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Heartburn After Lap Band Surgery

Heartburn After Lap Band Surgery

Question Below Submitted By:  

Kissy Pitre (a patient from Raceland, LA)
Heartburn Caused by Acid Reflux After Lap Band Surgery

Heartburn Caused by Acid Reflux After Lap Band Surgery

I had lap band surgery 5 yrs ago. I haven’t had heartburn since then until about 2 months ago.

I have not changed the way I eat or anything. I have been getting heartburn when I wake up about 12 hours after eating. Can someone please help?

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01.

Expert Responses to the Question Above

"heart burn" after weight loss surgery/lap band

by: Nadia Barhoumeh-Lee

Hi DJ,

Not all patients experience heartburn after lap band surgery. It's important that you contact your Bariatric Surgeon/Primary Care provider to find out the possible cause.

The causes of reflux may not be that serious but can be.

Please don't rely on advice given to you online, your doctor is the best person to determine the cause and treatment options.

Best wishes,
Nadia Barhoumeh-Lee, RN

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the details provided. The above should never replace the advice of your local physicians as they have the ability to evaluate you in person.

Response to: Heartburn after Lap Band Surgery

by: Dr. Aceves

HI Kissy,

My recommendation is to please go get your band checked with a barium swallow x-ray.

Your doctor may see that your band is too tight. Even if you have not had a fill recently or changed anything in your way of eating, sometimes, for various reasons, your band gets tighter and tighter and tighter. If your band is tight you need to get it unfilled a bit.

A tight band can cause spasms that causes reflux. If the band does not appear to be tight, I would recommend you stay on liquids for 10 days and see if you feel better. If you are not taking any medication you might consider taking medication to help with the symptoms but please do try to find out what is causing it. If this does not help, my recommendation would be to get the band unfilled anyway and stay with it unfilled for 3 months and then start with fills once again.

This should take care of the reflux. When you are ready to get a fill once again, it's very common to not be able to have the same liquid in your band as you did before.

You will most likely not be able to go to the number of CCs you have now... you need to start slowly. This is common, if for example, 3CCs were right for you before you might only tolerate 2CC comfortably.

Dr. Alberto Aceves

(click here for Dr. Aceves' full bio & contact info)

Dr. Alberto Aceves

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the details provided. The above should never replace the advice of your local physicians as they have the ability to evaluate you in person.

Related Pages:- Lap Band Problems & Lap Band Complications- Lap Band Surgery Failure - 2 Types & How to Avoid Them

02.

Patient Responses to the Question Above

reflux with coughing when sleeping

by: DJ

I had a lap band 8 years ago. Suddenly, it has decided to work really well again and I"ve lost 25 more pounds, which is wonderful. If I eat supper, even soup and crackers at 6 ish pm, and go to bed at 10 or 11pm, I wake up about 3-4 pm (almost every night at the same time) coughing with severe reflux. Also, I often get up and become nauseated in the mornings resulting in vomiting, especially when I brush my teeth. WHY??? I am a nurse and this is just WEIRD.

rash allergic reaction?

by: jackie

Hi I have been banded since September 4 2017, I have now come out in hives.....well its a very itchy rash on my arms legs, could I be having an allegoric reaction to the band? is this common?

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