I'd like to ask just how many people have acid reflux problems after the surgery? Is this common?

Thank you !!!

:cool2:I think I am dying, for real, I had a fill and they had to take half out , I felt the pressure release when he took half out, now I am throwing up well its all the acid comeing up which I have never had before. I want to be able to just drink without it makeing me feel like I ate a 7 course meal, does anyone have any thoughts!!!

Sounds like you need more of your fill taken out. See your doctor right away. Don't wait.

I think you should go back to the doctors and take out more. Then wait a week or so and have some put back in, see how you're doing. I was having reflex even when I drank water. I had some taken out, much better. Hope your doing better since you wrote this message.

:cool2:I think I am dying, for real, I had a fill and they had to take half out , I felt the pressure release when he took half out, now I am throwing up well its all the acid comeing up which I have never had before. I want to be able to just drink without it makeing me feel like I ate a 7 course meal, does anyone have any thoughts!!!

I heard from my surgeon this was common, although I didn't personally experience this.

:angry:I had terrible acid reflux with severe coughing throughout the night & it resulted in pnuemonia...twice. I had to have the band emptied completely until I fully recovered. Now I am back up to almost full; 3 fills and it started again. The coughing all night; acid in throat & mouth; paranoid the pnuemonia will come back. Cannot risk it; will be calling the Dr first thing Monday morning to have some fill removed. :cursing:VERY DISAPPOINTING as I was steadily losing weight. There has to be another answer.:wink2::cool2:

:angry:I had terrible acid reflux with severe coughing throughout the night & it resulted in pnuemonia...twice. I had to have the band emptied completely until I fully recovered. Now I am back up to almost full; 3 fills and it started again. The coughing all night; acid in throat & mouth; paranoid the pnuemonia will come back. Cannot risk it; will be calling the Dr first thing Monday morning to have some fill removed. :cursing:VERY DISAPPOINTING as I was steadily losing weight. There has to be another answer.:thumbup:

4me,

I know it's disappointing and certainly frustrating, but I'm finding this is more common than we are told prior to banding. I kept having terrible reflux throughout the night. I didn't have the coughing but for some reason the reflux was going into my nose and I kept getting sores in my nose. I saw 2 band doctors (the first I would NEVER recommend because they kept telling me it was all my fault or in my head :wub:) The 2nd did an upper GI and another fluoroscopy and noticed that I have a little regurgitation (stomach contents that go back form the larger stomach into the smaller stomach when I'm laying down). The placement of my band (which was a little higher than the 2nd doctor usually places it may have also played a part here. Anyway, I don't tolerate fills because of this. Even when I'm fully empty I still get the burning feeling in my chest and throat.

There's lots of strategies "they" tell you: don't eat after 7pm. Make sure you drink something between that 7pm and bedtime to flush out your pouch. Don't eat highly acidic foods. Sleep with your head slightly elevated. yada, yada, yada. I CAN say that if I eat sometime after 8pm I do have greater problems but otherwise I notice no significant difference. I slept with my head elevated on a wedge pillow for nearly a year and it seemed to be worse. So.....know that you're not alone and this is just one of the many struggles that bandsters have to learn to overcome during their journey to better health...did I say better health when this seems to be a symptom of something? Yes I did, but hey I feel it's a small price to pay at this point. Ask me in 10 years when I'm developing Barrett's esophagus.

Was on 3 diff pills daily pre-op....and zero forever after. I also have a hiatal(?)hernia and ibs/crohns dz for years....since banded have had 3 incidents as opposed to one a week,its been almost 10 months now..................wonderful......!!!

I never had any kind of heartburn or acid reflux before surgery - didn't even know what it felt like. Now....4 years after surgery, I have it all the time. I've changed my eating habits - I eat only 2 meals a day and naver after 3pm. I don't eat fatty or fried foods and no alcohol. Still, I can hardly spend a single night sleeping horizontal or even sleeping at all because the reflux is so bad.

I'm actually going in tomorrow for an "un-fill". My gastroenterologist thinks the band is too tight (only 4 cc's) and I'm scared to death that I'll gain weight. Above all I want to keep this weight off (91 pounds lost!).

I just want to find out if anyone else is experiencing this as badly as I am?

I'm with you. I never had it until my last fill about 3 months ago. I only eat 2 meals and never after 3pm. Just like you. I have a 4cc and I have it filled to 2.75. When it was filled at 2.50 it wasn't enough restriction. I too am worried about gaining weight if I loosen it up(I've lost 60 lbs so far) BUT I find my self very hungry at night and that is no fun. And yes I get acid reflux when I go to bed. I am going to loosen it up to 2.65 and see how that works out. I do feel like I can find a happy medium where I am not hungry and no acid reflux and still loose weight. I have 50 lbs. more to go. Good luck tomorrow. Let us know of your progress.

I go through the same thing. Take zantac an hour before bed and I'm usually okay. If I forget, I regret it horribly! I end up drinking pepto out of the bottle. I sleep in an elevated position.

I was on meds for many years for reflux. Tho't I'd never need another one after surgery!! And for 11 months that was true, but in July it just randomly reappeared....not following a fill or due to anything I can finger. Just "I'm BAAAACCKKK!"

Tho't getting a fill would help, so I had one two days ago. Haven't slept more than about an hour at a time since. :-(

But I guess I'm relieved to read this thread and realize it's not all that uncommon -- I was afraid it was an indication of slippage or erosion or something. Now I guess I'll just see my GP and get back on the Protonix.

I have developed acid reflux since being banded in January. It had gotten so bad that it made my voice hoarse!! Had a slight unfill, started taking Prilosec OTC and felt better. That was a month ago. Got a fill three days ago, and can now feel it again. I'm even starting to get that burning throat sensation again. Will go in for a slight unfill on Monday. Really wish I had gone today, so that my weekend would be better. In the meantime, I'm going to try the Pepcid Complete.

My terrible acid reflux did not go away with being banded.

I was taking prilosec daily, but my band doctor gave me AcipHex after surgery & it's working VERY well. One pill every morning and I have no problems!

only if i try to eat

I would suggest going to your surgeon and explaining all of the symptoms you are having, not to direct him to take some fill out. He wants you to be one of his successful patients, I'm sure, so he should be more than willing to listen and help you through this rough period.