:phanvan

Having squeezing/throbbing pain where my band is and into my esophagus. Saw my surgeon on Thursday and he said it sometimes happens when the body is getting used to the band.

I would like to know if any of you experienced this and how long before it went away?

I am 12 days post op and I sure hope it goes away. It's not a pain I could function well with on a daily basis.

I began getting relief when I start with mushies on day 15. Some simple mashed potatoes helped a lot. I start each day with a cup of warm decaf tea also. Warmth should help your spasms.

My surgeon said my discomfort was from the swelling of the stomach secondary to the band placement.

Both statements are true for me, too.

I did better with Gatorade than Water, and once I did the thicker foods like cream Soups with the chunks blended out, ahhhh. And of course, the Egg Drop slid on down all nice and warm and gooey and yummy. Man, did I need those calories and that protien!

Good advice form Carlotta. There is hope!!!!

Tomorrow is day 15 for me and I graduate to soft foods.

DO you two ladies have suggestions on what to have besides the egg drop Soup?

By the way, I upped my antacid to twice a day, and only drank warm things today and I have noticed a difference. Not a heck of a lot , but better than yesterday. Thank you god, let's hope it keeps up.

Cream of Potato Soup. Guacamole (fresh). Refried Beans heated with milk or Water to keep them from being too thick. Eat with a toddler spoon. CAREFUL. Green beans, cooked well and chewed extra carefully, one at a time.

Check out the food Stages thread in the Food Forum for more ideas, too. And remember, if it hurts, stop and stick to full liquids. You WILL be able to eat again, maybe just not when and what your doc says you should at this stage in the game. Proceed with caution!

Thanks Kathy.

Last night before bed I was drinking warm Water and my thraot was hurting. Laying in bed I had the weirdest feeling high in my throat and at the back of my throat, like it was open and throbbing or something. Just didn't feel normal. ANd when I pressed on my pipe through my neck with my fingers, it hurt.

Leener, did you lay down too soon? If you had Water in your pouch, or just extra anything in there...like stomach acids, when you lay down it refluxes back into the esophogus. Drink your bedtime Aloe Vera juice at least a 1/2 hour before laying down, or drink it and snooze sitting the the recliner or propped up on the sofa till you wake up again, then get in bed.

Proof to me you are still very tight. Be careful as you move to another food stage. Just because you are 15 days post-op doesn't mean you can eat like one. Follow your band's cues, and it's telling you NO right yet.

How much are you able to drink during the day? Give me an example of your menu yesterday...what was comfortable and what wasn't? That will help me to advise. You acid reducer meds should be helping with that. Which one are you taking?

Hey Kath,

I'm now on prescription Protonix and it's really helping a lot already.

I'm still on full liquids, like you said, I'm not ready for anything more. I was sitting in the recliner with the aloe, but I do drink up until bedtime.

Now here is the strange thing. I just had about 1/2-3/4 a cup of egg drop Soup (oh my god...heaven) just now and about 10 minutes after finishing it, I could feel the pain in the band area, the esophagus and then moving up my throat a little bit.

This happens with Water too, or any liquids really.

So what is this telling me?

I can't eat 1/2 c of soup or water? Is this dilation of my esophagus? I also get a sort of hiccup feeling too.

How am I to keep up calories and hydration if I can't take very much in?

Leener, how long did it take you to finish the soup? If you drank it too fast, and I suspect you did?, you may need to drink 1/4 cup every 20 min and give the liquids time to get down past the band before eating more. Does that make sense? Sounds like your pouch got too full too fast.

Oh my gosh, I just KNOW this is all such a pain in the butt, but I promise, if you can get through this, it's temporary! It will not always be like this. You really are doing great. You are just open enough for a trickle to go through at a time. Keep swelling at bay, take care of your esophogus and avoid the reflux, and you'll be grand. Hang in there. Just needed to add that!

hello all. leener, so sorry to hear about your discomfort. 12 days huh? that is scary. im 4 days post op. was banded on a thursday, thought i'd take a long weekend and be ok to go back to work on monday. that was my pie in the sky dream. not so, my band said. i was able to stay at work for less than two hours and then head back home. in tears. all i could imagine was getting in my house, undressing, taking my liquid pain killer, laying down and passing out. which i did in that order. i'll try it again tomorrow. i dont know what i'd do if i had real pain like you are having though. im pretty sure (or at least hope) my pain will subside soon. good luck.

