Need an Unfill? I'm clueless. Am I dying? HELP!

I went in February to have an unfill after having extreme acid reflux and pain. At that point I had lost 85 pounds in 8 months. I was really happy with the results but worried that I was going to be hospitalized for not eating. I pretty much had to beg my surgeon at the time to remove some of the restriction after a long discussion over how he felt I was doing fine. I felt so much better after 1/2 a cc was taken out.

Since then I'm able to get food down...sometimes. I have issues getting enough water. I usually average about 2-3 cups a day after I hit the gym.  It seems that the only time I'm able to drink water (like a regular bandster) is after I have an intense session at the gym.

In this past month I started having new symptons. I wake up at night coughing. This happened before too but now I throw up whatever I had before. I usually don't eat 4 more hours before bed and cut off all liquids at the same time. How can anything stay in my system that long? I sometimes wake up in the morning spitting up thick saliva. It's so frustrating to not be able to go anywhere without a spit cup handy. I didn't sign up for all this.

I'm dreading going back to see my surgeon because I know he's gonna say my progress is great (I've lost 27 pounds since) but I'm thinking that I should because I don't know if I can deal with this all summer. I guess I just need some coaxing or advice.

Someone please help!!!

On one of my docs posters for the sign of having to much restriction is night time coughing. You probably need some more fluid taken out of you .

If your surgeon doesn't want to give you an unfill based on your symptoms, he's not much of a Dr.  You absolutely MUST go see him imediately.  You're not dying but everything you listed is a sign of your band being too tight and/or another complication.  The longer you put it off the worse it will get because of swelling caused by irritation caused by the reflux, coughing and vomitting.

Sometimes the band gets tighter over time because of other issues so it may not be a slip, but please get it checked out.  Tell your surgeon what you told us and ask him to run some tests to rule out serious complications.

Take care and keep us posted.
Lisa O.

you shouldn't dread seeing your surgeon... you shouldn't be throwing up. He is a doctor he should be able to advise you to what is happening. This is not the norm... the norm is eating 3 meals a day high fiber, veggies and or fruit and a few bites of a carb...

And you should be able to drink a fair decent amount of water if you can't there is something wrong. Please see your doctor...

 SAVE YOUR BAND before it's too late. Spit cut/ night cough/reflux = TOO TIGHT/ treading on pouch dilation  which leads to a full band slip and your band is in danger, you may also want a Upper GI to check your band and you NEED to advocate for yourself, it's YOUR body not your surgeon, I am sure he will still get paid to reposition/ or remove your band, if you don't get some saline removed ASAP, that is where you are heading. Good luck.

You are too tight and must have some fluid removed.  Like another poster suggested, it would be a good idea to have an upper GI done to check for esphogeal dialation, which can be a result of a band being too tight for awhile.  Night coughing and acid reflux are standard symptoms of this.  It can be reversed with having some of your fluid taken out.

You should not be afraid of your doctor, he's there to help and I don't really understand why he is reluctant to remove fluid if you're haveing problem eating or even drinking water.  That's just crazy.  You need to make him understand you are having problems, because normal bandster life does not involve carrying a spit cup around with you at al times.  You are right, you did not sign up for that and it shouldn't be like that.

I'm sorry you're going through this, but it will get better once you have an unfill.  Good luck.

cat

I don't know how you've been able to stand it for this long. Sure, your weight loss is great but at what cost to you or your band? I know as soon as I start having the acid reflux at night and can't sleep that I will be calling my doctor the very next morning for an unfill (and yes I've gone to the ER on the weekends before). I cannot tolerate being too restricted at all. The band is a "tool" to help curb your hunger NOT prevent you from putting vital nutrients and fluid in your body. Don't wait another day! Don't let your doctor/surgeon bully you into thinking this is normal. I wish you the best of luck. I hope everything is o.k. 

Run don't walk to get an unfill! You need to get in more fluids than that and coughing up stuff at night isn't a good sign. It can actually kill you if you choke on it! Don't ask TELL your surgeon that you need more taken out. I had the same problem with my band tightening even when I hadn't had a fill and eventually just had it totally emptied because it's too expensive to keep getting fills and unfills. This can end up causing serious band probelms so take care of it very soon!

If you feel your doctor is being resistant to listening to your verbal cues as to what is going on with you.. take a written/typed journal of what is going on with you.

Don't wait to have several days documented, just go back in your mind over the past few days and document what you ate, when you ate, and how many times you woke up at night with coughing/reflux.

And if he/she doesn't listen.. find another bariatric practice!

I had my band replaced last month after having symptoms similar to yours over an 18 month period. I had 3 or 4 complete unfills because I tried to tough it out rather than go to the clinic as soon as I had trouble. Sure I would lose weight, but I would gain so fast after complete unfills that it would eliminate all I had lost since I reached restriction after an unfill.  Finally I had to weight (not a spelling error!) for surgery with an empty band for several months- with weighty results!  I had surgery on April 12 & am now getting fills every couple of months, but have not reached restriction yet.  So RUN to your surgeon NOW!