Hi Everyone

[gman614 2]

Hi everyone my name is Gregg and I was justed banded on Wednesday 5/30. Everything went well, however I was in a considerable amount of pain until today. Still hurting but not as bad and am not sure if it was linked to the hernia the Dr also corrected. I am curious how sleeping was for everyone, it has not gone well with me and so far the best sleep I have gotten was in my recliner. I really want to get back in my bed and also want to get off this pain medication. Am I getting ahead of myself on this or was this common for some of you. I'm still on all the Clear Liquids and have had no desire for anything else so far.

[lassie 247]

Welcome, I am not too experienced with this myself yet I was banded May 24^th I have had gas pains in my shoulder for a week although now they are a lot better. Also Constipation which is not better yet I am taking something but not working. Have been able to sleep alright but I have seen quite a few people on here say they sleep in there chair. Hang in there it will get better anyway that is what I keep telling myself.

[Cazzy 725]

Everyone heals at differing rates so it may well be that u are a little slow in healing ( in your mind ) a lot of people take weeks before they begin to feel 'normal' again, so dont rush it, take yopur pain meds, walk as much as possible and drink your fluids, healing is an important part of this process so dont be in a hurry just do what u can and follow your docs guidelines this time will soon pass

[Jean McMillan 2,973]

Welcome, Gregg, and congrats on being banded.

Everybody's pain tolerance varies. I've been told that bandsters who had a hiatal hernia repaired during their surgery experience a bit more pain because of the work done on the diaphragm. That work on the diaphragm, plus the gas used to inflate the abdominal cavity during surgery, can cause quite a bit of pain in addition to any discomfort from incisions. Some of that pain can be "referred" to the left shoulder due to quirks in the nerves in the upper GI tract. I found that moving around a lot (which also helps prevent blood clots) was the ony thing that helped the gas, but some people have found that Gas-X helps with that.

I did OK sleeping in my own bed, propped up with LOTS of pillows, but if you're more comfortable sleeping in a recliner, you won't be alone. Lots of folks sleep that way when recovering from surgery. When you're sleeping in your own bed, what body position do you favor? I'm a side-sleeper so I clutched a big bed pillow to my tummy and leaned on it a bit to find a comfortable position. If you're a tummy sleeper, you may be out of luck for the moment. If you sleep on your back, you should be OK except when trying to get in and out of bed. My technique for that is:

GETTING INTO BED:

1. sit on the edge of the bed at the approximate point where your butt would be if you were asleep in it, turned slightly so that you're looking at the foot of the bed.

2. using your arms to brace yourself, fall as gently as possible onto your back, then wiggle as necessary, holding a pillow against your abdomen if need be, until you're more or less in your desired sleeping position.

GETTING OUT OF BED:

1. Holding a pillow against your abdomen, roll onto your side so that you're facing the edge of the bed.

2. Bend your legs so they're right at the edge of the mattress.

3. Use your body weight to lean forward so you "roll" off the bed onto your slightly-bent legs, and slowly stand up when your feet hit the floor.

I think I need to make a video of that method because words don't seem to do it justice!

Finally, about the pain medication. Narcotics are wonderful, but the limitations are that it's constipating and it's depressing. It depresses your respiration and your nervous system. For me, that results in low energy and a depressed mood. So at some point pretty soon you'll want to start cutting back on the pain meds. Your doctor's the best one to tell you how to do that. What I did was start spacing the doses out further apart, then took half the dose each time, then took a dose only once a day, then none at all. You shouldn't be driving a vehicle while on pain meds so that might be an additional incentive for you to taper off them.

Hope you feel better soon!

[gman614 2]

Thanks for the good information Jean and everyone else I will definitely give it a shot tonight.

[Bamabander 111]

Hi everyone my name is Gregg and I was justed banded on Wednesday 5/30. Everything went well' date=' however I was in a considerable amount of pain until today. Still hurting but not as bad and am not sure if it was linked to the hernia the Dr also corrected. I am curious how sleeping was for everyone, it has not gone well with me and so far the best sleep I have gotten was in my recliner. I really want to get back in my bed and also want to get off this pain medication. Am I getting ahead of myself on this or was this common for some of you. I'm still on all the clear liquids and have had no desire for anything else so far.[/quote']

I was banded on 5/29 and was shocked at how much pain I had. Asked my doc and he said most of my pain was probably from the hiatal hernia he repaired. I found that holding an ice pack in that area has helped a lot. My day 3 was much better and today I was feeling great but think I overdid it and now just took some pain meds and am on the sofa for the rest of the day. Also last night was the first night I could get comfortable on my side but had more gas pains laying flat so I slept on a recliner because I am sleeping better there. Hang in there and take it from me, once you are feeling better take it easy!! Good luck!

[Grandma3 73]

Hi Gman, welcome to the world of the banded.

I also had a hernia repair and had diaphragm pain for about 4 days, it hurt in my upper chest.

I also stopped taking pain medication on day four.

I could not lie on my left side for several days, I would go to bed lay on the right side and half way thru the night I would go to the recliner. It was just more comfortable. Within the week I was sleeping in my bed all night.

If you are still in pain maybe you could just take the pain medication when you need it the most, say at night so you can sleep. Be sure you are taking something to help you go to the bathroom, those pain meds and the lack of good Fiber make it very painful to go. My doctor suggested MOM (Milk of Magnesia) and it works great.

Good luck to you and hope you feel better soon.

[Greyhounds&I 4]

Hi Gregg!

I have not been banded yet but I just wanted to say "Hi & I hope you feel better soon!"

Megan

[Yungmasta 0]

Hello Gman, I too just had my banding done on 5/29. I did not have a hernia but was also surprised at the amount of pain, everything I had read or people I had talked to said there was little to no pain, well I found that not to be the case. I did find that it actually only "hurt" the 2 days following surgery, since then its been more discomfort than pain, most of it comming from gas. Today is actually the first day I have not felt bloated and swollen, but then I havent been shy about trying to expell that gas either so maybe its all finaly out. Walking around did seem to help me move the gas out, and the more I walked the easier it got. As far as sleeping I was able to sleep in my bed the first night home, however I had propt myself up with pillows. I have also found that if im gentle with doing it I can lay on right side some as well, my left is still pretty tender due to that being the side my port is on. I was also able to eat some Jello today with no pain or difficulties, slowly of course, but I am still primarily doing broth and slimfast shakes for my meals. Today has been the first day that I actually felt hungry. I read something here about Constipation, I don't think I am, but I have not gone since the surgery, I'm guessing its more because I haven't really ingested anything until today.

I hope some of this was usefull so that you know its not just you having some issues and that it does seem to be getting much better by the day. Good luck to you!

[jeani81 93]

I was banded on the 24th and am still having issues with sleeping. As for the pain meds, I got off them the second day home. Just hang in there it will get better.