So I just got banded two weeks ago, quick recap: Surgery on the 25th of Aug, everything was going great. I went home that same day, slept a lot and started the clear liquid diet. On the 27th of august, having taken full sized pills on both the previous days, I tried to take a Vicodin for some discomfort and it got stuck. :thumbup:

Now, I've passed four kidney stones in the last two years and each one was an epic tale of pain and suffering but they didn't hold a candle to this. After the pill got stuck and I was rolling in pain for about two hours, I emailed my doctor who quickly got back to me stating "it will dissolve, just keep drinking warm liquid".

Fine, started drinking warm liquid and began throwing it up. Four hours went by, still drinking and puking. After six hours, I emailed the doctor again. "Come in tomorrow morning when we open and we'll take some out of your band." was his reply.

So there I am rocking back and forth in pain with another ten hours before I could get some relief...I won't bore you with the suffering that took place that night.

The next morning we rushed in to meet them as they opened the doors to the doctors office. The doctor pulled the 1/4 cc that was in my band, out. The pain remained, I was looking like death and the doctor admitted me to the hospital, which took another two hours....IESH!

Finally got into a hospital bed, waited another hour before they got permission from my doctor to start pain meds. After three heavy doses of morphine I was still in a sever amount of pain. I don't know the exact measure but I remember the nurses expression when she was telling me how much Dilaudid they were giving me and I can still remember that sweet sweet relief that washed over me as the super-dope took hold. Finally, I was saved.

It took another three days of puking up the most disgusting fermented stomach juice you've ever seen/smelled before they finally decided to do an upper GI, at which time they discovered my band had slipped down to the bottom of my stomach and the top half was mushroomed around the band so that I had this bowl for a stomach with the band acting as a drain plug.

The next day, they repositioned the band and bada-bing bada-boom, I was allowed to go home a day later. I felt and continue to feel great.

Moral of the story, CRUSH YOUR PILLS!! I know some people have no trouble taking pills and neither did I for two days but it's so worth taking the time...imo.

I do have a question about fills. I'm a big fan of being completely independent and I'm wondering if there are any of you out there that do your own fills or continue to lose weight without getting a fill? I realize it's always safer to consult the doc, which I will do but I'm curious if anybody has gotten to the point where they don't need their doctor anymore.

So I just got banded two weeks ago, quick recap: Surgery on the 25th of Aug, everything was going great. I went home that same day, slept a lot and started the clear liquid diet. On the 27th of august, having taken full sized pills on both the previous days, I tried to take a Vicodin for some discomfort and it got stuck. ............

Moral of the story, CRUSH YOUR PILLS!! I know some people have no trouble taking pills and neither did I for two days but it's so worth taking the time...imo.

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Hi did they actually say that all this happened from a stuck pill? Or was it a freak thing? They told me i can take pills smaller than an M&M

What a horrible story. I had full-sized Vicodin after my surgery. My surgeon did not say anything about splitting the pills, but I did so anyway....Then, 2 days after surgery, I thought I would try taking a whole one. It got stuck. It was very painful but luckily did not last long and passed pretty quickly. Until it did I was panicking about having to throw up.

When I called the PA at my surgeon's office, she said most people do not have a problem taking the whole pills (?) but for me to go ahead and split them. I was a little annoyed that I did not have the liquid Vicodin.

I was prescribed the liquid Vicodin but I am allergic to codeine (sp?) so I was given Darvicet but it only comes in pill form. My doctor told me to break it in two, I was able to get it down with no problems but I don't think it worked properly because it was not supposed to be broken in half so it didn't provide me with much relief. My advice always try to get your pain meds in liquid form, and fill your prescriptions before your surgery date.

I, too, am allergic to codeine and Darvocet is what I have to take for pain. I asked a compounding pharmacist in Dallas about having it made into an elixir. She said she could do it, but it would be cheaper to get the pills, crush them, and mix with chocolate syrup or honey. That works great for me. I don't worry about the calories in the syrup or honey. Those pills are HORRIBLY bitter, so you want to mix with something very sweet! Oh, and they should start working faster that way, too.

I, too, am allergic to codeine and Darvocet is what I have to take for pain. I asked a compounding pharmacist in Dallas about having it made into an elixir. She said she could do it, but it would be cheaper to get the pills, crush them, and mix with chocolate syrup or honey. That works great for me. I don't worry about the calories in the syrup or honey. Those pills are HORRIBLY bitter, so you want to mix with something very sweet! Oh, and they should start working faster that way, too.

Thanks that just answered my question in a thread I started... exactly what do you do? They are horrible.