reflux vs slippage

Hello,

I was banded in 2006 and haven't really had many problems until recently. I was having a burning feeling in my sternum area and was constantly clearing my throat. I also noticed that over the past several months I've been eating "around the band" avoiding meats because I was getting stuck more.

I went to my surgeons office and saw the PA. He thought I was too tight and did an unfill.  I'm now able to eat the meat etc that I was avoiding but I have a very sore throat, burp a lot  and I'm coughing.  I called the PA and he said to give it a couple weeks to see if it gets better but I can barely sleep at night. I'm a profession singer so this is scary. Could it be a slippage? Should I be dealing with this for a couple more weeks. Please help. 

Norma what you describe sounds like the scar tissue that develops over time with being banded. The ability to eat now may only be temporary. Reflux is a very common complication with banding, even "silent reflux" Coughing can also lead to Aspiration into the lungs causing issues with pneumonia on a recurrent basis. If it were me I wouldn't wait! And yes, reflux can be caused by a slipped band it's what I experienced when my band slipped :( Good Luck!

I have Dr. Pohl also.  I had my band from 2003 until I was revised to the bypass in February of this year. 

What you are describing is one of the issues I was having.  My band never slipped, but the scar tissue that developed engulfed my band, tubing, and port.  It was my bodies way of trying to "get rid" of the band.  I was completely unfilled and for a while felt better, but then the heartburn/reflux started back up and it continued to get worse.  I was eating tums like candy just to keep my throat from burning. 

I would get pain at my port that would radiate to my left shoulder (port was placed on the left side) and the heartburn would wake me up at night.  It didn't matter how I slept. 

My honest opinion would be to get the band out as it is just going to get worse.  Dr. Pohl said it took and hour to chisel the band out there was so much scar tissue. 

Being a professional singer, you may want to consider band removal before it causes more damage. My voice changed quite a bit due to the constant throat clearing and reflux.
Back when I was first banded, Ann Wilson of the band Heart was kind of the "poster child" for the procedure. I had the opportunity to talk with her and asked if she had noticed any changes in her voice or ability to sing due to the pressure on the diaphragm from the band. She said she didn't, but ultimately ended up having the band removed. I had noticed a marked difference in my ability to speak while banded. I couldn't take a deep breath.

You'll want to address this issue, most definitely. The scar tissue that builds up can really cause a lot of problems. Best of luck to you, Norma. I hope you get it figured out and feel better really soon.

I agree with the others my band caused horrible stomach and esophageal damage to me. I still have a slow emptying stomach and always will which causes terrible gas and pains in my stomach. Feels like the band is still there yet was removed over a year ago. I've lost 30% of my swallowing ability which makes taking pills more difficult. My voice is much more raspy than it was, sounds like I have a cold all the time. If i were you I would get it removed as soon as possible because as I found out it only continues to get worse! Good luck to you!