Acid reflux, vomitting, coughing all night

[Kellys 2]

I have been struggling for a few months with acid reflux and have gone in to have a few de fills. I have had the band for over a year and up to this point have been really happy with it. Now - I have days where the heart burn and acid reflux are unbearable, I am vomiting often and spend most of the night coughing - sometimes I cough up bile but often it is just coughing.... all night!!! I have an appointment for the upper GI to see if it has slipped but that is not for a few weeks. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with this in the meantime. I am drinking lots of Protein Shakes when I can, only soft food, I don't eat anything after 7pm.....I am at my wits end.

[Toddy 758]

Certainly sounds like it could be a slip. You really need to get your upper GI appointment moved up. A few weeks is too long to live in that kind of misery and if you're having trouble keeping liquids down, you will dehydrate very quickly.

[Sojourner 2,446]

I have been struggling for a few months with acid reflux and have gone in to have a few de fills. I have had the band for over a year and up to this point have been really happy with it. Now - I have days where the heart burn and acid reflux are unbearable, I am vomiting often and spend most of the night coughing - sometimes I cough up bile but often it is just coughing.... all night!!! I have an appointment for the upper GI to see if it has slipped but that is not for a few weeks. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with this in the meantime. I am drinking lots of Protein shakes when I can, only soft food, I don't eat anything after 7pm.....I am at my wits end.

I was trying to cope with a similar scenario earlier this summer. I had issues with night time vomiting and coughing even after my band was unfilled entirely.

What I found has worked for me is to limit my intake of both any food or Water in the evenings. I wait a minimum of 2 hours after eating anything, and a minimum of 1 hour after taking my bed time medications before it attempt to lie down to sleep.

If I follow those rules, I have no problems at all, which is what I have done since late June. If I don't follow the rules, more night time coughing and vomiting.

My band is still unfilled. My surgeon in Florida who placed my band was convinced that it had slipped. Repeat of the fluoroscopy showed a perfectly placed band, and he even said he was surprised that there was no slip based on the severity of my presenting symptoms. He said he cannot explain why I have the symptoms I have, but I will be allowed to keep my band as long as I can keep the night time symptoms controlled.

I hope you get some relief from your symptoms, and that your band is ok...

[Sojourner 2,446]

Another thing we tried which seemed to help me was to elevate the head of our bed by about 3"...

I agree with others...do what you an to have your appointment moved sooner. With all of the coughing you are experiencing, you may be at risk to develop aspiration pneumonia.

[GuyMontag 1,264]

I was trying to cope with a similar scenario earlier this summer. I had issues with night time vomiting and coughing even after my band was unfilled entirely.

What I found has worked for me is to limit my intake of both any food or Water in the evenings. I wait a minimum of 2 hours after eating anything, and a minimum of 1 hour after taking my bed time medications before it attempt to lie down to sleep.

If I follow those rules, I have no problems at all, which is what I have done since late June. If I don't follow the rules, more night time coughing and vomiting.

My band is still unfilled. My surgeon in Florida who placed my band was convinced that it had slipped. Repeat of the fluoroscopy showed a perfectly placed band, and he even said he was surprised that there was no slip based on the severity of my presenting symptoms. He said he cannot explain why I have the symptoms I have, but I will be allowed to keep my band as long as I can keep the night time symptoms controlled.

I hope you get some relief from your symptoms, and that your band is ok...

Limiting my food intake close to bed time has really helped me as well. I also have a 4x4 under the head of my bed i've had there for years to help elevate my head. I could probably take it out but if it ain't broke...

[marfar7 1,528]

Last year I started having coughing at night and severe nightime reflux. I ignored it for 4 mths cuz I knew my dr would unfill me. Finally, hubby ordered me to the dr. My band had slipped. They unfilled me by 1/2 and let me rest 4 weeks. Without a followup xray, he put 1cc back in 4 weeks later. I had no reflux but also no restriction. So he put another 1cc in. That nite the reflux started. My band had not fixed itself. The dr took out the previous 1cc out and told me it wasn't bad enuf to come out and the weightloss was now 100% up to me.

