I developed a hiatal hernia & reflux from the band - did you?

[Cleo's Mom 257]

I was banded in Sept. 08. First fill Nov. 08. Second fill - January 09. After the second fill (total of 3cc in a 10cc band) all my problems started. I developed reflux at night - not necessarily heartburn - but liquid coming up. I quit eating at least 2 hours before bed. Didn't matter. My surgeon ordered an endoscopy. I had it yesterday. The first thing the gastro doctor said afterward was that he thought my band slipped upward. And I said how could that be resolved and he said my surgeon would have to reposition it. Then he said my surgeon might have deliberately placed it high if he wanted me to lose more weight (my BMI was under 35 before surgery). Anyway, he said it was higher than in most he had seen and I also have a hiatal hernia. He said the pouch is high, small and tight and there is no place for the food or liquid to go but up. So I got the whole sheet on hiatal hernia care - elevate the bed, no alcohol, no chocolate, blah, blah, blah. My husband suffered from GERD, hiatal hernia and eventually barrett's esophagus than turned into esophageal cancer. He died of it 3 years ago. So I could write the book on treatment of all these conditions. The lap band was supposed to reduce my hunger. It hasn't. It was supposed to make me feel satisfied with a smaller amount of food. It hasn't. I have changed the way I eat - I eat my Protein, then a little later a veggie, then later a fruit. My eating is spaced out over the day. Same foods, same calories - and it seems to help some with the discomfort that was happening when I ate. But the reflux remained. I have a LOT to discuss with my surgeon. I want my last fill removed for starters.

So, since I got the band I have developed a hiatal hernia and reflux (I didn't have them before). Anyone else have this problem and if so, how did you and/or your doctor solve it? Thank you.

P.S. My gastro doctor and surgeon work out of the same hospital and refer patients to each other and I doubt he will write anything in his report to second guess my surgeon. You know how that is.

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

Yes, I had that problem and it is horrible. I would wake up from a sound sleep throwing up in my sleep. I had an esophagram and it showed that the barium was not going through the band, but just sitting in my esophagus. It sat there for over 15 min. until the ex ray tech called my surgeon and he said to remove most of my fill. As soon as he did, the barium went right down. It made me wonder how long the food was sitting in there and not going down.

I decided not to fool around with the band

anymore and I am getting a revision surgery to a sleeve.

I am sorry about your husband. I am a widow as well. That is very scary about the Barretts esophagus. That is why I decided to get rid of the band and get the sleeve.

There are just too many complications coming up these days with banded people.

[Jachut 487]

Oh, wow, well at least its some sort of an answer for you. Keep us informed of your progress - I noticed you'd kind of disappeared and I have wondered how you were doing.

[luluc 6]

cleo's mom,

i had a hernia removed several wks back, and i had a slight port infection.....all taken care of early and "knock wood" i seem to have less port pain than i had in the past.

dh thought a lot of what i complained about was in my head (he's also banded) - but our surgeon was quick to go in - removed the hernia; which was a blessing because he noticed a small infection at the port site. after a strong round of antibiotics an endo showed it has cleared up.

can your dr not go in - remove the hernia & maybe reposition your band? i would get both drs on the same page fast and fix your problem as quickly/safely as possible.

hope it all goes well!!

[Jachut 487]

I have a girlfriend who had come to believe the band just"wouldnt work for her". She couldnt tolerate any fill, she'd have night reflux and constant pbing.

Eventually she and her doc decided to try a different band. They went in and found a hernia. Hernia repaired, new band in place and what do you know, three or four pounds falling off her every single week, PERFECT band experience 2nd time around.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Thanks for all the replies. When I asked my gastro doctor about repairing the hiatal hernia he said nothing but negative things about that - won't be able to belch or ever vomit and some other bad things I can't recall right now. Made it sound like the repair was worse than the hernia. I think that if the removal of the second fill doesn't help I am getting a second opinion. If that opinion is that I have to have another operation either for the hernia repair and/or a new band placement, I will not be going to my current surgeon for that. He is inexperienced and it shows. I was his 23rd band and I just don't think he gets it when it comes to complications or reasonable weight loss goals or how to eat to reach them.

I have a Lapband AP Standard - 10 CC. I don't think it is the band. I think the placement of the band is part of the problem. I may make an appt. with the gastro doctor to discuss the operative report and get his opinion. He was the doctor who used to do my husband's yearly endoscopies. So he knows my experience with all of this.

[Elusia 0]

Yes, I was banded October 2007. Had my last fill in July of 2008 was up to 5 ccs. A few days ago, I had my band completely deflated and had a barium swallow test the next morning that diagnosed my hiatal hernia and reflux.

I was also waking up during the night choking on my own vomit. I ate small portions, exercised and rarely ate just before bedtime.

