I got banded on yesterday but in sooo much pain. My left shoulder is killing me......I feel like crying...

VERY normal...get some gas-x strips and start walking...its the gas they give you to blow up your abdomen so they can operate..i had it for close to 2 weeks!

Thank you...I sure hope that it does not last for 2weeks, I am in tears from this pain........:rolleyes2:

Hi Cashmere. I had surgery yesterday too and am in alot of pain as well. I got discharged at 10am this morning, I feel better than I did yesterday and last night. Last night was really bad..I wasnt expecting as much pain and discomfort. I feel like I have a huge ball in stomach and chest and I get waves of pain that make feel like I could get sick. I just hope it goes away soon,Iv been taking gas x and trying to get in my liquids today....but my chest hurts when I drink even sips so Iv been taking it really slow. Let me know if you want to chat since we are on the same schedule.

:rolleyes2: Hang in there newbies...this too shall pass !!!

I had the same pain and if I hadn't been warned about it ahead of time I would have thought I was having a heart attack!

I still get that left shoulder pain every once in a while, but not that painful, just uncomfortable!

Good luck!!!

Cashmere,

I am on my 3rd day out and am finally back to breathing normal. It gets better. Still taking my pain meds, but I managed to make a trip to walmart earlier. It gets better. Day 1 and 2 I was thinking I had made the wrong choice, but today it's manageable.

Both of you just keep taking the pain meds and holding on for tomorrow.

Michael

It gets better---truly! Hang in there--walk as much as you can. A heating pad (applied to your back, not over your incisions) can be comforting. Don't be shy about taking pain meds if your doctor prescribed them; there's no need to tough it out.

I think a lot of us sort of forget the pain---it's kind of like having a baby. We're so glad with what we GET from the surgery that we minimize the discomfort. So don't feel as though you're unusual--just know that soon you, too, will feel lots better!

I walked alot and did windmills - I am almost a week out and the main sources of gas pain are gone now - although I have little ones here and there (like when I yawn). The trick is MOVING - move as much as you can.

I was banded Monday and my doctor said to handle gas pain by:

1. Lay on back and massage the soft area just between the shoulder and the chest to dissipate the gas.

2. Do deep shoulder rolls. Slow and as big as possible.

Good luck!

Moving has been helping me a lot. It feels better to move than to be still, it seems. My pain was horrible the first day, but is getting better and better. I was banded on Friday, 7/30. I've been busting open GasX capsules and swallowing the contents...Does everyone else just take them normal?

I've been on broth or bisque Soups, Water, tea...yesterday I felt like I had a rock in my belly but not so much today. My main incision is kinda sore today though...It feels stretched...my belly is distended.

I used Gas-X strips... a heating pad on my back/shoulders... and walked around my house. That seemed to get that gas to go away within a few days.... I know it is very painful! It will pass soon - it is all part of the journey! :wub:

Hang in there, it gets better!!

Mine lasted about 2 weeks, but it was getting better every day along the way. Moving helps, but driving or being in the car made it worse. Getting out and walking first thing in the morning was the best. I didn't seem to get as much out of the walking when it was later in the day, but it still helped.

I took the Gas-X, but didn't really notice it making any difference with the shoulder pain. It did help the abdominal gas I had, though, so it wasn't a total waste.

And like others said, don't be afraid to take your pain meds -- just don't drive on 'em. I took lots of naps the first few days. And, I needed the meds less and less until by the end of the first week, when I went off the hydrocodone completely. I still took regular Tylenol (junior chewables) off and on through the second week post-op.