I would suggest broth, protein broth if you have it because that wouldn't create excess mucus. When I get hiccups, it's usually a signal that I swallowed too much of something.
Do you still have your gall bladder? That can cause chest discomfort too. Just my 2 cents.
Hope you feel better and get an answer soon.

The hiccups usually do that for me too...a signal to stop eating or wait a minute - but they are happening not eating or drinking anything so I'm thinking its the muscus filling things up that is causing the hiccup signal.

I do have unjury chicken soup mix.  However, I am not having a problem eating at all - but perhaps I'm feeling discomfort in the chest area due to the inflammation of the nasal drip.  I feel like my band is wide open

No GB - thank god!!! 

thanks for your 2 cents

If your surgeon partially unfilled you and you told him you were having chest pains, he should have immediately ordered an Upper GI to check your pouch.

I hate to say it, but sounds like you have pouch dilation ...also known as mild band slippage when the pouch extends over the band and if it gets too big it will eventually prolapse, to save your band you will need a TOTAL UNFILL,  NOT PARTIAL, IF its not already too late,  I hope you can get in to see your surgeon ASAP before it becomes an emergency, I've had my band long enough to know all symptoms and a throbbing pouch is one of the symptoms of  pouch dilation.

Sinus drainage with the band is a clear giveaway the band has passed the stage of being too tight from reflux and permanent damage is setting in (many people get this confused with a cold)....a lot of people here are not experienced enough to answer your questions.

Good luck

What does sinus drainage have to do with permanent damage to the band?

I don't understand what you are referring to when u say its clear giveaway?

I'm sure people can have problems with sinuses generally speaking and the draining may affect restriction and eating due to mucous build up.

But it sounds like u are saying something different that the sinus issue is a result of something to do with the band?

I will most likely go for an upper Gi to be sure and perhaps an endo but I'm trying not to freak myself over here by self diagnosing based on what read. I did that before and stressed myself.out over nothing. I seriously thought I had a slip a year ago and went through every test and all came out fine. Even though I had reflux I had no esophagus damage, pouch was fine, band placement fine. I've been doing well since then and even moreso in the last 6 months. I've lost 40lbs, no fills, and I eat very little.

Nikki,

Severe reflux from the lap band causes permanent damage to your body and band, and chronic severe reflux is the number ONE SYMPTOM of BAND SLIPPGAE, minor or severe slippage, and it can cause severe sinuse issues that can ruin your teeth and other issues, it affects your entire sinus cavity which will cause drainage, the reason I mentioned clear giveaway was... just about everyone that I've known that suffered band slippage had the same symptoms from severe reflux.

Just google band slippage and sinuses drainage you will find many posts on lapbandtalk of people experiences with this same issue...it starts out slowly...meaning after a too tight fill adjustment, some people experience reflux and regurgitation and may spit up in their sleep and have to sleep sitting up or in a recliner and sometimes they can get away with a too tight fill if they avoid eating late or avoid heavy meals, but it usually catches up with them if saline is not removed.

When the band has been too tight for so long, the pouch will start to enlarge after eating food, which is called concentric pouch dilation, the symptoms of an enlarged pouch is constant reflux which can be persistent coughing and sinuses issues and throbbing in the breast bone area in the center of the chest where the lap band pouch is located. Remember all band slippage are not urgent, some are treatable and chronic.

You are correct people who do not have a lap band have sinuses issues as well, but this is different, and WE SHOULD NOT BE SELF DIAGNOSING ON THE INTERNET, NO ONE CAN TELL YOU what is wrong with you but your doctor or lap band surgeon.....I was just trying to tell you...you need to see your lap band surgeon ASAP, I was telling you YOUR SYMPTOMS sounds like pouch dilation and was I telling you what to do if that is the case, but again, your surgeon or doctor should treat your problems NOT US on the lap band forum. You should FIRST see your lap band surgeon and not some other doctor since they can tell you immediately if it's a band issue and or not.

Below are the medical terms for pouch dilation and symptoms.




http://www.bariatric-solutions.com/wDeutsch/for-patients/lap -gastric-band/pouch-complications.php

Postoperative complications:
Pouch complications

Pouch dilatation's (Enlargement of the pouch)

Fig. 10: Concentric pouch dilatation

There are several different forms; namely early and late stage, and acute and chronic pouch enlargements. An early dilatation may occur a few weeks after surgery; this is usually caused by an incorrectly positioned band. The main effect of this is creation of a pouch that is too large. The late-stage form manifests itself after weeks, often even after a year, and is usually caused by abnormal eating habits like meal sizes that are too large (possibly even pre-operative binge-eating), or a gastrostoma that is too constricted. This may also include sliding hiatal hernia (diaphragmatic hernias with an upwards-shifting stomach entrance) in front of an otherwise well-positioned band. Radiological visualization will show a concentric pouch. If left untreated, the dilatation may progress into real "slipping," including upwards-shifting of the stomach wall below the band.

