gastric sleeve Post-Op / Gas Pains

[nataliemarie23 10]

Hi! I just discovered this forum & I'm so glad I did! I have a ton of questions and don’t know anyone that has gotten bariatric surgery so I’m hoping this site helps..

I was sleeved on 9/12/19 and had incredibly bad gas pains which I am still going through along with difficulties burping at times (I feel it in my throat but it doesn’t want to exit). It got to the point of uncomfortableness & chest pressure, that I visited the ER at midnight last night, to make sure it was a clot or heart/lung issue.. & I was told it is all just gas. I am walking around as required but just can’t figure this out.

How long did it take anyone on here to clear the gas? Did anyone else have difficulty burping?

Also, I feel as if I’m always hungry because my stomach is constantly growling or at least I think it is.. Did anyone else feel the same after such a short amount of time after surgery?

Please & Thank you!!

Edited September 17, 2019 by nataliemarie23

[Fazzini Bee 76]

6 minutes ago, nataliemarie23 said:

Hi! I just discovered this forum & I'm so glad I did! I have a ton of questions and don’t know anyone that has gotten bariatric surgery so I’m hoping this site helps..

I was sleeved on 9/12/19 and had incredibly bad gas pains which I am still going through along with difficulties burping at times (I feel it in my throat but it doesn’t want to exit). It got to the point of uncomfortableness & chest pressure, that I visited the ER at midnight last night, to make sure it was a clot or heart/lung issue.. & I was told it is all just gas. I am walking around as required but just can’t figure this out.

How long did it take anyone on here to clear the gas? Did anyone else have difficulty burping?

Also, I feel as if I’m always hungry because my stomach is constantly growling or at least I think it is.. Did anyone else feel the same after such a short amount of time after surgery?

Please & Thank you!!

I felt the same as you. I wasn't even sure if I was experiencing gas pains, in hindsight they definitely were. I felt better about a week out when the anesthesia dissapated and I could move around more.

My tummy made a lot of noise too but I didn't feel hungry. I definitely wanted to eat though but was too scared, I just followed the doctor's orders and now 3 months out, I feel normal except that I can only eat very small portions of food. Good luck on your journey and be patient with yourself!

[KarenLR75 496]

It took me over 10 days to get rid of all the gas. I walked and walked and walked. Chewing Gas-Ex tablets (approved by my dr) did help some.

I felt NO hunger at all for a BLISSFUL TWO DAYS. Since Day THREE after surgery I have experienced true hunger AND head hunger. Sometimes I could tell the difference, sometimes I cannot.

My restriction however, always kicked in so I RARELY exceeded 1 to 2 ounces of liquid the first few weeks. Then I could sometimes hit around 2 to 4 ozs. After that, I could feel the restriction kick in hard. Some ppl CAN take in more around these timeframes but I deferred to my dr's plan which indicated I should NOT consume more than this so I didn't.

I'd follow whatever your dr's plan is...and if still hungry, try drinking Water (I'd read FluffyChix's post on Doing the Head Work and/or searching on this forum about how to tell if what you are feeling is head hunger (IT can be VERY VERY similar to the 'true hunger' sensation).

Mainly wanted to assure you that what you are going through is normal! Congrats on getting to this part of your journey!!

Edited September 17, 2019 by KarenLR75

[JMA2019 43]

I know exactly what your going through. I was sleeved on 9/10/19. Gas pains are the worst. I’m still not sure if the pains are hunger, has, or my stomach spazzing out. I feel like I can drink more than 2 ounces. Today I ate probably close to 3 oz of yogurt. I have yet to feel any restrictions other than my stomach start to hurt. The gas pain radiates to my chest. Hang in there. Everyday should get better for us.

[momof3_angels 465]

I am 12 days post op and it is mostly cleared up... although I still burp and pass gas sometimes throughout the day. Not too bad. Now my burping is more associated with intake of fluids and food. Especially when I am filling up more. Now stomach spasms are still all day long. Don't really hurt, but continuous gurgles at times. Main incision pain is mostly subsided too... only hurts once in a while

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

[nataliemarie23 10]

1 hour ago, KarenLR75 said:

It took me over 10 days to get rid of all the gas. I walked and walked and walked. Chewing Gas-Ex tablets (approved by my dr) did help some.

I felt NO hunger at all for a BLISSFUL TWO DAYS. Since Day THREE after surgery I have experienced true hunger AND head hunger. Sometimes I could tell the difference, sometimes I cannot.

My restriction however, always kicked in so I RARELY exceeded 1 to 2 ounces of liquid the first few weeks. Then I could sometimes hit around 2 to 4 ozs. After that, I could feel the restriction kick in hard. Some ppl CAN take in more around these timeframes but I deferred to my dr's plan which indicated I should NOT consume more than this so I didn't.

I'd follow whatever your dr's plan is...and if still hungry, try drinking Water (I'd read FluffyChix's post on Doing the Head Work and/or searching on this forum about how to tell if what you are feeling is head hunger (IT can be VERY VERY similar to the 'true hunger' sensation).

Mainly wanted to assure you that what you are going through is normal! Congrats on getting to this part of your journey!!

