no restriction but still getting stuck

I have had my band for 4 years and lost 50 lbs in the first few months, but nothing since.  I had many fills and unfills during my first year and a half, but went from too tight and unable to eat, to too loose.  I just received my first fill in the past 2 years.  My new doctor ( I am living in a new area now) said I should get an Upper GI since I have had the band for 4 years, just to make sure all is well.  When I got the Upper GI today the doctor doing the Upper GI ( Dr, not technician)  said my band looked fine, but that it wasn't doing anything!  He said the fluid went right through, there was no restriction and so no real pouch either (since there is no restriction).  The strange thing is that I still get stuck all the time and throw up often.  How can this be if there is no restriction.  Has anyone heard of this or had this experience?  He said at this point, any weight I lose will be all me, not the band, so if I still need help I will probably need a revision.  Just wondering if anyone can relate to this.

Yes this happened to me 2 yrs out. A lot of bandsters start having problems 2 +yrs out. The doctors fail to tell patients that some may never reach adequate restriction. I was throwing up when I was loose and chewing well.
I lost all of my weight pre/post op w/ out restriction. I don't understand the band as I am sure studies are being conducted since there are a lot of misunderstandings and complications. Mine came out monday and I can eat healthy, lean meats and food again.. No more vomiting,heartburn, embarrassing situations, pb'ing, pain, or sliming.

I too had an upper G I after a year and 1/2.....my band was on the looser side and the barium passed right through....I told her i have been getting stuck ALOT so i didnt think i needed a fill.....she told me that i was eating to big of a bite and too fast.....she said my bites should be the size of a pencil eraser....i do have to say ...i havent been stuck as much and i feel fuller with less food ....i would suggest go back to eating like you first got your band....toddler size foods...smaller plate....i do have to say im losing again ...slowly but losing....i hope that helps....!

I call it a psycho band. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to why it does what it does. :-(

in 14 months I had 16 fills and 4 partial unfills. No reall restriction. I just kind of gave up on wasting my time with fills after that. :-(

Sometimes would be tight in the a/m occasionally tight later in the day when it was fine in the a/m. It just varies so greatly!

I will say that I am lucky though, since I don't have frequent vomiting like so many bandsters have mentioned.

Have u thought about revising?

It's really hard to evaluate "restriction" (I do NOT like that word when talking about bands) if only liquid barium was used in the UGI.

Barium can be placed in food.. applesauce, oatmeal, it can be placed on a saltine cracker.  There's a barium burger test (but usually used for checking RNY).  There's even a barium tablet that can be used.  Using some "real food" with barium would give better information.

I have UGI's yearly to check band status, and always the liquid barium flows right on through.. but I have good appetite suppression from eating dense protein.

I think Alicia has some good suggestions.

Best of luck to you.

This is not uncommon, Chris.  It's not normal... but it's common. The tests often show nothing wrong. But that doesn't mean that there isn't something wrong.

I'd revise as soon as possible, personally. The longer the band is there, irritating your membranes of your stomach, the more damage it causes.  Throwing up often causes your esophagus to dilate... and then it tends to stay dilated for longer periods. The more you throw up, the more swollen you get and the band feels tighter because of the swelling and then it causes you to throw up... and it's a vicious cycle.

Good luck. Take care.
~Nicci

Insist on this test. They were going to perform this test on me in the hospital, but only because I had asked for it. ( Thanks to Ms Sue telling me about it ). I was out of it and don't remember any of this, but my mom told me that I had my daughter copy and print up an email Sue had sent to me. Then my mom per my instructions ( pre pain meds ) told the "hospital" doctor that I wanted to have this test done while I was in the hospital. The doctor told her that they could perform it. They ended up removing the band instead so I never got to have that test.

Esophageal Manometry

 

Esophageal manometry is an outpatient test used to identify problems with movement and pressure in the esophagus that may lead to problems like heartburn. The esophagus is the "food pipe" leading from the mouth to the stomach. Manometry measures the strength and muscle coordination of your esophagus when you swallow.

During the manometry test, a tube is passed through the nose, along the back of the throat, down the esophagus, and into the stomach.
 

The esophageal manometry test may be given to people who have the following conditions:

• Difficulty swallowing. " GETTING STUCK "
• Heartburn or reflux.
• Chest pain.

How Does Esophageal Manometry Work?

Your esophagus moves food from your throat down to your stomach with a wave-like motion called peristalsis. Manometry will indicate how well the esophagus can perform peristalsis. Manometry also allows the doctor to examine the muscular valve connecting the esophagus with the stomach, called the lower esophageal sphincter, or LES. This valve relaxes to allow food and liquid to enter the stomach. It closes to prevent food and liquid from moving out of the stomach and back up the esophagus.

Abnormalities with peristalsis and LES function may cause symptoms such as swallowing difficulty, heartburn, or chest pain. Information obtained from manometry may help doctors to identify the problem. The information is also very important for surgery to treat reflux.

Thanks, everyone, for your advice and input.