Ok So I posted a thread this morning tell everyone how well my surgery went, and it did. But today I started getting really bad gas pain in my neck and shoulder (actually I woke up that way and thought it was a stiff neck). I have been walking all day today and even went to the store to get some gas x strips that dissolve on your tongue. Nothing has helped and now I am in SO MUCH PAIN. I don't know what else to do. There is only so much walking I can do!!!! The pain medicine doesn't even help it. I have a heating pad on the area now, thought that might help-wrong! I am seriously desperate to get this gas moving, does anyone know something else to do to help this go away? I have tried everything from rubbing to arm and neck stretches/excercises and nothing has helped. It goes away a little and then comes right back just as bad. It's really the only pain I am in. My stomach is sore but I can deal with that, this I can't deal with anymore!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!:smile2:

1-2 Gas X chewables will help don't exceed 4 in 24 hours, if this doesn't help within a few hours talk to your surgeon.

I did a lot of walking but found that a heating pad worked wonders!!!

GasX isn't going to help this pain, I'm afraid, because it sounds like the gas used in the surgery to inflate your abdomen. I know it doesn't help your pain, but most of us went through this and it WILL get better. That was really the only bad pain I had post-surgery too.

One thing I did try, a suggestion I had run across somewhere on this forum, is to get down on your hands and knees (yeah I know, not the easiest thing to do after surgery) and lower your head and shoulders to the floor as far as you can go. It did give me some relief. It seemed to move the gas bubble out of my left shoulder for a while. I kind of thought of the gas as a helium balloon that had gotten stuck up in a corner of a room, so turning the room upside down was a way to move it. :smile2:

Other than that, just keep moving and know that it should be gone in a couple of days.

Kim,

Hang in there.... I was just banded on the 18th and I too am having an awful time with the gas... I've done the gas x strips and walking all to no avail...! Just think once we get past this hurdle it will be one less one in our way and on the way to recovery!!! Horray for us banders!!!

th

Kim,

Hang in there.... I was just banded on the 18th and I too am having an awful time with the gas... I've done the gas x strips and walking all to no avail...! Just think once we get past this hurdle it will be one less one in our way and on the way to recovery!!! Horray for us banders!!!

Thanks so much for everyones help and good wishes. I just can't believe how darn painful this is! UGH I am willing to try anything at this point. If I could I would hold myself upside down to relieve this, if I knew it would work LMAO!! Thanks again, I will keep you all posted!!!

I haven't had the surgery yet, but I'm a med/surg nurse.

Lay flat on the floor, you can elevate your feet on a couple pillows if you like. This will move the gas.

Also, try alternating heating pad and ice pack.

hang in there!

The best thing that worked for me was to walk. Anytime I had shoulder/neck pain, I would take a short walk and it would help tremendously. I had surgery one week ago today and the gas pain is gone now. :cursing:

I had terrible gas pains,, it was the worst part.. they kept hanging on.. I had my husband massage my shoulders and neck and back pretty hard and it pushed up the gas and I burped.. it kept coming back and each time he would do the same thing, I didnt try the heating pad but you should.. because the pain in your shoulder and neck is differed from the gas pushing on your diapram,. so the heat should help the shoulder, I also slept propped up in a chair and drank lots of hot tea.. these things seemed to help.. I hated that time but keep reminding your self that its gonna be over soon!!! I feel great now!:biggrin2:

Ok So I posted a thread this morning tell everyone how well my surgery went, and it did. But today I started getting really bad gas pain in my neck and shoulder (actually I woke up that way and thought it was a stiff neck). I have been walking all day today and even went to the store to get some gas x strips that dissolve on your tongue. Nothing has helped and now I am in SO MUCH PAIN. I don't know what else to do. There is only so much walking I can do!!!! The pain medicine doesn't even help it. I have a heating pad on the area now, thought that might help-wrong! I am seriously desperate to get this gas moving, does anyone know something else to do to help this go away? I have tried everything from rubbing to arm and neck stretches/excercises and nothing has helped. It goes away a little and then comes right back just as bad. It's really the only pain I am in. My stomach is sore but I can deal with that, this I can't deal with anymore!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!:cursing:

I know everyone keeps saying meds don't help, but I was discharged with a prescription of prevacid, and I didn't experience much gas pain at all. It's worth a call to the dr to see. I am really sorry to hear about your pain. I have experienced terrible gas pains prior to surgery that woke me up from a deep sleep and required my hubby to "burp" me like a baby.:wink2: I feel for you and I hope it gets better.

For some of us, like me, this neck shoulder pain lasts for weeks. I have read that it may be an irritated nerve in the diaphragm area but I am not sure if that is exactly it. I know I can not have abdominal gas for 4-5 weeks.

GasX never helped it at all. I stayed on Tylenol and had massage and hot bath's (with my neck and shoulder submerged but incision sites were above teh water). Mine was severe but it did go away. However, I get occasional twinges if I have too much to eat.

I was banded this morning. I feel you pain, I too am having terrible gas pains, I have it in my neck and left shoulder and my diaphram, it is terrible and the pain medication does not work at all for this pain. Yes my belly is sore but that is tolerable. All I want to do is sleep but laying down is so uncomfortable and I can only take it for a short while. There are several times today that I thought to my self what have I done to myself. My band feel so tight, either that or it is the gas pains. I have been walking all night long and I have been belching. I must have quite a bit of swelling cause I can feel every liquid I swallow. I know everyone says it will get better but it is just terrible right now.

Veronica

I'm sorry you're going through this! To me, that was the worst part of the healing process. The key is WALK, WALK, WALK and walk some more. Walk at least ten minutes every hour you're awake. I know it sounds ridiculously hard, but you can do it. The more you walk, the more you will feel the pain ease up. That gas has to work its way out of your system somehow. Pretty soon, you will feel like running a marathon...hang in there!! :cursing:

I posted a few days ago about the awful bloated/gas pressure in my belly, well, between a walk down at the marina and gas x strips it's almost gone! My belly is back to being what it was before gas and surgery (not exciting but better than looking 9 mos pregnant!!!).

Today Im 5 days post op and starving... the broth/popcycles/jello arent cutting it... so I made some cream of mushroom soup and made it really watery (read 2 cans of water instead of 1), and then strained it. I drank about a 1/4 of a cup of it and am satisfied beyond belief! Does anyone know if it's okay to do that this soon after post op??? I was careful not to overdo it but still it's not the clear liquids I have been on....

thanks for any help!

Veronica,

It will get better, walking and gas x did it for me, beleive me I looked like I was 9 mos pregnant... but it all came out last night... hang in there.. it gets easier! We're all in this together!!