I am due to be banded on 2 June and am halfway through preop diet which includes 3 Optifast or similar per day(shakes,bars or soups) and 2 cups low carb vegies.

Since starting it I seem to be burping a lot more than usual. (I thought this could be due to extra air swallowed when on a mainly liquid diet).

More concerning is that I keep getting a strange pain in the upper, middle abdomen. I do not normally suffer reflux and as far as I am aware don't have an ulcer. I am hoping that it is just hunger pains - something with which I am obviously not too familiar! I am worried that if it is reflux or an ulcer that this may be a reason for the surgery to be cancelled.

My final preop app is on Friday and I will raise my concerns with my surgeon then. In the meantime I would like to know if anyone has had anything similar.

Yes, that does NOT sound normal. I have to wonder if you're experiencing a food allergy to some ingredient in the shakes. I know the bariatric nurse who set me up with the pre- and post-op diets quizzed me extensively to rule out a milk allergy before putting me on the whey isolate powder.

If I were you, I wouldn't wait and suffer until your next appointment; call today to talk to your nutritionist, nurse, surgeon, whoever so they can hopefully correct this for you. There is such a thing as trying too hard. I admire your wish to follow everything perfectly so you get the best possible results, but sometimes our bodies have different ideas than our minds.

Good luck!

All those extra veggies can cause GAS...you know, that stuff everybody complains about post-op? Well, it sounds like you have it now. Try some Beano with your meals that have veggies and see if that makes a difference.

the whey in those protien drinks may not be agreeing with you (it's not agreeing with me)--call your nutritionist and see if there's something else you can have (i've been cutting my protien drink with half skim milk and that's seeming to help)

Thanks for all the responses.

I also thought it was probably extra gas just not sure why, maybe it is some kind of food intolerance. It can't just be from extra vegies as I have just woken up, eaten an Optifast BAR and I am burping again. Can't switch to half skim as the shakes here are all mixed with Water so the problem would be with something that is already in them.

Still wondering about the pain though. Normally (for me at least) gas pain tends to be felt low down in the stomach and is often accompanied by bloating etc. This pain is much higher up under the ribcage and seems to occur a couple of hours after eating. Any ideas?

Have you had your gallbladder checked?