MargenOhio

I've had my band since February 2009. I've only lost 40# with it. I still get phrenic nerve pain when I am hungery every day. I just tolerate it. It does go away but always comes back. I have learned to live with it. My doctor wanted to send me to a pain specialist. I have not been back to see him since. I am disappointed in this band and wish I would have gotten a sleeve but my insurance didnt cover it. I still have plenty of stricture but when I eat moist soft food I don't have a problem with getting stuck and throwing up. That's probably why I have stopped losing weight.

Were you just recently banded? What's happening?

Yes.my shoulder pain is nearly every day before lunch and dinner. It goes away after eating. I use gas x a lot. It helps a little. I started Lyrica today.I am very discouraged. I can't get motivated to exercise when I am in pain. I eat to relieve pain bot because I am hungry many times. The B12 hasn't really helped.

Hello...I was banded Feb. 24 and had only 1cc fill at the time of banding. My doc is very conservative and fills only 1cc at a time. Its has taken a total of 6cc to get me to restriction which is where I will stay at for now. During the time getting there I have only lost about 4# a month. I eat what I want just a whole lot less of it. I eat appetizers for my dinner. I eat a dinner salad with cottage cheese instead of a big chef like I used to. I still like my cocktails several times a week when I go out and I know thats where a lot of my extra calories come from. I need to exercise more as I am sure we are all challenged with. But all in all, its working slow but steady. I am down a full size and hopefully will be down another by September. It can be frustrating when you see others better progress but I have to celebrate my own little achievements here. So keep up the good work everyone. It has definately changed my old bad habits that eventually would of killed me. So I'm good with it.

I had a morphine pump for the first day and it really helped me sleep in the hospital. The next day they removed the pump and gave me IV push Toradol twice which is like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory med. It worked great. THen I went home with Oxycodone and took 10mg liquid. WOW...too much. I backed down next time and took only 5mg. Much better. Oxycodone 5 mg liquid is equal to one Percocet so if you have had that before you know how it works. Good luck with the banding. You will be fine. The anxiety all goes away once you get your pre-op meds. Ask for them as soon as you can.

I agree with Karen. Give yourself time to recover with liquids only for the next meal if you vomit. Luckily, I have never vomited but I sure have gotten stuck where I can't even swallow saliva for 30 minutes. Its real bad if it happens in a restaurant or in the care. I have to make sure a bathroom is nearby or have something to spit in. The exercise too, is a must. I hate it. I start and stop. I have heel and knee issues so theres always an excuse I can come up with. I try swimming a bit now but I need a kick in the pants too. I have not lost a bunch either. I have a lot of air in my stomach and I belch a lot. I use gas x tablets before I eat or I will get severe shoulder pain. It has helped.

I have always been a belcher. Pre-band I belched and had GERD. Post-band I belch even more but no GERD as the doctor repaired a hernia with my band. I have to be particularly careful as I can be quite loud. My family and friends understand I can't hold something like that back and there is little I can do to keep it silent. If I let it build up too much I am in pain. I use gas x daily sometime 4 or 5 tablets a day. I belch whether I am full or empty. Belching helps get me "unstuck" when I don't chew well enough or eat too fast. I know some people would love to be able to belch. I am learning to live with it.

I took someone's advice here and am chewing gas x tablets whenever I am getting hungry, near meal time when my shoulder starts acting up. If I catch it early enough I can slow even stop the pain before it get nearly unbearable. I chew 2-3 tablets at a time and that seems to keep it tolerable. I am taking two chewable B12 daily too but I know the gas x tabs (generic) are really doing the trick because I can immediately get relief. Thanks for all the information on the subject. Its a real "pain" that some of us have to endure this problem with our bands. I just hope its not forever.

I agree. He knows I am not crazy because I can be so specific where and when the pain occurs. He met with the lap band people last week so I think he is focusing on getting me relief. I'm thinking of asking for a prescription of Lyrica which helps with neuropathic pain. I am willing to try most anything about now. As for the B12, I will try a vitamin store, we don't have a Trader Joes. How often do you take it? You say to take it sublingually? Is it a liquid or does a tablet just melt? Any bad taste? Did it work right away? Thanks for any and all responses. Fabulous weight loss in just over a year Gwenn, hope I do as well.

I, too, am plagued with right shoulder pain. It mostly occurs when I am empty as well. I noticed since I got filled last week that the pain is breaking through after an hour or two now after meals where it used to remain at bay for 4-5 hours. It does go away temporarily when I eat even though I don't feel hungry. This has slowed my weight loss I believe. I have found nothing that relieves it but eating. I am so frustrated but glad I found this thread. I believe there could be a point where I would consider having the band loosened if this does not stop. I don't want to do that but the pain interferes with everything I do from work to play. It's getting me depressed. On top of that I have other chronic pain in my knees and left heel so I am really miserable. I will try the B12. My doc is stumped. I feel like I am in bandster hell.

