Nausea/vomiting and Lap Band

Could someone please offer me some advice?  I had a Lap band placed in 2007, I have successfully lost 100 lbs. and have kept it off...my problem is, 2 years ago I was walking outside and took a really bad fall, since then, I have whole weeks of nausea/vomiting, nothing will stay down and I have terrible belly pain.  Went to band doc, he removed all saline from band, and said it was in working order, I also have the sensation of choking right before the nausea starts, has anyone else had this problem and could you tell me what you did to aleviate this? I am truly a happy lap bander, the thought of losing my band makes me cringe.

Christn778 & Banderella

I had the Lap Band surgery in 2012 and I vomit as well (quite a bit).  My surgeon wanted to remove some of the saline but I would not permit it since I found I was extremely hungry and overeating when the band was looser.  You say that your surgeon has removed all the saline but that seems to mean that they band is no longer actively doing anything for you.  I have not had the other types of surgery but I would recommend the sleeve as from what I viewed on the video about the surgeries it is less invasive than the gastric bypass.  I personally have been doing better by eating less at my meals but eating more often.  

Maronita

Thanks for your help, my HMO will not allow me to have it removed or a revision to another type of gastric surgery without a life threatening event, I agree, if for some reason I were to lose Banderella, I would go with a sleeve.

I would suggest seeing a Gastro doc and have him do some testing on your esophagus. Sounds like you may have caused some damage there when you fell. Also I have read many times where a doc checks the band for slipping and says it looks fine only to discover later when they have gone in to remove the band that it had indeed slipped. Sounds like you need an endoscopy to check for damage. It may also have caused damage to the vagus nerve. It is very hard to tell I haven't read of anyone else having this particular problem before but I definately wouldn't ignore it! I also would go with a sleeve if you do end up losing the band. Good luck!

Thank you!  I cannot seem to get the docs here to take me seriously, I have an HMO and am limited to what they will cover.

I also believe the sleeve is the way to go.

Whatever the cause, you need to find it out! When you say belly pain, where do you mean? Above the band, around it, below it?

And is the vomit after eating? Specific foods? 

The nausea is continuous when it kicks in, it comes in waves, the belly pain is upper belly and I cannot even milk down when this happens let alone food, sometimes I even throw tea back with a mountain of mucous.....sorry, not trying to be gross.  I have an HMO and am limited to what can be done for me. Thanks for your help.

Something must be done! Easy for me to say when I don't have to work with the U.S. system! But you are at risk of doing yourself harm if your band is this tight. Constant building up of food/liquid can damage the base of the oesophagus. And you are going to get malnourished. 

I am anemic and have a mal absorb issue, but like I said, unless a life threatening situation occurs, the HMO says it comes out of my pocket, I was able to get an appointment this afternoon to see my nurse prac. I will see what she says.  Thank you for your advice.