Stabbing, Burning Pain!!!! Help!!!!

[Hailey's Mom 0]

I was banded on March 21, 2006 and 4 days on the liquid diet I could not take anymore without food I was weak. So I called the nutricianist and she put me on the soft foods. Well, things went ok for a a few days and I realized if I ate too much I would have this pain. Well last night we had grilled pork chops for dinner and I only ate one and the pain flared up and it hurts like heck underneath my left rib area. I thought maybe if I got sick I would feel better but couldn't do it. I went to bed and could only lay on my right side and this morning the pain is still there. I hope this is not a sign of band slippage or anything major because I sure don't need another surgery right now. If anyone can help me, please let me know. I have lost 15 pounds since the surgery which is wonderful for me because my asthma symptoms are gone!! Thanks All!!

[Alexandra 55]

You've been banded just two weeks and you ate a pork chop? That's not recommended, and doubtless the cause of your pain. (Did you chew it to paste? If not, a piece might just be stuck.)

I don't know what to recommend except to speak to your doctor--it might be that you've damaged a stitch or something, your port has shifted, or maybe it's just muscular or digestive pain.

The reason for avoiding solid food this early in the game is to prevent your stomach from shifting around and possibly dislocating the band while it's healing in place. I wish more doctors would make this clear to their patients, because it makes it a LOT easier to stick to the liquid/soft/mushie regimen when we understand the reasons behind it. All newly banded people really MUST allow at least two or three weeks of pure healing before attempting solid food.

Good luck, and please let us know how you're doing!!

[meganwf 0]

I got banded on the 23rd. I did have a lot of strong pains that went away when I took Zantac, so I decided they were acid stomach. It isn't the acid stomach feeling I had before the band; something has really changed. Now it is just pain.

Oh- and I know the soft food mushie/ liquid thing is gospel around here, but my doctor said 'follow you instincts' and I have, with no problems at all. I am eating pretty much what I used to eat, although I chew more, and eat a lot less.

I hope this helps! Good luck.

["Just" Paul 1]

Two weeks out from surgery, something like pork chops is likely not a very good idea. You said the doc cleared you for soft foods, and pork chops aren't soft, mashed potatoes are soft. I can also say that a whole pork chop is a lot at one time too. Seems you ate too much, and not the right texture food at this point.

You are still healing, so stay with the doc's suggestions. I'd go all liquids for a day or two, as it seems to me you got "stuck".

A few suggestions...

1. Don't lay down after you eat. With the band, gravity is your friend, as it helps the food to flow through the stoma

2. VERY small bites, and chew the crap out of them.

3. Eat incredibly slowly. Take a bite and chew. Put down the fork. chew. chew chew chew. swallow. Stop wait 30 seconds. Pick up the fork again. Take next bite. Put down the fork, and repeat as above.

4. Don't rush it. You are still healing. I know you are probably hungry, but you need to heal more before going to foods like pork. Move slowly from the mushies to more and more solid food. Don't make the change so drastic.

If you are getting pain from eating too much, guess what, that is the band telling you you ate too much. Simply put, eat less. If you eat slower, you are more likely to detect that satiety point. remember, it does not feel like "full" like you did before the band. You need to find your stopping point, and not exceed it. As you described, and I can back you up (having done it myself) eating too much hurts.

Call your doc, and check in with them, and honestly tell them what you ate. Heed their advice... totally. Do not use what the doc says as a guideline, follow it to the letter, and you will be a success.

Hope this helps. PM me if I can help any more.

[meganwf 0]

All these other people also have good ideas and more experience than I do, but I notice one thing from your description:

You said when you eat the pain comes. This means you probably do not have a one-time event, like something stuck or a stitch slipped. You are having some problem with eating.

I decided soemthing about the surgery etc, maybe just eating less, made my stomach very prone to be acidy for a while. Actually it was probably all the pain relievers. In any case, I took Zantac religiously for a few days, and things improved a lot. I am still taking them as needed, but it is getting better.

I did have to give up all caffeine. I seem to be too sensitive.

[Alexandra 55]

Oh- and I know the soft food mushie/ liquid thing is gospel around here, but my doctor said 'follow you instincts' and I have, with no problems at all. I am eating pretty much what I used to eat, although I chew more, and eat a lot less.

To tell you the truth, Megan, this is what my doctor said to me, too. It wasn't clearly explained to me the reason for going extremely slowly, and my instincts told me that black bean Soup on the 6th day out would be OK. But when I tried that I felt clear signals that it WASN'T all right, so I stopped. If I had known then the reasons for liquids in the early stages, I wouldn't even have tried it. Nothing bad happened, but IMO more information is always better and caution is the way to go. Your experience is great, but for Hailey's Mom I'd hope her instincts tell her to take it more slowly from here on out.

[GeezerSue 7]

I was banded on March 21, 2006 and 4 days on the liquid diet I could not take anymore without food I was weak.

This may seem a little gruff, but someone should say it:

NO...without Protein you were weak. And you can get Liquid Protein.

I'm sorry, but your deciding that soft food = a pork chop just defies logic. It's too late to decide not to get the band. But it is not too late to decide to stop playing all the games that got you MO and to follow the instructions.

If you want to get rid of the problem, you probably need to go BACK to liquids. There are canned Protein drinks which aren't bad, some people like powders, there are even juice places which add a Protein boost to a beverage. But you have to stop eating solid foods unless you want REAL problems...and if those show up, you'll be going a lot longer than a week without solids.

