:help:Does anyone out there know what could possibly be causing a frequent raspy, sore throat? A few months ago I went to my family doctor and had pus pockets on my throat. Antibiotics appeared to take care of them, but it keeps creeping back to haunt me. My band was too tight for months and I did my share of yak'in. I am certain these sore throat episodes have something to do with the band but I am not sure how. After I had my band unfilled some and I noticed I started yak'in up brown liquidy stuff the day I was unfilled. I mentioned it (the sore throat stuff, not the discolored liquidy brownish stuff) to my fill tech but she did not think it was band related. I think it is somehow, but she said just what I wanted to hear. My band is very loose right now because I have choose to do this for healing if thats what should be done. It's been over a month and that sore, raspy throat thing came back again. I was suppose to have a fill today and cancelled because I felt the throat stuff com'in on again. Anyone ever experience this or know what could be going on here?

Cindyh, I was on MEGA antibotics for a failed root canal, the infection spread to my jaw bone. It did help the throat a bit but I still have this issue. I feel like a long time "smoker" sounds... I also had some BP meds that caused dry throat, but my meds have been switched and its better but still not normal! My band is not too tight, never has been, I have only had 3 fills in 5 months. I am pretty a slow loser that enjoys life and it happy to have my 1# a week, feel healthy ( at least everything except the throat) and keep my hair! ANYWAY I am conviced its band related... but its not a big enough deal at the moment to do anything about it.

I'm a singer who almost lost her voice. Long story short, I had a pre-existing problem (unknown) that was aggrivated by an overly filled band. Had a complete unfill (due to pregnancy) and wallah! My voice has recovered.

I'll never get that tight again.

Hope this helps.

Well, it is interesting to know that this sore, raspy throat thing might be because of the band afterall. I will always be cautious as to the amount of fill that goes in my band from now on. Thanks for all of the replies from everyone!....Cindyh

i have a terribly raspy voice..scratchy...sore...I am too tight...BUT...I wanted to get off a few more lbs before daughters weddign in June! I dont think i am going to leave it this tight though. i am very uncomfortable...but I am happy to read that this can be a side effect!

Wow!! Macacoza, be careful. I ended up with puss pockets on my throat and waited too long to get antibiotics. I was miserable! I honestly thought I had a virus of some kind that caused this. I did get pretty sick. Then when it kept coming back, I did what I could to get my hands on antibiotics before it progressed to puss pockets in my throat once again. Well, I hope you don't do any damage, but I think this is a sign to take very seriously and that this side effect is a warning for you. I am glad to hear some of you out there in bandland are experiencing this raspy, sore throat thing as a side effect of the band. Its comforting to know the cause of this strange side effect is from the band and not some beastly, strange, incurable disease. Best of luck to you! Anyone else out there experiencing this? Let us know....Cindyh

When I started having trouble with my band it was with a sore throat. That was last June. I went to doctor and had strep and had to go back two weeks later and still had strep. That time I knocked it out but never felt better. Still sore throat and still had Patches in throat and felt very tired and looked pale all the time. Sometimes my whole neck hurt. I was tested for Mono and supposedly had that. However I went to 2 different doctors and they disagreed. One said it was an old infection and could have been years ago and the other said it had to be a fairly recent infection because I still had very high levels of Epstein-Barr in my blood and Mono usually does cause symptoms of sore throat. Never really did find anyone who knew for sure what those levels meant. Was told it could take a year to get over Mono and I dealt with it. I did have trouble swallowing during this time also. Like everything was caught in my throat as high as the adams apple. I continued to feel crappy tired and sick until Finally in October I had my fill completely taken out. I should add that I had a too tight fill in February and knew it but thought if I lost weight it would loosen up and I did not want to fly to SLC again to have soem taken out. I hate flying. Stupid I know. The unfil made it better and I improved. But I never really got over the sore throats. I ended up going to the worst gastro doctor on the planet and now am having esophagus issues after a day of stomach flu in March and have decided to take the band out. Working on that now.

If I could do it all over again I would have taken care of that tight fill right away. I had no idea that a sore throat could be related to my band and neither did any of the many doctors I saw at the time. But it definately did. I have been sick for almost a year now and I am ready to give my band up. At this point all I can eat is Ensure, Soup and ice cream. No solids for weeks and I don't remember the last time I had vegetables, fruit or meat.

I can't say that your sore throat is your band but I am 100% sure a year later that sore throat of mine was caused by the band. I still have it and it comes and goes. I have had every test they can think of to do and the only one that shows something unusual was the barium swallow one and my esophagus was not functioning on that.

Bye bye band. :cry I want my health back.

Listywood,

OMG!! I think you are one of the few that probably tell a real horror story here about what can happen if your band is too tight! I am convinced after reading everyones replies to this thread that this is definately band related. I too thought I was the only one on this planet with this horrible side effect and was very reluctant to post. But for some reason I knew it had to be band related just because I was not contagious, never have had any stomach, esophogus, or throat problems in my life and I have always been in very good health. Your symptoms are so similar to what I was experiencing. I became very weak & tired which seemed like forever. After a good amount of the fill was taken out, I rebounded back. Although I might add, it took a while to rebound. I coughed up a lot of clear flem for approximately 3 weeks after the unfill. Thank god today I am able to wake up with none. Although I do have to say that when I eat, I have more secretions that tend to gather in my nose and I have to blow my nose in the middle of a meal and after a meal. The band definately changes things. I likely got the unfill just in time before any possible permanant damage was done. Nobody's fault but my own. Thanks so much for sharing your story! I am certain this will be helpful to others who are considering or presently have a tight fill. Good luck with the removal of your band. And I do understand when you feel this crapy your health and feeling good/normal becomes very valuable. If anyone else has had similar side effects I would like to hear your story. Keep posting them so we can all learn from them...Cindyh

Not only can it cause sore throats, but my Dr. is Dr. C and he says that they think it's the main cause of erosion.

