Hello all!

I am new to these forums. I have just found it and I can tell I should be visiting quite often.

However I am panicing at the moment. I got banded yesterday morning. I'm now back home, in pain and experiencing a feeling that is freaking me out - basically every time i try to take a deeper breath I get the sensation of something squeezing inside my chest /below sternum. I figured it is probably the band but why would it give me such unpleasant feelings when it's not filled yet? I havn't eaten anything but tiny pot of natural yoghurt and drinking tea and Water. The feeling just comes suddently, 'suffocates' me for about 15 seconds and goes away. Really feeling alot of discomfort at the moment.

I am also second guessing myself - should i have done it? I was milion per cent sure about it before, but now i suppose all the pain is messing with my mind - normally id just hit the fridge heh...

I would be very grateful for any information regarding the band senastions similar to mine and what can I do to ease them out?

All the best,

Matilda

From the sound of it (and mind you, I'm not Dr.) it's likely not your band. I know my Dr. when he put the band in, used an endoscope to verify that it was in correctly. Having a hard plastic tube and camera shoved down your throat will leave you sore when you breathe in. I know I was sore in a similar fashion....took about four days for mine to be back to normal as well.

Welcome to the boards! Please wipe your feet and enjoy your stay.

~David.

Heya, and thank you very much for the reply.

I didn't think of that. I had gastroscopy done 1 week before surgery and it didnt give me any side effects like this. Then again it was done by a different doctor so god knows. I will probably give it few days before jumping at my doc with all the questions. Ugh!

Thank you again for the reply :-)

I would call the dr jus to be safe

I think you should call the Dr. and at least speak with one of the nurses. They can help with your concerns and it's what you have paid them to do. I know right after my surgery, I had pretty bad gas pains for a few days and my throat was definitely sore from the intubation for a few days as well. Did they give you a plastic device to blow into? I hated that but it was good to see when my breathing was improving. I ask since this is occuring when you are deep breathing.

PS - Don't feel guilty for calling up your Dr. Just do it and you will feel better!

yea I will probably call them up tomorrow, just wondered if it's common occurance for lap banders or is it just me

And nope, they didn't give me anything to breath into.

Never hesitate to call your doctor's office... they are paid well to take care of us and answer our questions.

However, it's quite normal to be uncomfortable one day after major surgery. Your body was traumatized and there is swelling where there normally isn't. It would actually be more unusual to not feel pain.

You may second guess yourself now and maybe even until you have enough fills to have restriction, but when you get to the green zone and watch the scale drop, you'll realize it was worth it.

Good luck!

Its gas. It may feel like that but I am sure its gas. Try walking around more and call your doctor.

Will do! and thank you for all the support guys <3

Your main problem is that you shouldn't be eating anything right now, Clear liquids only at this point. Secondly, you just had extensive surgery - you aren't going to feel normal for the next few days, so please expect discomfort...it will be worse tomorrow, just so you know. Your body is adapting to a device being placed underneath a major organ and around another, it is going to respond accordingly. I'm really surprised you have an appetite at all, I couldn't stand the sight of food - much less want anything to eat for the first few days. I forced clear liquids, because I knew I needed something to keep me hydrated and get a few calories in.

You should really follow your doctors orders and there isn't a single surgeon that would allow you to have yogurt the day after your surgery. Jello - yes, because it's a clear liquid. But if you don't watch what you're doing, you are going to find yourself in trouble in a short amount of time. I'm not being negative, but your post alarms me.

After my surgery I tried to go for a walk for 10 minutes every hour for the first couple of days. I think it helped my recovery a lot. If you can't stand to do 10 min even 5 will help!

I usually don't say this: but I wonder if you made the right decision, too. If you can't go without food (yogurt is real food to a bandster) right now, the band might not solve your weight issue long term. Please be careful with yourself dear.

it's not that I can't go without it, I was told to eat it by the nurse ..

As far as my attitude towards food,- before it was 'OH LETS EAT IT ALL' now it's more like 'meh, whatever'. Clearly will need to revise dieting options with someone more competent than my nurse. I gotta say they didn't exactly put alot of information on me, had to pretty much ask about everything :/

it's not that I can't go without it, I was told to eat it by the nurse ..

Your nurse is wrong, do not listen to her instructions. Seriously. You can't even have yogurt the first 2 days after a fill, much less the day after surgery.

You just had a MAJOR surgery. Your organs are swollen and you have a fair amount of gas in your body at the moment.

Your lungs and your diaphragm are going to need some time to get back to their normal output, and the diaphragm is probably feeling the pressure of the gas and swollen organs right now causing the uncomfortable pain you have, BUT you want to keep taking those deep breaths to clear any fluids out of your lungs.

Pretty T is right you should be drinking only clear fluids the first day, and possibly the second with slow tiny medicine cup sips. Warm fluids help, as well as ice pops (sugar free of course)

Moving on to Protein shakes, and then yogurt and light broth like Soups. Every Dr. and office is different but no matter what you should always find out as much information from as many sources as you can.

This is not a simple surgery, like an endoscope this was major surgery and it will take days and weeks for your body acclimate. You should feel a bit better every day.

Walk around, and slow down the eating for now. Give your body time to rest and heal. Do some research and call your doctor so that you have more peace of mind.