Leener, how long did it take you to finish the soup? If you drank it too fast, and I suspect you did?, you may need to drink 1/4 cup every 20 min and give the liquids time to get down past the band before eating more. Does that make sense? Sounds like your pouch got too full too fast.

I defo drank it faster than that. I will do it even slower then.

And thanks for the words of encouragment. You've been a gem. Really. If it wasn't for your help, I don't think I'd find my way out of this forest.

Tell your husband to buy you some flowers for me.

wyldvelia, I pretty much felt the same way. eally didn't start coming out of the fog or the pain for 5-7 days. I hope you don't have my issues and get back on your feet like some of these other fine folks seem to do.

And thanks for the words of encouragment. You've been a gem. Really. If it wasn't for your help, I don't think I'd find my way out of this forest.

Tell your husband to buy you some flowers for me.

I'm glad you feel that way! I feel as though I'm stalking you, following you around the board, chiming in on each thread with worn out advice. LOL

It's so hard when it doesn't happen "right". I read these people complaining about starving to death at 1 week post-op, and eating solids at two weeks or whatever. Not so with us. That band is really in the way!

I DID feel like I needed a fill...at 3 months out! And now I'm confident that, even though I might lose faster if I had another fill...I'm NOT walking around uncomfortable, risking slippage and erosion more than I have to, not able to eat any bread or Pasta, PBing all the time, getting full on 4 TBS of food or something God-awful like that. I eat normally, just slower. I don't eat too much most of the time. My weight loss is slow, but I'm not going back to post-op discomfort. No sirree. (is that how you spell that?)

Here's something funny about the flowers. Kind of. Tonight I left the house at supper time and went to Curves to work out. Yay me! So I get home and hubby is working like a dog getting the kids to bed. I had stripped the sheets on 3yo's bed, and he's making it up with fresh sheets! Huh? The kid can't sleep on a beach towel with a blanket from the sofa for 1 night while I wash the sheets? What, are my kids spoiled?! Why is he doing this? So my 6yo daughter says..."Hey Mommy! How was exercise? Don't get on the computer." Which tells me hubby is walking around the house complaining about me being on the computer and not doing things like making dinner and getting the laundry done. LOL

Priorities, people!!!! House cleaning can wait! Kids can eat pizza two nights in a row, Leener needs my help!!!!!! Just thought that might make you smile even though it's not your fault I'm on the computer and not getting all my chores done. hehe "Don't get on the computer, Mommy." Hubby was so busted.

That's pretty funny about your husband. Just tell him your helping someone online. :-p

Just to update you. I'm doing better today. The Protonix is helping and if I stay at 1/4 cup of Water or soup, I'm okay.

I find that water seems to be the hardest for me in terms of pain for some reason.

And I am having to take antacids all day and night. I do hope that gets better, because long term acid can seriously damage. The nurse said on the phone "they did tell you your GERD could get worse, didn't they?" and I said "No, they told me it would get better with weight loss".

I also hope I can take in more than 1/4 cup of fluids only and graduate to real food at some point.

Leener, the only reason your GERD is worse is because your band is so tight. When your band loosens, it will improve dramatically. Just keep at it. Get the swelling down, get 15-20 pounds off and you'll be golden. I think of you each time I guzzle a 1/2 bottle of cold water. 10 ounces, poof, it's gone. It will happen! You said antacids, are you chewing Tums? That's good. Keep the acid down. You are doing it! Yay!

You rock so much I can't even begin to tell you.

Here, this is to you from me, for all your help, advise and support. Iwouldn't have started to climb out of this witthout you (and keep from having a panic attack)

http://www.ukrainetravelmate.com/images/bouquet.gif

Awwwww, that is so sweet!!!!!!!!!!!! They are perfect and beautiful, and they won't die! LOL and even if they were a plant, I'd kill them, based on my experience with Jade plants. Cyber-flowers! Perfect!

((((hugs))))