I had my surgery in November 07 and I think everything has gone really smoothly. The only thing is that about every 2-3 weeks I will have about one hour of really strong pain down near my lower left side around my kidney. It kinda feels like a kidney stone but I'm not passing anything. Could this be a gall bladder issue? They seem to be common for people with the band.

Sorry, Ash, no idea here, never had those issues.

Nice to see another Virginian here .

You're still under warranty, (jst kidding), so check with your doctor, better to be safe than sorry.

Gall bladder pain is generally in the center of your chest right below your sternum. It manifests differently in a lot of patients (radiating to the right or left side) but generally doesn't start there. I would contact your doctor and ask.

Abdominal pain radiates. Do you have polycystic ovaries? You should see your PCP for this since it is hard to tell without an ultrasound or CT what is going on in your abdomen.