Hi all, I'm 6 days post op. Having left shoulder pain, but more so pain in my stomach, in the center.

I have to be honest, this pain in the center of my abdomen is begining to worry me. I have gastritis, and it feels like when I eat something that flares it. Only I'm not eating anything, but it's flaring 24/7.

Being on the boards I have read posts of people who had pain upon being banded and it never went away. I did a search and don't see it as a common post op pain. I can't live with this pain, it's a gnawing pain that you can't really function with. I hope it goes away.:phanvan

Hi leenerbups, have you tried to just use a hot pack on your tummy while you lie down- it always seem to help me even with pain that I could not really categorize. Heat just seem to calm everything down and sometimes TUMS helped too.

Leener, for now, treat it like it's too much acid. Start with Tums or Rolaids and see if that helps. Get you some Aloe Vera juice and sip it. It's very healing and settles the stomach well. I get mine at Wal Mart in the tummy meds section...big bottle on the bottm shelf, refrigerate when opened. Good stuff. Sounds to me like reflux, or just too much acid on your new band. Hang on, it sorts out!

Treat it like acid, if that doesn't help call the Dr's office, there is always on on call they don't mind it if you call (trust me I call all the time)

How ya feelin' Leenerbups?

I was banded on 2/21/06 and I too have had the pain. I contacted my doctor and he said it sounded like an ulcer. He said that I probably had it all along, but when I was feeding it all the time it didn't rear it's ugly head. Now it's not getting the food and therefore it's letting me know it's hungry. I'm doing the prilosec and that helps some. I have noticed that if I don't chew enough the food hits my stomach like a rock. Hope this helps!

Hi all, thanks for posting! I had GERD before my surgery, so I have always been on prescription strength Prevacid, and still am. I have been taking liquid Mylanta since last night, we will see how that goes.

I can tell you one thing, my stomach is not liking the Protein drinks either. I've probably had about 3 different kinds this week and none of them are hitting it gently.

It "feels" swollen, if that makes any sense. Like I can feel it being squeezed. And I'm still having intermittent spasm of pain that come and go. I've had those since I woke up out of the OR.

I'm HOPING it's just swollen still and that I'm not having a problem so soon. :-(

Alexra, glad to know I can call anytime, I didn't want to bother anyone on a Sunday.

I just got off the phone with his associate on call, and he said I was supposed to be on OTC Prilosec, and I said I was not told that. Luckily, I have some in the house. He said it is either the esophagus or gastritis. He also said this is a new way of my body functioning and I have to find a new normal, that I won't feel like I used to and it is a work in progress.

I really hope this is not the new normal for me. I can't function with this level of constant pain.

So I am looking at the Prilosec and wondering if it will go down?? It's not huge, but it's not small.

You know what? This just plain sucks right now.

Hey Girl,

Yes, I had this discomfort about a week post surgery. It reminded me of the days when my untreated ulcer would flare.

I took 2 self-prescribed pepcid (chewables - OTC) at night before bedtime, cause it seemed to be worst at night - sometimes the pain even woke me up.

The pepcid helped.

And eating REAL food helped.

I have prevacid solutab that were awesome when I was healing from surgery. In fact, I still use them once in awhile. Good luck

bups..i am so sorry you are in such pain. i havent had this type of experience, so i do not have any advice to offer. but know that i am thinking about you...get well soon!!

Oh my god, I took the Prevacid and I'm in such pain. It's so bad I'm crying.

I don't know what to do . Help!

try drinking some milk....

and if No relief, call your surgeon!

Just called and the surgeon on call said he thinks it's my pouched being distended by too big sips.

So I will try taking tiny sips and see if that helps.

(((hugs)))

i am so sorry!

Small sips when you are swollen are a must, and small is totally small...I'm talking 5cc or less at a time, just enough to coat the espohogus going down and barely end up in the pouch below. Did you take the Prevacid whole? I crushed the Prilosec even though it was extended release. It didn't hurt me, that's for sure, and it helped lots. Do you have a pill crusher? I'm sorry Leenerbups. It really really really isn't like this forever. It's aggravating, but small small sips. It really gets better!!! Your band is telling you to slow down and let it learn something new. I felt the same way the doc explained. My body was learning something new and it had to figure it out. It didn't like the band, but now it all gets along just fine in there. Me, my band, my stomach. How are you doing now?