respiratory distress with tightening lap band

Hi, I am new to your web site, but I am desperately looking for help. I have lost 110 pounds over 15 months after a lap band, and I am hoping to lose more. I have developed over time from the last fill respiratory distress with eating. I was short of breath while eating, using my accessory muscles to breathe. I thought my asthma was bothering me, but I wasn't wheezing, but I was tight. Anyone asthmatic will understand that comment!!

We took out 0.3 cc NS to see if it would make a difference, and my shortness of breath slightly improved, but I was hungry all the time, and I gained a few pounds (I am going for elective surgery in November, so I am trying to lose 20 more pounds safely before then to help the surgeon, since I am still quite overweight). My surgeons were mystified up here in Canada, and had never heard of anyone having respiratory problems so I had a chest x-ray and an upper GI, and both were normal. The radiologist ran through all the pictures with me, and although the band was tight, it didn't appear to impact my diaphragm. The kicker to the problem was that if I took some prednisone, which I had due to my asthma, my breathing improved.

So I just got my band tightened again with the same 0.3cc NS this past Wednesday, and I am having breathing problems again, which are worse. I am waking up frequently at night wheezing or tight, requiring the use of my ventolin inhaler. After 5 or 6 bites of food, I am short of breath, and look like I have run a marathon. However, having taken 50 mg of prednisone yesterday morning, I have been asymptomatic now for 36 hours give or take. The shortness of breath is probably a 2-3/10 from a 7-8/10, which was preventing me from sleeping all night, eating, or doing my job.

I realize one solution is simply to loosen the band, but I was really hungry, which I haven't been for over six months, and I ate. I am really trying to lose another 20 pounds before I have gyny surgery in early November safely, and tightening of the lap band helps with that ~ of course, taking prednisone countereffects any weight loss from the lap band, as you gain weight with the prednisone.  And even though I say I would like to lose 20 pounds by November, I need to lose quite a bit more to be healthier.

If anyone has any history with the same issue, any solution, or any thoughts, I would love to hear them. I work with the doctors at the hospital, and I am happy to share any ideas from anyone who can help me lose weight, and breathe comfortably at the same time.

Thank you so much for your assistance ~ I really hope one of you has some information about this, although I hope you haven't had to life like this!

Susan

Unfortunately the lapband can cause a wide variety of physical problems. :-( There are hundreds of people on the failed band group to prove it. Though the band can work for some, it seems to be short lived most of the time. Some of the members got the lapband and it worked PERFECTLY and they lost weight.............INITIALLY...........then the complications started. For many of us there is no such thing as restriction/green zone/ sweet spot. The band is either too loose or too tight. NO happy medium. For some, it has always been this way. For others, it happens later.

Good luck!

You know how close the band is to the diaphragm. It sounds as if you have medical knowledge.
Just by the band's being there, some people end up with breathing problems. I know I did. I had damage to my diaphragm from surgical error. It caused extremely severe referred left shoulder pain. I couldn't breathe deeply most of the time. And  a  lot of the time I ended up wheezing and short of breath. It makes sense since the diaphragm is RIGHTTHERE. And the band irritates the heck out of it.

Good luck to you. I hope you can get it figured out. After band removal, I felt like a ten ton weight had been lifted from my chest, honestly.

Nic

You need to have .3cc or more taken out. If you were still having problems when they took out the .3cc the doc should not have put it back in. I know you will be hungry but you are going to have to use will power and follow the diet even if you are hungry. Once you lose some weight you might be able to get another small fill later. If you keep your band too tight you are only setting yourself up for problems. You have lost a lot of weight already. If I were you I would make sure my breathing is right before worrying about the weight coming off. If you are having trouble breathing that will only make your surgery more dangerous.  Just my thoughts=. Good luck on your journey.

I am sorry you are going through this but you definately need to get some fluid out. Sometimes when the tissues around the band get swollen for what ever reason the best thing that can be done is to loosen it up and let things settle down for several weeks. If you don't you are risking your health more than the extra weight is right now. I know how you feel about the hunger but you need to do the best you can. You may have to increase portion size a bit but as long as it is what you have allowed for in your plan you will not fail.

This is the best course, really. If a total unfill is suggested please don't panic. It may just prevent you from losing your band. Do not continue for a minute more with ANY difficulty in breathing. I do know someone who has had respiratory problems but hers was a cough. A total unfill helped to resolve the issue and let her heal.

The band, like any wls is a tool. Right now your tool is hurting you. I can't tell you what the future may bring but I hope you listen to advice.

There have been studies that reported respiratory problems from the band. So you are better off to be loose and use self control than stay too tight and cause permanent damage.

I was having some issues with acid reflux last year and went to see my band doctor.  She asked me if I was having breathing issues, which had been having more asthma and a sinus infection I couldn't shake (I'm prone to them anyway) and she said it can be another symptom of being too tight.  We took a little bit out and everything cleared right up. 

Unfortunately, it does sound like you need an unfill.  In my case, I didn't need a lot removed and it didn't make me hungrier but that would definitely be a problem!

Good Luck,

A few of these cracked me up  "use self control"  ha ha ha.  If we had self control we would not be here in the first place. 

Anyway, I had a friend who had a similar issue and it ended up being non cancerous tumor on her thyroid.  She had breathing issues as well as acid reflux... and guess what??? she was not even a band patient!!!!

Yes I have the same problem I take baby aspirin with some ice water and a cold shower it gives some relief and I have asthma so I take my inhaler too.

• Hi! I recently started having the shortness of breath since around March. I did have pneumonia and that was cleared. Then they thought it was my heart and ended up having a heart cath, only to find out that my heart is healthy. Still at point nobody could tell me what was causing my shortness of breath. Saw a pulmonologist and of course they said it was asthma/COPD and was put on inhalers, prednisone which has not helped much. I go to bed wheezing and wake up in the middle of the night coughing, wheezing and short of breath. That's when I happened to think about my lapband and could it be causing these issues. Now after researching I see there are others having the same problem.
• Nancy