Same old same old

MustangLady
on 4/1/13 8:53 am - MA

My band is so frustrating....emptied it out in November. Fill of 2 cc on March 1 and back to basics, liquids, full liquids then mushies. Fill on March 25 of 1 cc then 2 days of full liquids and progressed to mushies then 1 day of solid food. Now esophagus is feeling blocked and spasms and severe heartburn. This is day 2 of this pain, discomfort, spasms.......Even water causes the heartburn. Spoke to the nurse and I'm going for a small unfill in the AM. Please let this give me some relief!

~ CJ Bradley - Lapband Surgery 7/2007 with many complications. 2012 Seeking Revision to RNY. 2013 Revision denied. Trying to work with band.

vlp1968
on 4/1/13 9:49 am

I have been there, done that. I am willing to bet money that a small unfill will relieve your symptoms. I know how frustrating it is to go from lots of hunger to being to tight. Hope you feel much better tomorrow!

Stephanie M.
on 4/1/13 11:01 am

It sucks! Sorry you're suffering! The esophageal spasms are miserable. I believe that what many call " first bite syndrome" is esophageal spasms...hope the unfill helps!

6-7-13 band removed. No revision. Facebook Failed Lapbands and Realize Bands group and WLS-Support for Regain and Revision Group

pineview01
on 4/1/13 11:50 am - Davison, MI

Lap Band on 02/25/09

Been there. I had mine totally emptied three times. The first time for 6 weeks the second for 8 weeks. The last time until I had the band removed.

BAND REMOVED 9-4-12-fought insurance to get sleeve and won! Sleeved 1/22/13! Five years out and trying to get that last 15 pounds back off.

BuckeyeGirl
on 4/1/13 12:44 pm - TN

VSG on 12/01/10

Ugh...I had similar problems. My band was either completely or way too tight...rarely any middle ground. I know you'll be glad to get that unfill.

Best,

Lindsey

(deactivated member)
on 4/1/13 10:05 pm - Califreakinfornia , CA

Topic: You're not " Stuck " your band is causing pressure on your esophagus

Pumpkin X .
Califreakinfornia , CA
Lap Band (06/19/06) Member Since: 12/20/05
[Latest Posts]

Post Date: 6/7/12 8:14 am
...and it's very painfull, and the longer this goes on...the more severe the pain will become, and the risks of permanent damage are very real.

If your band is functioning perfectly, then just bookmark this for future reference, hopefully you will never ever have to lay eyes on it again.
If your still going forward with having a LAGB implanted, then just bookmark this for future reference, hopefully you will never ever have to lay eyes on it again.

How does the normal esophagus function?

The esophagus has three functional parts. The uppermost part is the upper esophageal sphincter, a specialized ring of muscle that forms the upper end of the tubular esophagus and separates the esophagus from the throat. The upper sphincter remains closed most of the time to prevent food in the main part of the esophagus from backing up into the throat. The main part of the esophagus is referred to as the body of the esophagus, a long, muscular tube approximately 20 cm (8 in) in length. The third functional part of the esophagus is the lower esophageal sphincter, a ring of specialized esophageal muscle at the junction of the esophagus with the stomach. Like the upper sphincter, the lower sphincter remains closed most of the time to prevent food and acid from backing up into the body of the esophagus from the stomach.

What is achalasia?

Achalasia is a rare disease of the muscle of the esophagus (swallowing tube). The term achalasia means "failure to relax" and refers to the inability of the lower esophageal sphincter (a ring of muscle situated between the lower esophagus and the stomach) to open and let food pass into the stomach. As a result, patients with achalasia have difficulty in swallowing food.

http://www.medicinenet.com/achalasia/article.htm#tocb

What is dysphagia?

Dysphagia is the medical term for the symptom of difficulty swallowing, derived from the Latin and Greek words meaning difficulty eating.

http://www.medicinenet.com/swallowing/article.htm

What is esophageal spasm?

Esophageal spasms are irregular, uncoordinated, and sometimes powerful contractions of the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Normally, contractions of the esophagus are coordinated, moving the food through the esophagus and into the stomach.

