I was banded on 7/21. I have the worst gas pain in my chest and left shoulder every day. I feel like crap. They told me that most people could have surgery on Thursday and go back to work Monday. There is no way, I just want to cry. How long did the gas pain last for you? Are there any remedies. I am now on mushies and loving KFC mashed potatoes. I have a protein shake every morning with 11/2 scoop of protein, 1 cup of milk and a tablespoon of pb in the blender. It is pretty yummy. I am starving to death though. Any good recipes for the mushy stage that anyone can share??

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i promise the gas will go away any time now - for me it was HORRIBLE and so painful - from days 3-8 of surgery - then poof went away. i personally do not feel walking helps - i did a lot of that and was still in excrutiating pain - but walking certainly couldn't hurt so you might as well.... BEST OF LUCK!

Day 10 was magic for me.

mushy stage favorite: Lima beans!

I posted the same way back when. The gas will...pass. As for mushies, I know you can have mashed potatoes, but I would try and find some lower calories things. Or at least don't buy them from KFC! Ideas are posted all over the site but I did a lot of low-fat ricotta cheese with marinara and melted low-fat mozzarella cheese, black beans with salsa and sour cream, Greek yogurt...that's all I can think of for now. I worked hard to find things that made me happy and that I looked forward to. I was starving but at least I really looked forward to mealtime. Best of luck! And sympathies on the shoulder pain. It will be a distant memory soon enough.

i hate to be the bearer of bad news but i was banded on may 20,2011 and i still at times have the shoulder pain. it is worse than the port pain, i dont feel that walking helped me either. i'm not trying to scare you, but just my experience. i have no idea how much longer i will have to deal with this. it isnt as frequent or intense, but still happens. sorry!

Go to the store and get some thermocare wraps. I got the kind that goes around your waiste because they cover a larger area on your shoulder and you can put in on like you would put a purse sideways over your shoulder. It's like having a heating pad on that is not connected to a cord and they come like with 3 in a package and you can wear it almost all day. My sister told me about these and they helped soooooooo much.

Chew-able GAS X works great! This really helped me in my mushy stage hope it helps you!!

http://www.lap-band-surgery-site.com/lapband-diet-first-mushy-foods.html

Go to the store and get some thermocare wraps. I got the kind that goes around your waiste because they cover a larger area on your shoulder and you can put in on like you would put a purse sideways over your shoulder. It's like having a heating pad on that is not connected to a cord and they come like with 3 in a package and you can wear it almost all day. My sister told me about these and they helped soooooooo much.

Weirdly, I had no gas pain after banding, but in the last nine months I've had two operations where my intestines ahve been actually opened up and WOWSERS. It hurts! After my bowel resection, I looked nine months pregnant, my belly was huge and rock hard, it took about two weeks for that to normalise and the pain to stop, but the last one last week, where they reversed my ileostomy was terrible - that gas pain was huge and I really needed six hourly morphine to cope with it, probably because my bowel was also inactive for about three days before it woke up, so I wasnt passing that gas.

They told me to do what you already know - walking walking walking. Hot baths/showers/compresses. Bending and stretching to force it out. And when it wants to come out, let it rip!