Slippage

Fig. 11: Dorsal Slipping

Shifting upwards of the rear (dorsal slipping) or front (anterior slipping) stomach wall through the band. This is a typical post-stomach-band operation complication, mainly caused by operational cir****tances. As described in international literature, it is nowadays reduced to below 1%. Upon introducing a contrast medium, the pouch will look ex-centric on x-rays. Mechanism: Due to the enlargement of the pouch, a valve-like mechanism occurs, in which passage to the main stomach is progressively obstructed by parts of the stomach wall (partial to complete stoma occlusion). Passage in reverse order is still possible though (reflux from the main stomach to the pouch or the esophagus).

Fig. 12: Anterior Slipping

Ailments and symptoms

There are acute (suddenly occurring) and chronic ailments, which occur similarly in both forms of pouch complications. While pouch dilatation initially causes meal sizes to become larger followed by vomiting, subsequently, as the pouch gets increasingly larger, a similar situation as with slippage can occur, in which parts of the stomach wall can cause a shift of the gastrostoma or other inflammations progressively obstruct the passage. This is reflected in intolerance towards solid foods and then to liquid foods until there is a complete stoppage in passage.

Chronic:

• Increasing passage disorders for solid foods; Repeated vomiting after meals; Regurgitation (back-flow of food-remains, burping****urring at night also.
• Progressively increasing capacity limitations even for liquids; Drinking only possible in little sips; solid foods not tolerated anymore at all.
• Excessive weight-loss, reflux symptoms (pain or burning sensation behind the breast bone), general complaints like tiredness, deficient nutrition
• Any chronic form can escalate into an acute form.

Acute:

• Complete halt of passage (total food intolerance)
• Consequences of untreated total food intolerance: Dehydration (fluid deficiency), shock condition (reduction in blood volume), electrolyte imbalance (disturbed blood/salinity balance), prerenal failure (kidney failure caused by dehydration), extremely heightened risk of aspiration mostly at night (breathing reflux stomach contents into the airways causing a risk of pneumonia)

Therapy

a) Conservative

If dilatation caused by an overly constricted stomach band occurs in isolation, without any upwards shifting of stomach wall parts, then conservative therapy should be sufficient.

• Completely opening the stomach band (decongest)
• Insertion of a gastric tube to relieve the pouch and avoid aspiration
• Immediate re hydration (administration of fluids), balancing electrolytes via IV (intravenous infusion of saline solution)
• Administration of antacid (e.g. Omeprazol): to protect against or treat mucosal changes within the pouch
• Deficiencies: Substitutive therapy (iron, vitamins, etc.)
• Parenteral nutrition (feeding completely by infusing into a central vein): Seldom; Only in cases of decompensation combined with malnutrition, where enteral nutritional intake is not possible despite decongestion of the band and other measures.

b) Re-operating

Laparoscopic revision is demanding and requires extensive experience in this technique. Most of the time, a replacement of the stomach band or a repositioning using the laparoscopic technique is sufficient.

• Band repositioning:
  Repositioning of the band without exchanging it is usually only possible in the early stages of pouch complications; however, it is almost always done using the laparoscopic technique. The part of the stomach that has slipped upwards through the band is pulled back down, and the band is then re-fixated. This requires that there be no extreme concrescences to the band itself and that the pouch not be highly vulnerable due to inflammation.
• Band replacement:
  If late pouch complications occur (after months or even years), the stomach band will have to be replaced, usually using the laparoscopic technique. When doing so, it is cut close to the seal and pulled out of its connective tissue membrane, and a new band is inserted in the proper position.

Thanks for sharing this information.

Hi Nikki,
Sorry you are feeling crappy.  I also suffered from chest pain.  Could not find a cause.  Finally after 5 months of the pain, I had my band taken out.  What a difference, it has been 3 months now and I no longer have the chest pain.  Good luck, hope you feel better soon.

I feel for you Nikki, last May I started having chest pain, dizzyness, pressure in my chest. Long story short it was my sinus.  I never knew your sinus could make you feel so bad.  I went to an ENT doc he put my on sudafed and nasel spray for allergies I also took liquid mucenex (tasted real bad). It took a couple weeks to kick in but sure helped. I also had a total un fill for 6 months because I could not take feeling so bad. I have had a couple fill since and have one scheduled monday. It took a while but I finally feel so much better not looking forward to spring hope allergies don't start up again. I had never had any allergies to any thing. Good luck to you hope you get relief soon

The cold I had several weeks ago caused the latest BIG problems with my band,  That's when my surgeon decided he would do the revision.....no one should have to worry about fills and unfills because of a cold. 

 See, here is the catch 22, the nasal drip could be causing your issues but your BAND could be causing your nasal drip (it did for me, still have the nose running dripping issue with my Sleeve when I eat to much, but it isn't constant like it was with the band). 

It really sounds to me like you have a slip, and the constant pain worries me, if your doctor does not return your call head to the office and make a scene in the waiting area (always works). Do not be ignored, you could have something serious going on in there!