Fast forward to about 4 mths ago. My stomache was KILLING me for 4 days. Finally went to the ER (my dr is 3 hrs away) and after the CT they diagnosed me with a herniated band (when your band is up and over your band) and unfilled me and told me it needed to come out.

5 weeks ago I had a band to sleeve revision. it took my dr 30 minutes to dig my band out of my stomach. It had embedded itself. Making the recovery much harder than my lapband 4 yrs ago

Don't mess around with reflux. The band can be doing damage without you even knowing it. PM me if you have any questions...

[NaNa 878]

Sorry, but it sounds like your band has already slipped, or you have a bad pouch dilation. I would not wait a few weeks, this could further damage your body and lessen your chance of healing without band removal.

If you have not got all the saline removed, I would do that asap for starters.

[Kellys 2]

I just went in and had another de fill and I have a follow up appointment on Monday. If nothing is better then they will move up my appointment. Right now I feel much better - I have been able to drink Water easily and eat small amounts of food. The nurse does feel it is a slip and has said they will probably do surgery to adjust it. I really hope I can get back to where I was before all of this - 2 months ago I was loosing weight, eating well and had no complications. The band was working perfectly.

[Toddy 758]

I had my slip surgically repaired and added plication to help prevent further slips. I did reach the green zone again after several fills and was in the zone for about three blissful months. Started having some problems and had half a cc removed and all problems are gone, but I can also eat way too easy. I'm filling again at very, very small fills.

All this to say, you can get restriction back. I think I just have a super finicky band and will constantly need adjustments!

Oh, and for whatever reason, the second surgery recovery was SOOOO much easier than the first!

[marfar7 1,528]

I just went in and had another de fill and I have a follow up appointment on Monday. If nothing is better then they will move up my appointment. Right now I feel much better - I have been able to drink Water easily and eat small amounts of food. The nurse does feel it is a slip and has said they will probably do surgery to adjust it. I really hope I can get back to where I was before all of this - 2 months ago I was loosing weight, eating well and had no complications. The band was working perfectly.

I would google the stats for a 2nd band placed. I've heard from my dr and several others hat once ur band slips, the chance of u having complications with a 2nd band are astronomical. My insurance won't cover plication so I just chose to revise to the sleeve instead of having it repaired. Glad I did. Loved my band until it slipped...

[Kathy759 4]

I have been trying to find the "right" place to tell my story and this seems as good a place to start as any.

I was banded in 2007. I did quite well for a few years. I had only one fill the entire time I had the band in. I lost 75 pounds and kept if off for a while. I started having a cough at night that became chronic. I coughed EVERY night, most of the night long. It was unbearable for my husband and became a real problem for me when I started to lose my voice. I am a singer and this was something I couldn't live with.

I started to investigate why I might be coughing and went through a lot of testing. I had allergy and asthma testing, all negative. I had an endoscopy to see if there was anything going on with my esophogus, also negative. I had a laryngeal stroboscope to make sure my vocal chords were ok. They were fine.

As time went on, I started to have reflux at night to the point of vomiting. I would wake from a dead sleep with vomit in my mouth, or worse, coming out my nose. It was horrible and this horrible side effect began to happen every single day! Not only at night....if I fell asleep during the day, it happened then too and not only laying down, it happened if I fell asleep sleeping in the car or on a plane. I thought for sure that I must have cancer of the stomach or some other disease.

The next thing that started happening was I would wake up feverish with EXTREME chills, unable to warm myself. My body ached as if I had the worst flu ever. I missed work on these days because I could not function. One day when I awoke like this, I had a doctor's appointment. While at the doctor, I mentioned it to him and he ran some blood tests. My white cell count was high that time, and every time after when I would wake with a fever. This led to more tests! Lyme disease, negative. Lymphoma-negative. They thought it might be endocarditis. It really became ridiculous. The end result of all of this madness....they diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. I knew that was NOT what was going on.

Throughout all of this testing, I was put on multiple drugs for the various symptoms I was having. None of them did anything. Family and friends urged me to consider that the LapBand was the problem. I didn't want to believe it, but I couldn't take it anymore and since the regurge was so bad, the docs wouldn't even consider adding liquid to the band. I decided to have the band removed.

