Question:
Esophagus dilated 13 months after lapband anyone else had this?go back normal

They removed the fill in my band and I have to wait a month to see if it is still dilated,has anyone else had this problem and it went back to normal after the month wait?    — lynnlambert (posted on April 4, 2006)

April 3, 2006
Lynn, though this hasn't happened to me personally, I know several people who have gone through an unfill and have gone completely back to normal. They just reported that being unfilled was a challenge, to say the least. Do you post on the Band message board? You could ask there, and probably get more detailed answers to your questions. Best of luck. :)
   — Jeanie

April 4, 2006
I never had any problems until about 9 months out. I received a .25 cc fill. I had trouble once or twice with waking up in the middle of the night, choking on stomach acid. It went away after a couple of weeks. I didn't mention it to my doctor. Then I went in February for another fill. I received a .20 cc. I started having trouble almost every night. Around 4 am I would wake up choking. I called the doctor and he had me come in. He removed .10 cc. I still had trouble during the following week so he took out another .10 cc. He said if I continued to have problems, I'd need to have all the fluid removed for a month and my next fill (or unfill) would be done under fluoroscopy to determine the exact amount necessary before dilation happened. That last unfill seemed to do the trick. I have not had any more trouble at all, so I would say the esophagus returned to normal right after the last unfill. As a side note, I have GERD, which I think (though the doc didn't confirm) predisposes me to the problem. Amy 250/196/150
   — Amy F.

April 5, 2006
Lynne, my husband is a bandster also. He has been having problems and his surgeon removed all his fill last week. He goes back next week for a barium swallow to see what is up. He coughs alot at night and has acid coming up. Also finds himself vomiting easily, never had that problem before. It started with his last fill, went back and removed .2 cc still having problems so they removed all the fill. Hoping with the fill removed, things will settle down and he can start the refills again. Good luck, Dana
   — cajungirl

April 5, 2006
When you go to your surgeon, have your questions ready. If you haven't read the books on the market, esp. weight loss surgery for dummies, do so. In it, you will find a list of questions. Paramount is how many surgeries per year the surgeon performs and his or her fatality rate and any other questions you may have. Ask all questions, no matter if you think they are silly. you can not investigate this surgeon or the surgery too much, so don't even worry about that.
   — blm4602

April 9, 2006
I don't have a lapband, but I had an RNY 2 years ago. I recently had an EGD and the doctor said the opening of my esophagus into my stomach is enlarged a little. i hiccup a lot since the RNy and I am thinking the enlarged opening is why. Sometimes when I eat it feels like the foos is sitting in my esophagus. Of course if I feel that I know to stop eating. The doctor wasn't concerned about the enlarged opening. The EGD was a check up because i have barret's esophagus which has improved since the RNY.
   — catleth