You have most likely irritated the stoma (if you don't have stuff stuck there) and it will need at least three days on Clear Liquids and then a week or so of full liquids before you move to soft foods...which does NOT include a pork chop.

You have made the ddecision to get the band, now make the committment to give it a chance to work. Good luck!

[NeenBand 7]

I was banded March 13th and have only been on mushies for 3 days.

I had some really bad pain too, you can check my thread here in the complications forum. There is a lot of good advice in there. Taking a PRESCRIPTION strength acid reducer really helped.

But I was very sore and tight in there and although I also felt weak from liquids eating a pork chop woukld have sent me to the floor. It's so dense, even on solids it's tough and dense. So I think eating a pork chop was not the best choice.

When I started on mushies my stomach was not ready for them, even though I was 3 weeks out. So I went back to soft , full liquids for a few days.

Please listen to your band/stomach. She is an unforgiving mistress and our appetite, what got us in trouble in the first place, is not in control anymore, the band is, at least right after surgery it is.

[meganwf 0]

I go back in forth. In general, caution is a good thing. On the other hand, caution has a cost too- extra time, extra resources, extra doing-without, etc. The trick is to not go too far to either side. Truthfully, some people are terrible at this balancing act, and for them, it is better to have a rule-set they can follow.

But then there are some of us who are quite good at it. For example, your instincts kicked right in and said "NO" to black bean soup- so the doctor's advice was good. You listened to yourself, and yourself urged slowness. Mine urged speed. I was intensely satisfied by meat on the fourth day, and felt much better for having eaten it.

And a lot of the agony I read on this site is people trying to stick some liquid only diet when their body is telling them very strongly something different- they are ready for more. Most of them would be better served by listening to their own bodies, IMO.

As to the risk of slippage, it is determined far more by surgical technique and band type than by a liquid diet, although vomiting in the early stages is not helpful. But the research shows a very significant drop in slippage using the pars flaccida technique for instance- the slippage rates drop from around 8-10% to around 2%. Also, the 4.5 cc band is really too small, and is not being used any longer in Europe- they have found the larger bands have better slippage and erosion rates.

It seems to me as long as your are not gagging or vomiting and are well able to be cautious and a good listener to your body, there is no reason not to 'follow your instincts'.

[GeezerSue 7]

I go back in forth. In general, caution is a good thing. On the other hand, caution has a cost too- extra time, extra resources, extra doing-without, etc. The trick is to not go too far to either side. Truthfully, some people are terrible at this balancing act, and for them, it is better to have a rule-set they can follow.

But then there are some of us who are quite good at it. For example, your instincts kicked right in and said "NO" to black bean soup- so the doctor's advice was good. You listened to yourself, and yourself urged slowness. Mine urged speed. I was intensely satisfied by meat on the fourth day, and felt much better for having eaten it.

And a lot of the agony I read on this site is people trying to stick some liquid only diet when their body is telling them very strongly something different- they are ready for more. Most of them would be better served by listening to their own bodies, IMO.

As to the risk of slippage, it is determined far more by surgical technique and band type than by a liquid diet, although vomiting in the early stages is not helpful. But the research shows a very significant drop in slippage using the pars flaccida technique for instance- the slippage rates drop from around 8-10% to around 2%. Also, the 4.5 cc band is really too small, and is not being used any longer in Europe- they have found the larger bands have better slippage and erosion rates.

It seems to me as long as your are not gagging or vomiting and are well able to be cautious and a good listener to your body, there is no reason not to 'follow your instincts'.

Megan--do you have the LapBand or the MIDBand (or the SAGB)? I've known of several people banded in France--with the MIDBand--who were fed solids from day one. But those are bigger, softer bands. Or...if you were on solid food early on...do you suppose the French doctors use a technique that is more forgiving?

[meganwf 0]

Yes it was the SAGB, which I know is larger both in terms of capacity and overall size- the ring itself is wider, so perhaps that explains why it is so much easier to eat quickly.

I don't know if the pars flaccida technique itself can be classed as 'gentler', but it definitely does have dramatically reduced rates of slippage. This would give doctors more confidence regarding patient's eating, I suppose. I don't know how many of the American doctors are using this technique. From what I could tell, it is already an internation preferred technique- and has been for a few years anyway, but individual doctors don't always change or aren't always aware.

[Sandybells 0]

The redder the pork - the more tender the meat. Moist heat is what makes meats tender. A slow cooker or Crockpot is really good for this. Use canned Soup or dry package soup with Water and use anything like A-1 or Worcestershire sauce (even catsup) to add flavor to mushroom soup or other cream soup for the moisture. Pressure cooker works if you know how to use it well.

Redness of pork is what determines tenderness along with moist heat. Hope this helps!:ban:

[Hailey's Mom 0]

I did blend/puree the pork chop and even chewed. The doctor told me it had nothing to do with the lapband for the pain. It was where he inserted the scope there was a hematoma underneath and causing like a gas bubble. Therefore, the pain was from that. I was scared to death though because I did think maybe I ate to much or something. I am staying away from pork for a while though. Thanks again for all of your help.

[NeenBand 7]

Glad he found out what was going on and your feeling better.

[Stitchy 0]

I don't know if the pars flaccida technique itself can be classed as 'gentler', but it definitely does have dramatically reduced rates of slippage. This would give doctors more confidence regarding patient's eating, I suppose. I don't know how many of the American doctors are using this technique.

What is pars flaccida technique?