Hey everyone! I'm new to this site but I really need some help! I've been post band since 4/2012 and I've lost 75 lbs I was up to 85 lbs but had a setback.. but I have a problem that happens all the time, my band seems to tighten itself.... it will be fine and then all of a sudden it is hard for me to eat anything... and it doesn't get better even if I baby it - so I'd go get adjusted if I had to. But this time it's different. .. I have the worst acid reflux ever and it's been 2 weeks and it hasn't gotten better despite all my OTC effort (prilosec, Zantac, pepcid, tums...) nothing has helped... I can eat, but it hurts! I have a pressure that radiates from my stomach to my back.... it's a tightening pressure and suffocating feeling. Is this normal? Is my band tightening itself? Any advice?

If you haven't spoke with your doc/ support team, sounds like a good time to make a call. As for me, I would reevaluate my diet. I would make sure I did not slip into slider foods, I would have some dense proteins, ground meats, some cheese and make sure I had a few bites of high fiber. I would measure and eat my allotted portion, drink my water, and have my last meal at least three hours before lying down. I am a big fan of a teaspoon of baking soda in 4-5 oz of water - drinking it gives me relief within minutes. Too many sliders tends to create excess acid for me- so I guess that's a good way of the band keeping me faithful! Lol!

I hope it's something this simple for you as well, it's always a bit of a set back to be completely unfilled, but sometimes necessary to give everything a chance to calm down. Good luck! Let us know how it goes for you, I've seen several members posting in need of acid relief lately...

Thanks so much Kitt3000!

What does a daily meal plan look like for you?

I have my morning coffee (no breakfast - as I am almost never hungry for it), around noon I would have a salad with fixings and FF Italian dressing, a cup of coffee in the afternoon after work, for dinner some chicken or whatever meat I made that day and veggies (the vegetables in those steamer bags ), and at night maybe some frozen yogurt or pudding with coolwhip. Although lately I can't even eat anything! This morning I tried some egg beaters in the microwave with about 1 Tb of cheese and I can even eat it.... water is hard for me now.... I have bad (and I mean BAD) acid reflux at night and during the day but worse at night. I have to sleep sitting up right... I can hear my esophagus all night long... it gurgles.... all night... no matter what antacids I take its horrible. ....

Sounds like something is going on. Please call your bariatric team, and let us know.

I would at least try some hot tea or hot broth to get fluid and perhaps help calm things I find this sometimes helps me. Good luck. Hope your dr has some answers too

Bands don't tighten. They're inanimate objects. People however can have severe inflammatiory episodes caused by tom, meds, illness, sodium, stress that cause the stomach lining to swell which shrinks the stoma causing you to be too tight. You may need an unfill? Only your doctor would know.