PLEASE only vote if youve been banded 6 months or longer.

Ive noticed that there have been in increasing number of bandsters having Reflux/Gerd problems. This may be a more commen problem in post banding then what our surgeons are aware of.

Hi Terry:

Just had to post how much I like your jewelry site. Very clever and tasteful!

ive been only been banded since 7/31 yes ive had reflux but im still in the learning faze of the diet and what ive learned is dont eat after 8 pm only liquids after 8

I had been banded a little over a year when I developed terrible acid reflux along with coughing at night. My band had slipped. As soon as I was unfilled, the reflux & the coughing stopped. I am now, 4 months later, just starting the refill process.

every day drives me nuts

I was having reflux problems that started a while ago but were occasional. This week has been really bad so I went in for a slight unfill . . . and instant relief. It was just that simple to have it go away for me. I think I was just a little too tight.

I had trouble as soon as I got restriction (third fill - about 4 mos. into banding). That's when I started getting reflux. I had a slight unfill, which helped. Then the problem came back ... eventually got so miserable that I had a complete unfill. Had a respite for a few months (no fills), then started having problems again even though my band was completely unfilled. I think that is when my band slipped - or the slip worsened. I tried to put up w/the problems for several months, eventually got so bad that I had an upper GI and discovered the slippage. I then had my band replaced at 2.5 years post-op first band.

I think that my band probably slipped slightly early on, and then just worsened over time - but it's hard to say for sure why I had so much trouble w/my first band (Midband - placed by Dr. Frering in France).

I have had no trouble w/my current band (9.75 cm Lap-band), and I'm 2 years post-op on my second band.

I am SO glad to read this. I have a 4 cc band, and when I came out of surgery, my surgeon said "it was tight, but it fit." I was woozy, and when I asked my husband, he didn't hear it. When I came back for my post-op, I asked the Dr. if he had said that. He was surprised I heard it, and said "yes. You probably needed a 10cc band, but we got the 4cc on." When I went for my first fill, a got a .50 fill. We had to turn around on the way home because I couldn't swallow my own spit. they pulled out .25, and I drank liquid for a week. Any time I got a .50, I had to wait around (the office is 3 hours away from my home), and most of the time they had to take some out. We just thought I had a more "sensitive" stomach.

I finally got to a 2cc fill in the summer of 2007. My weight loss was pretty slow; I had the surgery in April 2005, and by August 2007, I had lost 60 pounds (plus 20 before the surgery). However, I started having this really weird cough. It would just occur throughout the day or night, and it wasn't "productive." Just this weird little tight cough. Then the "spitting up" at night started, waking me up in the middle of the night with vomit in my mouth. The surgeon's office told me all the stuff you guys are doing, don't eat after 8, no liquids after 9. Mylanta before I go to bed. This became my routine for a few months.

In October, I begged for another fill, just a teensy one, because I was going on a cruise and I didn't want to gain weight. What a miserable trip! Heartburn, throwing up in my sleep (without waking up), aspirating back into my lungs. When we got back to Miami, I called the surgeon before I got on the plane for Atlanta.

Met with my surgeon a few days later, and he removed all fill. He wanted me to set up an upper GI to check the band, and told me that I might no longer be a band candidate. It scared me so bad, that I didn't schedule it until January (yes, 2 months later). We did the barium swallow first, came back a few days later for the upper GI. Thankfully, no slippage or erosion, but it was definitely to tight -- my esophogus was like an accordian, trapping food and fluid above the band, and allow it to come back up at night.

The diagnosis? I need hiatal hernia surgery, preceded by the removal of my current band, and succeeded by installing a 10cc band. Unfortunately, my insurance isn't too interested in paying for this, since they now have a WLS exclusion. We are arguing that this is now a pre-existing condition that must be corrected. The battle continues; we are currently on our 2nd appeal.

In the meantime? I have gained all of my weight back since October (it really accelerated in January). I weigh more now than I ever have in my life. My knees and hip are failing, but I am terrified of having knee/hip surgery and not being able to exercise.

