I am a new bandster, as of 11/15/05. I will be needing advise and encouragement, I'm sure.

For one thing, this shoulder pain is killing me. It occurs just after I drink (I'm still on clear liquids) something. GasX and a good heating pad seem to help. Any other suggestions?

Also, what do you do for headaches etc. Tylenol doesn't help. Can I take Excedrin?

I do the liquid sore throat Tylenol (its just plain normal Tylenol, but I feel they've named it totally wrong) Also I have done chewable quick dissolve Excedrine.

My doc says to stay away from the 'profens (ibuprofen etc) because they are known to cause problems with your tummy lining, and when you sallow they sit in your small pouch. He says the last thing I want is ulcers in my pouch. :-( OUCH.

Crush your meds. Excedrin would be fine, I'd expect. How about a BC powder? Sip smaller if you are having pain when you drink...which is a problem when you want to take a crushed up pain reliever. Yuck. Gas X and heating pads are great. Take short walks. Walking and sipping and time are the great healers of the gas pains.

Congratualtions!!! Were you happy with Kuri and the team there? Welcome to bandland!!

I am a new bandster, as of 11/15/05. I will be needing advise and encouragement, I'm sure.

For one thing, this shoulder pain is killing me. It occurs just after I drink (I'm still on clear liquids) something. GasX and a good heating pad seem to help. Any other suggestions?

Also, what do you do for headaches etc. Tylenol doesn't help. Can I take Excedrin?

The pain is in your left shoulder, correct? If so, it's pretty typical immediately after banding. The bad news is that it can last for a while....but the good news is that it happens less and less often and to a lesser degree. Eventually, one day it will hurt and you'll realize that it's the first time it's happened in a month.

The band is on your left side, sitting outside your stomach. Your other "parts," specifically a nerve that sends sensory signals to the left shoulder, lives in the same neighborhood. It will go away...but I'm over three years out and, if I eat something that gives me real gas issues, I can occasionally have pain in the left shoulder.

That is very good info. Thank you so much. Yep! left shoulder. Also have constant mild discomfort (sometimes not so mild) under left diaphram/bottom rib area. Must be from the same thing, huh?

I am newly banded as well, and i had the worst gas pain and left shoulder pain that you could ever imagine. I feel a liitle better now, (4 days in) but now I have an occasional gas bubble that comes up the front. Kinda feels like what I would think acid reflux fells like. Does anyone out there know if i have a problem or is it really gas?

Are you on clear liquids still? Could you possibly be taking in your fluids too fast? I think that has been part of my problem. Today I have gone slower and it is much better.

What you maybe feeling is "Referred Pain" which is fairly common after abdominal surgery.

The presumption that pain originates at the site of that pain is often an incorrect one. Many times a painful area of the body is not the reason for that pain. While it's true that sometimes the cause of a pain is the result of some other area at fault—knee pain due to poor mechanics in the foot for example—the knee pain itself comes from the knee. But at times knee pain itself does not come from the knee, it may be hip pain that's sent to the knee, where there is actually nothing wrong with the knee. This is called referred pain. Sound confusing? It's just another example of the complexities of the human body. But when understood, they become more simple.

Referred pain is common. It's defined as pain from a malfunctioning or diseased area of the body, perceived in another area, often far from the origin. A common example is found in a person having a heart attack. They often have pain down the inside of the left arm and forearm. Other areas may include:

… the gall bladder referring pain on the top of the right shoulder.

… a diaphragm problem may be felt in the shoulder and neck.

… stomach problems may refer to the spine between the shoulder blades.

… kidney pain may be felt in the groin area.

… a problem in the throat may be referred to the ear.

… intestinal dysfunction may be felt in the middle or low back.

Although related to messages sent by the nervous system telling the brain what area hurts, the reasons for referred pain are not completely known. What's important is the fact that when there's pain in these (and other) areas, it may indicate a hidden problem which must be found.

LAD,

The pain might be that the gas they filled you belly with has not worked it way out yet. Try walking around and moving to move that gas out. It helped me.

Quilter Mom

Congrats on being banded You've just made a huge change in your life, for the better!

For myself, walking around a bit helped ease the shoulder pain.