Pain when eating, What can it be??

jack2109 · March 30, 2006

:help: My husband got banded in sept. 05, and has lost about 105lb. I am so happy to see him playing with our daughter again and being so much healthyer. But for the las two months, just about everything he eats causes pain at the pit of his stomach. We called his Dr. and he put him on liquids for a week in case or irritation, and he did get better, but it's all back again. I'm just worried the band slipped or something else, maby this is normal. Has anyone else had this problem?? Thanks!!!!!

the best me · March 30, 2006

He needs to call his doc back. The fact that a week of liquids made it better is great. Sometimes, once that band area gets irritated, eating more solids foods too fast, not chewing well enough, or taking bites that are too big can cause problems, then swelling, then more problems, and it just never gets better till you do liquids again for a bit to give it a rest.

When you say the pain is at the pit of his stomach, do you mean the band area? the bottom of the upper part of his stomach? or down below the band? Pain isn't normal.

Here are some possibilities that I can think of:

not eating properly (big bites, not chewing well, eating too fast or eating foods that his band doesn't like?

gall stones? happens alot with fast weight loss, or any weight loss!

he's too tight? When was his last fill? He may need a small unfill.

Sounds like he needs to get back to the basics, but a call to the doc is in order. Pain is NOT normal or okay. Give us some more clues about his fills and eating and us "shade tree diagnose-ers" can give it a shot.

Wow, 105 lbs since Sept.! Well done, Jack!

jack2109 · March 30, 2006

Thanks for the replay!! Its around the band site. He always has to start with a hot Soup or something warm to be able to eat his food. He says that he is chewing to almost liquid, but has this problem with some foods. It's really weird, he could eat steak one night then the next chicken stew (much softer) causes it. He describes it not as much as pain, but more like the body rejects the food and something as to throw up. He says it's ok that he got alot of fill. I'm trying to force him to go back to see the Dr. but he's in TJ and we are in FL, so it's a trip.

the best me · March 31, 2006

Okay then here's my advice. The band loosens up with weight loss. We have fat all through us and when fat comes off around the stomach the band will loosen and we need another fill. So, if hubby isn't trekking back to TJ for an unfill anytime soon, then he'd better adjust his diet and start counting some serious calories.

I have a theory about the steak/chicken stew dliemma, but I'm not a doc, a nurse, or anything medical, just a bandster so take it for what it's worth. He eats steak successfully one night. Chews well, goes down fine, but he's been hard on his stomach. It's tight, and now he's a tad swollen from the hard to get down meal, even though it went down. So the chicken stew comes along, and the band sends it back from whence it came, saying, enough already! You are overworking me!

I'm thinking hubby needs to get a visual on his band and eat foods that avoid ANY small amount of swelling, which will cause the next meal to come back up, which causes more swelling, the vicious cycle continues. Which is why the week of liquids worked. If hubby can count the calories of very mushy and liquid foods, don't over do it, drop another 20+ pounds, he may be able to work with his then-loosened band a bit, and work more solid foods like steak and chicken into his diet, then start eating like a big-boy bandster...solid protiens first, then veggies, then anything else if he's still hungry. My guess is that right now the solid protiens are causing swelling because he's overfilled.

The problems with all that are 2 big risks: 1)erosion. chances are increased with too much band restriciton and 2) slippage. Lots of PBing (Productive Burping...when the band send the food back up) increases chances of slippage and that is not good. He'll need a complete unfill for a good while, at the least, and emergency band removal, at the worst. I can point you to folks who have experienced this, if you need.

Anyhow, long post just to say that I think hubby is too tight, and if insists on staying this tight, he needs to adjust his eating correctly to avoid band damage.

Do you want some links to other threads that might be helpful? Or have I said enough for now?! LOL Good luck. Thanks for helping hubby be a good bandster!

jack2109 · March 31, 2006

Thanks to the both of you! You guys are great!!.

I also feel he has too much fill. I have to go to San Diego on business in a few months so I'm forcing him to go with me so he will drive down to TJ and get un filled a bit. He is as stuburn as can be about going back sooner. So I guess he will continue with muchy foods. He's all happy about lossing the weight, but I'm going to call his Dr. today, just so I can have peace of mind. Please do send me the threads, the more I know the better.