I posted the other night about whether or not I should get a fill as my restriction has just about gone. I never even considered he would say No or tell me the things he said.

I have had reflux since about my 5 th fill I think. I have had 9 fills. He gave me medication(losec) for the reflux and it has been fine....now he is saying I have 6 weeks to get rid of the reflux or he is taking all my fill out, if that still doesnt fix it he will take my BAND!!!!

I was like OMG WTF!!!!!!!!! How did a friendly visit for a bit of a top up turn into this. This is my worst nightmare, remember my weight gain is inevitable post???? Well was that a coincidence or what. Someone please tell me this is crazy...pleaseeeee. If you cant tell me that can someone let me rest my head on their shoulder and cry while they stroke my head and tell me I am not going to end up a big fat porker again.

:think :think :think

I recently went thru the heartburn acid reflux dilema myself.

It got so bad even water burned. I was completly unfilled for almost 2 months. The heartburn was gone before my 3 hour trip home was over! I felt so much better! When I came back in after complete unfill for 2 months I could not hold the same CCs I had prior, before I was 2.0 ccs now I am 1.0 ccs and just now a month later Im going in on wed. for a small fill.

Dont be fearful of getting unfilled sometimes your body just needs to heal more. I too was afraid I'd lose my band but after my unfill so far so good on my refills :eek:

I wish you the best of luck~

Kellie, He should not have been so rude with you. It hard enough trying to eat right and follow all the rules. Im sorry you went thourgh that. But maybe you do need a unfill, just for a while. Then you can go back and get a fill once your heart burn is better. But to loose the Band now thats crazy!!!! You can cry on my shoulder anytime... I will even cry with you :eek: Hang in there girl... you have done such a wonderful job so far... and You will continue to do a wonderful job! Maybe your Dr. was constipated that day! LOL

Kellie,

I'm sorry you are going through all that. If the reflux continues, you probably should have an unfill, but I don't think that you'll need to have your band removed. And if that doctor thinks you should, you can always get a second opinion.

*hugs*

I'm all about the 2nd opinion! Maybe he was just trying to scare you - although it's not like you can scare away reflux! Here's the upside: I've heard over and over here on LBT that after a complete unfill you can't hold as much fill as you used to which means you'll get better restriction with less fill and less fill is easier on your stomach in the long run.

Don't panic yet, no need to cry. If you need the unfill for your reflux to get better then go ahead and unfill - time to test your new relationship with food and see how much you've learned - then get a refill and keep moving forward. You're going to be just fine, I'm SURE.

Kellie - I wish you the best of luck on this matter. You have been a source of great inspiration to me here. I've enjoyed and learned from your post and loved your courage on the PS thread. You are very beautiful and look like your confidence is soring though the roof.

My thoughts are with you and hope that the doctor is talking "worst case" and remember it may not go that direction.

:eek: Sorry to hear of your troubles. My experience has been, this far out, that the esophagus does indeed suffer some 'atrophy/damage/change' in the long run due to having been restricted. I am currently less filled due to esophagitis/reflux issues and I'm very concerned that I may not be able to be re-filled again - ever. Which leaves me wondering, okay.. so I have this band, but I'm now unable to retain the restriction I need to maintain or lose additional pounds. What a bummer.. My particular doc sort of give me the 'this may be all you get' speech, so I'm unsure as to whether I should even attempt to get any further adjustments. I understand your concern, but perhaps if you just allow the rest for a few weeks, practice the eating behaviors that helped you lose up until this point, then you can go back and a new small fill will be okay for you. I hope this is the case!

Man, Kel, what a bummer!! The important thing is to regroup. Cry a bit, but know that this is NOT the end of the journey! Look at how far you've come... you're looking awesome!

Now, turn your mind to keeping your band. Let's get that reflux under control. Try all the stuff folks talk about on here: aloe vera juice, washing out the pouch before bed, not eating late, avoiding acidic foods (including orange juice & tomato products), etc.

Keep us updated! Hope you can beat it without the unfill!

(( Hugs!! ))

Holy crap. I can only imagine the fear that must have struck you when you heard those words. *big hugs*

I am guessing that what you saw was his genuine concern for you and that's good. How he approached it might have been shocking, but I think he was just being blunt. Men can be so... blunt, sometimes. *sighs*

I have read about you and several others who have mentioned being on medication for heartburn and it struck me as odd. From what I've read, heartburn and reflux are typical indicators of being too tight or slipping. To treat with medication seemed contrary to the goal of keeping your body healthy. I think that's what he's trying to achieve now, keeping you healthy by letting things settle down and the irritation that's causing the reflux to heal.

