Hi! Well I was banded yesterday (Jan 30) and SOOO happy it's finally done. I have some questions for you guys and was hoping you could tell me what you think. I was soo prepared to have tons of gas and pain from the gas, but so far..it hasn't been bad at all as far as gas. My gut is the worst...very very sore and it's hard to get up and down. I feel like I have to hold on to it or it will somehow fall off..LOL!! I have a sore throat and it's like I want to cough something up, but it's too hard to cough. Is this all normal after surgery? I just want to make sure everything SOUNDS normal to most people. I'm supposed to drink 1 oz every hour. Does that mean broth too? I forgot to ask, but will call the office today to make sure. I'm not really hungry at all, but I just don't want to get weak. What about popsicles...is it too soon for those? My throat would love one! Oh, and yesterday I took my tylenol and drank 1 oz water with it, then 10 minutes later my hubby said I should try some gatorade and I drank 1 oz of that. I think that was TOO much because I got this pain right underneath my breastbone that took about 20 min to go away. Was it just too much? Sorry for all the questions...I just want to do this right and would love your experiences after surgery. Thanks!!

Stacy

Hi Stacy,

Yes, you sound normal! I had the very same feeling in my gut. It even hurt to laugh! My gas pains weren't too bad either. They never did hit my shoulder, just my chest. Sore throat sounds right too -- it's from the tube they put down there during surgery. My doc told me I could have sugar free popsicles for that.

You definitely do not want to get dehydrated, so keep drinking! The first 3 days I wasn't able to get down more than 2 oz in 30-40 minutes. You just have to sip sip sip all day. Switch it up too. Don't do just Water. broth should be fine. I also sipped on Pedialyte and thinned creamy Soups.

The first couple days I did count my ounces of liquid meds as part of my "sips". If I tried to drink something right on top of 2 oz of tylenol/maalox, I'd get that pain you mentioned. Just give it some time and then start sipping again.

Hope that helps!

Maria

You are doing fine, everything you said is normal. Popcicles helped me a lot during the liquid stage, along with apple juice, water, coffee, and tea.

Thanks guys!! I appreciate your replies. I'm much better this morning..just a lot of neck stiffness and gut pain. Not much gas at all. Well none really. I was happy about that!! I'm going to try a popsicle for my throat..it's pretty sore. I will really watch how much I drink and when. I know I'll feel better next week! Thanks for your help! I so appreciate it!

Stacy

I just want to mention that thinned creamy soups were not on my list until quite a while after surgery. That sounds like it could involve some work for the stomach to digest, which is what you want to avoid at the beginning. I would just check with your doc on that one.

Congrats on banding.

Hi Stacy, I was banned on the 24th however I had the gas from hell in the shoulders, the chest. I have to say that was the worst part of it all. I also felt like I needed to cough something up, I put a pillow over my stomach and tried to cough and yes there was lots of junk down there. It hurts but it will fill better after. I took about 3 days for all of that to get out of my chest. Good luck

Lauri-Ann

The sore throat is very common with the tube they place down the throat. Yes, you can have a popsicle. Yes, you can have chicken broth as your liquid. You are doing fine. Just hang in there and heal.

Sounds perfetly nomal, a similar experience to mine. Sore throat getting better. (Banded 1/30 yesterday) My nurses offered me a popsicle (sugar free) and Dr. agreed. So long as the chicken broth is "clear" not pureed, that is fine as well. Not a lot of gas for me, the nurse recommended sleeping on the left side- the "straightest path" to release the pent up gas. I haven't had much yet, maybe there is something to it. A few lttle burps- they hurt. The pillow idea seems to work.

Good luck all.

Kim

223/217/130

pre-op/ surg date/goal

I got banded yesterday and feel pretty great..my doc said I could have creamy soups starting today, but I watered it way down...had a little bit of discomfort because I was sipping it out of a tea cup and probably had too much too fast..my tummy hurt alot this morning, and I took a trip to the store, which kind of wore me out, but I feel like tomorrow I can have a normal day...gas wasnt too bad, heating pad helped. Also, my lower abs hurt alot this morning, and the nurse told me to apply cold, which I did, and it helped.

I only have four little scars, and dont even know where my port is?

I too was banded yesterday. I am extremely sore today and the gas pains have gotten to my shoulder and chest. Weirdest thing- I woke up from the surgery hungry! I am starving already. I've been able to do lots of liquids since I got home yesterday. I think I'm the only one with an appetite back to normal on the same day as surgery. Leave it to me to be the hungry one! Anyway, tmorrow is cream soup and yogurt. I cannot wait!!!!!! Hang in there...

I was banded on Tuesday and our experiences are IDENTICAL!

My gas pains didn't come until later on day 2...so beware - they suck! I'm trying to walk and walk to alleviate the discomfort.

I did for 'liquids'; jello, apple juice, water, and broth. Just mash up the jello really well.