Hello, I just had my lap band surgery on 12/12/07. Everything has been going good until this past Sat. I started noticing some pain off and on in my chest and back. I didn't think much about it but decided I needed to start paying attention to the signs. Now for going on 3 days I have had intense pain in my chest and back and pain in my throat. I have not eaten in a couple of days. I have been doing some liquids. It hurts to take a deep breath and to burp. Can anyone give me any tips on what to do??

My Doc finally called me back 27 hours after my initial call. His advice was for me to go to the emergency room. I sat in the ER for 7 hours. They did xrays and a barium swallow. They said the band did not appear to have slipped, however the barium swallow showed a 12 second delay for the Water to go down. The band is too tight. Keep in mind I have never had a fill and why would the band just all of a sudden be too tight. They did not find any obstruction. I mentioned Acid reflux. The ER Doc said that could be all or part of the probelm. He gave me meds through an IV for the acid reflux and told me to go see my Doc the next day. The next day the pain in my back was still there but had eased considerably. It is now 4 days later and I have been taking protonix (split in 1/2 of course) for the acid reflux. I am feeling better and better each day. I still have pain in my chest but it is not constant. My doc suggested that I go back to liquids for two weeks to allow the swelling to reduce. The upsetting part of all of this is that I had been lead to believe by my Doc's office that after surgery I would no longer need acid reflux meds.

So I had that pain you were talking about 2 weeks after my surgery(8/13/07)...before fills were taking place. Does it feels like somone is jabbing something straight through your chest, alot of pressure straight through?? It's not wrapping to your back is it?...b/c that is gall bladdetr symtoms. I am not gonna lie...it happened when I ate food I was advised not to eat or ate too much. I was also told by my doc that I was not eating slowly enough and most liklely something was getting caught. Those pains went away when I adjusted foods I was eating and actually as soon as I had my first tightening b/c then instead of getting caught the food just came right back up...lol. If you think you are eating slowly and chewing enough...slow down even more and chew even more. I never realized how fast I ate and how much I didn't chew food. Doing great now though...down 68 lbs! It's alot of adjusting to and eveytime i get a tightening I have readjust all over. But it's worth it!

DJ, yes the pain was in my chest and in the very same spot in my back. I had very severe reflux prior to surgery and I was under the impression I would no longer need meds after surgery. After my incident the dr finally said it could be reflux and put me on protonix becaue I can break it in half. I have taken it faithfully since and had no problems. I have had some moments where I hurt in my chest because I didn't chew enough but it doisn't feel like the same kind of pain. I had my gallbladder removed before surgery so I'm pretty convinced that it was the reflux. Great job on the 68lb weight loss!

How did you make out after removal? I really feel fine with the MAJOR exception of g-d awful reflux. I had very MILD reflux maybe 3 times a year prior to Banding. Now my throat is on fire ,my chest burns from the acid dripping into my lungs and I am getting alot of sinus infections. I take a steroid inhaler twice a day for my lungs and I have been to an E.N.T., Gastro, Pulmanologist and my closest friend it my Internist. I had an upper G.I. last week and an Endoscopy prior to the Banding. They ALL tell me it will take time. It is 12 weeks and 60 lbs. I am at a loss and don't know what to do.

Edited January 3, 200917 yr by JesseH

Jesse:

I feel badly because my lap band and hiatal hernia surgery have done wonders for my heartburn. My lap band surgeon said that one of the signs of a band that is too tight is heartburn. Have you tried a slight unfil yet? I hope you feel better soon. Did they rule out a hiatal hernia?

Sue

Sue, Thank you for trying to help. I have not yet had a fill. My reflux has NEVER been heartburn. It is the scid in my throat. I loose my voice easily after speaking for only a few minutes. Every Dr. I have gone to says it will get better with time. I am feeling better. This friday, 1-09-09 will be 13 weeks and I am almost 65 lbs. lighter (with NO fills). I'm sure it will resovle itself. Good luck to us all. Jesse

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I have had a great deal of discomfort in my chest and back for the last two weeks. I had the saline removed for two weeks and the pain went away. Now that I've had the saline inserted back in, the pain has returned. I will try to take acid reflux medication and see if that works.

As I said after 13 weeks I have had NO fills yet and as of today 1-08-09 I am down 67.3 lbs. I have already had "ACTIVE" conversations with my surgeon on when to fill. I still have severe burning in my throat when I breath cold air and I am still loosing alot of weight. I really don't care what he says but I will only let him fill me 1cc at a time. It shouldn't make any difference to him, its a 150 mile round trip drive for me and I am will to make more frequent trips and get lesser fills to try to protect my comfort. These Dr.'s are not g-d. Stand up fo yourself and do your research. Best of luck, Jesse