Vomiting (Not Pbing) And Lap-Band

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

Well I've have an interesting couple days. Saturday morning I woke up with abdominal pain, around 3am Sunday morning I wound up in the ER, and by 11am that morning I was in emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia. I come home from the hospital today and pretty much feel like I've been hit by a fleet of trucks.

((note- this medical emergency had nothing to do with the band))

Something interesting happened during all this. I was in serious pain and extremely nauseous, and right before I went to the ER I knew I was going to vomit. I tried so hard not to because I knew it was bad for the band, but I was still bent over the toilet retching despite my best efforts. But...no vomit actually came up. I went through all the painful motions but absolutely nothing came up.

When I got the ER and saw the surgeon, I mentioned this and he said sometimes with the band you can no longer vomit.

Has anyone else ever experienced this? Apparently I can't vomit anymore! I can still retch, get all clamy, and feel like I'm going to but nothing actually comes up.

Just curious!

[SoccerMomma73 1,867]

Yes and it hurt like hell...... Then the next time I got the stomach bug I actually did vomit which was mst unpleasant with the band.

[donna12 742]

I'm almost 9 wks post op and the two times I've thrown up well once I threw up and the other time was just trying to, it was so intense my nose bled. It's horrible. Glad you are doing ok from your surgery.

[elcee 3,340]

Sorry to hear that you had a medical emergency, glad you are OK.

My only real experience of vomiting since the band was after I imbibed too much wine. Woke up in the middle of the night feeling awful so tried to make myself vomit. Well no matter how hard I tried it would not work. Consequently I spent the rest of the night and the next morning feeling awful.

I am lucky in that I seem to have a cast Iron constitution and I very rarely get bugs that would cause me to vomit. I haven't had one since being banded so I'm not sure what would happen in those circumstances.

But these days when I get something stuck some of my PB's have been a lot more like vomiting than PBing, sometimes it is difficult to work out which it is. Things definitely come back with a lot more force than they did when I was initially banded . I think things change over time

[Jachut 487]

Im ashamed to say my only vomiting experience in seven years - even through chemotherapy - was alcohol related a few monthsagp. Retching but mothing came up. Then i fell aslep, lol.

[LoozQuoils 22]

Are you supposed to have a hard time throwing up with the band? If I eat something that doesn't agree with me, perhaps because it's too dry, I drink a big gulp of warm Water and I'm able to vomit it back up. The only thing is I cant/won't stop vomitting until EVERYTHING that I just ate comes back up.

[Toddy 758]

Are you supposed to have a hard time throwing up with the band? If I eat something that doesn't agree with me, perhaps because it's too dry, I drink a big gulp of warm Water and I'm able to vomit it back up. The only thing is I cant/won't stop vomitting until EVERYTHING that I just ate comes back up.

This sounds more like a "productive burp" rather than actually vomiting. With a productive burp, you are regurgitating the food before it goes through the band and into the stomach. Vomiting is a forceful expulsion of the food from your stomach and back up through the band.

I've only vomited once since being banded. I'm not sure and my doctor isn't quite sure of the mechanics of what happened, but shortly after vomiting I ended up with such intense chest pain that it sent me to the ER thinking it was a heart attack -- not an experience I ever want to repeat!!

[LoozQuoils 22]

Oh wow Toddy!! Thanks for the explanation!!

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

See this is very interesting. It sounds like others have had issues being unable to get vomit up past the band, too. (I know, totally gross topic).

What sucks is, I still did all the motions that would result in a slip if done too much. My stomach still did that violent spasming, retching, etc. What the doc told me was just because nothing was physically able to come up I still went through the motions enough to possibly slip the band.

So I suppose this was a learning experience. Thank you all for replying!

(btw, I am healing slowly, still very sore, but I'm definitely ok. I have about a 8-10 inch incision and drain coming out my side, but I'm home and healing well )

[Grider 92]

I expereinced same, Sat, I did BP but right after I wreched and the pain went to my fingertips like someone had hit me with a base ball bat across my back, last 2 days pain in middle of my sternum area, but I feel fine and not nauseous, I called surgeon they said i was fine, but I feel like a knife is stuck in there,,, did I bust my hernia?? have a slip?I see my reg GP tonite, but i am very worried- as there is no restriction , just that pressure in my chest

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I expereinced same, Sat, I did BP but right after I wreched and the pain went to my fingertips like someone had hit me with a base ball bat across my back, last 2 days pain in mifddle o of my sternum area, but I can just fine and not naseous, I called surgeon they said i was fine, I feel like a knife is stuck in there,,, did I bust my hernia?? have a slip?I see my reg GP tonite, but i am very worried- as there is no restriction , just that pressure in my chest

Well I can tell you this, if you bust a hernia you would know. It's possible you could've made it worse but if it bust you'd be in the ER in agony.

I'm sure you're fine, my doc said I'd have to do that numerous times before causing damage. I think the chances of a slip from one episode are slim.

[Grider 92]

I thank you for the fast response, I hope its just muscle strain,, taking my nexium and no gym but let's see my my GP can shed some light, I used to have more restriction, and now-- zip- the nurse said I probably cleared it all out-- like a plubming clog-- ahg,, but I am not comfortable at all. , what is so weird 1st day my port hurt, now it's change to my sternum area,, so weird!,only one other thought- my hatial hernia- it was repaired, hope its not been affected.