After 3 Mo Post Op- Anyone Have Any Stomach Pains?

[Grider 92]

I seem to have either gas pains or maybe i cannot digest certain foods maybe not chewing enough, going slow enough? I seem to do real good then- there is a wrench thrown into the gears and I have a bout of pain, gas, Constipation, burping? but no throwing up or anything like that-- this is before and after eating- hunger pangs? Then I eat, and then discomfort? Dr. only wants 3 meals a day,,, no snacking? anyone? And this is not constant, once or twice a mo? Only had one fill - so..?

[elcee 3,343]

Pain, gas, Constipation sound like some kind of food intolerance.

Obviously your diet has changed a lot post band , maybe something you are eating does not agree with you. Maybe lactose or it could be soy or some other Protein in one of the shakes that you are probably drinking. I rarely use them but there was 1 I tried that made me feel awful. Stomach pain, foul flatulence etc.

Burping is quite normal postband. A lot of bandsters can out burp a sailor.

Constipation is probably because you are not getting enough fibre in your diet especially if you are doing the high Protein thing.

Try changing what you eat and see if it helps.

[Grider 92]

Thanks Im trying to eat sorta normal.. Proteins and some veggies/ whole wheat- every week it's different. maybe the whole wheat is no longer tolerated? I wonder if i need more Water to keep tummy happy? I do not feel like its gerd, but do I burp- maybe i need to go back to mushies and let my tummy calm down for a week. I'v been pla ying the milk of magnesia and mylanta duet for a few now. I got to get my stomach in sync.

[Dulci 108]

My nutrionist said that it isn't uncommon for someone to develop a lactose intolerance after any bariatric surgery.

[Grider 92]

• I dont feel bad after milk/ Cereal but i might stop morning coffee with my meds,,, maybe too much to begin the day.. maybe im irritating my puch from the start.
  

[Grider 92]

FROM my googling research tonight this is what I found

There are several reasons to have pain after eating:

(a) Eating too much. When you stretch the pouch you may experience pain. This is your body warning you that you have eaten too much, especially if you have pain in the left shoulder. This means the pouch is stretched. Remember, the volumes we express are not the minimum to eat but the maximum. Successful patients eat a portion and walk away. Do not eat until you "feel full." Your band will slip if you chronically overeat your pouch.

(Eating too fast. When you eat too fast you can cause pain in the pouch. This also leads to eating too much. Successful patients eat slowly over 15 to 20 minutes. Unsuccessful patients tell us that they don't have time to eat -- and yet manage to get more calories in than they need. Eat slowly. Slips happen when patients eat too fast.

© Eating too large a bite. Slow down. Take your time. Put nothing in your mouth larger than the fingernail of your smallest finger. If you eat too large a bite things can become stuck. If you eat too large a bite it can become lodged into the pouch and cause discomfort and lead to a slip.

Eating with Lap-band weight loss surgery: When food becomes stuck

It will feel like a golf ball underneath your breast bone. You may be in pain. You may not be. You may "slime" and produce a lot of saliva in your body's attempt to dislodge this.

Things that become stuck:

chicken is the worst offender, especially chicken that has been microwaved. Re-heating chicken tends to make it so that it will be too tough. This means microwave dinners, like Lean Cuisine, are not a good idea.

Chicken with other things that get stuck are also a culprit -- chicken and rice, chicken and noodles, or chicken and tortillas or other bread type of products.

• 
  Breads, Pasta, rice -- all can become stuck.
  

Vegetables that are fibrous -- humans do not digest the methyl cellulose in vegetables. So, cut the vegetables so that the fibrous material does not sit in your pouch obstructing things periodically.

Best way to not get things stuck:

Avoid the problem. Chew well. Eat slowly. Do not overeat. Avoid dry chicken or re-heated chicken -- or avoid chicken.

If something gets stuck: Stop eating. If it burps or vomits up -- good. IF it is stuck for more than 20 minutes then do not eat for 24 hours. Instead go on liquids. Once something is stuck for a while it will cause the stomach lining to thicken, so you will be prone to have things stuck.

To help get things unstuck -- stand up, walk, jump. It will pass. If it does not -- we may need to take Fluid out of the band. It will pass.

I need to make time to eat somehow at work -when I am home -in mornings-- rushing here n there,,, I am always rushing,, no wonder, I prob do the above things, because I can, I thought with one fill, this did not really apply yet, but then I pay dearly in stomach pains.. OK! time to stop to eat... This is a hard one my family has always scarfed down food and I have as well. back to school...

[elcee 3,343]

I thought from your initial post that the pains were lower done in the stomach, and you also mentioned Constipation which is why I didn't mention any of this. I think a lot of us that have been around for a while just assume that people know more than they do so then we don't repeat it.

If what you have found here seems to apply to you then yes the solution is much simpler - watch HOW you eat.

[Grider 92]

I ate tuna today- eggs- Beans whole wheat toast and no pain or discomfort- it might be the chicken, I ate it or 4 days in a row as I made a bach and then reheat. The Constipation seems to be better but NOT when I have these episodes,,, seems like i just turn into a block of cement. I am OFF the chicken for while and see what happens. It had been a while since I had eaten chicken,, so maybe that's why pain is back. and I will slow my pace and my bite,, and hopefully get a grip on the new way of eating.