There are two main types of esophageal spasm:

Diffuse esophageal spasm. This type of spasm is an irregular, uncoordinated squeezing of the muscles of the esophagus. This can prevent food from reaching the stomach, leaving it stuck in the esophagus.
THIS IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND because many banded people think that their food is stuck due to not chewing well or they think they ate too fast.
Nutcracker esophagus. This type of spasm squeezes the esophagus in a coordinated way, the same way food is moved down the esophagus normally. But the squeezing is very strong. These contractions move food through the esophagus but can cause severe pain.
Again, this is often explained away by band surgeons and banded patients as eating to fast and/or not chewing well enough.

You can have both types of esophageal spasms.

Check out this link and then see if your surgeon or PCP can order you this test.There is a lot of really useful links here.

What is achalasia?

www.medicinenet.com/achalasia/article.htm#tocb

Esophageal manometry

Another test, esophageal manometry, can demonstrate specifically the abnormalities of muscle function that are characteristic of achalasia, that is, the failure of the muscle of the esophageal body to contract with swallowing and the failure of the lower esophageal sphincter to relax. For manometry, a thin tube that measures the pressure generated by the contracting esophageal muscle is passed through the nose, down the back of the throat and into the esophagus. In a patient with achalasia, no peristaltic waves are seen in the lower half of the esophagus after swallows, and the pressure within the contracted lower esophageal sphincter does not fall with the swallow. In patients with vigorous achalasia, a strong simultaneous contraction of the muscle may be seen in the lower esophageal body. An advantage of manometry is that it can diagnose achalasia early in its course at a time at which the video-esophagram may be normal.

Esophagus

After food is chewed into a bolus, it is swallowed and moved through the esophagus. Smooth muscles contract behind the bolus to prevent it from being squeezed back into the mouth. Then rhythmic, unidirectional waves of contractions will work to rapidly force the food into the stomach. This process works in one direction only and its sole purpose is to move food from the mouth into the stomach.^[2]

In the esophagus, two types of peristalsis occur.

A simplified image showing peristalsis

First, there is a primary peristaltic wave which occurs when the bolus enters the esophagus during swallowing. The primary peristaltic wave forces the bolus down the esophagus and into the stomach in a wave lasting about 8–9 seconds. The wave travels down to the stomach even if the bolus of food descends at a greater rate than the wave itself, and will continue even if for some reason the bolus gets stuck further up the esophagus.
In the event that the bolus gets stuck or moves slower than the primary peristaltic wave (as can happen when it is poorly lubricated), stretch receptors in the esophageal lining are stimulated and a local reflex response causes a secondary peristaltic wave around the bolus, forcing it further down the esophagus, and these secondary waves will continue indefinitely until the bolus enters the stomach.

Esophageal peristalsis is typically assessed by performing an esophageal motility study.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/lapband/4539222/Youre-not- quot-Stuck-quot-your-band-is-causing-pressure-on/

www.obesityhelp.com/group/failed_lap_bands/

gorditabonita
on 4/2/13 3:12 am - Springfield, VA

VSG on 01/23/13 with

I hope you find some relief soon. For me, by the end, I could eat or drink anything and I was totally miserable.

HW - 287 (12/2007); GW - 165; CW - 164....proudly wearing a size 8!On my journey from LapBand to VSG.....LapBand on 12/19/07, LapBand removal on 8/8/12 and sleeve on1/23/13! Consider joining me at Band2Sleeve!( http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/Band2Sleeve/) Friend me on MyFitnessPal too! I'm gorditabonita74.

MustangLady
on 4/2/13 3:23 am - MA

Revision

Thanks everyone! I went in today and they removed 2cc so I am back to 1cc and told me to take prilosec twice a day for week then once a day until I see the doc on the 24th. This has been going on way too long now. I will push the doc for further testing.

~ CJ Bradley - Lapband Surgery 7/2007 with many complications. 2012 Seeking Revision to RNY. 2013 Revision denied. Trying to work with band.