OK, new week new problem. Need input. I posted last week about the possibility of losing my band. The deal I made with my doctor was that we would remove the gall bladder and see what happened. He wanted me to remove the band, possibly have a revision to an rny at the same time. The surgery was last Wednesday, they apparently had to cut my incisions bigger because of the size of the gall stones, so it's not as small as a normal one and it's deeper. It hurts like hell. Last night I started with the vomiting again, so I thought I would lay low today. Shortly after I got up I got sick, acid reflux looking, or so what I have always called it. I had a hard time keeping anything down today, milk, soup. Little things. I'm really worried because my fear is that I will need my band removed. We did discuss the size of the band and my surgeon said that there is plenty of room to move in there, as there always was, so he wouldn't consider changing the size of the band. I'm scared. Did anyone else have problems like this? After the gall bladder was removed?

is your band completely empty?

If your surgeon wont consider you getting a bigger band.. then get a better surgeon. At least find out if hes the only surgeon with that opinion. I guess I have first hand experience my surgeon gave me two choices.. remove the band or replace it with the larger one. He had no clue why the size wasnt working for me.. but it wasnt.

Sally, might your symptoms be related to healing? I've heard the gall bladder surgery is rougher than banding, so it seems possible the healing curve is different, harder. It hasn't been a week yet and maybe your body is still adjusting to working without a gall bladder?

I'd ask the doctor about it. Are there any dietary restrictions that you're supposed to be observing?

Sally - everyone is different but I just had my gallbladder out a little over a month ago and to me personally it was easier than the band.

Questions

Did they do the gallbladder lap or open? Mine was lap so if you had open surgery that would make it tough.

Do you have a fever? If so I would call your doctor right away.

Sorry I cant be more help - hope you feel better soon!

Okay Sally, according to your stats, you have been banded almost 2 years. You have lost 140 pounds. Wowza. What size band do you have and how much fill do you have? It seems odd that after 2 years of being banded, suddenly your band isn't the right size? And maybe I need to read the other thread (there is LOTS going on on LBT, so forgive me if I can't keep up with details) but how long has the reflux been going on and has slippage been ruled out totally? Erosion? Have you had an endoscopy? Now that the gall bladder is out, I'd start making a list of band problem possibilites and checking them off. I'd also check out a gall bladder friendly diet. I have no idea, but maybe it's the milk? I'd also be treating your reflux with some Prilosec or Prevacid or something of the like. Girl, I just don't know. Do your verbal processing here and you will get feedback.

All I know is I wouldn't be converting to RNY for nothing!!!! I'd go bandless before doing that. If you still have some fight in you, start checking off your list. Gall Bladder, check. Heal up. Let us know how it's going today.

Shucks, I saw this thread last night but needed to get to bed so I skipped it...it just didn't click that you were "gall bladder Sally!" or I would have replied last night! ((hugs)) and keep us posted.

My gall bladder surgery was lap, but with a bigger cut due to the size of the gall stones. I had an endoscopy a little over a month ago and it showed that the band was fine. I go back to the doctor on the 29th and want to have things together by then. I was taking the prevacid solutabs but they were making me ill feeling and not doing anything, so I went back to my Nexium yesterday, opening the pill and putting it in applesauce like it suggests. I'm just praying hard. I don't know what I will do. I do not want to go bandless ever, but I also don't want to be fat again. Don't know if push came to shove what I would decide.

I was trying to do internet searches on gall bladder diet's and didn't come up with much, my discharge papers say diet as tolerated, avoid spicy and fat foods for now. Which I have. I haven't had a fever, just the tightness before I get sick. I tried to take pepcid complete to see if it would stop it but that doesn't seem to help either.

I don't know what I want, I just need to know if someone else has been here and what they did, or what you would do if this was you. I'm tired of being sick, I'm not living here, and it's getting frustrating and depressing.

I probably don't know what I'm talking about, but this is the best I can come up with.

Your surgery most likely swelled up your whole belly area. If you're swollen, it could put pressure on the stomach area. For example, lots of us get extra restriction when we bloat from our periods. Try putting ice packs on your belly to reduce swelling. After your gallbladder surgery calms, maybe your stomach and band will relax???

Just a guess. I'm sorry you're going through all this. I had a lot of complications with my port surgeries, but nothing like yours. I'm really sorry.

I probably don't know what I'm talking about, but this is the best I can come up with.

Your surgery most likely swelled up your whole belly area. If you're swollen, it could put pressure on the stomach area. For example, lots of us get extra restriction when we bloat from our periods. Try putting ice packs on your belly to reduce swelling. After your gallbladder surgery calms, maybe your stomach and band will relax???

I think that is just an excellent thought. Do a Reflux Search, and see what folks are doing. Treat your band as if it's very tight, treat your reflux, watch your diet until the swelling goes down and see what happens. Maybe go back to mushies for another week until you get relief. Move on to real foods and hard protiens very slowly.

Gosh, I'm so worried about you. I really hope this gets better soon.

Hi woke up Sunday morning at 1:30 am with a pounding headache, one like I have never,ever had before....I told my DH I had to go to the emergency room, I thought my head was exploding......with the headache I got the dry heaves, and that lasted till they gave me a shot to stop it.

Do you think I did any damage to my band? I have no pain in my stomache what so ever. I am worried about it tho.

ER doc said the headache was stress and gave me vicodin(sp) and told me to sleep well.

any ideas about the band? Thanks for any advice.

JET

well i've been eating popsicles all day and sucking on ice, just to keep something in. So far so good at this point, of course now it's bedtime and i'm afraid to lay down. Sometimes I manage to keep it in then at night I wake up coughing and it all comes out, that is what I am calling the acid reflux, because it is acidy looking. I've tried a heating pad, but I will try the ice to see if that helps. Thanks for all the support.

FYI I forgot to answer earlier, the band is empty, it has been for 5 months, and in a last ditch effort when I was in the hospital, my doctor was such a sport he put the needle in and pushed with all his might on my stomach and managed to get a little fluid out and some air to see if that would help.

Hi woke up Sunday morning at 1:30 am with a pounding headache, one like I have never,ever had before....I told my DH I had to go to the emergency room, I thought my head was exploding......with the headache I got the dry heaves, and that lasted till they gave me a shot to stop it.

Do you think I did any damage to my band? I have no pain in my stomache what so ever. I am worried about it tho.

ER doc said the headache was stress and gave me vicodin(sp) and told me to sleep well.

any ideas about the band? Thanks for any advice.

JET

Jorjet, sorry about your migraine. What a pain! Literally! Wait and see on your band. Keep your diet pretty mushy and if you are tolerating more solid foods well, keep going. Are you eating okay? If so, you should be fine. Take care of that band by eating easy foods for now. And get some rest!

Sally, the good news is, no fill is just what you need right now. The bad news is, you don't have any room to take anything out. Back to square one for you, then. Keep up your reflux meds. The nighttime acid and waking up coughing sounds just like reflux. Maybe raise your bed? And chew a Tums before bed? Oh, and drink a load of Water before bed and make sure that upper pouch is empty.

Let me see if I can find a link to a Reflux thread.

Oh my, there are so many I can't pick just one to post! Go up to the search button on the blue bar and type in "reflux" and start reading. Keep us posted!