I'm gurgling!

[kat]

Has anybody had problems with gurgling? I asked my dr (the nurse practitioner, actually) and they said I should get an upper GI at my next appt, which isn't for another 3 months.

It doesn't sound like an empty stomach growling, it sounds like water going down a slow drain. And its LOUD! So loud that you can actually hear it across the room. Awkward and embarrassing! And since I've chosen to tell very few people about the surgery, I'm running out of excuses.

Has anybody had something similar? Or tips about what to do about it? I've been banded for about 15 months and lost 80 pounds. This started a few months ago. I'm definitely not too tight, so that isn't the problem.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[nightnurse]

A hernia will gurgle. However with that amazing weight loss you shouldnt have herniated any of your incisions.

[kristina]

*waves* hi girlie!!!

uhm. i have heard of gurgling. upper gi isnt going to hurt...maybe u could cough when you start making the sound. is it when you eat only?

[PattiDi07]

I gurgle with every swallow... water, coffee, food, everything! Like I'm pulling the plug out of a full sink, and it just swashes right down with a big gurgle. It's totally embarrasing at work, especially with those who do not know about my surgery. I blame it on gas and just say "oh, jeesh, excuse me".... and laugh it off... and that's okay for now. But not sure how much longer I can keep that story going. ?? So I'm interested in hearing what anyone else has to say about this, too. =)

[wilsonpd64]

I gurgle sometimes too- usually with liquid, a lot of times when I do bad things like drink carbonated drinks...

[gregken77]

I gurgle sometimes too- usually with liquid, a lot of times when I do bad things like drink carbonated drinks...


No not you! Shame on you for drinking those! ha ha When I had to tight a fill I would gurgle with everything I put in my mouth. I made a game out of it but then Im sort of weird so dont listen to me!:) If you dont have any pain and its not disrupting your eating or weight loss I wouldnt worry about myself.

[Want_2_B_Free]

I gurgle. But I tell everyone it's from lap band surgery. But if you are not sharing about the band, tell then you had a hiatial hernia repaired and with the new tight muscle gurgling is part of your life now.

[SurgChickie]

I gurgle too! I am glad to know Im not alone! Everyone at work knows I had surgery tho. It would be impossible to keep it from coworkers, since I work in surgery LOL. My coworkers helped perform my surgery!

[brwneyedbeauty]

Well I gurgle all the time. I just figured it was from the band. But I also have acid reflux to so now that scars me a little. I am going in this next week and I havent had a fill in over a year. But I think I am going to get a small unfill to see if that helps. If I eat after dinner I'm up all night!

[Jachut]

Gurgling is just a fact of life with the band - it doesnt mean that anything is wrong, and there's really not anything you can do about it, unless you're TOO tight.

It can be embarrassing, but it just is what it is.

[kat]

An update! And a cautionary tale.....

I finally went to see my doc last week about the gurgling. He said you should always take gurgling seriously - not presume it is just a side effect of the band unless other, more serious problems were ruled out first.

Long story short, I had an upper GI with my doc present, and sure enough, the gurgling -- caused by food going down through the band and then bubbling up again before going back down (On the fluoro - it looks exactly like it feels and sounds) -- there was lots of inflammation in the esophagus. I had to get a complete unfill (he tried taking out a third, then another third, and finally all of it to see if it remedied itself). RATS!!

I had no symptoms other than gurgling. The level of tightness in the band was comfortable - I was eating regular meals, including meat. No heartburn - just gurgling. He said I was lucky I caught it in time that it could be fixed by just medication and a temporary unfill.

So my advice to fellow gurglers - don't assume its just an artifact of the band. Get it checked out.

I've gained 2 pounds in a week which is very scary. I'll write about that on another thread.....

[brwneyedbeauty]

I went in today and had a small unfill about a 1/2 cc I have a whoppin 1.5 now in my band. But it took forever for him to get much out I mentioned before that I have a kink and I had to get in different positions for him to get that out. I thought he was going to pull my port right out of my belly! I know tomorrow I will be sore.

[kat]

I hope that works for you! I"m not gurgling anymore, but I"m having a terrible time controlling my appetite. Its temporary - I keep telling myself! Let us know how you"re doing!

[brwneyedbeauty]

I hear ya. I'm nervous having very little in my band...we shall see.

[roseviolet]

Katie, I'm from Belfry, too! I had the Realize band on 11/19/09.

[dolchanmom]

How are you doing Kat?

[PhotoNut]

I just read this thread! This is the first time I'd heard about the gurgling being an indicator of possible problem. Thanks for sharing the info, Kat. Do you have an update for us? How are you doing with the unfill?

[remmi]

Yes, thanks for the info! I was gurgling at night with 6.4...but, had complete unfill after stomach virus, so I am back up to 4.7 and going in tomorrow. 2/3 weeks between fills. Eating foods I should not again. Only lost 1lb since March. Ugh.

But the gurgling...that is good to know. I think I will not go above 6.1 this time...

[PattiDi07]

I pretty much gurgle with just about every bite (especially fruit for some wierd reason), and was just at doctor's and band is fine. ??? Hmmmmm, I wonder what's up with that?

[ellgee]

Wow! This is interesting to me, too as I gurgle, too. My doc wanted to wait a bit on another fill but wasn't overly concerned about it. Just had a barium swallow in 11/09 and things looked okay despite a little bit of reflux when I was laid at an angle. I mostly notice my gurgling when I lay down to go to bed. Just a little air rumbling like a burp coming up.

When my original band slipped, I had reflux at night so severe it would wake me up coughing and sputtering. Not fun!

Hope things get better for you Kat!