Wow. 75% of LBTers now have reflux. My surgeon said that a lot of people who have reflux (as I do already and am on Nexium) before getting banded have it go away. Looking at these results, I don't know how true that is. :tt2:

My surgeon said kind of the same thing, except he said now when he has a patient with reflux, and they have a hiatal hernia, that he fixes it first before he puts on the band. I'm waiting on insurance approval.

So if you have reflux at night, the test to ask for is an upper GI?

I am fine in the day time. no heartburn, I can eat small portions. It's just at night and not every night, I feel like I am throwing up in my sleep.

I am not sure what to do . The dr gave me nexium but that doesn't really stop the night time throwing up.

HI

thats all very interesting l had reflux before l had my band had laprazole had my band done may 2007 no reflux until 2008 april had a barium done as l was having terrible night reflux waking up with sick in my mouththe chap that did my barium said it was from the contents that sat above my band not food that had gone through my surgeon sugested tat l have a defill but at that time things had settled down had another little fill now had a 6.75ml in a 10ml band bang all of a sudden l can only drink cannot eat infact liquids sat there a hour or so had to have 0.5 ml out he sugested 0.25 ml out since that moment l havnt had any reflux sleep like a baby BUT l am able to eat more my reflux is going to detere how far l can go

good luck to you all keep supporting each other

wendy

Hi, When you thought you were filled too tight, how long did you wait to go back for the adjustment? thanks!

It's weird because on the occasions that I was too tight, I felt like I was fine the first couple of months. After about a week of choking and coughing at night, I had enough and went for an unfill. I am now finding out that you should not get too tight or wait too long if you are because I am on my second month of not being filled at all due to pouch dialation of being too tight and let me tell you it is not fun being hungry during the holidays. I may even have to get surgery to have it placed again if the swellling doesn't go down. Being too tight is NOT a good thing.

do what i used to do and place a 2x4 under your head board also use an extra pillow try not to dat or drink anything 2 hrs before bed hope this helps been there fixed that

I'm 1 year post-op and just started getting acid reflux when I got stuck on a vitamin a month ago. I've had two .25 cc unfills but it's obviously not enough because I'm still tight and I've still got reflux. I think I'll be scheduling another unfill, this time probably 1 cc and see how that goes. That will probably put me at around 3 or 3.5 cc's in a 10 cc band. (I've lost track of how many cc's I have).

Thank you everyone for posting how dangerous this is. I had no idea that the acid could cause a precancerous condition in my esophagus!!! How scary!

Good news! I searched "natural reflux remedies" online and came up with this site that had all kinds of suggestions. The most popular seemed to be eating ginger or ginger tea, chewing gum, and swallowing 1 tablespoon of vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Last night I sipped a few sips of the apple cider vinegar, had ginger tea, and slept elevated. No reflux!

hi i am new here. i have been had the lap band for it will be 5 years in march of 2009. i have had acid reflux for the past year i am on nexium but i also feel like i am throwing up in my sleep. i have been reading these post the only thing is is i have no fills none. i have lost 170 pounds with no fills. i had one about a month after the surgery but it was to tight and he took it out told me to wait a month and come back but at that time i was going thru a break up and later a divorce so i never went back. i am also fine during the day mine is at night not every nite and i also triggers my asthma. some nights get bad i have to get up and sleep in the chair because it just keeps coming up most of the time if i throw up get whatever is in my stomach out of there i will be ok. i am just sick of this sometimes i don't sleep for a week if its really bad and stress doesn't help. sorry this is long i am just so excited to see that i am not the only one with this i know of none else around here that has had the band with this trouble. thanks for listening and all the great info

angie

So if you have reflux at night, the test to ask for is an upper GI?

I am fine in the day time. no heartburn, I can eat small portions. It's just at night and not every night, I feel like I am throwing up in my sleep.

I am not sure what to do . The dr gave me nexium but that doesn't really stop the night time throwing up.