Omgoodness thanks so much for all the info! I’m definitely going to ask about the Gas-Ex tablets on my first follow-up! Again, thank you ☺️

[nataliemarie23 10]

1 hour ago, JMA2019 said:

I know exactly what your going through. I was sleeved on 9/10/19. Gas pains are the worst. I’m still not sure if the pains are hunger, has, or my stomach spazzing out. I feel like I can drink more than 2 ounces. Today I ate probably close to 3 oz of yogurt. I have yet to feel any restrictions other than my stomach start to hurt. The gas pain radiates to my chest. Hang in there. Everyday should get better for us.

Congrats on your journey!

It’s comforting to know we’re definitely not alone in this. I definitely understand what you mean about feeling that you can handle more then 2oz but I’m afraid to push it a little more.

[nataliemarie23 10]

3 hours ago, Fazzini Bee said:

I felt the same as you. I wasn't even sure if I was experiencing gas pains, in hindsight they definitely were. I felt better about a week out when the anesthesia dissapated and I could move around more.

My tummy made a lot of noise too but I didn't feel hungry. I definitely wanted to eat though but was too scared, I just followed the doctor's orders and now 3 months out, I feel normal except that I can only eat very small portions of food. Good luck on your journey and be patient with yourself!

I truly am so happy I found this forum. I definitely felt like I was alone in this and there’s a whole community willing to provide info & how they felt. Thanks so much! & Congrats to you as well! You’re almost a pro! Lol

[Fazzini Bee 76]

9 hours ago, nataliemarie23 said:

I truly am so happy I found this forum. I definitely felt like I was alone in this and there’s a whole community willing to provide info & how they felt. Thanks so much! & Congrats to you as well! You’re almost a pro! Lol

Honestly, I prefer this forum over Facebook groups. I haven't had good experiences on Facebook. Very judge-y and love to tell you crazy things like "you aren't loosing weight because you aren't smudging yourself with enough sage!" 😂

The majority of the people here are expirenced and have truly good advice.

[KarenLR75 496]

18 hours ago, nataliemarie23 said:

Omgoodness thanks so much for all the info! I’m definitely going to ask about the Gas-Ex tablets on my first follow-up! Again, thank you

Always happy to help. The cherry chewable gas-ex tablets were almost like having DESSERT in the first few weeks, and it felt so DANG good to be able to CHEW something!!

[Peytonkr 20]

On 9/16/2019 at 8:37 PM, nataliemarie23 said:

Hi! I just discovered this forum & I'm so glad I did! I have a ton of questions and don’t know anyone that has gotten bariatric surgery so I’m hoping this site helps..

I was sleeved on 9/12/19 and had incredibly bad gas pains which I am still going through along with difficulties burping at times (I feel it in my throat but it doesn’t want to exit). It got to the point of uncomfortableness & chest pressure, that I visited the ER at midnight last night, to make sure it was a clot or heart/lung issue.. & I was told it is all just gas. I am walking around as required but just can’t figure this out.

How long did it take anyone on here to clear the gas? Did anyone else have difficulty burping?

Also, I feel as if I’m always hungry because my stomach is constantly growling or at least I think it is.. Did anyone else feel the same after such a short amount of time after surgery?

Please & Thank you!!

I had VSG on Sept 16th and I completely agree with you. I have found it extremely hard and difficult to burp and it was just sitting at the base of my throat. So on post OP day 3 I took a gas X pill and the gas was just passing through my body by the next morning. However I still could not really burp.

And secondly yes, I am hungry and have cravings but after drinking only a few sips my stomach will spasm and i would feel full. But my stomach does growl like I am hungry. I discovered the beauty of hot tea on day two post op and it has worked wonders for me.

[KohakuSueda 18]

Sleeved 9/17 and still having bad gas pains. By far the hardest part of this for me so far. Also working on getting my Protein in

[BobMNH 0]

Sleeved on 9/16. I had mild to moderate gas until yesterday then - wow. Very glad to see this thread. I was worried something had gone wrong. It seems to have settled down after a while. One of the big challenges I have had is that I am quite lactose intolerant which makes many of the food suggestions problematic. My dietician has been great helping me find alternatives but things are still pretty limited. 100% whey isolate Protein Shakes made with Almond milk or Water seem to work for me though.

Very glad to find this community.

[nataliemarie23 10]

On 9/19/2019 at 10:24 PM, Peytonkr said:

I had VSG on Sept 16th and I completely agree with you. I have found it extremely hard and difficult to burp and it was just sitting at the base of my throat. So on post OP day 3 I took a gas X pill and the gas was just passing through my body by the next morning. However I still could not really burp.

And secondly yes, I am hungry and have cravings but after drinking only a few sips my stomach will spasm and i would feel full. But my stomach does growl like I am hungry. I discovered the beauty of hot tea on day two post op and it has worked wonders for me.

Congrats! Welcome to the "sleeved" club! :)

Yes, the gas pains were so much worse then the incisions themselves. After about the 6th day I started to feel back to normal. I have learned that you just have to take recovery day by day. Slowly but surely you'll feel back to normal.

Wishing you a good recovery :)

[nataliemarie23 10]

21 hours ago, KohakuSueda said:

Sleeved 9/17 and still having bad gas pains. By far the hardest part of this for me so far. Also working on getting my Protein in

Congratulations!

I completely agree with you! The gas pains were worse than the pains from the incisions, in my opinion. Lol

Wishing you a good and speedy recovery!