Hi all,

I'm new to the forum. Had a lap band for 5 years now with less than good success. Has been football player. 6 feet, 320 lbs, was a high of 350 at one time. Nervous about the surgery but my knees and blood pressure need it.

Is anyone still having gas pains? I had surgery on monday and they are stopping me in my track. They are in my tummy now not in my chest too much. Or is it something else? Really feels like gas though. Anyone still have gas?

I only really have gas pain when I'm sipping on liquids. But I feel the gas move inside me and then it's gone. It's nothing like I had early on. Bad pain in my shoulders and neck. Ice packs helped the most. And of course walking.

They think the problems I had was the gas moving to the chest cavity and not the shoulder, just glad its over

How's everyone doing now? I just finished day 9 and can't wait for my drain to be removed on day 12. Also, on day 12 I start puréed food, which I'm so excited about. Soups and juice get boring quickly.

I stepped on the scale at home, which isn't the most reliable source, but I'm down 14 pounds since the 17th (my one day pre-op liquid diet). For a total of 25 from the beginning of the process to get surgery and 33 from my heaviest this year. I'll get the official numbers at my surgeon post-op appointment.

I was really freaking out about the drain getting removed, so I watched a few YouTube videos of people in the same situation (2 weeks post op removal) and they all said it feels a bit weird but is not very painful. Maybe just a bit uncomfortable for a couple seconds. So that made me feel better.

I'm still trying to keep my liquid amount, Proteins and Vitamins at optimal level.

Pain levels vary. Sometimes I get sharp pains and feel uncomfortable, but overall the hardest thing is trying not exert myself and taking it easy enough to not burn out completely. I'm tired most of the time. I still take a dose of liquid prescription pain reliever before bed so I'm not in pain overnight.

Looking forward to the next few weeks and to feel more like a human.