Post surgical sensitivity to odors

[jahair 0]

I was banded on August 28 and since then am extremely sensitive to the smell of food cooking -- we're talking queasiness and lots of swallowing. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it a common post surgical after effect? It's great for getting out of kitchen duties, but it's not very pleasant! :eek:

[AnotherMe 0]

Hi J,

I thought it was just me :eek:... a couple of months prior to my Lapband surgery I had to have an endoscopy, since then I'm real sensitive to smells. So much so, that my desk at work is very near a kitchen area where everyone uses the refrigerators to store their lunches... if anyone forgets what they stored and it sits for more than a few days I have to ask coworkers to help clean it. It gives me a headache to smell the fumes everytime the refrig is opened, and makes my stomach ill.

Even really strong coffee brewing will make me nauseous.

In my case it's hard to say whether it was the endoscopy or a result of the Lapband. It's probably some of both, I usually try to keep a couple of sugarfree mints handy - sometimes this will help calm my stomach down and replace the gruesome smell. Give it a bit more time, you've still got quite a bit of swelling and you should feel a bit "loose" in the next few weeks... to where this might no longer be a problem for you.

All the best,

Karla

[Nana~ 4]

hmmm, since surgery not cooking but gross smells bother me- Bathrooms public- kids getting sick- Yes RAW meats-

I have posted on here about the band and your nose but not many people noticed a big change but I CAN!

I smell things ALOT stronger than I use to- Perfumes as well as the above mentioned~

My theory anyhow is that now that I cant rush things down my throat and I actually TASTE things my smell is better? LOL

Sometimes like the bathroom thing...its not good cause I can be fine and just have to tinkle but if I go into a stinky bathroom the smell makes me gag and everything comes up :eek:

Nana~

[mcw12985 0]

Ugh. I'm 2 days postop and there are certain foods that if I even THINK about, I get sick to my stomach. I stocked up on several Soups before surgery, and now when I go look at them in the cabinet, it makes me sick. It's the weirdest thing. I think about soups/broths and get sick, but I'm okay if I think about Jello. I hope this passes soon. I'm so scared about throwing up while my band is so newly placed. And my goodness I know it would hurt, my whole abdomen hurts if I cough.

[jahair 0]

Thanks MCW -- It's not funny about being afraid to throw up, I agree, but I had to laugh about the notion thinking about Soups making you nauseous and being OK if you stick to thoughts about Jello. Where else in the world would that statement make sense?? :biggrin1: :biggrin1: It just points out that although as bandsters we all go through the same surgery, each one of us experiences this journey in our own quirky ways.

As I read posts that others have made, I am continually floored by the courage bandsters have dispayed. Each of us has made the decision to undergo this very big deal because we are desperate to experience success in keeping off the weight we lose. We have persevered in our commitment to permanent weight loss in the face of doubts expressed by ourselves or others that maybe all it really does take to be successful is to eat smaller portions and exercise more.

We told our "true truth" that anything we've done in the past did not work and have turned our heads to the future by deciding on this procedure. Still, that little voice that we all have scares us with all the ways we could mess this up:

• throwing up and stretching the stoma
  
• going crazy on the liquid/mushy stage and drinking only milkshakes or something else high fat/high calorie
  
• being the only person for whom weight gain actually occurs rather than weight loss
  
• etc.

We are alone with ourselves in the recovery stage and it is all too easy to obsess with the fact that we have or will do something wrong and blow this. I know for me it has been more difficult than I expected to allow the discomforts of healing (like major gas or itches) not to get in the way of my deep pride in myself for taking this BIG POSITIVE step in regaining my life.

I am so grateful for knowing this talk forum is available to us to share our concerns but also to take comfort in the large number of people who are experiencing success on this path and all the tickers showing the decreasing numbers. I think I'll get one today!