Letha's right though. You have learned how to eat well and make good choices. Don't panic and think the band did it all for you. It didn't. You did a huge portion of that on your own and you still have those capabilities. Relax and let's see what the unfil does. Chances are, like Na- er PlunderBunny said, it will subside once some of the fill is out.

I'll be praying for ya Kell. *hugs*

Before doing ANYTHING, schedule an appointment with a GI specialist. It sounds like the surgeon is jumping to conclusions without having all the facts. There are tests, procedures and new medications so don't think the surgeon's word is the final word. It's YOUR body so make that appointment.

He gave me medication(losec) for the reflux and it has been fine....now he is saying I have 6 weeks to get rid of the reflux or he is taking all my fill out, if that still doesnt fix it he will take my BAND!!!!

Am I missing something?

From this line, it looks like the reflux is under control?

If so, then WHY the 6 week deadline? Did he take you off the reflux med?

I would think that band removal is LAST resort for a reflux cure. Doctors dont like doing this any more then WE do.

Just hang in there. Im trying hard to remember if Ive read where an unfill DIDNT help reflux issues.

Usually this takes care of the problem - immediately. Without the need for unbanding.

Dont worry till you NEED to. ((hugs))

Thanks everyone, I know this is a life long thing but it is so important to me to be at goal or at least close to it for my wedding. It was the major goal I set for myself when I was first banded. I am getting married in September. At this point if I dont lose any more weight I will be happy for my wedding, but if I put it on ... ewwwww...

Anyways Paula, that is what I cant understand. My reflux hasnt bothered me since I went on medication. I dont even know I have it until I go off the tablets. I know it may sound like a stupid question but why cant I just keep my fill and stay on the tablets...Would it still be damaging me if the reflux was under control with the tablets? I have never had the wake up coughing in the night thing just reflux which starts when I first eat in the morning and lasts for a cople of hours then same after each meal...which I dont have now because of the meds....*sigh* how confusing.

From what I've read, reflux is a sign that you could be a little too tight or another thing, maybe some esophageal dysmotility. Which means that the esophagus has been irritated somehow and lost it's muscle tone.

If your doc has already tried medications to decrease the acid, and that hasn't helped then he's probably thinking that he's gotta try something else. I don't fully understand why he'd almost threaten you with a band removal without even knowing whether the unfill would work. :eek:

I guess my advice would be to do everything you could to help this along BEFORE he seriously wants to talk about band removal. Here's some ideas:

1-Lots of bandsters have to sleep with their heads somewhat elevated. I've heard advice ranging from putting blocks of wood under the legs at the head of the bed to actually sleeping in a recliner. I myself sleep with about 3 pillows positioned into a wedge-like shape so that my head is elevated without my hubby being disturbed by a weird bed angle. So far that's been working.

2-I have also tried aloe vera juice that another LBT member recommended. I can't say that it tastes great, but I drink it a couple times a week to help "heal" my tummy and keep things settled.

3-Make sure you're not eating at least 3 hours before you go to bed. That helps make sure your pouch is empty before you lay down.

4-You can also drink a glass of Water before bed to sort of flush it out. If I don't drink water, I drink the aloe vera juice.

Good Luck and don't worry too much about a potential band removal. I'd say from reading your post that you haven't reached that point yet. Besides, even if the doc did say that you could always get a 2nd opinion.

Wow, Kel... if it's totally under control, I don't know what his worry is!

Has anyone heard of side effects from long term usage of relux drugs? I know that I was on them for a year pre-op with no effect (that I knew of). My primary care didn't seem to think it was a big deal, but that's not saying much (not my favorite person).

You might do some research to find out if there's side effects. If not, um, yeah. I shouldn't really tell you to lie to your doctor, lol...

Ok, this isn't a claim of medical knowledge in any way, shape, or form. It is purely speculation, but... See what you think.

Prior to banding, it's easy to identify what's causing the reflux - poor choice of foods and excess body weight. However, once banded and with the diet in check, especially after losing weight, the cause of the reflux MUST be from some other problem... right?

Perhaps Kellie's Dr feels that treating the symptoms and not fixing the cause is where the danger lies. If the bandster's reflux is brought on by the band being too tight (for example) then merely controlling the symptoms is masking the cause of the problem while perhaps even more serious complications continue to develop. Does that make sense to anyone else?

Didn't you just recently have surgery so no you are "nobellykelly"? I have heard others who have had surgery have problems with reflux, etc. So maybe you just need some heal time.