, hopefully the problems will vanish with the unfill for a while. Good Luck!

Thank God it isn't erosion!!! I hope that you will be able to keep your band. My thoughts and prayers are with you!!!

Glad to hear there is no erosion. Sorry to hear about the dilitation, but I guess you will now join the ranks of us who can speak to that experience. I'm sure hoping the rest will be a fix for you. I'll keep my fingers crossed!!

Thank goodness. I bet you are so relieved. I sure am for you!

You're the best!

Megan

That's awesome news Alex! So glad you can relax now!

Sending healing thoughts your way!

YAY Alex! I've been waiting to hear about how you are for days! I'm so glad it's not erosion or slippage. I'm so glad your optimistic and feel the unfill will heal your esophagus. We know our own bodies better than anyone.

When it is healed up, how can you prevent this from happening again do you think?

Good news Alex! I've been waiting to hear. Why does the doc think this happened? I am thinking about what you said in your post about his story not jiving with what you think.

Thank goodness no Erosion. your in my prayers for speedy recovery.

What a relief to hear that you don't have erosion. I hope your esophagus recovers completely so that you can get on with bandster life. Sending good thoughts your way . . .

:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Yay!!! Happy Esophagus Healing! Wait, is than an earthquake, phew, no, that's me doing the happy dance too! Best wishes Alex!

Great news!! But, I also, like Chris, wonder about that part of your post.. Can you share with us..?

Thanks, everyone! I am indeed relieved.

What I meant about my doc's assessment not really jibing with mine is this. Here's the timeline:

Early September: small fill, everything's fine

Late October: I come down with a bad case of bronchitis that persisted with significant coughing, finally resolved by narcotic medication. Band still feels fine, eating as normal.

Late December: Bronchitis returns, I'm afraid I have pneumonia but doctor says no. More meds, resolves cough. Band still feels fine, eating as normal.

Mid-late January: I start to have the odd episode of heartburn, treatable with Rolaids.

Mid- to late February: Occasional episodes of heartburn suddenly get a lot worse, plus nightly reflux with lots of phlegm. From this point forward I can't sleep lying down. I have pain in my stomach that almost feels like an ulcer, and irritation in my esophagus and stomach that verges on making me panic. There were two episodes of small amounts of blood being vomited up, and by early March I can't eat much in the way of solid food. This is when I see the gastroenterologist.

Mid-March: I've been sticking mostly to liquids since the first week, until my endoscopy and unfill. Prevacid has made me feel much better, and soon I'll try sleeping lying down again. I'm not going to eat anything really solid until next week.

My doctor thinks all of this may be from my band being too tight back in September, and my not knowing it. He suggested that my bronchitis was a result of aspiration, and that the heartburn and esophagitis was because my esophagus was irritated from my using it to store food. He didn't have an answer as to why it would have come on so quickly. Esophageal dilation, he says, happens to some people and not others, and it's unpredictable.

His explanation doesn't take into account what I think are significant factors, to wit:

1. The illnesses I had in October and December were initally caught from my children.

2. I had some very strange hormonal stuff going on in January (I'm getting to be that age, you know) and I'm told gastric symptoms can accompany that sort of thing. So mild heartburn wasn't so off-the-wall.

3. The sudden onset of symptoms in February directly coincided with severe congestion I suffered after staying in a house with pets (to which I'm quite allergic).

4. The irritation wasn't only in my esophagus but also in my stomach, and Prevacid helped a lot. My surgeon seemed to think there was no point in staying on it, since it "isn't doing anything." (I'm staying on it, anyway.)

5. I have always been able to, and can still, feel my esophagus doing its job and food and Fluid moving along.

Maybe I'm grasping at straws, seeking answers that don't involve permanent issues with my band. But I just don't have a sense that this problem all stems from the same thing. The coughing I had last fall wasn't reflux-related--I've had that sort of cough and this was different. This was the full-body, deep-throated, uncontrollable cough that comes with infectious disease. If that made my band slip, I honestly wouldn't be very surprised. A small slip, then, might have combined with the allergy-related excess congestion I had in February to just tighten things up way too much. Clearly an unfill was called for, I'm not disputing that AT ALL. I'm just not also inclined to agree that there's anything necessarily wrong with my esophagus. Hey, I can hope, right? :nervous

So that's my story, and I guess I'll know more on April 5 when I have a barium swallow.

Glad all is well! Wondering, though, why an endoscopy was needed..wouldn't the dilated esophagus and too-tight fill have been easily seen on a fluoro too? Renee

I am so glad you stated first things first, my heart could not take the worry. You can not imagine my relief when I read it so I'm sure I can't imagine your relief when you got the news. Still the waiting game to find out if you can keep the band is a bummer.