I was banded on 4/12...went back to work 2 days later...so feeling decent..except...I look 8 months pregnant...how long does it take for the swelling to go down? My shoulder feels like ^@!^& OUCH...big time...way worse than the incisions! When will this go away? I'm flushed (but not a fever)....why??? At first does this seem like an out of body experience??? If you ask me today am I glad I did it...I just don't know. Is this nomal? I just spent $16,000 to change my life. I'm terrified that something will go wrong. I don't know how to find out how I should be feeling (both mentally and physically)......is my dr.'s office letting me free fall. Thanks in advance!`Julie

I'm very bloated, too! My shoulder feels very tight and hurts, that's from the port, but I'm not sure how normal the swelling is. Call your doctor if the swelling doesn't go down. Are you having a lot of gas?

Gas-X, Gas-X, Gas-X... and yes it gets better.

Congrats on your band journey!

Banded 3/30/07 self pay

The Man, The Myth, The Legend... Dr Spivak

310/293/210

I second was TallgirlTX says about the gas-x, I lived on the chew-able ones for about 10 days. Also walk, walk, walk and drink as much water as possible. These things help to get all the gas out of the abdominal cavity, blood stream and they generally make you feel better. Also try warm tea, it helps. Being flushed is a normal reaction to the pre-op & post-op diet. Welcome to bandland. Ask all the questions you may have, get as much rest as possible and keep your chin up.....~Mandy

Hi....future bander here (figure in about 6 weeks or so). I see people talk about their "shoulder hurting"....exactly where IS the port anyway? I kindof figured it would be up under my boob or something.:phanvan

Thanks for the feedback...funny thing...I have no idea where the port is...can't find it and frankly am not looking that hard..ok..ok...gas x it is....! Still scared and feel creepy...gosh, I hope I've made the right decision? This forum helps alot! Julie

Thanks for the feedback...funny thing...I have no idea where the port is...can't find it and frankly am not looking that hard..ok..ok...gas x it is....! Still scared and feel creepy...gosh, I hope I've made the right decision? This forum helps alot! Julie

Julie,

Take the pain meds your dr. gave you--you JUST had surgery!!---and don't worry about the port (hopefully it's a low-profile one). the dr. will know where it is when you go for the fill. (hint--it's the biggest incision).

try to rest as much as possible--maybe you're doing too much, too soon!

i found the pain meds VERY helpful. If you don't have any--call the dr!

best wishes for a quick recovery! (i'm 3 mos out--and i feel like i never had surgery at all [well, except for a slight complication that i'm having checked out today]) you'll be back to regular very soon!

-girlinnyc

If you want the bloating and the pain to decrease then you need to get up and walk walk walk. The bloating is from the CO2 that they use to inflate your abdomen so that they can see what they are doing during the surgery. As for the bloating to go down...it varies from person to person....some a few days some up to about 10 weeks. However, the more you walk the more it causes that carbon dioxide to break down....the more it breaks down the smaller your abdomen will be. The carbon dioxide is also the reason you are having shoulder pain. That gas will move all around from shoulders to back to chest...can even sometimes make you feel like you are having a heart attack..... Gas ex will help some but the main thing I can't stress enough is to get up and walk walk walk. It will help also with the shoulder/arm pain thing you have going on as well as the distention. Good Luck! Just remember this to will pass with time and movement!

I got band on 4/11 and doing great I had a neck pain for about 3 days and gone, I was going to go back to work like you did but my husband said no way which I'm happy I didn't do. I seem to be sllllllllow moving.:notagree :notagree Good luck and keep us posted

Oh my I remember the feeling ... yes what was it I did ... anyway took only pain meds 2 days post op ... no morhine but an antiinflamitory ...

then the thoughts I had, they are gone now once the resluts start showing on the scale - but must admit I still have to be carefull of what I eat / drink but it's great not being able to stuff myself as before

I had horrible shoulder pains too, the key to get that gas out of your system is walking. Gas x did nothing for me, although I took it, I still had the pain,the only thing that helped was walking. You won't feel like walking, but you need to, even if its slow walking, just get up and move.

I'm 3 mos out, I still get that shoulder pain if I overeat, weird, and when I get it, I have to get up and walk a little and it goes away. Teaches me not to overeat.

I took off work for about 3 weeks and glad I did, I was sore and miserable until around the 10th day then it started getting a lot better. Now, I forget I even had the surgery until I look down at my scars or eat too fast, then my band reminds me he is there.

It does get better, I promise and I had the same feelings of "what in the world have I done", and I believe many have had the same feelings, so its natural.

I am 8 days post op. I feel very good now. I didnt have the shoulder pain, but my chest felt like it had a truck on it. I couldnt breath and in a panic I called my doctor. He told me to drink milk of magnesia. It really got things moving and now the gas is almost gone.

I am now 6 weeks out but I remember that first week after surgery I was pretty sore. I also had a slight fever 101. I kept thinking to myself Im never going to heal. I almost let it get the best of me. I think what changed it for me was when i realized that my husband misread the pain med label and was not giving me enough. Once i started taking the right dose I started feeling much better! And by the third week I was on vactaion.

And now im down about 25 pounds!

Paula:)

Julie,

I felt very similiar to you. The shoulder pain will go away. Mine took about 2 weeks, and has never come back. I think is is just trapped gas, air from the surgery. For now, you are just kind of in the limbo phase. All your problems and doubts will pass.At least mine did. It was like buyers remorse...lol.Good luck it does get better. I was playing tennis 2 weeks after surgery.

jane d

Julie

Congrats on the Band!!! From everything I have read on here you are feeling quite normal. I am one month post band and feel great. Did have the same feelings though, just remember you did just have surgery and let your body heal. From what I can gather they call this Band Hell but they say it gets better. Welcome to the rest of your life. Good Luck with your weight lost!

Hi Yes I felt the same way, what did I do. You do need to walk and it does get better I promise. To bad you had to go back to work so soon. I was still on pain meds. until the second week. Things got better. Now I feel great a little sore if I bend to the right where the port is. I am having trouble eating solids, sometimes my stomach just doesnot want it. So I went back on liquids 2x a day. I am still bloated after drinking or eating.