RestlessMonkey

This is problematic because...it may just be normal post op problems or it may be a clot. When you really TRY can you breathe deep, even if it hurts? Or do you expand your lungs and it feels like it just isn't doing anything? If it hurts to breathe, that's normal. Your diaphragm is in there and sometimes gets ticked off. Plus you're swollen...your lungs will be discommoded a little. So pain/soreness, hurts to breathe deep, all that's ok. AND I'm a nurse, but a new one, so these observations are just opinion...not meant to replace the advice of your doc or a more skilled nurse, ok? You may also have some Fluid in your lungs (can easily happen post op) Were you given an incentive spirometer (the breathing thingie?)

You are very young and oddly, it seems, younger people generally have more pain post op. (I hate to generalize and don't want to offend a soul, but it's just something I have observed) It WILL get better. I am almost 1 year post op and have no pain. Honestly, though, I came to in recovery hungry and feeling fine and have pretty much felt that way ever since. You may be suffering 2 kinds of gas....the kind they pumped in to you won't be helped by any drugs but will abate over time. The kind we "make" can be alleviated by something like Gas-X so if you don't have any, get some. Use a pillow to brace your surgical sites. It will help. I slept in my bed from the first night because I didn't want to get stiff. I slept on my tummy from night 2 because that's my normal MO. Try sleeping in bed and using a pillow to kind of cushion and protect your abdomen. You may be a little stiff when you wake up but that's expected. Do you have someone to help you sit up? Remember to put a pillow over your abdomen and hold it. It helps your sore muscles. So...there is light at the end of the tunnel. I don't have a slip, I don't have erosion, I can eat white bread, I have good restriction, I don't choke on my pills or own spit, life is good. It will be good for you, too. Just hang in there.

Tramadol is a powerful NSAID. So it would be offlimits for the OP.

There are no guarantees in life and you know this. I LOVE my band. I've had it just under a year, can eat any single food I want, and am losing well. I had very little pain post op and was back in school on Tues after my friday before banding. Will your experience be mine? No. Please realize it is the nature of a board like this to attract problems. People who are happy don't usually post "Day 298 and I'm feeling groovy". If you have specific questions/fears and would like to post them we can try to address. Another good source of info is your surgeon. I also bought several books before my surgery and read both the success stories AND the complications. Diet and exercise doesn't work; at least not for 90%+ of us. The band has way better odds and I play the odds. But that doesn't mean things can't go wrong; they do. Odds are, though, they won't

My doc said I can take NSAIDS but have to be careful; that's why I asked. In that case, I'd talk to the physician who is treating your fibromyalgia. S/He'd know best what might work for you and if necessary can discuss with your banding surgeon. Good luck!

It's different and so I'm sure a little upsetting. BUT you did right to ask and it was checked so it's not an infection etc. Just keep an eye on it; don't you have a 1 or 2 week follow up? If it hasn't started to go down by the end of next week, maybe call him back. OR of course if it gets hot or red streaked and hurts! But your body is still swollen right now. It can take some of us a while for it to all settle down.

I was told no carbonation and frankly it hurts when I drink beer. What did your surgeon say? OR...do you have any paperwork he gave you that might address it? Many many say "no carbonation" but we're all different. I LOVE beer but just can't drink it fast enough to make it worth the calories. I don't get a buzz, I don't "stay the same", I get a headache. If it were me, I'd pass and drink something else. You are only a few months post op so I'd definitely pass on the carbonation until/unless you can find where your doc approved it.

Have you asked your doc? I'm much larger than you were so maybe that hid it but I never had a huge lump like that. It's probably nothing just as jlray assured you but to be safe, run it by your surgeon! :thumbup:

Let me reiterate...IF you have percocet formulated with acetaminophen (the active ingredient in tylenol) DO NOT take them both together. Don't take one when you still have the other one circulating in your system. Please call your pharmacist or doc if you doubt this is dangerous, because it is. You'll crash your liver. Taking one and then the other when the first "wears off" is ok, or you may have percocet formulated with something else. But...if your percocet has acetaminophen, then you don't want to take it with tylenol or advil.

I didn't feel restriction until fill # 5 which happened in March (banded last Aug). It freaked me out and I had him unfill me a LITTLE while I concentrated on graduating from nursing school. Then I went back in May and had him put it back plus a little more. Since then I've lost a TON of weight. Before that, I had gained back some. So ... restriction matters and it can take a while. Hang in there! :biggrin:

Might you be too restricted? Per the chart in my doc's office that's a sign of "too tight"...unable to eat healthy so you turn to sliders and gain weight. Is that you? If not, then it's head hunger and the band can't help...maybe a session or two with your doc's recommended therapist would help.