I am 4 months out from band surgery and have the referred left shoulder phrenic nerve pain you describe every day before breakfast, lunch and dinner. Only filling my tummy with food makes the pain temporaily go away. It's very bad if I don't get something to eat. My doc is stumped. Can you rationalize this for me?

I have this nagging referred pain above my left shoulder blade prior to eating ever since my surgery February 24, 2009. It occurs when my tummy is empty before breakfast, lunch and dinner. It gets relieved after I eat or drink to fullness. My doctor has no idea why I am having it but does it agree that it must be from some type of diaphragm irritation. It feels very much like the gas pain we all had right after surgery. But it only happens now prior to meals. It gets very bad at times and will completely interrupt my work so I have to eat to relieve it. Needless to say my weight loss has been slow due to this as well since I don't make good choices when I am eating to relieve pain. My doctor will be doing some research but I don't feel hopeful. I even tried my husbands' Neurontin 300mg when the pain is occuring. Nothing touches it but filling up my tummy. No reflux, no other pain, no nausea or vomiting. I am afraid I may have to have my band or port revised/moved. I cannot live the rest of my life with this pain every day. Any significant ideas out there that I can take back to my doc?:biggrin:

Thanks, I appreciate the positive feed back. I will post my progress in a month.

I, too, have been struggling. I was banded February 24th 2009 and have lost only 20# mostly from the post op diet too. I have had three fills and am at 4cc in a 10cc band. I lost only 1# last month and my doc is not happy. He would not fill me this month and wants to see a several pound weight loss in the next 3 to 4 weeks before my next appointment. I am scared he won't fill me again if I don't lose the weight. I still have so many aches and pains in my knees when I exercise that I tend to avoid doing it. My intake is restricted a lot compared to pre banding but my calories must not be reduced enough. I can eat way more than a half cup of anything but only a third of what I could eat pre band. Anyway...hearing others struggle helps me feel not so alone. Right now I do feel like a bandster failure.

My doc only put in 1cc for my first fill.....I am wondering if it even went into the band as I can eat as much as before which is too much. When he injected I could feel the cold fluid enter at the needle site but felt nothing else. He could have missed for all I can tell. I go back in two weeks for another fill. Luckily I can go back every two weeks until we get it right.

I gained 3# but down 14# overall since my surgery. I could readily eat anything and I think I got a little too comfortable with that until I stepped on the scale and saw the additional 3#. I called the doc and got a 1cc fill today. Its really a mindset to put that fork down and listen to your belly instead of taking 45 minutes to slowly eat everything on your plate. It just tasted so good. Live and learn. It really is a new lifestyle to get used to.

I must be in bandster hell. I gained 4#!!!! I am so disgusted with myself. I called the doctor and he wants me in Friday for my first fill. I am very anxious about this. The posts here helped somewhat.

Sounds pretty normal to me. Its really been just this week that I have really felt back to normal. Give yourself time to feel better. It will happen.

My left shoulder/back pain still comes and goes. I notice it gets really bad when I am hungery. Once I eat even just a spoonful or two of Protein it goes away for an hour or two. When it comes back again, I have to eat to relieve it. Having my stomach empy must irritate my diaphram. Wondering if anyone else has this phenomenon.

Hi Nancy, Do you know why the band slipped? Are there any preventative measures that can be taken?

That was an issue for my first week post op. Second week was much better so I am glad I had two weeks off for this. I go back to work tomorrow and feel like I am functioning fine.

I had my lapband done February 24th. I pushed the envelope and ate a cheese stick on the fly. I took tiny half inch bites and maserated it to mush before swallowing. Well, it did no good. That cheese stick sat in my tummy like a gum wad for nearly two hours of misery. I wll not be doing any more cheese sticks anytime soon.

Hey....I haven't got Wii Fit yet but I do have Dancing with the Stars and I love it. I use my legs and hips along with the wii mote and numchuk to really boost up my work out. WInning two trophys takes about 20 minutes and I love the music. I also have Dance Revolution Dance Party 2 with the mat that goes on the floor and your feet have to follow the screen. It is really hard and I can only do a few of the beginner songs. I am sweating and breathing hard doing only 10 minutes or so for all the jumps it requires. I really need to work up to that one. My next investment will be Wii Fit. It sounds like a blast.

I did another 20 minutes of Dancing with the Stars on Wii. I get my hips and legs into it to really work everything best I can and sweat a little. I have bad knees too and am really hoping the extra weight loss will help. I have a friend whose chronic knee pain went away with her weight loss of over 100lbs post banding. That is what I am wishing for too!

I use Daily Plate too! It really is a no brainer. You can see immediately if you are up/down in protein or calories. I get a good portion of my daily protein by adding 2 scoops of beneprotein to an Adkins Advantage drink. I blend it real good and try to get it as cold as possible. I agree that I have to really push it to get beyond 800 calories a day in. I have been tracking on Daily Plate only since Friday and I have slowly been going up on calories. I feel pretty good over all. I am not starving at all. I can really tell when I need to eat.