I keep finding comments in posts with folks post-surgery having gas pains and painful bloating - what's causing this? is it a frequent occurrence? wondering if it's something i should add to my list of anxieties as i get ready for my surgery date

From what I've been reading, it is due to the CO2 gas they blow up your insides with during surgery. Now, I haven't had mine yet, so I'll wait and see other's responses.

Aviva - are the posters newly banded? The gas from surgery can be very painful in the left shoulder and the abdomen, and can take a good two weeks to dissipate.

In order to do the surgery laproscopically, they must pump air into the abdomen to expand it to make it easier to see and move within in it. Because of this, it's very common to have some bloating/gas/left shoulder pain for awhile after surgery.

The secret to relieve this pain is walking. The gas is pumped into your abdominal cavity not your digestive track so OTC gas remedies won't help it. They never come in contact with it. The best you can do is walk as much as possible to help your body reabsorb it faster. Some people also find a heating pad helps relieve the discomfort, too.

I was banded on May 30th and had zero gas pain. I walked at least twice a day the first week and just never had any of the pains others talk about.

I was banded 2 weeks ago and though the left shoulder pain and gas pains went away a week ago I am still dealing with bloating especially when I eat or drink anything. Hope it goes away soon.

~~~Stephanie

Thanks, All! Very helpful!

I felt the lack of fibre from the 2 week pre op shakes and 2 week post op liquids also caused some constipation which didn't help the situation. Ironically being lactose intolerant, this wasn't a feeling I'd experienced much before. If only I'd thought to have a glass of milk now in hindsight!

The post surgery gas pains forced me to want to shift around quite a bit when trying to sleep, the discomfort was probably worse 2-3 days post surgery. Standing up and frequent short walks did wonders, both physically and mentally to take my mind off it.