Hey everyone!

I was banded on Aug 25 and have a couple of questions...

- my doc prescribed liquid codine during recovery. I've been taking 10ml of this every 4-6 hours to relieve pain but have found that I'm having really bad head aches. I've decided to stop taking the codine and try some tylenol for pain instead. Has anyone else had any bad side effects from codine?

- During week 1 I'm only allowed to have liquids. I've been doing pretty well with this but have found that I've gained 3lbs since surgery even though I'm not eating any solid foods and am following the liquid diet to a tee (low fat, low cal drinks and Soups, etc.) I'm attributing this to post-op swelling and Water retention because of all the meds I've been taking over the past few days. Has anyone else gained weight in the days after surgery?

Wimic

Lots of people cannot tolerate codeine... I personally find all narcotic drugs to make me feel like crap the day after... for that matter even Benadryl. Most bandsters are fine without the heavy duty pain meds a few day out so stick with the Tylenol.... As far as the headaches they could also be from carb withdrawal if you didnt go through it preop.... as far as weight gain- yes probably from water retention....

i gained like 6 lbs the week following surgery. its gone now!

I don't mean to be gross but one of the side effects from the medication from the general anesthesia is that it slows down your bowels. That, along with the stated water retention, could be playing a part to the weight gain. In any case, don't worry because all of a sudden you will be down like 5 pounds and feel better! Post op, I was on liquid Tylenol and Motrin and I was in little discomfort with that. Good Luck!

Hi,

My husband is allergic to codeine, and gets wicked headaches from it.

As far as your weight gain- don't worry about it- your body has just been through surgery and is in the process of healing.

Codeine can, indeed, cause headache. Switching to Tylenol, if it does the trick for you, is a good idea. If your codeine is plain (not already compounded with Tylenol), you can take the two together--the Tylenol will offset the side effect of headache. Do be sure, though, that you're not doubling up on the Tylenol---that can be really dangerous to your liver.

It's really common to experience weight gain immediately postop. The combo of anesthesia, IVs, and meds causes you to retain a great deal of Fluid. It will come off quickly. But in the meantime, if seeing the gain bothers you, stay off the scale---it can be really frustrating, when you're only drinking fluids, to see a gain!

I gained 3 pounds post surgery. I felt like I ws 9 months pregnant. Don't weigh yourself until you feel less bloated otherwise you will feel bad. You will know when it is time to weigh yourself. I think I wated for 5 days to weigh myself after I was devistated by the weight gain. I am 10 days post op and I have lost the blat weight plus anpother 10 pounds.

I was getting headaches at the beginning too but I found that I needed more liquid. I drank a ton and it made my headaches go away....even on pain medication.

Thanks for the info guys! I stopped taking the codine today and the head aches subsided (thankfully!). I also picked up some milk of magnesia for the constipation... we'll see how that goes :thumbup: