I had my surgery on 11/10/11, and I'm proud to say I've lost 12 pounds so far!!!

I do have some questions / concerns that I was hoping you could help answer please.

I'm experiencing difficulty in swallowing even the littlest amounts of Water. It seems to "catch" right around where I believe my band is. My surgeon mentioned that it's probably stomach swelling, and that it should go away after a few days. My question for you is that if this is a normal thing to feel it "catch" and cause discomfort? Does that go away with time? Is it the gas from the surgery still lingering perhaps? If so, I've been using a heating pad, but how long does the gas pain typically linger for?

Also, I'm following the post-op instructions to the letter, but I want to make sure I don't get dehydrated. Any tips that you could pass along would be greatly appreciated

Yes it's normal, yes it'll go away, yes the gas is probably still in your system- I'd say expect it all to be gone about a week post-op. Congrats!

yes, you are still swollen, it will go down. still have gas, it will go away. i used the Mylanta gas chewables for a week to help with the gas and walked around alot.

Sounds pretty normal to me. My gas pains lasted a while, a couple of weeks. Mostly pain in my shoulder from the gas. It did subside but I still get it now if I overeat! Congrats and Good Luck to you!

Awesome - thank you so much for the reassurance that I'm going to be okay

I did have another question. I'm not really having any hunger. I'm drinking a little bit of Fluid and eating a bit of beef broth, but otherwise, no real appetite. Is this normal during the first days after the surgery? As long as that doesn't trigger any red flags, I'm perfectly okay with that.

Thats normal too. It's all related to being swollen.

to help with the gas, walk, alot! It really does help.

Some people take a little longer than others to normalize. Cuz we're all different. Keep the water bottle, heating pad and Gas X strips near at all times. During every commerical break I got up and did a lap around the house. It seems to help move gas around. Shallow, rapid belly breathing helped me as well. The kind mothers do while giving birth, God bless em. If you think you should call your doctor don't hesitate. Mine has a nurse in charge of his bariatric patients and I have spent more time talking to her than him.

Yep, very normal to have no hunger after surgery. Mine came back a week post-op but everyone is different.