Slipped band?

Looking for any thoughts on slipped band vs hiatal hernia vs I'm crazy and over thinking things...

For the past week I have been having heart burn. I NEVER have heart burn, not since I was banded 6 years ago and they repaired my hiatal hernia. In the past week I have also been pb'ing more than normal with more restriction, up until a couple days ago when I feel like my heart burn got worse and my restriction has seemed to disappear. I also feel like I have something caught in my throat, really deep down. I know this sounds like a hiatal hernia.

The kicker is I am scheduled for a tummy tuck and breast lift/augmentation in 13 days. I have scheduled to have all my fill out for this reason, and that appointment is on Thursday. I have no working relationship with any bariatric surgeon anymore. My surgeon has retired and I haven't even been seen for a fill in probably four years. I plan to talk to them about this on Thursday. I am hoping so much that the problem will be relieved by removing the fill. But I just need some support. I am stressing out so bad... very very worried that this could be really bad and could delay my upcoming surgery.

Any thoughts/support/ideas, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

When my band slipped, the symptoms included heartburn, reflux, and eating problems. A complete unfill and rest period cured it. So removing saline in preparation for the plastic surgery sounds like it'll have a double benefit for you. It would be a good idea to get an upper GI study (barium swallow) done to verify the slip, but if you can't get that done before the surgery, get it done afterward.

Good luck!

Jean

Thanks Jean! This makes me feel way better!

Follow up six years later because I'm realizing how bad I am about that:

My band continued to do this off and on for years. I had a barium swallow done when I was asymptomatic and it looked fine. The issue apparently was that my band was slipping and then moving back in place off and on so I would go months and months even years without issue and then I'd start experiencing these problems again. Three weeks ago, after suffering with this worse than ever (extreme chest pain from the reflux and shortness of breath as well) I finally had my band removed. I am now almost totally better, with no more need for twice daily dosing of zantac. Now, if I feel indigestion that seems like it may turn into heartburn, I drink a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in warm water and it instantly clears up (this is a problem from underproduction of stomach acid, which is often the problem, not an overproduction, as it turns out).

I had gained back about 25 pounds of my total weight loss after my plastic surgery and unfill in 2012. It's a struggle still, but I feel that this is probably my natural weight. That said, I've lost about 5 pounds since my band's been removed and I feel like it's been less work than before. I'd lost over 115 pounds total and at this point I'm still down by 100. I'd attribute about 60 pounds to the lap band and the rest to veganism and regular exercise- the key being exercise I love, like hiking. I don't regret my band, it had its share of complications and surgeons don't really advocate for them anymore, but it still changed my life for the better and I'm so glad I went that route twelve years ago!