I have been banded for six months. I first noticed this uncomfortable feeling in my left rib area after surgery when I put my leg up to shave. It's the area right below where my bra sits. If I straighten out my posture or body it seems to go away. I cut all the wires from my underwire bra and still find myself moving my bra off my skin in that area. It's not painful, just uncomfortable sometimes. My port is a few inches away from the "mystery" area.

I don't have a problem with reflux. Do other people experience this? I find myself often straightening up my posture and moving my bra. Weird. What is it?

6 month picture Dr V.bmp

I have not, but I have been watching this thread hoping someone would post something. Please let us know what you find out.

Ok, this probably has NOTHING to do with yours, BUT I also had pain there. they did many many test. I was finally diagnosed with a herniated disc in my thoracic area, which has nerves coming around to right below my rib cage. It is strange, but it can affect that area. Like i said, It is PROBABLY not your problem, but others might read this and recognize it. also, it can make pain on either side.

I get a weird pain too! Starting on my right side under my ribs. It sounds crazy but I feel like my ribs are trying to explode out of my body! I emailed my dr. and he said it was probably a reaction to eating ham. I have still had the pain for about 6 weeks and have not eaten ham since. I went to my family dr. and he scheduled an ultrasound to check my gallbladder. My blood pressure was 100/53. Sounds low to me, but they didn't say anything. I also feel a pain between my chest like right on the breast bone. it feels like I slept in a strange position, but I haven't. So strange. I don't want it to be gallbladder issues. The thought of a surgeon messing around near my band makes me uncomfortable!:confused2:

Well i started having that pain after my first fill. That particular fill was very hard, the doctor was a bit rough and i ended up all bruised. I continued having that pain at the end of my left ribcage, it was really hard to breathe at some point.

When i went to the doctor to get it checked, he said that my port had migrated to under the ribcage and was irritating the pleura,only way to get it fixed was by having a small surgery to place the port back in place. After 2 years the port hasn't moved and i feel no pain.

I am 6 weeks post op and my pain has been relentless for all but 4 days. It is just above my port area, my lower rib cage is extremely tender and it goes right through to my back. My surgeon thinks that one of the 3 large sutures that is holding the port in place must be irritating a nerve and hopefully it will settle down. i see him again this week and I know I can't live like this for much longer. If you are still uncomfortable after 6 months, I am concerned for myself too!.

You could be having a reflux problem. Don't let your doctor find the easy way out - of course it wasn't the ham. He just didn't want to believe you really were uncomfortable. Try some OTC liquid Maalox and see if that helps, if so, then you probably are having reflux.

So it turns out I just tore a muscel by my ribs from coughing so hard when I had bronchitis, it's been two months now and it is almost totally better. I hope everyone gets thier issues figured out.

When I went for a fill at the beginning of March the pain had went away and I forgot to ask my doctor.

Thanks for the update Ghostbuster. After my fill in March, I got a cold and was coughing really bad and the "pain" came back . It seems to have subsided. If I eat meat and don't chew the heck out of it I notice that uncomfortable feeling. Every day is a learning experiece with the band.

My first post - have a lot to report - I've had the left side pain (under left rib area) since my banding on 2/26. When I have the left rib area or under the left breast pain, I also have pain radiating to my lower back. However, since my first fill on April 2, 2008 the rib pain area has subsided substantially. My pain is caused from overeating, or eating food that causes me too much gas. I've always been "gassy", but after being banded I could blow the state away! I wish I would have read up a little more about it. I am in a professional setting 5 days a week - I just take MANY bathroom breaks a day. But, if I watch my diet and eat bland foods, I make it work...I eat fish for supper every night and that helps too. When I asked the LNP about the pain, she said that it was caused by the healing from the surgery, swelling, and the body adjusting to all the "stuff" inserted. I know that when she filled me, she really worked the port around. I don't know if this can happen, but it seems that the port has moved just enough after my first fill to subside the pain. Or, I think it's like she said, the swelling has finally concluded, or, maybe it's the 25 pds. I've lost. (Before surgery I was a 44DD and I just bought a new bra last week 42D so that surely must make a difference also). They've also tried me on different anti-acid medications and the plain ole Tagament that I used to take in the 70's seems to control the acid in the stomach better than any of the new pills they wanted me to take. Also, if I wouldn't walk twice a day, the pains and gas would be unbearable. Walking has saved me! Unfortunately after this first fill I am hungry again and want to eat everything. I'm going to schedule my 2nd fill today. Beginning weight 235 - today's weight 210 - final weight will be 150 :sad_smile:

Congratulations on your success Thinkinhealthy! Thanks for posting your experience. I am so with you on the "gassy" problem since surgery.:sad_smile: I'll keep an eye on the gassy foods if the pain comes back. Good tip on the walking.

It's nice we can come to this board and read about other peoples experience. Good luck and continued success.

Warning: This probably won't help at all lol!

I have had the same feeling exactly where you are. Usually can feel it more when I sit at teh computer for a long time. I have bad posture.

Anyways, been tested for everything and the only thing they can come up with is reflux. Even though the pain isn't where it should be the doctor says it travels for some people.

I was reluctant to beleive him, by I've had ultrsounds, cat scans, colonscopy, endoscopy, and many xrays. Only thin that shows is signs of reflux. He started me on Zegerid and it almost went away now.

I do agree with you Snuffy65 that my rib and back pain is more apparent the more computer work I do. I came up with something that has helped me if I'm stuck typing at the computer - every hour I take just 5 minutes and walk the long hallway of the building I work at - back & forth - back & forth. No, it doesn't get done every hr. Sometimes not even once a day, but most days I get in at least one or two 5 minute walks in the a.m., and one or two 5 minute walks in the p.m. It helps so much - I think it gets the gas moving! I set a timer on my desktop that reminds me to 'GET UP AND MOVE'. Also on my lunch break I walk 30 minutes and then come back and sip on soup at my desk for a half hr. I put it in a cup and nobody even knows that I'm eating my lunch - where I work they don't care, but for some people, it might be a big deal if you eat at your desk. Just some thoughts! Thanks everyone!

I also suffer from pain around my rib area on my left side .It comes on immediately i start eating to the point it makes me stop .It has not always been like this .Over the last few weeks i have difficulty swollowing anything solid .Im living on soup and yogurt I think i may have slipped? can anyone enlighten me. :biggrin::mad::mad:

Lynne,

I would go to your doctor and do a barium test to make sure everything is ok. Did you have a fill recently? You may need to get some of your fill taken out and go on liquids for a week or so.

I live in the uk i paid for my operation private just over a year ago. recently been taken over by the national health service . Met my new surgeon only 3 weeks ago and i told him everything was fine which it was .Had flu bad and i had a terrible cough my problems seem to be since then?

I have a 10cc band and i have 6.8 cc in it used to have 7.2 cc in it but had some removed back in november . Seemed better for a while but now feel tight again . But when i was tight last time i only experience discomfort not pain. Rang my new surgeons secretary today she is going to speak with him tomorrow and get back to me , mean while i continue to eat liquids only. what is surprising is i am not losing weight and have not for two month is that an idication of anything .I eat the correct potion size and dont eat high calorie food .any way i will keep you informed .i do hope its not slipped or if it is i hope unfilling it will sort it out.