I need some advice - X Post

Background: I have been banded since Oct 2007.  I LOVE my band and have lost 110 pounds.  I lost my Momma last month, just after 1 month of her cancer diagnosis.  My Sis and I have been dealing with her estate, etc.  My Daddy passed away in May of 2008.  I have been stressed.

The problem:  For the last few weeks my stomach has hurt when I drink something, and a short while after I eat something.  NOT my pouch (my new little stomach).  I am talking my stomach, like a real 'belly ache'.  I don't feel like throwing up.  It just hurts!  It has been getting progressively worse.  This AM I am trying to drink my usual EAS protein drink.  I always heat it up, and my favorite is strawberry.  This morning I am having chocolate and I am in great pain! 

I can't imagine this being band related.  When I eat, I still have the usual 'feelings'.  I know how much of what I can eat and I very seldom eat too much.  I haven't pb'd or slimed in months.  But now, a couple of hours after I eat, I get the same stomach upset.

I was banded in Mexico and have no local surgeon to turn to.  I DO have a wonderful PCP, but my DH and I are his only band patients.  My thoughts are, perhaps an ulcer?  What do they do to diagnose that?  Do they have to do an endoscopy?  What about my band?

I forgot to mention I have been diagnosed with 'multiple' gall stones.  They only give me trouble when I eat the wrong things, and that is not in my 'belly'.

Thanks, Ya'll for your insights.

Ulcer pain is different according to where the ulcer is located.  They are very painful and mine hurts before I eat, while I eat, and after I eat.  The acid just kills me.  For them to diagnose me, they first played the rule out game and did all the upper GI test to rule out cancer and bowel obstruction and all of that and finally they did the scope and yep, there they were.  Usually, according to my surgeon, wls patients don't always just get one ulcer in their pouch, they get them in the other part of their stomach and in the small intestine.  So, get the test before the things spread and you may have the one caused by the bacteria and they can antibiotic you and heal it.  If it is the other one, then you go on medicine and try and control it that way and they will talk about surgery, depending upon the size, ect. 

Drugs to control the hydrochloric acid are usually the first line of attack and then something to drink before eating is also given.  Priolosec and liquid carafate are the cheapest.  I've had the cheap and I've had the expensive, and they both do about the same. 

Go get scoped and make sure it is an ucler and not something else.

Grammylew, this is just my own opinion but you have the same thought...my first thought was an ulcer. I know when I had one...which was before wls....they did a upper g.i. for it. You will probably have the same thing.

Make sure you go to the doctor and get this taken care of. The sooner you get it taken care of the better off you will be. I would just make your meals smaller and more often. Try more bland food if you can while you are working on getting into the doctor. I wouldn't think it makes a different if you are banded or not since to me an ulcer is an ulcer. Have you tired yogurt? That would help it to heal too from what I understand. Back when I had the gastric ulcer (there are different kinds in different places) I wouldn't eat yogurt so I never tried it.

I wish you luck and good health...please see the doctor asap. We need you safe and sound and healthy!

Thanks lightswitch and Brenda.  I will call my PCP today.  Can't go in today since I have a building inspector, an electrician and a gutter guy coming today!  I'm also waiting for a phone call letting me know my HHG have arrived from my Momma's estate in TX.  But I will call and ask for a call back from the nurse.

Meanwhile, I will stick with 'bland'.  It is so frustrating, because I can still EAT what I like.  Think roast beef roll-ups with laughing cow cheese spread on them.  But then an hour or so later (depending on what I eat), I get the same pain.

Can I get 'scoped' with the band on and full?  Will a local doctor know what to do about that?  My DH has a band doctor in Greenville (2 hours away), but I'm not real fond of him.  I may just have to accept his help though.

gramylew there are others on the band boards that have been scopped but, I understood they had to have a unfill.  I may be wrong.  Have your DH call his doc and ask.  It is to bad you can't find a doc that you like to see.

I would have guessed a GB issue but as you are already away or where that hurts...

Take care!   Let us know.  I look up to you for inspiration.

If you haven't already done so, avoid any caffienated or bubbly drinks as they can aggravate stomach issues, red meat is harder on the digestive system than chicken, fish or turkey, as are onion, garlic and the like, so bland is best way to go.  Not sure if you smoke, but yet another bad thing for our stomachs.  I speak from experience, having had ulcers prior to my bypass.

I would start with your pcp and ask for a referral to a good gastrointestinal doctor, who might have dealt with patients such as yourself, or another idea might be to have your husband call his doc and see if he can recommend someone, don't sit on this, because ulcers can be ugly and seeing as you have a smaller one, the chances are, if you have one, you need it taken care of sooner rather than later.  I am not trying to scare you, just stressing the importance of not waiting further than you have.  Whatever you do, you certainly need to line up a good doctor who can treat you within your banding, one that can be familiar with you just in case there is ever a problem. 

Good luck and I look forward to hearing about your results and hoping they are all good!

Laureen

GRRR - any of those things is gonna require an unfill, I'm pretty sure!

I have a call into my PCP's nurse.  I'l probably be able to see him tomorrow and maybe he can shed a little more light on this.

I don't do carbonated, and the only caffeine I get is if I have my hot chocolate or the chocolate EAS.  After this AM's EAS debacle, I WILL NOT be doing chocolate again.  I have never smoked, so that is a non-issue.  I will stick with bland.  I keep thinking the opposite of 'new band' rules.  At that time you have to drink soft and then mushies so you don't srtain the band.  Those things are zipping right through and causing immediate pain.  If I do the opposite and eat my solid protein, I can eat, but then the pain happens later.

Thank you everyone for your replies.  I hope I can get this resolved and start eating again.  Now I know how people feel when they say their band is too tight and they can't eat anything without it coming back up.  Mine isn't coming back up, but I don't want to eat anything because of the pain I know it's gonna cause! 

 

I'm sorry you are having trouble.  Stress is a very powerful thing both mentally and physically.  Work with your PCP and have it checked out.

Regarding your gall bladder, please don't put off getting it removed if your doc recommends it.  I put mine off for 7 years and ended up having an emergency removal.  The surgery was no big deal and I felt stupid for waiting so long because I felt immediate relief.  If it's infected it could cause a lot of other symptoms.  Make sure he checks that out along with potential band issues.

You're in my prayer.  I hope you find relief and a solution to your pain soon!

Lisa O.

Hi!
Sorry to hear about the loss of both your parents.

I can't help with the banding questions......I did not have WLS.....but I did want to wish you well and suggest you discuss the pain with your PCP.  Worse case go to your husbands WL surgeon...if he can help you it would be a good thing...don't suffer longer than you have to..

Hope you feel better!!!