very frustrated - can't eat

[BABY-LYN 9]

I am very frustrated. I went to the doctor at the end of the last month to have a un- fill due to be too filled and not being able to get anything down - not even Water. So we took 1 cc out of the band. I am still having problems getting food down. I can eat a few bites and then I need to throw up. I went to the hospital on Sunday to get un filled and they could not even get the needle in the port and that was with a fluoroscope. So I am still having issues. I am leaving on vacation on Friday and can not get in to see the doctor before I leave. So I guess I will just continue eating very little and throwing up. I feel like I'm a bulimic person. The only good thing is that I am losing weight. But I would like to be able to keep some solid food down.

I just want to get back to the fill where I can eat but it's limited. I just can't seem to get to that place. I have less in my band than I have had in the past and didn't have a problem with getting some food down. I don't know if my band has slipped or what. I just want to be able to eat and not throw it up. I keep trying different things to eat to see if that will help but I even got sick on Soup yesterday.

any advice ?

[2muchfun 8,928]

Do you throw up voluntarily or does food come up automatically?

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

This sounds pretty bad. Your doc can't see you on an emergency basis?

[egilb00f 10]

I was where you are now a few days back!! Nothing stayed down, not even Water. I lost 20 lbs in 3 weeks and was just completely drained. Your dr should be able to do emergent same day visit. Don't wait. The longer you throw up ( I'm sure its violent ) the more the area around your band will swell until it closes up. That happened to me a few years back and had to get completely unfilled for 3 months. Not pretty. Best of luck.

[parisshel 1,892]

Agree with @egilb00f. You are now in a cycle which won't resolve itself if you don't get in to see your bariatric specialist (not the ER people who often aren't trained in lapbands). Don't put your stomach or band at risk...I would not be comfortable leaving for vacation with an issue such as this going on. What if you get to a point where you can't hydrate yourself? This is a possible scenario from what you describe.

Please let us know how you are after you've been seen.

[BABY-LYN 9]

Sorry I haven't posted an update. things went from bad to worst. Went on Vacation and by the end of the trip I was absolutely miserable- not able to keep anything down including Water. Was having major stomach pain. I can back from vacation a day early and drove the hour and a half to see my doctor. He did a complete un-fill and I thought that had solved the problem. But it continued. I ended up in the emergency room the next afternoon - extremely dehydrated. Ended up having a CT scan and discovered that my band had slide down my stomach and was round the base of the stomach and nothing was getting through.

The ER contacted my doctor and he advised the ER doctor that he didn't have time to see me in the next 2 days to handle the problem. really nice care - right. Luckily there is a Doctor now in my town that does lap band so he agreed to see me the next morning and to do the needed surgery. So I went in to see him the next morning, was admitted into the hospital and had surgery the next. this Doctor was really great and he agreed to continue to take care of me from here on out.

So long story short - I am now able to eat and drink - did gain a few pounds back but it was really my body getting rehydrated. I feeling great. I will go in and see the doctor for my first fill with my new doctor in a few weeks. Going to be nice not to have to drive 2 hours to see the doctor and he is close by if I do end up having problems.

[parisshel 1,892]

@BABY-LYN. I'm glad you've had the problem resolved and are feeling better. But I'm missing something. Did you have the band removed and then another replaced? You mention having surgery (which I assume was to remove the band) but then you say you are going in for a fill.

[BABY-LYN 9]

The Doctor put the band back into the correct position. I have some questions for him when I see him next - such as to why the band slipped and what I need to do to prevent it from happening again. he gave me the option of removing the band or fixing it. I choose to fix the problem. I didn't want to give up my band. But I did want a local doctor to take care of me. so I told him if he would take care of me then to leave it in and fix it. with out the band I would end up back at the weight that I started at. and I so didn't want that.

So I will go get a fill in about 2 weeks and continue my weight loss journey.