It's reflux that causes it. You can have reflux and not know it. People who are professional singers know that reflux can cause them to lose their voice very easily. (Some of you might recall that Ashley Simpson blamed her lip syncing fiasco on Saturday night live on reflux). Reflux can literally burn your vocal chords. You can go to an ENT (ear nose and throat doctor) and have them look at them.

Here's the thing, I knew that my band was too tight but I was ADDICTED to my weight loss. I say addicted because it was affecting my life in an unpossitive way and I was hesitant to fix it. I knew it had to be the cause. Now, I had said before that I had a previously undiagnosed vocal polyp, however, that didn't cause my sore throat or hoarsness in my speaking voice (unless I sang too hard). The band made that problem worse. I wanted to be thin to the point that I almost lost my voice. Now that's just stupid.

So, I've not sung publicly or even in church for over a year, and my band has been completely empty since Oct (pregnancy). Everything has recovered.

I'll NEVER be that tight again. I don't care if I don't get to my goal weight. It's just no worth it.

By the way, I almost had surgery on my vocal chords because of it. Imagine, not being able to speak or whisper for 7 whole days. I have a 3 year old and an infant.

Listywood,

I am curious. Do you feel by removing your band the sore throat stuff will disapate completely? You said you have a total unfill and you are still experiencing reocurring sore throats?

Vanessa,

This is making more sense to me the more I read about others experience. I guess I never thought I had reflux, but I must be wrong about this. Congratulations on your new lap band baby girl! I am certain by the time she is an aldult, there will be a much better and painless way to loose weight!....Cindyh

Thank you for responding... This has been recurring also. I have had my band for 4 yrs now. I do notice the throat if I tighten band. I went to Dr. for this and he even sent me to a specialist. No one at the time thought anythign about it being because of the band. I will discuss this with my band DR..Thank you so much for all this info. It relieves my mind to knwo that like soem of you it is not a disease! Thanks cindyh

One thing you can do is get Nexium. I personally am one that HATES prescriptions and prefer to go the natural wellness route. You can get digestive supplements that can help, but, what we have done to our bodies is not natural. We have to work with what we've done. The best thing we can do is have the band be the least amount of tightness to get results.

That may mean either 1) Diet and exercise with our band or 2) being satisfied not being quite as thin as we want.

I personally have gotten to the point where either one is ok with me.

I've been having problems with band tightness since I've had my daughter. My biggest fear was losing my voice again. It's seems to be improving, but I had decided before I had her that my band would stay much looser.

Vanessa,

I am going to try the over-the-counter Prilosec. I had mentioned this earlier in the thread but have not been anywhere yet to pick some up. I think this might surprise me and hopefully convince me that I might just have acid reflux afterall! And you are absolutely correct about having to work with what we have done to our bodies. Its not natural. Not until you experience things like this do you realize how fragile our bodies really are. This was a real wake-up call for me...Cindyh

The good news is, at it's worst, it's still not Gastric By Pass. My best friend has the same problem and she can't do a thing about it. Not to mention, she had a Iron deficiency that almost killed her. It did make her not able to work which caused them to lose their house.

How's that for perspective!?!

I am so glad to hear all this. I used to sing for weddings...church..to my grandbabies..I cant sing any more! I have cried many tears over this!.. I have thought it was my essential tremors doing the damage...and that is what my Dr. thinks, but it could be a combination of both and may not be as bad as it is if i get band loosened. I admit it scares me to loosen the band. Because of a tummy tuck it was opened...then started tightening it because of a 10 lb wight gain...had to loosen it because of too much loss and pain...gained back 12 lbs so ahd it tightened again...I am not quite understanding why after 4 yrs I am not as in control as i was!..My hubby thinks it is because of taking care of my parents..my ailing brother-in-law...losing my sister at age 49 to a heart attack...and a job I am just not takign the time to take care of me...he is worried about my voice and abotu wakign up in middle of nite from reflux! I am calling my Dr. Monday...You are right...spring is here..the weather is nicer in Colorado..and I need to hit the pavement again!!!.lol...Thank you so much for all the info!. God bless you all!

Deb

highest weight 239

NOW..148

Macacoza,

Well, it sounds like you have been down a stressful road lately. I know what I do when I'm stressed....EAT! Surprise!! Well, I too am so grateful for all of you who shared your stories and experiences with this throat thing. It has convinced me totally it is band related. I will never be that tight again. I am probably very fortunate that I caught it time before it did any permanant damage. I just have to wonder how many more are out there that haven't told their stories and how many more are going to experience this after their bands are too tight for too long? I hope they do a search on this forum and keep posting their experiences.

Will you let us know how it turns out for you after your band is loosened up? I know it took a good 3 weeks to a month after my unfill before I felt I was finally going to beat this thing! Now it finally feels good to feel almost normal again. My stomach did some strange things while recovering. I also thought I was going to be constipated for life! Well, that too took around 2 months after the unfill to get back to normal. Thanks so much for sharing! I hope you are once again going to be singing like a bird soon! Keep us posted!!...Cindyh