I don't honestly know what you are talking about. Inject yourself with WHAT? LOL Some few people who are at increased risk (I assume) do lovenox or heparin injections for a period post op to ensure they don't get clots. I have no idea if their insurance covers but I'd assume so. If you are self pay then I'd assume that would be included. Many many bandsters (me included) did not need to do this. Is that what you mean? If not, I have no clue....need data! :biggrin:

I can eat all those foods too. We're all different.

I don't think you should be taking percocet and liquid tylenol together...percocet HAS acetaminophen in it. You get to much you ruin your liver. Please call your pharmacist, ok?

I agree, call your doc. And if you have it, the next time you're up for a pain med, take some liquid tylenol INSTEAD of your prescription. (don't take them both together. Your 'scrip may have acetaminophen and you don't want too much of it) Trust me nutrition isn't a major concern right now; you've got enough fat stores to keep your body functioning. Hydration (water) is, though, so get Water in first...then popsicles. If you have a question about what's going on internally please ask and if I can help you I will. Undertand too that your surgeon MAY have put a fill in your band during surgery. That isn't uncommon and personally I think it's kind of cruel...many people who can't drink post op find they had a surgical fill. My band thank god was wide open except for what my doc described as "a small primer" and I could drink anything. SO...you may have a fill and need some removed. Be sure to ask your surgeon. You had major abdominal surgery even though lap surgery is less invasive than the "old" style and your innards are upset and discommoded. They are swollen and out of sorts (to put it in a non-medical way!) They will chill out over the next few days. Think of how you feel when you overexert..sore muscles for a couple days? This is kind of similar. Things have been done in there that your stomach and esophagus aren't used to; but they will get over it. The bubble is probably gas. If you have Gas X (they have strips that dissolve easily) take it. If you don't, have someone go get you some. Please PM or post if there's anything else you can ask that we can help you with. AND yes call your doc now or on monday or any time you think you're getting worse. The waking up short of breath/in pain isn't uncommon....do you have sleep apnea? The pain med may be over-sedating you (I don't even know what you've been prescribed) but make sure you aren't taking it too often. Positioning, walking, using a pillow to brace your surgical sites (hold the pillow over your stomach when you stand or sit, for example) will all help you.

Call your doc on monday and ask him/her what you should take. :biggrin:

You do need 64 oz (at least) of water each day, in addition to your protein shakes. Try it and see if it helps!

Great attitude. It will happen for you and you're probably right; you'll be better situated to be a success! :biggrin:

Would you confirm...a BMI over 135? Not to be judgmental but I was 405 and mine was in the 60's...I'm sure your's isn't 135.

Papaya Enzyme (got mine at my grocery store) helps digest Protein. It's a godsend. Mine is formulated with other enzymes that aid in digesting vegetables (cellulase) and fats (lipase) (although we don't really ever DIGEST fat) and it helps immensely when you are stuck. Acts quickly, too

erinshel...my Tanita HD351's work for me (even when I was 405) and my DH (in low 200's). We check it with weights from time to time. AND...it's like 4 years old now? Really check into Tanita. I got mine from Amazon but I'm sure other places carry the brand. Because Tanita makes LOTS of scales, make sure you buy one with the capacity you want.

I have had a few beers since banding but they aren't worth it to me. They hurt more than they taste good. Since I liked beer, I just don't drink much. Most of the mixed drinks I liked are either fru fru frozen things with 1000 calories (like pina coladas) or they were things like vodka tonic w/lime and tonic is...carbonated! I don't like wine at all, God knows I have tried to like it...so I just don't drink much. How pathetic. I guess if I just HAD to drink I could make do w/a bottle of tequila and some lime! :biggrin:

I haven't had a c-section but I was 53 and weighed just under 400 pounds and had the surgery TWICE last august and breezed through each time. Not everyone is as lucky but for me it was great. I've had dental procedures that hurt more, for a longer time. I love my band.

Are you getting enough Water? And ... maybe that's just how it feels now and you need to get used to it? Sometimes I feel a little resistance when I swallow (although it is not mucouslike, to me. That's slimey. This is just resistance) But it doesn't bug me; I AM different inside so I expect things to act differently sometimes. Ask your surgeon again...and if he is 100% sure it is all ok (and you don't have allergies, and you are getting enough water, and your sinuses check out ok, and you only feel it when you swallow) then maybe some sessions with a therapist to get past it. Not just a "therapy" therapist, but one to help you get used to the new way of eating/swallowing etc? I don't think you're crazy, whatever is discovered; but it's possible your body is misreading something as "mucous"...AND it is also possible that you have an issue your doc has missed (like I said, allergies, dehydrated, whatever). Only you can really decide if you want to pursue getting it checked out, or wait and see if it either gets worse or resolves on its own.

This link isn't exactly about what you were asking...BUT...it has the chart that's in my doc's office to help you decide if you need a fill or not. Sounds to me like you don't. The 2nd post on the thread is the one w/the chart. Hope it helps: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f120/fill-green-zone-66095/