Never thought it would be this bad! OMG! the gas pain and the rumbles! I hope in a few weeks i'll look back and this will all be a blur.

Did any of you get the feeling days postop that you had to burp real bad but it won't come out? I hope it's the gas working it's way out and not the band itself. I have to keep reminding myself that everything is swollen and not to push it.

Oh i can't wait to feel normal again!

Ooohh, I remember that! Mine was DIRECTLY ON MY HEART! I thought I was having a heart attack - like over and over. That lasted for weeks. I didn't take it easy though - went back to work. No problems with anything except those gas pains and a little tenderness at port site. Congratulations on getting the little darlin' tho!

Katie...I'm 2 days post-op also, and I keep asking myself "what did I do"!!! I've heard we're normal! The gas pains are pretty bad, but don't forget to walk. My incision sites are very sore. I hope you feel better soon. Keep drinking fluids don't get dehydrated. I hope we both feel normal soon!!!!!

Today is my first 24hrs and i have more swelling on the left than the right. Hope this is normal. The gas comes and goes. I lost 32lbs from the start to the day of surgery. CW in TX

Katie, I hear ya! The feeling to burp does go away. I kept trying to burp and couldn't. And the pain was bad for me too... But I am now 2 1/2 weeks post op and feel almost myself. I can burp and I don't have any feelings of pressure. Drinking and eating my pureed foods with no problems. The first few days were rough, but each day I felt a little better and you will too. But I too thought oh no, do I have to live with this?

Never thought it would be this bad! OMG! the gas pain and the rumbles! I hope in a few weeks i'll look back and this will all be a blur.

Did any of you get the feeling days postop that you had to burp real bad but it won't come out? I hope it's the gas working it's way out and not the band itself. I have to keep reminding myself that everything is swollen and not to push it.

Oh i can't wait to feel normal again!

Okay, I just had to reply to this one. I remember I thought I was going to die. Not kidding or exaggerating either. I knew only time was going to help but the hours dragged on for what felt like centuries and I was horribly uncomfortable/in pain with a combination of severe gas and bloating and nauseau to boot. I had to keep changing positions on the chair and couldn't lay still for more than a few minutes in any positions.

I know everyone says the walking helps, and I think it does, but it's so hard to walk when you're that gassy. I felt and looked like I was 9 months pregnant. The gas felt like it was pushing every organ outside of my body and something was going to bust through sooner or later. I swallowed Tums all day, and truly only time did the trick.

I am now 8 days out and still have some residual gas but it is just more of a nuisance now (to me and my coworkers :crying:) and I'm still swollen but look more like 5 months pregnant rather than 9.

The best news is that I am 18 lbs down in 3 weeks and I'm still not hungry yet.

It really took until day 6 for me to feel better and it was almost as if I finally woke up in the morning feeling I was able to get out of bed without rolling and hurting myself and pee without leaning forward to find the right spot. What felt best was laying on my side opposite my port with a very mushy pillow under my belly and with a heating pad for 30 mins on and 30 mins off. I also developed acid reflux which I never had so that just added insult to injury. I would also cease all pain meds and just go to Tylenol. If you're like me, take the pain of the incisions over the gas pain which was also being held in by the pain med.

I hope this helps and to let you know to hang in there and it will get better. I am even exercising now and the more I move about now the more the gas comes out.

Deb2getfit69, Are you saying the pain meds. don't help with the gas pain? Ouch! I was hoping those perscription meds. would give some relief. What about "Gas X"?

Does anything help? I just got banded this morning and I am in pain as well. Does the pain medicine help? Do the GasX strips help. I am walking already, but seems almost to be getting worse. I know I need to keep walking, but I was hoping there might be something else? Heating pad? Anything?

ooh yes- i was there with you. the gas definitely went away after about a week. then it's all smooth sailing!

Deb2getfit69, Are you saying the pain meds. don't help with the gas pain? Ouch! I was hoping those perscription meds. would give some relief. What about "Gas X"?

Angelface,

Unfortunately my understanding is that the pain meds help with the incisional pain only and actually make gas pain worse. You have to weigh what is bothering you more, gas pain or incisional pain. If its the incisional pain then by all means take the pain meds if needed. But the pain meds tend to make you constipated which does not allow anything to come out easily, including gas, so if the gas and bloating is worse than your incisional pain I would try stop taking the pain meds and take Pepcid COmplete (must be the Complete for some reason). It can take up to 48 hrs for the pain meds residual effects to leave your body so if the plan is to discontinue then do it sooner than later. I felt better the night I fianlly stopped my pain meds as the gas was finally able to work itself out and I was also alot less nauseaus.

Good luck and it will get better every day.

SOme things help but time will is the major factor with this. You do not indicate if your pain is gas, nausea, bloating or incisional. Everyone seems to experience a different proportion of each of these. For me, the incisional pains were nothing compared to the gas and bloating so the pain meds did not help me and actually made it worse. Small sips of fluids throughout the day, moving around every couple of hours for about 10 mins each, changing positions frequently, laying on my non-port side with a heating pad intermittently, Tums and Pepcid Complete got me through it.

Hang in there. In a wekk you'll be responding to new banders with your advice on how you made it through. I relied on this discussion forum for a full week and am now happy to be able to share that I made it, feel good and want to help others.

AMEN!!! I was banded yesterday and was NOT prepared for this degree of pain!! The post I had read must had forgotten. I woke up in pain!! Getting up and down is WOW.. painful! The pain meds help me sleep but they don't really help the pain. He gave me liquid lorcet, phenergan suppositories, (SP) and I purchased gas x strips. What's everyone else taking?

I was banded 4/19 and my hospital staff let me know that the gas is escaping due to blowing up the stomach with CO2. It actually escapes through your skin as well, you will feel oily. Gas products do not work on this, walking is the only thing that truly works. Mine is shoulder pain, some are in the mid-chest area. Hang in there it will get less daily. Six days later, I still have soreness, gas pain, but less than the beginning!

The gas didn't bother me so much at the hospital. I think sleeping/sitting on the inclined bed might have helped a bit. When I got home, though, oh my! It felt as though if someone poked me w/a pin I'd pop.

I was given liquid oxycodone and it did help the gas pain a bit, but not long enough for me to get a full nights sleep. I'm catching up on my reading.

I do have to say that its about 50% less painful today.

Peej

I've been banded for one week. The gas pain was terrible -- what helped me was a heating pad on my back, having my Mom pat my back (yes just like a colicky baby), and Walking. The walking really did the most good. I timed myself 8 minutes per hour of just walking to help get the air out. Around day 4 I started getting intestinal gas so Gas X strips really helped me too. Right now on Day 8 I'm pretty much over my gas issues. Take care and best of luck -- Dolores

I just wish i could eat/drink more, I get full REALLY fast, i know I'm not getting in the amount of calories/protein I should be. Is this a concern a few days post op, or mainly to keep hydrated? I've had cream soup, yogurt feels very heavy going down and so does jello, I did some protein drink w/ milk and got full quick. Any sugg.?