My band was taken out on June 3, 2013 and I want you all to know that ALL of my symptoms ENDED that very day!!! I no longer have regurge at night. I no longer cough at all unless I have a cold. I have not had a fever since the removal! I do not have Fibromyalgia. I do not have anything wrong with me. My ailment was the LapBand and nothing else. The doc that took the band out said he thinks that when I was coughing and regurging at night, I was aspirating into my lungs and that is why I had fevers a couple of times a month. My body was fighting the foreign substance in my lungs!!!

I cannot tell you how happy I am to feel better and know that I am not a hypochondriac or a nut case! All of these symptoms happened to me and from what I see, they are happening to a lot of LapBanders. I am extremely grateful that I got it out of me before something more serious happened to me.

I am interested in speaking to others that are experiencing any of these symptoms. Your life is more important and I know your quality of life sucks if you are going through even half of what I experienced.

Thanks for listening.

Kathy

[bernitz2 0]

I am also suffering from nighttime aspiration. Went to PCP 5 weeks ago and was first diagnosed with bronchitis, took antibiotics, didn't go away, went back to PCP who diagnosed walking pneumonia and prescribed more antibiotics. The whole time still suffering from nighttime aspiration/awful choking in the middle of the night. Decided to come on line and found many references on this forum regarding coughing and chokng that finally convinced me it was the band. Sure enough, I have a hiatal hernia and am going to have surgery for repair in a couple of weeks. They removed as much saline as they could but I still have problems with the choking and constant coughing at night. I haven't slept and am going nuts. I am taking OTC omephrazole 1 to 2 hours before bedtime, not eating after 6pm and sleeping upright in LZboy, but nothing is helping. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations. I need to get some sleep - hence, why this posting is being typed up at 2:25am...

[Sojourner 2,446]

I am also suffering from nighttime aspiration. Went to PCP 5 weeks ago and was first diagnosed with bronchitis, took antibiotics, didn't go away, went back to PCP who diagnosed walking pneumonia and prescribed more antibiotics. The whole time still suffering from nighttime aspiration/awful choking in the middle of the night. Decided to come on line and found many references on this forum regarding coughing and chokng that finally convinced me it was the band. Sure enough, I have a hiatal hernia and am going to have surgery for repair in a couple of weeks. They removed as much saline as they could but I still have problems with the choking and constant coughing at night. I haven't slept and am going nuts. I am taking OTC omephrazole 1 to 2 hours before bedtime, not eating after 6pm and sleeping upright in LZboy, but nothing is helping. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations. I need to get some sleep - hence, why this posting is being typed up at 2:25am...

Based on what you and the poster just before you on this thread, it does seem that you have been taking all of the appropriate measures to relieve your symptoms. It is so important to get your restorative sleep, it would be a good idea to contact your physician about your lack of rest.

How much are you limiting your intake of fluids in the evening? I have to wait an entire hour after taking my evening medications before lying down to go to sleep. One evening, I was partched and not properly hydrated in the evening, and had only one sip of Water about 10 minutes before I laid down, and ended up regurgitating it. That's the last time I'll do that...

I would keep your physician aprised of what is happening. I hope that your band has not slipped, and that you will get relief of your nighttime symptoms.

[Julie norton 2,850]

I just went in and had another de fill and I have a follow up appointment on Monday. If nothing is better then they will move up my appointment. Right now I feel much better - I have been able to drink Water easily and eat small amounts of food. The nurse does feel it is a slip and has said they will probably do surgery to adjust it. I really hope I can get back to where I was before all of this - 2 months ago I was loosing weight' date=' eating well and had no complications. The band was working perfectly.

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Hope you can get back to where you want to be soon. Scary when the band is acting up. Hoping for no surgery

[ebonymc 52]

I have read here, that if you limit your night time eating and drinking that your night cough, reflux and other terrible symptoms will go away. Well, what about if you're a diabetic as I am. You just cant stop eating 5-6 hours before going to bed. I also bowl twice a week and need some sort of fruit, snack, or even a drink of Water before going home to go directly to bed. I've had so many fills and unfills that I cant even count anymore. Some things are easier said then done, and it's not always the sufferers fault.