Bad gas pain!

[GRE110 10]

I had my op on Monday afternoon and I have the worst gas pains in my left shoulder and in my stomach. Any advice at all for these?! I have an ice pack on my shoulder which only eases it a little and I've been taking wind-eaze tablets which really don't seem to be doing a lot!! Any help would be amazing! Thanks!

[RedStorm 139]

Walking for gas in the stomach and shoulder. Swing you rats when you walk. Try a heating pad for your shoulder and get someone to rub it out. Gas pains in my shoulder lasted 5 days.

[Bruce120 19]

I had the surgery the same exact time as you, and the gas pain is intolerable for me as well. I tried walikng, gas-x, and a heating pad but they only help so much. For me the worst pain is around the neck area and the abdominal area.

Besides I have terrible pain in the incision areas and the general surgery area which I'm not sure if it's gas or just regular post-op pains.

[NolansNana 210]

So sorry that y'all are in pain. Mine lasted about a week..The shoulder pain was the worst..I alternated heat and ice and moved around a lot.. Hope your pain eases soon.

[DayOne Health 13]

The pain comes from the gas pushing against the diaphragm. The reason why you feel pain in your shoulder is because retained CO2 puts pressure on the phrenic nerve, which connects most of your internal organs. Since the pain comes from the gas pressure in your abdomen, the easy way to fight it is to walk around a lot and drink warm liquids. Walking around and warm drinks will give you "more space inside" and relieve the pressure. The pain will most likely get worse when your stomach is full or you feel bloated. To minimize the discomfort, stick to the diet prescribed by your dietitian (clear liquids) and use Gas-X thin strips. Heat, massage, and exercise seem to work best.

Hope this helps!

[christinabryan89 14]

Ahh my surgery was Monday as well and when I got home I felt pretty good. Yesterday was terrible! My pains are in my chest and I can't figure out how to burp anymore. Very weird. Someone on here had posted about rotating hot and cold. The cold did the best for me. I'm having a hard time getting up off the couch without help because the pain is so bad. I don't know if the chest pain if from the hiatal hernia repair or what. I hope it gets better for you guys!

[christinabryan89 14]

Has anyone tried compression garments? Or is that a bad idea?

[DayOne Health 13]

Has anyone tried compression garments? Or is that a bad idea?

It could potentially cause you more discomfort since it would press on your port and incisions.

[Bruce120 19]

On a side note, is it normal for the port to stick out quite a bit after surgery? I could literally see the entire shape of the port, and completely feel it with my hand. It sticks out like a sore thumb on my stomach. I just hope that it's normal, and it'll get better.

[DayOne Health 13]

On a side note, is it normal for the port to stick out quite a bit after surgery? I could literally see the entire shape of the port, and completely feel it with my hand. It sticks out like a sore thumb on my stomach. I just hope that it's normal, and it'll get better.

The level of port protrusion can be dependent on a few things: the way the port is placed, model of the band, and weight loss. Since you are a new patient, I'm guessing that your port was placed on the stomach muscle (right under your skin) and that's why it sticks out. Our surgeons prefer to put the port under the muscle so it doesn't protrude even if you lose a lot of weight.

Earlier band models had much larger ports and therefore were more protruding - especially if a patient lost a lot of weight. Nevertheless, since you had your lap-band placed in May this year, it is doubtful you would have Allergan's older model. The level of protrusion may also differ between LAP-BAND System and RealizeBand, but that is something we don't have much experience with since we work mostly with the LAP-BAND System.

The best advice would be to talk to your surgeon about it because if the port is protruding now, it most likely will in the future.

Hope this helps. Best!

[Bruce120 19]

The level of port protrusion can be dependent on a few things: the way the port is placed, model of the band, and weight loss. Since you are a new patient, I'm guessing that your port was placed on the stomach muscle (right under your skin) and that's why it sticks out. Our surgeons prefer to put the port under the muscle so it doesn't protrude even if you lose a lot of weight.

Earlier band models had much larger ports and therefore were more protruding - especially if a patient lost a lot of weight. Nevertheless, since you had your lap-band placed in May this year, it is doubtful you would have Allergan's older model. The level of protrusion may also differ between LAP-BAND System and RealizeBand, but that is something we don't have much experience with since we work mostly with the LAP-BAND System.

The best advice would be to talk to your surgeon about it because if the port is protruding now, it most likely will in the future.

Hope this helps. Best!

I had my band placed two days ago, not in May. The port is definitely placed directly under the skin, since I can easily feel it and clearly see its shape. I just thought that this is normal right after surgery, and it will eventually stabilize.

[DayOne Health 13]

@@Bruce120 Sorry for that! Looked at your joined date, as opposed to the surgery date. The port should not significantly protrude, at least from our experience. You should definitely ask your doctor about it because ultimately the level of protrusion depends on the surgical technique.

[NolansNana 210]

Christina I did use a belly band that I normally wear to the gym..it did help getting up.

[Country_Girl_NY 15]

Do slow arm circles when you walk. I found this helped big time with the gas. Also, I was in pain for 2 days, then I woke up and most of the pain was gone. All that was left was soreness at the incisions. Even if it's uncomfortable to move around, do it anyway.

[GRE110 10]

Thank you so much everyone for your advice and I'm sooo happy day 4 all gas pains gone!!!! The only pain I have now is obviously a little yummy muscle pain and the actual incisions but their not causing me a problem in the slightest I feel completely back to normal the only thing is I've already moved myself onto Mushies and I've not really had a problem with anything? My doc said about 5 days to a week so I guess it's fine cant wait to start seeing results!!!! I'd love to know everyone's stats so far for a little encouragement!!!! X