Now my surgeon wants me to eat soft foods for a month, take Pepcid and maybe have another swallow test before deciding what to do next.

I am surprised that this is not uncommon.

I hope you are feeling better by now.

Will you be keeping your band in?

[Cleo's Mom 257]

Elusia - my goal is to make the band work but not at the expense of my health. All of this started after my second fill. I am only at 3cc but for some reason all these problems started after this. My surgeon didn't think the second fill was the reason so he wouldn't remove the fill. He ordered the endoscopy instead. Now, there is not going to be any negotiation. I want the second fill removed and one of two things are going to happen. The reflux will resolve and I will feel better or I will not improve and will feel the same. At least then we will have learned something.

[Zoe4238 0]

Oh my. I have a long story...but to make it short...when my band was first place, it was placed wrong. I spent over a year and a half with horrible heartburn, constant pain, vomiting every day, it go to the point where i was constantly tired all of the time and generally felt like crap. Finally I switched doctors, my new doctor suspected a slip right away and i went in for a revision. Turns out that i also had a hernia-which i was told is quite common with band patients. After that...i have felt fantastic. Stay with it..i am glad i did, after many tiring and painful nights, and many nights of almost ripping the band out on myself. Keep talking to your doctors, if your doctor wont listen, switch. My only regret wasnt switching docs earlier. Good luck.

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

i am having a revision to a sleeve. I am sick of the band. It's been a big problem for me for awhile and I want something where I don't have to keep going back to the dr.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

I was supposed to see my surgeon today to get an unfill but he has emergency surgery (happens a lot) and since he only sees patients on Tuesdays - I will have to wait at least a week to see him. He wants me to have another upper GI before he will do an unfill and his nurse said something about him wanting to remove the band if it slipped. So, today I called another doctor in another hospital (a hospital of excellence) where this doctor has done thousands of bandings - for a second opinion. I have all my previous test results and will get a CD of this upper GI, too (my last one was Jan. - but after only one fill - all the problems started since my second fill). I was only the 23rd banding my surgeon has done and I don't think he has the experience to deal with complications. I don't want to have the band removed since I didn't really have any problems until the second fill.

[wanabthin 0]

It is actually more likely that you already had a hiatal hernia before you had the band. My surgeon (who I work for) fixes any hiatal hernia while placing the band. Most overweight people have hiatal hernias and the may not even know it. I had one that was fixed during banding and I had no symptoms what so ever. As for the reflux, it can be caused from a stretched pouch or from eating too close to laying down. Its always a good idea to have a barrium swallow if you are having any problems at all just for peace of mind.

[Cleo's Mom 257]

wannabthin: I had an endoscopy done in December 2004 and another done in June 2008 and an upper GI done in December 2007 - all pre-band and none revealed a hiatal hernia. Banding was done Sept. 2008. I had another upper GI done in January 2009 after my first fill and it revealed a small, sliding hiatal hernia. I had an endoscopy done two weeks ago after my second fill and the gastro doctor said my pouch was high, small, and tight and there was no place for food, Water to go but up. It also showed the hiatal hernia. I had another upper GI today and the radiologist said the band was tight, the esophageal motility wasn't good, and there was still Fluid in my stomach even though I hadn't had anything to drink after midnight (the test was 10 AM). All of my problems started after my second fill. And the hiatal hernia was not there before the band. I have the tests to prove it. If I had the hernia before the banding, my surgeon would have told me or it would be in the operative report. I have a copy. I also have reflux during the day, standing up, on occasion.

[luluc 6]

cleo's mom - i'm just guessing but your band sounds as if it was just placed too high, can they reposition it? there have been a few on here that if they have slipped - a complete unfill for a few months fixed the problem - removal isn't always the answer.

i too had an upper GI, endoscope prior to surgery - no hernia; had an endo 6 months out - again no hernia. by month 14 i did have one & that was repaired. i have crohns - so i need checked every 6 months or so.

i'd be interested in your second opinion -

[Cleo's Mom 257]

My surgeon got today's upper GI report and films and called me in after hours to unfill what he put in the second fill (1cc). I think he was concerned enough about what he saw not to wait until next Tuesday (the only day he sees bariatric patients). He showed me the pictures. He does not think the band is too high but it was too tight and was swollen and so was the esophagus. Everything was getting backed up. Hopefully the removal of the 1cc will help. Trust me when I tell you that he was a very different person today - not trying to blame me for the problems I was having by saying I was not eating correctly,etc.. But he doesn't think the gastro doctor read the scope correctly - he doesn't think I have a hiatal hernia although my last two upper GI's said I did. I am still going for a second opinion next month just to make sure that I have new eyes look at all this. Thanks.