Hi Mary Ann;  Congrats on the weight loss that you had since the band was installed.  You lost weight so it seems as if you understand the basic "rules" of the band.  I understand the 14 pounds you gained can be very discouraging.  I had some issues with the band being too tight ( I was banded in May of 2010) and had ALL of the fluid removed to give my stomach a break.  Surprisingly, what I found was that I actually had retained the "training" of my brain and stomach so that I still used small plates, ate small amounts of healthy food (but to be honest a bit more than 3/4 to 1 cup of food- but not much more) and found that I was satisfied.  I had to make sure that I ate SLOWLY and still chewed well even though I knew in my pee-brain that I COULD eat more and COULD eat fast without getting stuck.  But what I wanted to avoid was returning to bad habits.  I have continued to lose weight, but have had to up the activity significantly.  It really is a three legged stool.  Proper food and calorie choices, proper exercise that is consistent and addressing the emotional reasons we eat.  You CAN do this.  Good luck. 

I'm happy that you found relief. I know it's nerve wracking to go through it all.

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. 

Congrats for wanting to get back on track. Go back to the basics. What are your surgeons rules and eating program? Don't forget to slow down and put your fork down between. Savor each bite. Get an attitude. If the food you are eating is not healthy and doesn't taste good it isn't going into my mouth. It is all about choices. You are choosing to be healthier. You are choosing healthy food and get rid of the high calorie foods that tempt you. Good luck. Mona

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.