Question:
I have had my lap band for 5 months and today dry Heaves and the runs

Sorry for the content BUT has anyone experienced this. I dont know if it is the LAPBAND or A bug. I went ot the dr's Friday for a physical and may be I caugth some thing BUT the Dry heaves have me worried .... Any help will be nice Thank you    — up4it (posted on April 4, 2010)

April 4, 2010
Sounds like a bug. I had a lapband for 4 years. I can believe dry heaves can come from it, but not runs since your system wasn't altered in any way. It's harder and next to impossible to vomit with a band, so dry heaving is the next best thing for your stomach to do. I'm glad I had mine removed and went to RNY because dry heaves all the time left me with a slipped band! Good luck to you!
   — Jennifer F.

April 4, 2010
My bet is also on a stomach bug of some sort. Years ago, when I had my VBG (1997) I had a bad reaction to a medication and spent 8 hours doing nothing but dry heaving. I lost my silastic ring and was revised to an RNY in 2000 and STILL can't throw up without a LOT of heaving first. No fun at all. I know keep a stock of 50mg Phenergan suppositories to keep any really bad sessions at bay (I have migraines that cause me to get nauseated) Anyway, I hope you feel better soon. In the meantime, just sip on some Sprite or Gatorade or something. Give your tummy time to heal and if it is still going on tomorrow call your surgeon and see if you can get some Phenergan.
   — Kellye C.

April 4, 2010
When I had the band and got the dry heaves, I drank room temp pineapple juice and it really helped. Give it a try. It is too easy to get a slip when you are doing a lot of dry heaves, so try to get it under control fast. The loose stool could be just a bug, or it could be just part of the weight loss process. I had that for months after the band. I hope this helps some and I wish you the very best of luck.
   — Bonnie H.

April 5, 2010
I am hoping by the time you get this response you are feeling much better. My doc had me keep anti nausea meds on hand during the flu/bug season. I am fortunate that I have not thrown up in the past year, but have been warned that if I do there is always a chance that it could cause slippage..please take care of yourself...sorry you are not feeling well.
   — kfgates

April 5, 2010
You CAN throw up with the band I did when I got to much fill too soon, so you can puke. Second I have no bug but have gotten the runs a few times. Don't know why but tums or pepto bismol stopped it for me. I do know that dry heaves aren't a good thing though!
   — postalmoose

April 6, 2010
I want to clarify my reply in light of Kent's response about the ability to throw up excess food in his pouch. When I had VBG I could easily get rid of excess food in the pouch. Even with RNY on the rare occasions that I have overdone it or if something didn't sit right I could still usually get at least some of it up. While I cannot speak for anyone else who answered, to me clearing the pouch was more of a "spitting up" rather than a throwing up. When I talk about "throwing up" I am talking about the type you get with a stomach bug where your stomach (or pouch in our cases) is empty and what is trying to come up is bile. I will not presume to speak for anyone else but in my experience this is a totally different sickness and involves a LOT of dry heaving and work on my stomach's part to get that stuff up. I deal with that with my migraines as well as stomach bugs. Because I have had a couple of mini-strokes my neuro does not want my body going through all that (I have actually busted blood vessels in my face from it being so bad) which is why I have the phenergan suppositories. So, to wrap up, while I can "spit up" whatever is offending my pouch with little to no problem, I cannot "throw up" without a LOT of dry heaves. Others experiences may vary as we are all different so I can only speak to my own but I hope this clarification is helpful.
   — Kellye C.