Hi Everyone. I need some support. I had VSG surgery on December 16th. I have struggled quite a bit to get fluids and Protein in both in the hospital and since I've been home. I stayed in the hospital for 3 nights and came home on Friday. Friday night was rough and I went into AFIB (Atrial Fibrillation) on Friday night. I took my regular dose, called my cardiologist just to be safe, and by yesterday morning it was gone. Yesterday was a good day - I had very littled nausea, got in 48 ounces of Water and almost 50 grams of protein. I took a nap but when I got up later in the afternoon I felt VERY ill. Very sick to my stomach. My afib started again last night.

Now I have it full-force along with alot of anxiety. My cardilogist says only come in at a certain point - I haven't called my bariatric surgeon yet. But I'm very upset stomach and very out of breath and dizzy (I know this is afib since I've had it for several years). I don't have a fever or any signs that it is anything other than afib.

I'm just confused about this - if I'm having a more difficult time than I should be because of the afib? If it is casuing my stomach to be more upset than it normally would. If it is causing all this anxiety?

Very down and scared about this.

Music to our ears!!

Glad to know that people are on the mend or that they know there are places they can come where people can extend a hand to them and help.

Hi....so sorry for your troubles. I have had the lapband since 2011 and have experienced two episodes of Afib. The first one was last June 2014 and recently May 2015. Both times went to ER with very rapid skipping pulse beat. Pulse 125-140....scary feeling. Both times got back to a normal rhythm with meds given....beta blocker & Cardizem which I think is a calcium channel blocker. Never thought it could be the band affecting me in this way...until my daughter questioned it. Does anyone have medical information showing a correlation of Afib and the lapband. Some mention the vegus nerve being the problem. Would like to know more. Any help would be appreciated. Looking into an ablation specialist and seeing a cardiologist presently. Thank you and God Bless. Chris

There is no doubt in my mind that my afib, which involves both heart rate and heart rhythm, is due to my lapband. However, my lapband surgeon insists "he has never heard of something like this" happening, and my cardiologist has said that removing the lapband won't solve the problem because "once you have afib, you have afib for life."

So.

While I know that my lapband is responsible (my episodes are always related to food passing over the band...they never occur when I'm not eating), there is little I can do at this point except remain compliant with my beta blockers and heart rhythm medications, which I will now be on for life. I switched medications after my initial three months on them as the Sotalol had the most horrific side effects which were unacceptable to me (constant sleeping, hallucinations, severe depression, disorientation). My current combination is more acceptable in terms of side effects but still I'm not myself.

Not to mention that beta blockers curtail any opportunity to do sports or get a cardio workout since you can't get your heart rate up.

There are days I very much regret getting a lapband...not only because I now have this condition that is not minor, but also because of other complications that I am now reading about related to the band. I chose the band because there was long term data about its risks and benefits, but I am convinced that much of that data is garnered in Allergan's favor and any complications that fall in a grey area do not show up in the data. This would include afib (because the medical community can pass it off as something that may have occurred in any case) auto-immune diseases (again, one could develop these independent of a silicone object being placed inside one's body, but look at all the bandsters that develop life-threatening auto-immune diseases such as lupus and scleradoma--much higher than the general population).

I think I disregarded the possible complications inherent in WLS in my eagerness to find some solution to my longterm obesity. I never thought I'd fall on the wrong side of the statistics...indeed, no one ever does. But now here I am, with a heart that constantly reminds me of this decision that was wrong for me, and a lifetime of medications ahead of me.